Denbies Wine Estate

A Girls Day Out.

How I love Denbies Wine Estate, the largest vineyard in England. It is situated in Dorking, in the south of England, and nestles in the Surrey hillside. It is a beautiful destination with wine, food, stunning scenery and the most adorable little train that chugs around the whole of the estate nestling in the North Surrey Downs. There are food and wine tastings, wine tours, a cafe, a smart restaurant,  and a lovely wine shop. There is also a gift shop full to the brim of wonderful things that we really do not need (but want anyway!) ... and a garden centre overflowing with vines and pretty herbs (ditto).  It is so easy to spend money (luckily mine was zipped tight in a bag that it was impossible to open with shaking hands). he he he.  

English wines are relatively new, having only been in large production since the 1980s, and although we are one of the smallest producers in the European Union we are among the largest importers of wines in the world. Most of our wines come from Australia and France and a few from so called 'New World' zones. However, although we now have over four hundred vineyards in England, and we obviously drink a lot as a nation, I feel that our English wines are generally just too expensive in comparison with some of the other wines available. This is a shame as the wines we tasted were very good and had won lots of awards in major international competitions.