Two of my favourite hotels for celebrating English wine
While English wine tourism continues to blossom, not every vineyard has its own accommodation. These places offer luxury lovers somewhere to stay while indulging in local wines.
Chilston Park Hotel
An historic estate of over 900 years, this Grade I listed, red brick country house hotel comes with 77 acres of parkland and a private lake. Handpicked Hotels have taken it under their wing, retaining a Bridgerton level of stately home complete with four-poster beds and original fireplaces.
The Culpeper restaurant pours a bevy of local wines, but this hotel is the perfect jumping off point to visit some of Kent’s finest vineyards. They have a special relationship with Chapel Down, half an hour’s drive away. Chapel Down is the UK’s largest producer (by volume) of English wine, yet it’s run by a small team led by head winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire, whose passion for his work is echoed by everyone who works there.
For full luxury book the Kits Coty Package, on which you will taste vintage wines from their flagship vineyard alongside a long lunch and some sabrage (£175pp, chapeldown.com). The Kits Coty range are the best one per cent of all their award-winning wine, with only 3,000 bottles produced a year so this is a real treat.
Coworth Park
If you would rather skip the car journeys and hunker down in comfortable elegance then Coworth Park in Ascot is hard to beat.
Here, wines from across the UK come to you. There are various dining options but Woven by Adam Smith is their Michelin-starred flagship, stocking a fabulous list of English wines. Attractive dishes are paired with Danbury Ridge’s Pinot Noir from Essex, Hampshire’s Hattingley and Sussex’s Rathfinny’s sparkling wines.
Should you want to visit some vineyards, there are nearby options such as Stanlake Park or Hundred Hills. However, with a breathtaking 240 acres of woodland, wildflower fields, landscaped gardens, lakes and an impressive spa you may not want to leave. The 22 suites are particularly beautiful, with artfully hidden mod cons among the antiques, and guests can partake in horse-rising, falconry and archery.
If you are staying in the City, my favourite venues for English wine are three of our Toast Awards finalists. Humble Grape Bow Lane has a huge range of interesting English wines, from skin fermented Sauvignons to Cornish Bacchus. Angler is a superb restaurant and offers premium examples of fine English wine, and Dave’s Wine Bar is the perfect spot to get a glass of my longstanding favourite, Gusbourne.