Windsor Great Park Vineyard

What's the vibe?

Windsor Great Park Vineyard is a reminder that England grew wine here long before anyone thought to make a fuss about English wine. Three hectares inside the Crown Estate, planted around 2010 with the Duke of Edinburgh's blessing, on ground that carried vines back in Henry II's reign. It makes sparkling wine on royal land and sells almost all of it rather than showing anyone round.

There's no tour or tasting room attached to the vineyard itself, and the park's own visitor site (walking, cycling, the Savill Garden, the deer) never mentions it. The wine is sold through Laithwaites and a handful of specialist retailers rather than from a cellar door. Laithwaites' own wine-club members are told they're welcome to visit, but that's a subscription perk, not something bookable by anyone reading this page. If you're visiting Windsor Great Park itself, you're welcome to walk the wider estate; the vineyard isn't part of that offer.

Two wines, both sparkling, both built from the vineyard's own Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The Brut is a Chardonnay-led blend released under a running number rather than a single vintage: the current bottling, Release 7, is built on a 2019 base with reserve wines blended in for extra depth. Expect apricot and ripe peach, cooked apple and citrus, with a biscuity, toasty finish. The Rosé leans on Pinot Noir instead, for a pinker, redder-fruited version of the same house style.

Oz Clarke called it “quintessential English fizz of the very highest order.”

Vines grew on this ground during Henry II's reign, in the 1100s, then vanished for the best part of nine hundred years. The current plantings went in around 2010 with permission from the Duke of Edinburgh, then the Park's Ranger, and the project also trains and employs people locally and works with nearby schools.

One recurring problem: parakeets. The vineyard sits close enough to mature oak trees that the local parakeet population treats the grapes as a standing invitation.