THE UK - THAMES & CHILTERNS WINE REGION
Winding Wood Vineyard in West Berkshire
Photo source: Winding Wood
Suggestions for getting to know Berkshire wines, visiting Oxfordshire vineyards & wine tasting in Buckinghamshire!…
Berkshire wines, Oxfordshire wines, Buckinghamshire wines
The Thames & Chilterns region, as defined by WineGB, comprises the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, to the west and north west of London.
Accounting for about 3% of total UK vineyards, it is significantly smaller than the South East region, but boasts some excellent vineyards and wines.
The geography of each county is different of course, but with gentle slopes, plenty of sunshine, proximity to the River Thames and a mixture of soils including sandy plains and chalk slopes, it isn’t difficult to see why the wine industry is flourishing in this part of the UK.
The predominant style of wine is again sparkling English wine with mainly pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes planted, however several vineyards do have success with over less well-known grapes including the Bacchus grape which produces a lovely fruity English white wine.
Winding wood sparkling wine, West Berkshire
Recommended Thames & Chilterns vineyards:
There are about 40 vineyards in total in the Thames & Chilterns wine region - and several well-established ones - with Berkshire wines and Oxfordshire vineyards especially, being quite well-known (see below). Most offer wine tours and wine tastings, as well as accommodation, lunches and dinners.
Remember to contact the vineyard to confirm your visit in advance and to understand relevant Covid 19 guidelines and restrictions.
Berkshire vineyards:
Buckinghamshire vineyards:
Oxfordshire vineyards:
The Thames & Chilterns Vineyards Association represents the vineyards and runs events such as the excellent annual English Wine & Food Festival, which provides a great opportunity for the vineyards to showcase their wines.
See below some photos from this year’s event which took place on 10/11th July at Brightwell Vineyards in Wallingford.
Travel guide and other useful information
Places to visit and things to see - things to do in the Chilterns
To help plan your trip, visit the South East England tourist website, which is packed with lots of ideas and information.
The Royal County of Berkshire is of course famous for Windsor Castle, which is most definitely worth a visit, as is the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire, with its equally famous University and many other historical heritage sites.
The magnificent chateau of Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire is also very much worth visiting.
The River Thames flows through each of the three counties and taking a trip on a riverboat cruise is always high on the list of things to do!
The South of Buckinghamshire is primarily made up of the Chiltern Hills, (check out things to do in the Chilterns here), which also includes the Ridgeway, a national trail affording some amazing views and scenery. The Ridgeway also forms part of the North Wessex Downs in West Berkshire, another area of outstanding natural beauty!
Traditions and festivals
There are many picturesque towns and villages across all 3 counties, but in terms of events and festivals one which tends to overshadow the rest, especially in the Summer time is Henley-on-Thames. It has a very busy calendar of events including the Henley Royal Regatta (June/July), Henley Festival (July normally - but September in 2021) and also the Literary Festival (October).
Windsor Castle and the famous ‘Long Walk’
Henley on Thames
Harrow & Hope was named Winery of the Year in 2019 by Wine GB and has a reputation for making top-class English sparkling wines. Discover more about this small, family-run winery in Marlow…