The Surrey Hills may well have only just recently been designated a new wine region but Denbies vineyard, in Dorking, has been leading the way in England’s wine production for more than three decades.
Thirty-three years since the first vines were planted in 1986, the 627-acre estate – still England’s largest single-site vineyard with 265 acres of vines – has opened the country’s first vineyard hotel.
Locals may well be aware that a small, seven-bedroom B&B had operated on the estate for a number of years but the new carbon neutral hotel has added another 10 bedrooms into the mix, along with a new orangery restaurant, bar and two outdoor cabanas with uninterrupted views across the vines.
“It’s been a much bigger project than we originally thought,” managing director Chris White tells us as we relax in one of the cabanas and tuck into a smorgasbord of local meats and a glass of Denbies Cubitt Blanc de Noirs 2013, which has just picked up gold at the 2019 WineGB Awards.
“The vision was born about three years ago but it feels like it’s been a long time coming,” Chris adds. “One of the biggest things is that we’re carbon neutral – the whole place is run from Tessler batteries and solar power and we’ve got electric car points going in soon too.”
Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Surrey Life.
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Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Surrey Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The House That Rocks
Transforming an impressive, seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dorking wasn’t without its challenges, but the result is a stunning family home that has had the interiors world raving
REMEDY FOR SUCCESS
Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy
Love Celia
Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey
EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in Compton focuses on the Victorian roots of art activism
Electric dreams
The Range Rover plug-in hybrid brings silent electric motoring to this iconic luxury car
THE OPEN ROAD
Chris Pickering rounds up some of the best drives in Surrey
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield
With the North Downs looming nearby and glorious countryside surrounding it, Oxted is a town with real “escape from London” appeal and character, while nearby Limpsfield has a superb village vibe with its own community-run pub
Artist to the stars
Known as ‘The Face of Modern British Impressionism’, Mickleham-based Sherree Valentine Daines is celebrating four decades at the forefront of her field
A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
The Signet Collection’s inaugural hotel project is a reimagining of a former royal guest house, situated directly opposite Hampton Court Palace
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe
On the banks of the River Wey, Godalming is a watercolour pretty town surrounded by pristine countryside and in-demand rural villages, such as Hascombe