Brighton: Sussex Vineyard Wine Tour Vintage Bus

Two Vineyards, Four Tastings & a Picnic in the Sussex Vines

You travel by vintage London bus from Brighton rail station to two Sussex vineyards, each with a tutored tasting of award-winning sparkling wines. Between them, you eat a picnic lunch of local produce among the vines. A guide hosts the whole day, handles transport, and explains English wine production at each stop. You return to Brighton with no driving or logistics to manage.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sussex vineyard tours and tastings

• Depart from Brighton rail station
• Travel on vintage London bus
• Tour first vineyard and winery
• Taste four award-winning sparkling wines
• Enjoy picnic lunch among the vines
• Board bus to second vineyard
• Taste still and sparkling wines
• Relax or walk around vineyard grounds

The Experience

There's something about the idea of leaving your car at home and stepping onto a 1960s Routemaster bus that makes a wine day feel like an actual escape. You board at Brighton rail station (no driving, no navigation, no one watching the clock), and the bus itself becomes part of the thing. The route winds through Sussex countryside toward the first vineyard, where a guide walks you through the vines and into the winery to explain how English wine actually gets made, from the soil up. Then you taste at least four award-winning sparkling wines on a sun terrace overlooking the rows you just walked through.

Lunch arrives as a proper wicker hamper (quiches, local breads, salads, homemade cakes, and a glass of guest English wine), and you eat it among the vines or wherever the afternoon takes you. It's the kind of detail that stops feeling like a tour detail and starts feeling like the whole point. After that, back on the bus for the drive to the second vineyard, where another tutored tasting of still and sparkling wines waits. Some people walk the grounds. Some sit on the terrace and watch the light change. The pace is yours.

The whole day runs on a fixed schedule that keeps everything (transport, both tastings, lunch, the guide) inside one departure from Brighton rail station. You don't arrange a driver, book two separate visits, or figure out timing. The bus picks up the logistics, and you get to taste two vineyards' worth of Sussex wine without the planning.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup and drop-off at Brighton rail station by vintage Routemaster bus, a professional guide and tour host, entry to two Sussex vineyards, tutored tastings of at least four sparkling wines at the first vineyard and still and sparkling wines at the second, a picnic lunch with local produce and a glass of wine, and time to walk the vineyard grounds or relax on the terrace. All transport between Brighton and both vineyards is included.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Great British Wine Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to taste two Sussex wineries in one day without arranging a driver or figuring out how to get between them: the vintage bus and hosted schedule handle both, which is what makes two full vineyard visits fit into an afternoon.

Traveler reviews

4.67★★★★★★★★★★

92 verified traveler reviews

5 ★74

4 ★11

3 ★3

2 ★3

1 ★1

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Where does the tour depart from?

Brighton rail station. The bus picks you up there, so you can use public transport to arrive.

How many wines do you taste?

At least four award-winning sparkling wines at the first vineyard, then still and sparkling wines at the second. The exact selection varies by vineyard and season.

What's included in the picnic lunch?

A wicker hamper with locally made quiches, breads, salads, chutneys, homemade cakes, and a glass of guest English wine.

Can I buy wine to take home?

Yes. Both vineyards have gift shops where you can purchase wine during the tasting or free time.

What if I have dietary requirements?

Let the operator know at booking so they can adjust the picnic hamper contents.

Is this suitable for non-wine drinkers?

The tour is built around wine tastings, but the itinerary includes vineyard walks and time to relax on terraces. Check with the operator if you'd prefer to skip tastings.

What's the minimum age?

18 years old.