We are excited to be able to now announce the second phase of our reopening. Picnics are now available for visitors to book and enjoy amongst the vines, beginning on 4^th July. Our picnic experiences will become an annual part of our summer tour schedule. We have created dedicated picnic spots across our Boot Hill and Commanders vineyards and guests will be served a delicious picnic that includes a bottle of Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2016. They will be able to take their Gusbourne bag and branded reusable glasses home with them.

Vine + Country, who prepare the food for our Discovery and Estate tours, will be putting our picnic baskets together with a selection of locally sourced produce. Visitors can expect the best of Kent and Sussex across a selection of three artisanal picnic baskets – charcuterie, seafood and vegetarian. Every box will feature local cheeses, dried fruits, walnuts, fresh and marinated vegetables, seasonal hummus and a sweet spiced cider-apple chutney to go with the cheese. In the seafood and charcuterie versions, there is smoked fish and a selection of homemade charcuterie of local pork shoulder and duck breast.

Jamie Thompson of Vine + Country says of the food, “Everything is always 100% local! We’re proud of what’s being done by the artisans and producers in this area. We have a staunchly local greengrocer who even stocks produce from nearby allotments. Then there’s Romney Marsh lamb, fresh fish from Hastings, local game like pheasant and quail in season. We use local fruit in chutneys and other recipes – we make a roasted, caramelised cherry focaccia that is seriously out of this world.”

Whilst we continue to follow social distancing measures, visitors will not be able to enter The Nest or enjoy by-the-glass tastings again just yet. However, our wine garden is open where Gusbourne staff are able to complete bottle purchases and hand out maps for our self-guided tour route around the vineyards. We hope to open fully, including our Discovery and Estate tours, from 1^st August.

We are choosing to carefully reopen at a slower pace to consider the safety of our staff and customers, with full safety protocols available for all to view on our website.

https://www.gusbourne.com/time-well-spent/responding-to-covid-19