Vineyards Near Brighton: 12 Sussex Wine Estates Worth Visiting (2026)

Sussex is home to some of the best sparkling wine in the world, and most of it is grown within an hour or so of Brighton. The UK wine scene is taking off with warmer weather, and the chalk that runs under the South Downs is the same seam that surfaces in Champagne. The vineyards on top of it have spent the last twenty years beating the French in blind tastings.

Luke and I live in Brighton, and one of our favourite weekend activities is a countryside walk and vineyard visit. In the summer, that looks like a hike on the South Downs and cooling off with a crisp white on a picnic bench amongst the vines. By winter, we wrap up warm and end with a light red by an open fire on a comfy couch.

In this guide to the best vineyards near Brighton, I’ve put the ones we’ve been to first and been honest about the ones we haven’t. There’s a walk with almost every one, the train station you actually need, and what things cost in 2026.

Best Vineyards Near Brighton

1. Artelium Wine Estate

Our favourite, and the one we go back to.

Artelium is the vineyard we’ve visited most — countless times now, in every season, and we’ve walked to it more ways than I can remember. It’s a working vineyard and one that is unpretentious. The whole place is relaxed.

The whites are the best wine they make, and the Pinot Gris in particular is excellent. Pull up a picnic bench in the sun, and order a cheese board with it.

Artelium also run makers markets. We’ve been to both the winter/Christmas one and the spring one, and love all the local makers that come to sell their wares. We’ve bought many a cute gift at these, and the Christmas one really helps get you in the festive spirit.

Getting There: Train from Brighton to Lewes (about 15 minutes), change for Plumpton (another 10 or so), then walk. Artelium is less than 30 minutes’ walk through the fields. It’s a lovely countryside walk, flat and easy. You can do the same in reverse to get home, or grab an Uber, which is usually around £20 back to Brighton. Burgess Hill is the alternative station if you’d rather have more frequent trains and a 10-minute taxi.

Google Maps: Streat Lane, Hassocks BN6 8SA

2. Ridgeview Wine Estate, Ditchling Common

Come for the restaurant.

Luke took me here as a birthday surprise, booked through Shuttle & Vine, and we had the best day. A shuttle turned up, taking us door-to-door both ways, and we had a reservation at The Rows & Vine, their outdoor restaurant. We sat on the terrace in the shade with a flight of wines and good food. It’s spring and summer only, being alfresco, so check before you go in the shoulder seasons. You’ll need to book ahead.

The grounds are much smaller compared to other vineyards, so walks here are limited to a ten-minute jaunt around the vines rather than an afternoon’s walking.

The company entered administration in September 2025 and was sold out of administration in February 2026 to new owners. It traded throughout, everyone kept their jobs, the head winemaker stayed, and the vineyard continues to be open.

Getting There: Burgess Hill is the nearest station, about 15 minutes from Brighton. The walk is half an hour or so, or take a taxi for about 10 minutes. The Compass Village Rider 167 bus stops at Folders Lane Roundabout, under half a mile away.

Google Maps: Fragbarrow Lane, Ditchling Common BN6 8TP

3. Rathfinny Wine Estate, Alfriston

The posh one — and the best walking.

Rathfinny is the upmarket end of Sussex wine. It’s a big, purpose-built estate above Alfriston, about three miles from the sea, and it feels considerably grander than anywhere else on this list.

There are self-guided walking trails all over the estate, the maps are free from the Cellar Door and you don’t need to book. Alfriston is where the South Downs Way splits towards Eastbourne and Seaford, so you can stitch a vineyard visit into a good day’s walking. We’ve walked here from Lewes before, which is a big day but a beautiful one.

For food, there are two very different options. Flint Barns does Sunday lunch and dinner and it is quite expensive — but it’s very nice. The much better everyday option is The Hut, their van up on the hillside with a big view over the vines. Toasties, a glass of something cold, sitting outside looking at rows of Chardonnay vines. The Hut is walk-ins only, no booking, card only.

2026 Update: Their Tasting Room restaurant closed permanently on 14th January 2026. A lot of guides still list it, so if you’ve read about it elsewhere, it’s gone. Flint Barns and The Hut are the only two options .

Getting There: It’s best to drive and parking is free. There’s no walkable station, this is a taxi one. Berwick is about 10 minutes away by cab, Seaford 10 mins, Polegate 15 mins, Lewes 20 mins. Book the return leg in advance, as it’s rural and cabs don’t just turn up.

Google Maps: Alfriston BN26 5TU

4. Court Garden Vineyard, Ditchling

Court Garden is a family-run single estate in Ditchling, going since 2005, and everything is made on site. What appeals is that it’s small and tour-led. They also do collectable picnics, bookable between tours on Saturdays.

Getting There: Hassocks station is about 9 minutes from Brighton and Court Garden’s own site describes it as a 40-minute walk from there. Alternatively Burgess Hill and a 10-minute taxi. Ditchling village and the climb up to Ditchling Beacon are right there, so this is an easy one to pair with a South Downs Way walk.

Google Maps: Orchard Lane, Ditchling BN6 8TH

5. Everflyht, Ditchling

Everflyht sits at the foot of Ditchling Beacon, which is the most dramatic setting of any vineyard on this list, and it’s a single estate growing only the classic sparkling varieties — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, all estate-grown.

Alongside the standard tours they run flower crown workshops monthly through summer and, in September and October, stargazing evenings with an astronomer paired with a twilight tasting. Quite unique!

Getting There: Take the bus to Ditchling Beacon and enjoy the 30-minute walk down. It’s a windy walk, as it runs down the edge of the beacon.

Google Maps: Beacon Road, Ditchling BN6 8XB

6. Albourne Estate, Hassocks

Thirty acres with its own winery, an outdoor tipi to taste under, and some of the nicest bottle labels in Sussex with wildlife illustrations.

The tour is good value and unusually food-forward. It’s around £28 per person for about 1 hour 45, four wines including their English Vermouth, each paired with a local Sussex cheese. There’s also a shorter seated tasting under the tipi, and picnic baskets. You can drop in for a glass or a bottle without booking anything.

Getting There: Hassocks is the nearest station and it’s walkable from there.

Google Maps: Shaves Wood Lane, Albourne BN6 9DX

7. Bolney Wine Estate, Bolney

Bolney has been growing wine since 1972, which in English wine terms makes it one of the oldest vineyards.

Their Café & Wine Bar is walk-in only, no reservations, and open every day. If you want to visit a vineyard without committing to a tour or a tasting slot, this is a nice and easy going option. There’s a proper restaurant upstairs too, the Eighteen Acre.

Getting There: No walkable station. Haywards Heath is about 15 minutes by taxi, Burgess Hill 15-20 mins. Book cabs ahead at weekends.

Google Maps: Foxhole Lane, Bolney RH17 5NB

8. Bluebell Vineyard Estates, Furner’s Green

Bluebell sits next to Sheffield Park Garden and the Bluebell Railway heritage line, north of Lewes on the edge of Ashdown Forest. They make Hindleap sparkling and Ashdown still wines, and there’s a vineyard and woodland trail on site that is, predictably, spectacular in bluebell season.

There’s no restaurant or food here, so this is a vineyard just for a tipple.

Getting There: Haywards Heath, then a 15-minute taxi. About 40 minutes’ drive from Brighton.

Google Maps: Glenmore Farm, Slider’s Lane, Furner’s Green, Uckfield TN22 3RU

9. Wiston Estate, Washington

Farmed by the same family for over 275 years, and home to Chalk, one of the best known restaurants attached to a vineyard in Sussex. We haven’t eaten there yet, but it’s on the list.

The winery tour is one of the better-value ones at £30 per person and runs Thursday to Sunday year-round, and is fully indoors in winter and fully accessible, which makes it a rare option for a wet January afternoon when everything else is shut. At the other end there’s a Sundowner Safari at £130 per person with a tractor ride over the Downs and dinner at Chalk.

Getting There: No walkable station. Worthing or Horsham, then about 20 minutes by taxi. Uber operates out here.

Google Maps: North Farm, Washington RH20 4BB

10. Kinsbrook Vineyard, Thakeham

The most dog-friendly vineyard in Sussex, by some distance. Their own line is “all dogs are welcome in the restaurant or around the vineyard.” If you’ve got a dog to plan for, this is a great vineyard option.

There’s a farm shop, deli, café and restaurant doing modern European food with local produce, and they completed their first harvest at a brand-new on-site winery this year, processing over 70 tonnes. It’s a vineyard on the up!

Google Maps: West Chiltington Road, Thakeham, Pulborough RH20 2LU

11. Leonardslee Wine Estate, Mannings Heath

Wine attached to one of the great Sussex gardens. The wine estate is at Mannings Heath, whilst Leonardslee’s Grade I listed lakes and gardens, and the Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude are at Lower Beeding, about three miles away.

The Drop-In Wine Flight at £15 per person is three wines, no tutoring, no booking, daily from 11am. You can build a day around the gardens and add wine without planning it.

Google Maps: Hammerpond Road, Mannings Heath, Horsham RH13 6PG

12. Tillingham, Peasmarsh

This vineyard isn’t as near to Brighton as the others, but if you’re based in Brighton then Tillingham makes for a great day trip or wonderful weekend away. It’s an hour and a half drive from Brighton, over near Rye.

Tillingham is the name in English natural wine. Organic and biodynamic principles, minimal intervention, wine fermented in qvevri (Georgian clay amphorae buried in the ground), and a Michelin Green Star for sustainability.

We stayed a night here in a summer bell tent and enjoyed a late night bottle of wine and pizzas cooked onsite. There are also 11 rooms in a converted hop barn. We’d recommend staying inside rather than a bell tent (unless you love camping) as even in summer the weather is unreliable and it was a little on the wet side when we stayed, which made dashing out to the loo not so great!

Note there are no children under 12 in the rooms or restaurant.

Google Maps: Dew Lane, Peasmarsh TN31 6XD

The Vineyard You Can’t Visit (But Can Walk Past)

Breaky Bottom, tucked into a fold of the Downs at Rodmell, is one of the true originals — vines planted in 1974, a cult following, and some of the most sought-after sparkling wine in England.

It is also not a hospitality business. It’s a family home at the end of a mile-and-a-half unmade track. The do tours and tastings by appointment only, for people collecting an order from the cellar door.

What you can do is walk past it. Breaky Bottom sits essentially on the South Downs Way, walkable from Southease station on the Seaford line, and the valley it sits in is one of the loveliest bits of the Downs.

Google Maps: Whiteway Lane, Rodmell, Lewes BN7 3EX

Can You Visit Vineyards Near Brighton Without a Car?

Yes, though not for all of them.

Vineyards walking from a train station include: Artelium (under 30 minutes through the fields from Plumpton), Court Garden (about 40 minutes from Hassocks), Ridgeview (a 30–40 minute walk from Burgess Hill) and Everflyht, up under Ditchling Beacon. The rest need a short taxi from the nearest station.

Vineyard Tours From Brighton

If you’d rather not drive and not navigate rural trains, two operators run properly from Brighton in 2026.

Shuttle & Vine is the one we used for Ridgeview. It’s a shuttle service rather than a fixed tour with private transfer options and pre-planned group shuttles you can jump on. They cover ten estates including Ridgeview, Artelium, Court Garden, Everflyht, Albourne, Bolney, Wiston, Rathfinny, Tinwood and Leonardslee. From £40pp for a shared shuttle, from £90pp private. Collection from Brighton. Meals and tastings are generally pay-as-you-go on top.

Great British Wine Tours run a Vintage Bus Wine Tour on a 1960s Routemaster, Saturdays April–October, £135–£155pp depending on where you’re picked up. Pick-ups include Brighton Station at 10am and several seafront hotels from 9.30am, back by about 4.30pm, and the price covers transport, tours, tutored tastings and a picnic or charcuterie lunch.

Both need booking a few weeks ahead in summer.

Vineyard Walks Near Brighton

This is our favourite way to do Sussex vineyards.

Lewes to Artelium is the big walk. It makes a full day with the walk there taking around 3 hours. You can also just do Plumpton to Artelium, which is under 30 minutes through flat, easy fields and is the version we do most often.

Rathfinny has the best on-site walking of any Sussex vineyard: free self-guided trails, maps at the Cellar Door, no booking. Alfriston is on the South Downs Way and it’s where the trail splits for Eastbourne and Seaford, so you can go as long as you like. We’ve walked here from Lewes, which is ambitious at around 5 hours walking but very good if you want a big hike.

Ditchling Beacon is the classic climb north of Brighton, and there are three vineyards clustered underneath it — Ridgeview, Court Garden and Everflyht. Walk up from Ditchling village, come down for lunch.

When To Visit Sussex Vineyards

May to September is the ideal window. It’s when tours run most frequently, when the outdoor restaurants and terraces are open.

Late September to early October is harvest, and it’s the most interesting time to visit if you want to see a vineyard working with plump grapes on the vines.

November to February is low season. Several estates close to visitors entirely. However, some estates are indoor restaurants and tasting rooms with roaring fires which makes for a wonderful winter weekend.

Keep Exploring Sussex

• Planning a weekend here? Read our weekend in Brighton guide, written by locals.
• Eating out? Here are the best vegetarian restaurants in Brighton.
• Missing the southern hemisphere? Our guide to Franschhoek’s wineries and wine tram.