Best Vineyard Stays in Essex

Essex vineyard stays are mostly converted barns and farm buildings, usually self-catering, set among the vines with wide views over the Crouch Valley and the Essex countryside.

Crouch Ridge Estate has self-catering apartments that each sleep four across two bedrooms, plus Mal's Barn, a converted barn with five en-suite bedrooms for up to ten guests, with the Wine Barn serving brunch and lunch on site. The Althorne Estate has barn-conversion holiday flats on a working farm and vineyard, with views of the River Crouch and coastal walks from the door. Mersea Island Vineyard has five en-suite B&B rooms among the vines, with a full English breakfast included. Dedham Vale Vineyard has two countryside cottages, the Wine Maker's Cottage and Willow Lake Cottage, set among the vines and overlooking a lake.

Tuffon Hall, in Sible Hedingham, has a six-bedroom farmhouse that sleeps 12, including a downstairs double, and three retreats for two: the Bothy, the Grain Silo and the Poacher's Hut. They can be booked individually or as an exclusive-use site. Bardfield Vineyard's Great Lodge has refurbished barn conversions that can be booked as bed and breakfast or self-catering, including the Rose Barn, whose bridal suite has a four-poster bed, and the Stables, with a family room. Toppesfield Vineyard's Wine Centre is a contemporary villa for two to four adults, with picture windows over the vines, a patio with a barbecue, a tennis court and a four-person jacuzzi.

Policies differ by property. Bardfield Vineyard welcomes dogs if you discuss it with them before booking. For more places to stay with a dog, see our guide to dog-friendly vineyard stays.

Rates are kinder outside summer and the best weekends go early, so book ahead. The Althorne Estate is open year-round. Book through each vineyard's own website. Chelmsford is the closest mainline station for Crouch Ridge and Althorne, Braintree for Tuffon Hall, and Colchester for Mersea Island and Dedham Vale, with a taxi for the final stretch. Our guide to vineyards you can walk to lists the vineyards within walking distance of a station. For stays in other counties, see our guide to vineyards with accommodation, or read more about visiting Essex's vineyards.