Tours & Tastings
We are very pleased to be open again for self-guided tours, wine tasting flights and wine by the glass in 2022.
We will be open on Tuesdays and Sundays in April beginning on Sunday 10th April. Further opening days will be added in May to coincide with the main season.
Vineyard Trail
Take a walk around our self-guided Vine Trail. There are nine stops which take you from the lower slopes up to the top of the vineyard and introduce a range of topics from the viticulture to the wine making and the history of agriculture here on St Martin's.
Our self-guided tour booklet has a page dedicated to each stop and there are further interpretation boards to give a little more insight on some of the most interesting aspects of the site such as the wildflowers, birdlife and insects as well as regenerative agriculture and the wine-making process.
We began the self-guided tours in response to COVID in 2020, but we have kept the approach as it has proved very popular with our visitors. Some will spend an hour or more exploring the site whilst others will zip round in 20 minutes and settle in to enjoy the wine tasting - you can enjoy the vineyard at your own pace and on your own terms!
Woodland Walk
It's not all about the wine here - we're just as passionate about the wildlife and biodiversity which the vineyard supports and our Woodland Walk is the best place to experience this.
The walk takes you out of the vine rows and up through an elm copse which is dotted with bluebells, red campion and daffodils in the springtime. The path emerges into a wild area of bracken and bramble with stunning views of the Daymark and Eastern Isles before looping back through our newly planted orchard to rejoin the main vineyard trail.
Tasting Flights
We offer tasting flights of our wines which can be enjoyed either as part of the vineyard tour, or on their own.
In 2022, we are serving the 2020 vintage wines including a dry white Orion, an off-dry white Reserve, a rosé an a full-bodied red produced from the Rondo variety.
All wines served are produce here in our onsite winery from fruit grown here on the vineyard. From grape to glass, everything happens right here within our 5 acre site.
On our self-guided tours you can follow the vine-trail around the vineyard to learn about the viticulture & wine-making that happens here on the vineyard.
Wine tasting includes a flight of St Martin's Vineyard wines - all produced right here on the vineyard.
The self-guided tour and tasting combined costs £10 per person and under 16's are free. If you just want to explore the vineyard, or only have time for a tasting flight, these cost just £6 per person.
This Week's Opening Times
Opening Hours
Opening hours in April are on Tuesdays and Sundays with the precise hours for these days announced for the week ahead each Saturday morning. This gives us chance to check the boating schedules for the week ahead and ensure that our opening hours are accessible and convenient for visitors from St Mary's and other islands. The opening days for this week can be found in the table above.
We'll aim to add in more opening days from May onwards - watch this space for further updates!
The Vineyard Tour
The vineyard tours are self-guided - we will welcome you to the vineyard and introduce the site, then set you off with a guidebook which takes you around a signposted Vine Trail from the first fields planted back in 1996 through to the top of the vineyard with beautiful views out over the Eastern Isles. The guide will introduce the history of the site, the varieties planted, the viticulture and wine making we undertake here as well as information on the wildlife and our sustainable approach.
Wine Tasting
Either at the end of a tour, or as an activity in itself, we offer wine tasting - this will be outdoors on picnic tables spaced over 2m apart to allow appropriate social distancing.
We also offer wine by the glass, as well as our range of beers produced here on the vineyard in 50l batches meaning there are only 100 bottles of any given brew - a truly unique experience!
Shop and Visitor Centre
Our shop and visitor cente provides more information on the vineyard and offers a chance to buy a bottle or two of our wines; liqueurs; and hand-pressed island apple juice. The opening hours for the shop will coincide with our general opening hours for tours and tastings each week.
Toilet Facilities
We do have a toilet onsite for patrons of the vineyard - the nearest public toilets are located just a five minute walk along the track at Higher Town quay.
Weather Conditions
All seating is outdoors with under-cover seating options. We will open provided the weather is safe, but in inclement weather, waterproofs are advisable!
COVID safety measures during your visit
As members of a small island community, we continue to take reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of infection. We will therefore request masks are worn in the shop and visitor centre but there is no requirement to wear masks in the outdoor seating areas. We hope this small request will minimise the risk still posed by COVID without affecting the enjoyment of your visit.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the vineyard but must be kept on a lead at all times (we have three vineyard cats!). We also ask that you clear up after them please.