The chalk that runs under the South Downs is the same belt that surfaces in Champagne, and English sparkling producers have been pointing at it for thirty years. Whether it matters as much as they say is a longer argument than this page. What is not in doubt is that Sussex has the densest cluster of traditional-method producers in the country, and most of them will now let you in.
The established names
Open Day Tours, harvest and paired dining. Worth knowing before you book: their FAQ says dogs are not accommodated beyond guide dogs, open days are over-18s only, and visitors are asked to arrange a taxi.
The cellar door shop is open Thursday to Monday afternoons for drop-in sales and collection, and the vineyard and winery tour ends in a tutored tasting. There is a restaurant and a wine bar.
The most accommodating of the group if you are bringing anyone. Dogs at the outside tables and on the estate footpaths, families welcome for walks and picnics, a wheelchair-accessible winery, and self-catering cottages. Under-18s are not on the tours, which serve alcohol.
Wine club dinners and harvest dining, a restaurant, a shop and rooms. Walk-ins are catered for as well as bookings.
And the ones with fewer coaches
Book a tour and tasting, or just walk the woodland trail through the estate and sit on the terrace above the vines. Dogs are welcome.
Step-free access, accessible parking and toilets, a café, a wine bar and a restaurant, and walk-ins welcome at the café. The Bolney Revival runs each autumn.
An hour and a half in the vines, a tasting, a kitchen, and lodges if you would rather not drive home.
Note the pattern: the tours are almost all over-18s, and almost all need booking. The winery is a workplace, not a visitor attraction, and it shows in the rules.
