Kokova Magazine

This year, throughout October, join Denbies for their 'Vine and Dine' and enjoy a day of continental style escapism.

Denbies Vine and Dine allows the public first-hand experience in the workings of the vineyard and winery - and their grape picking day is the only experience of its kind in the UK and, since its introduction in 2006, has attracted visitors from all over the country.

The experience includes tuition in grape picking, harvesting the grapes, a traditional rustic vineyard workers lunch accompanied with Denbies wine, watching the picked grapes being pressed, and tasting the 'must' (grape juice).

The day then concludes with wine tasting in the Denbies cellars, with all participants receive an estate grown vine to take away.

The Harvest is the most significant time in the year of the vineyard. In the brief window of October the foundations are laid for the wine production of the coming year. Early reports indicate that 2014 is going to be a vintage year for both quality and quantity.

Denbies is therefore anticipating a record year, which is reflected in the energy, enthusiasm and celebration that surrounds the harvest.

"The grape picking experience really does provide a day of pure escapism. One of last year's participants summed it up beautifully when they described it as instant therapy."

Jeannette Simpson, Denbies Assistant General Manager (Marketing)

Denbies was awarded two gold medals and a trophy in the 2013 Decanter World Wine Award and International Wine Challenge for their Noble Harvest Dessert wine 2011. This year Denbies has rebranded the wine range to create a classic contemporary style based on the original branding which was over 20 years old. Denbies then received the UKVA Trophy for Best presented wine.

Denbies Vine and Dine is available Monday to Saturday throughout October at the cost of £53.00 per person (group rate available on request)

Denbies Wine Estate is England’s largest vineyard and one of the largest privately owned in Northern Europe. The current owners acquired the then pig farm in 1985 but found that the estate had exactly the same soil composition as in the champagne region in France and revealed that the Dorking area had a history of wine making dating back to Roman times. This led to the planting of 300,000 vines over 265 acres.

Denbies Wine Estate is also one of the first wine estates in the world to give visitors an insight into all aspects of the wine producing process, all year round. Denbies Wine Estate has a range of 14 wines and produces over 450,000 bottles of wine per annum.

The Denbies Farmhouse B&B, which enjoys English Tourist Board '4 Stars silver' status, is situated in the heart of the vineyard. Denbies is located in Dorking, Surrey with direct rail access from London Waterloo and Victoria mainline stations.

Visit www.denbies.co.uk for more information.