5 Delightful Vineyards In Suffolk You Need To Visit

Suffolk has always been an agricultural county but these vineyards in Suffolk are a relatively new introduction to the Suffolk farming scene.  The flat lands of East Anglia are amongst the driest in the country and lend themselves well to wine production. If sampling high quality English wines isn’t a reason to plan your UK staycation here, we don’t know what is!

Some of these Suffolk vineyards have been producing award winning British wines for years. Sparkling English wines in particular have been growing in popularity in recent years and are taking on the big names at the major wine festivals around the world.

To find out more about Suffolk wines, you can take a tour of one or all of these Suffolk wineries. All of them are open to the public and these English wine producers will gladly tell you all about wine production in Suffolk.

Some of the vineyards in Suffolk offer private tours, some offer guided tours and others allow self-guided tours. However you want to visit, you’ll certainly want to leave time for a well-deserved wine tasting session at the end!

These vineyards in Suffolk are located in some of the most beautiful spots in the county; some near the beautiful heritage coast and others further inland near stunning medieval towns and villages. Before you plan your visit to these Suffolk, make sure to read some of our Suffolk guides to find out what is going on in and around the area to make the most of your stay.

Why not complete your stay in Suffolk at one of these unusual places to stay in Suffolk? There is even a cabin nestled in among the vines at one of the Suffolk vineyards. Find out about it below.

These are the best places to try some English wine tasting on your Suffolk holiday.

Shawsgate Vineyard

Address: Shawsgate Vineyard, Badingham Road, Framlingham, Suffolk, IP13 9HZ

Shawgate Vineyard lies on the outskirts of one of Suffolk’s loveliest small towns, Framlingham, and is just a short drive to the Suffolk coast. It is one the oldest commercial vineyards in East Anglia with vines dating back to the 1970s.

It produces a range of award winning English white wines, red wines and rosé wines as well as English sparkling wines.

Visiting the winery, you can choose from a DIY vineyard tour where you will be provided with an information sheet and you can wander the 13 acres of wines at your leisure or you can book one of their guided tours.

There is an onsite shop (make sure to check the more limited opening times during the winter months here) and a children’s play area next to the tasting room. Who says wine tasting is not child friendly? We actually love finding family-friendly vineyards.

When you are done visiting the winery, you must pop in to Framlingham for a wander and maybe even visit Framlingham Castle. Eat at the Station Hotel, one of the best pubs on the Suffolk coast.

Notable wine: Shawgate Rosé (Pink Frampaign).

Giffords Hall Vineyard

Address: Giffords Hall Vineyard, Hartest, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP29 4EX.

Giffords Hall is a family owned vineyard near the quaint little village of Hartest and not far from the beautiful medieval town of Lavenham. The vines have been planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed where the sandy/clay soil is just right for producing grapes for sparkling wines and dry, aromatic still wines.

The vineyard was planted around 25 years ago and the vines are now in their prime with grape varieties including Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus, Reichensteiner, Rondo, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc,

You can check out their wine tours and discover more about these lovely English wines from Suffolk. Feeling hungry? Why not grab one of their picnic boxes to enjoy among the vines?

If you can’t get to the vineyard, Waitrose Wine Cellar stocks wines from Gifford Hall.

Notable wine: Classic Cuvee and Sparkling Suffolk Pink, one of the best best British sparkling wines out there.

Wyken Vineyards

Address: Wyken Vineyards, Wyken Road, Stanton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 2DW

The vines at Wyken Vineyards, set in the beautiful estate of Wyken Hall, date back to 1988 and now produce 12,000 from 12,000 vines spread over seven acres.

You are free to walk from the Leaping Hare restaurant, across Hare Meadow and through ancient woodland to the vineyard where wine tours and wine tastings are available on request.

If you are looking for somewhere for lunch or dinner, the Moonshine Café serves excellent woodfired organic pizzas and there is, of course, the award winning restaurant, the Leaping Hare.

Notable wine: Moonshine sparkling wine 2017 won East Anglian wine of the year and their Bacchus was the English wine of the year in 2013 and a gold medal winner in 2017.

Shotley Vineyard

Address: Shotley Vineyard, Frogs Alley, Shotley, Suffolk, IP9 1EP

Shotley Vineyard is located on the Shotley Peninsula in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Suffolk coast. Charlotte Davitt-Mills and her husband bought the vineyard in 2017 and now manage 16 acres of planted English vines.

They launched their first vintage in June 2020, including a Pinot Noir and a Bacchus and will be launching an English sparkling wine in 2021.

They offer tours, tastings and events and are in the process of setting up a glamping site.

Photo Credit: East Anglian Daily Times

Valley Farm Vineyards

Address: The Vinery, Valley Farm Vineyards, Rumburgh Road, Wittsett, Suffolk, IP19 0JJ.

Valley Farm Vineyards is located near Halesworth and close to one of the most well-known British seaside towns, Southwold.

The vines on the 8 acre site at Valley Farm Vineyards were first established in 1987 and have been producing excellent quality grapes.

There are a number of tour options available. See here for details.

If you’re looking for a stay on a vineyard in Suffolk, you can’t beat the Cabin in the Vines.

Notable wine: Sundancer 2015 and Madeleine Angevine

More Suffolk vineyards

There are a few lesser known vineyards in Suffolk that are not open to (or not fully open to) the public:

Willow Grange Vineyard

Burnt Foot Vineyard

DJ Wines

Thelnetham Vineyard

Coopers Croft Vineyard

Also worth a mention

Flint Vineyard is just on the other side of the border in Bungay in Norfolk but it well worth a visit with wine tours and delicious lunches that include produce from local farms that pair well with their international award-winning wines.

Map of the Vineyards in Suffolk

Click here to take you to Google maps.