What a delight to be fully immersed in nature. What fantastic views over the rolling countryside. Down a long avenue of closely-knit lime trees, I drove to reach Denbies Vineyard Hotel. And what a multitude of options it offered in terms of trails, activities, restaurants, shops, and wildlife.
This boutique 4* hotel is set in the dramatic Surrey Hills and North Downs. It’s very close to Gatwick Airport and a pleasant 15-minute walk from various train stations (Dorking, Box Hill, and Westhumble) with London only 20 miles away.
Over the years several members of the Royal family have come, linking historically with Prince Albert who, in 1851, planted a tree here. Named after the original family owners the Denbies estate has recently been owned and managed by pioneer Christopher White. How rewarding it is to enjoy partaking in someone’s vision. How wonderful that nature can reinvent herself. For this former pig farm and woodland now has 265 acres currently under vine, the first of which were planted in 1986 and whose first harvest (which can come as late as the end of October) 3 years later. Indeed it’s England’s largest vineyard with a production capacity of up to a million bottles.
It’s also very ‘sustainability-conscious’ being Britain’s first carbon net zero vineyard.
The hotel is built around a charming former white cottage that’s now the nucleus of an array of two small adjoining buildings and an annex. It has 17 rooms (prices starting from $225.00 in low season and $385.00 in high season). They felt so fresh and new having only opened just before Covid times. They have a modern country vibe and, in keeping with the estate, they feature wallpaper with colorful scenes of birds sitting among vines. The bathrooms are well-finished with grey tile flooring and all the luxuries you would want.
I had both Traditional English Afternoon Tea, dinner, and breakfast ‘en plein air’ at The Vineyard Restaurant. Inside, past the natural bark lining the walls, are large conservatory-style concertina windows and a metal pergola. It had such a wonderful ‘indoors-outdoors’ feel. I sat beside an old stone wall and an apple tree to look out at swallows darting at will beneath the small, landscaped lawn with its sheltered cabanas. The more immediate view was of the yellowy-green vines punctuated with old oak trees before trails led me to the conifers lining the horizon. These alluring paths drew me into a dreamy narrative as I ruminated where their journey might end and what might lie on the other side.
I loved my cherry tomato and watermelon gazpacho, followed by aubergine gratin and parsley cream sauce. The presentation was excellent and the fayre fairly priced. For my food pairings, there was red, white, rose, and dessert wine on offer from the vineyard’s barrels with 2022 a particularly good year made with single grapes.
Next door Denbies Wine Library has a curvature to signify a wine barrel. This lounge is both sleek and stylish and has a long burgundy leather banquette beneath funky pendant lighting. On display are all aspects of the wine-making process, a range of Denbies’ vintages, and a wall lined with antique riddling racks.
A multitude of restaurants gives choice to those staying several nights. Locals also come to experience both The Conservatory Restaurant set in a vast airy atrium and, outside, the Hatch on the Lawn Take Away. Here products from the local Dorking Brewery and Chimney Fire coffee are promoted. Three floors up in the main complex and open for lunch is The Gallery Restaurant affording spectacular views across Surrey.
There’s a multitude of outlets in this complex with an on-site shop, a farm shop-cum-deli with local produce, and a mini-nursery tempting me to take away my own vine.
There’s a multitude of activities with public footpaths, cyclists and runners. I could have explored the vineyard with a guide or jumped on the outdoor miniature train and visited the indoor winery. Instead, I set off, as is my wont, along several of the estate’s seven miles of walking trails.
There’s a multitude of walks past rows of grape-laden vines that resemble musical notation with their distinctive gnarly roots and wireframes. The landscape was virtually my own apart from a momentary explosion of Boy Scouts joyful in their freedom and their exploration. I did share it actually also with a multitude of wildlife comprising badgers, roe deer, kestrels, butterflies, goldfinches, and woodpeckers.
The hotel and estate, with its delightful staff for whom nothing was too much trouble, seems well on course to reach the standards of its signature logo which has a hand reaching towards five stars as an ambition set for its overall status. What a great place to come and stay.
