Wales vineyards - take a tour and try some award-winning wine

There's a bit of a grape revolution going on here in Wales. In the last decade or so, we've really started to gain a reputation for both the quality and drinkability of our wines.

As recently as May 2021 three Welsh vineyards won medals at the prestigious International Wine Challenge. Gwinllan Conwy from North Wales won bronze for both its still and sparkling white wine.

And although our part of the world isn't often thought of as a red wine hotspot due to our cooler climate, White Castle Vineyard in Monmouthshire recently won an IWC silver medal and a gold in the Decanter World Wine Awards for one of its reds too! White Castle also produces a rather nice port-style fortified wine named 1581 after the Grade II listed Tudor barn situated at the foot of the vineyard.

That first commercial vineyard in the UK was planted in 1875 near Castell Coch, just outside Cardiff. A century and a bit on, there are commercial vineyards all over the country. Many are open to the public - so you can make a visit and sample the local produce at first hand. I'd suggest you book ahead to avoid disappointment as tours are for small numbers and can book up quickly.

Monmouthshire has always been particularly bountiful in food and drink, so it's no surprise there are a number to choose from here. As well as White Castle vineyard, the Parva Farm Vineyard has also produced several award-winning wines. It's located on the hillside overlooking the ruins of Tintern Abbey, one of the most recognisable historic locations in Wales. Near Abergavenny, Sugar Loaf Vineyards has a self-guided tour round the estate, where you can follow up with a local food platter and a taster tray in their cafe. Evening guided tours for small groups can be booked in advance.

You can also tour the 7,000 vines of White Castle Vineyard and enjoy tasty food platters alongside the reds, whites and rosés they produce here.

Across in Pembrokeshire at our very own Velfrey Vineyard, we offer tours, tasting and teas to go along with our traditional method quality sparkling wines made from specially selected, hand-harvested Pinot Noir and Seyval Blanc grapes.

Jabajak offers vineyard tours, and a restaurant which serves the whites and sparkling rosés produced from grapes grown on the site.

And up on Anglesey, Red Wharf Bay Vineyard has been making a unique wine made from a blend of UK and Spanish grapes since 2010. They offer tours and tastings, which make a perfect addition to a day out at Red Wharf Bay beach.

The Vale of Glamorgan's Glyndwr Vineyard has been family owned and run since 1979, producing whites, rosés, reds and sparkling wines which have graced the tables at the House of Lords, the Ryder Cup and even a Nato summit! The tour includes wine tasting, a delicious local food platter, and the chance to meet the resident llamas.

Gwinllan Conwy offers a Welsh grazing platter as part of its guided vineyard tour and tasting, while Pant Du in the glorious surroundings of Eryri (Snowdonia) has an orchard as well as the vineyard to see on their guided tours.

A number of our vineyards offer food and accommodation, so you can make a night (or two) of it.  

The Vale of Glamorgan is a hotspot of activity for wine enthusiasts thanks to its rich clay soil and the relatively frost free climate. Award-winning Cariad wines are grown on the slopes of the 28 acre Llanerch Vineyard. Llanerch is a great getaway location, recently winning the AA Hotel of the Year Wales 2022/23, with 37 four-star rooms and a 2 AA rosette restaurant where you can pair the wines with all sorts of delicious dishes. Angela Gray's cookery school is also on the site, offering day courses, lunch clubs and chef nights.

Hebron Vineyard, on the border of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, offers tours of their rare, non-intervention, regenerative viticulture vineyard, producing a unique natural Welsh wine made in ancient amphora. The tours include wine tasting and locally produced tapas. If you want to stay over, the Barn at Hebron is an eco-friendly, spacious self-catering converted barn, ideal for couples or families wanting to explore the area.

This is an exciting time to be producing wine in Wales, there’s plenty to look forward to! Lots of new plantings mean much more is in the pipeline.

Sticle in Carmarthenshire has 10,000 vines and ambitious plans for its own organic winery. The Dell Vineyard in Monmouthshire is under new management and plans to add five more acres.

Gwinllan y Dyffryn in the Vale of Clwyd has 7500 vines and has recently released its first wines. Gwynfyd Môn on Anglesey won a Bronze medal in the 2022 Wines of Great Britain awards. Llaethliw in Ceredigion already produces a range of premium wines.

Whinyard Rocks is a small-scale vineyard in Mid Wales which follows the natural method of production and expects to release first wines in 2022. St Hilary Vineyard, near Cowbridge, has planted Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay and will shortly add Seyval Blanc as well.

You can keep up-to-date with everything on the vineyards.wales website.