Berkshire wines and countryside - waiting to be discovered!

Beautiful Berkshire sits in the Thames & Chilterns wine region, alongside Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and is home to a growing number of vineyards as well as many scenic, cultural and historic landmarks. It may be much smaller than other UK wine regions, but we would really recommend planning a wine tour and exploring the area.

Coming from Maidenhead in East Berkshire, on the River Thames and not far from the famous river towns of Windsor, Henley and Marlow, we love to travel west into the more rural countryside of West Berkshire, to explore the countryside, its pubs and restaurants and of course to discover some great Berkshire wines!

Our two-day wine tour to West Berkshire and The Winding Wood Vineyard

We were intrigued to visit the small Winding Wood vineyard in West Berkshire, which describes itself as a boutique vineyard, but is fast building a reputation for excellent English sparkling wines, made by the traditional (champagne) method. What was most intriguing to us, apart from tasting their award-winning English sparkling wines, is what motivated owners Christopher and Robert to develop their vineyard in the first place, coming from backgrounds in media and dentistry! The fact that Winding Wood vineyard is located just minutes away from one of our most favourite pubs and hotels, the Pheasant Inn, was also an attraction!

The Winding Wood Vineyard is located in the picturesque West Berkshire countryside, east of Hungerford,  just off the M4 at junction 14. We really enjoy exploring this lovely area’s countryside and villages, with its rolling hills, fields and woodlands. It’s home to many wonderful leisure activities including Newbury racecourse, Lambourn and the Valley of the Race Horse for horse lovers, the National Trust’s Ashdown House and the Uffington White Horse and it’s a paradise for ramblers, with the beautiful Ridgeway national trail running through it.  There are also some excellent restaurants in the area which support the local vineyards by listing Berkshire wines, pairing them with a variety of lovely local dishes.

So we decided to combine a vineyard tour at Winding Wood with an overnight stay at the Pheasant Inn and some lovely country walks with good friends Sam and Gill and  both of our dogs, Lottie and Willow!

Our wine tour itinerary

We left at lunchtime and drove firstly to the National Trust property, Ashdown House - just 30 mins from the M4 motorway, junction 14. This stunning Dutch-style house, with a very romantic history, was closed to visitors, but there are lovely walking trails in the grounds, giving the chance to enjoy some fabulous views over the expansive Berkshire Downs. 

Once we’d tired the dogs out we headed back through the lovely village of Lambourn and the Valley of the Racehorse - which for horse lovers is a real treat! There are stables and stud farms everywhere you look and you really know you’re in horse country! 

Following the sat nav we soon came upon Orpenham Farm and Winding Wood and when we saw the rows of vines and the stunning barn we knew we were in the right place! Wow what a place! A really special place, nestled amongst the gently rolling hills and a real testament to the vision and hard work of Christopher and Robert and their families and friends.

After our very informative vineyard tour and wine tasting we headed off to the Pheasant Inn where we enjoyed a fabulous chateaubriand dinner  (and a bottle of Winding Wood’s demi-sec English sparkling wine as an aperitif), followed by a good night’s sleep!

The next morning after a fabulous breakfast we headed off to Uffington and the famous ‘White horse’ and combined a wander round the amazing ancient sites, with a walk on a section of the Ridgeway national walking trail - a great way to appreciate the stunning views and countryside.

Some background about Winding Wood Vineyard

It was back in 2012 that friends Christopher and Robert took a huge leap into the unknown by deciding to turn their farm’s sheep-grazing pastures into 1.5 hectares of vineyards, with the aim of producing the best possible, traditionally made English sparkling wine - and what a journey they have been on! A love of the countryside, the land and of course wine led them to begin this new adventure, but they also knew the timing was right for English wines and English wine tourism.

Lots of passion and lots of sheer hard work, planting, pruning and tending for the 3000 pinot noir and chardonnay vines, has become a labour of love! This is much more than ‘hands-on’ - Christopher and Robert are involved in every detail of the farming and the winemaking at Winding Wood.

They have deliberately resisted expansion and remained small and boutique, with the goal being low yield, yet high quality. Every vine is subjected to continuous scrutiny and exacting canopy management to ensure the grape bunches are healthy and free of disease and all of the vineyard work is done by hand. Their goal is to achieve organic certification, demonstrating the 100% focus on quality and respect for the land and nature.

Winding Wood was the first English vineyard to install a revolutionary heating system throughout the entire vineyard to protect their vines from spring frosts, proving effective up to minus 4 degrees. A benefit of remaining small is the flexibility to introduce this type of initiative, which undoubtedly will give Winding Wood an edge in English wines. 

Winding Wood, Berkshire wines

Since 2012, Winding Wood has produced 3 very successful vintages, with three more in the pipeline. The second release, their 2016 classic cuvée has won several high-profile medals including a gold from WineGB. Each vintage has produced a lovely and distinctive wine from the classic ‘champagne’ blend of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes.

Where to buy wines from Winding Wood:

You can of course buy direct from the vineyard and the website. Stockists include Oxford Wine company.

Vineyard tour and wine tasting

Christopher was the most perfect host during our visit and we enjoyed a fascinating hour walking through the vines, with Christopher explaining their philosophy and focus on ‘quality, not quantity’ - caring for each of the 3000+ wines personally to ensure the best possible grape and wine quality.

We then wandered into their beautifully renovated wine barn to taste 3 sparkling wines - a 2016 and a 2017 classic cuvee and a demi-sec sparkling wine, paired with chocolate and strawberries! They were all delicious and we went away with a few purchases between us!

The winery

With a very specific idea in mind from the outset, of the style of English sparkling wine they wanted to produce with their grapes, Winding Wood asked top winemakers, Emma Rice and Jacob Leadley at Hattingley Valley in Hampshire to work with them to produce their wines. The resulting awards demonstrate the success of this partnership. 

However, Winding Wood recently announced that as of the 2020 harvest, their wines will be made by Daniel Hams of Offbeat Wines at their newly built winery just outside Salisbury. Daniel is a keen advocate of organic and low-intervention winemaking and is passionate about allowing the grapes to fully and naturally express themselves - as such he is seen as a leading light in proving the real potential of English wine and is behind some of the most exciting wines being made in the UK. Focusing on small volumes and organic and biodynamic farmed grapes there appears to be significant synergy between Offbeat Wines and Winding Wood. The next vintage is awaited with much excitement!

Daniel is a very proud owner of a Coquard wine press, one of only 20 ever made and now over 50 years old. (Wiston Estate in Sussex owns one too).

Useful information for your Winding Wood Vineyard visit

Wine tours and wine tasting options

Guided vineyard tours and wine tasting are available at the time of writing, from June to October for groups of 4-6 people.

What is very special at Winding Wood is the intimacy of the vineyard tour - as it’s not a huge vineyard and operation, you get the opportunity to get up close and personal to the owners and the vines and enjoy a very personalised wine and vineyard experience, which we loved!

The price of £18.00 per person includes the vineyard tour and a tasting of 2-3 wines with nibbles. It is essential you book in advance.

Things to see and do

We had a fabulous walk around the lovely Ashdown Estate, but if it’s open it would be well worth booking a visit to the actual house (opening times are limited, especially post-covid).

Not too far from here are the National Trust’s Buscot and Coleshill Estates which are also well worth a visit with great walking trails and views of the countryside.

The breeding and training of racehorses is an integral part of life in Lambourn and the surrounding villages. There are over 30 training centres and several stud farms and the Lambourn Valley is known as “The Valley of the Racehorse”. Find out more about Lambourn and its racehorses here.

A visit to White Horse Hill is a real must - it’s about 20/30 minutes drive away from the Winding Wood Vineyard. The internationally-renowned bronze-age Uffington White Horse can be seen from miles away and is just one part of a unique complex of ancient remains spreading across White Horse Hill and beyond across the chalk downs. As well as the stunning white horse, see the remains of Uffington castle on the crown of the hill and Dragon Hill, the site where St. George, England’s patron saint, supposedly slew the dragon!

The Ridgeway national trail follows an ancient trackway, described as Britain's oldest road and extends 87 miles (140 km). It extends from Overton Hill near Avebury, to Streatley, then through the Chiltern Hills to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, passing through the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs. We walked a part of this and were stunned by the beauty of the countryside and fascinating glimpses of history, for example the ancient 5000 year old tomb of Wayland Smithy. 

If golf is your thing, another way to enjoy beautiful views of the Berkshire Downs is to play a round at the West Berkshire golf club.

Food and accommodation options

We enjoyed a great stay at The Pheasant Inn. In fact we have stayed there 3 times now, making the most of their Sunday night offer, where if you spend more than £100 in the bar and restaurant you don’t pay for your room! It’s located near the village of Shefford Woodlands, overlooking the Valley of the Racehorse and is literally 5 mins from the M4 motorway. The food and service is great and we highly recommend it - the fact they accept dogs is a bonus!

Another option for accommodation if you fancy treating yourselves, is the nearby Vineyard at Stockcross, just outside Newbury, a 5 star hotel and spa, known for its 30,000 bottle wine cellar and world-class cuisine.

We would highly recommend the Michelin starred Woodspeen restaurant where you can enjoy a great value-for-money 3 course meal in a beautiful setting and take the opportunity to sample their award-winning wine list! You cannot fault the food, wine or service and the set-menu lunchtime options are really superb value!

Transport

We travelled by car and finding Winding Wood is easy, just off the M4 motorway, about 1.5 hours from London.

Train links from London to either Hungerford or Newbury are via London Paddington station.

Address: Winding Wood Estate, Orpenham Farm, Winding Wood, Hungerford RG17 9RJ

Conclusion

We had a great 2 day trip visiting Winding Wood Vineyard, exploring Berkshire wines as well as the Berkshire Downs and beautiful countryside and sampling some wonderful food and hospitality. Hopefully it inspires you to visit too! We were extremely impressed by Winding Wood - yes, they are a very small establishment - but - small is beautiful!

The quality of their English wines is a real reflection of their focus on love and hard work in the vineyard and allowing nature to play the lead role. We are really excited to see how the relationship between Winding Wood and winemaker Daniel Hams works out!

Visit Winding Wood’s website for information and to book your visit.

Refer to our web pages for more information about UK wines and the Thames & Chilterns wine region of the UK

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did and maybe you can let us know how you get on??

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