A corking great vine tour: Hiking from one Sussex vineyard to the next can be thirsty work - but the rewards keep coming Lizzie Enfield 'develops her nose' on a wine tour through the South Downs She sips rosé, brut and Blanc de Blancs while admiring the English countryside READ MORE: Cruise expert tests Viking Mars ship to the Norwegian fjords By Lizzie Enfield For The Daily Mail Published: 10:47 EDT, 9 August 2024 | Updated: 10:53 EDT, 9 August 2024 e-mail View comments From the crest of the hill, vines cascade down the slopes to the waters of the Cuckmere River, as it meanders between chalky cliffs to the sea. The vines to our right are covered in netting, protection against hungry crows, but the ones to our left are exposed. ‘These are Chardonnay grapes,’ explains our guide.
‘The birds don’t touch them. Nor do the badgers. They only like Pinot Precoce.
’ That the birds and the beasts are connoisseurs of fine wine is an insight, one of many about this emerging UK wine region gleaned on a tour of Rathfinny Wine Estate in East Sussex. We are five days along a new wine-and-walking tour, hiking 51 miles in the lee of the South Downs, through rolling countryside and an area rich in history and culture. The route begins in Arundel, with its imposing Norman Castle.
The Romans are often cited as bringing vines to Britain but the bon viveur French also established viticulture after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book recorded 40 vineyards in the South-East; today there.