Bolney Estate Vineyard

I was kindly invited down to @bolneyestate on a sunny Sunday afternoon to enjoy one of their Cheese & Wine tours and to check out the beautiful acres of vineyard very close to Brighton

There are many options of tours and events that you can enjoy at Bolney Estate but you can also just turn up and enjoy their fantastic wine and delicious food in their restaurant with booking available online too

The wine tour we went on was their classic 2-hour tour of the vineyard, the wineries and then a tasting session of some of their wines paired with cheeses & meats that compliment, with the added option of purchasing some wine at a discounted rate at the end to take home. I would say this tour was okay, I think you have to be really interested in learning about wine, how it’s made and what foods to pair with them to really enjoy it. Personally I would have picked a different tour had I known, as we sat in a classroom for the majority of the time, watching people outside on the balcony, enjoying their wine in the glorious sun and I couldn’t help but wish I was out there too! The tour isn’t cheap either so I would really only recommend this tour for people interested in knowing a lot more about wine and how it’s made

There are some other tours available which incorporate more time outside of the classroom and bigger meals, such as cream tea and sharing platters while enjoying some wine in the restaurant or on the balcony which I would go for next time or even just come and enjoy the balcony with freedom to pick wine and food myself without the tour, but that is just my opinion. There were plenty of people on the tour who really enjoyed it so I think there is something there for everyone but personally this wasn’t for me- maybe I’ve done a few too many wine tours in my time!

It is such a beautiful venue and the wines were delicious, we bought a bottle of the @bolneyestate Lychgate Rose which has won many awards for good reason and enjoyed it in our garden at home later that day. I would definitely recommend a visit on a beautiful summers day to enjoy some food and wine on the balcony, over looking the acres of gorgeous vineyards

I was invited to try this one. As always, all opinions are my own.