Take part in the harvest on a Grape Picking Experience in Surrey! This rewarding day at the vineyard isn't back-breaking work at all, as you get to have a go at picking grapes, relish plentiful refreshments, enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the modern workings of the winery and taste the fruits of your labour.
Your action-packed day at the 260 acre Denbies vineyard starts with a meet and greet over breakfast. Then it's out to the vines to learn how to hand pick the rich, juicy grapes. Once harvested, the grapes will be in the presses within three hours. The vineyard produces over 400,000 bottles of wine a year, so there are a lot of ripe grapes at harvest time. At lunch, you will sit down to a Worker's Ploughman's Platter, dessert, coffee and a glass of the Denbies wine.
The afternoon of this grape picking experience in Surrey is spent having a guided tour around the winery to see just what happens to the grapes you have picked, finishing up in the tasting room to sample the likes of the Ranmore Hill and Surrey Gold whites, the Redlands red and the Whitedowns Cuvee sparkling wines. As an extra special memento of you day, you get to take an actual vine giving edible or wine-making grapes home with you. A superb day out when you can enjoy a taste of hands on life at England's largest vineyard.
- A full day on the Denbies Wine Estate
- Welcoming bacon butty breakfast served with tea, coffee and juice
- View a short film in Denbies' cinema about the grape to glass process
- You will be taken to the vineyard and after a briefing you will be picking the grapes
- Vineyard Worker Lunch consisting of a Ploughman's platter, dessert, tea or coffee and wine
- A detailed tour in the afternoon of the working winery
- Tasting time with an expert of the award winning Denbies wines
- This experience is available on selected dates in October at harvest time
- Near Dorking, Surrey
- Minimum age 18
- Participants will be required to sign a health and safety disclaimer
- This activity will take place regardless of weather conditions and therefore suitable clothing and footwear should be worn.
- Gardening gloves are recommended
- Alcohol is consumed in this activity and driving afterwards should be avoided
- This activity is not suitable for spectators