Balfour Winery Named Amongst England’s Top Visitor Attractions 

Balfour Winery Named Amongst England’s Top Visitor Attractions 

We are delighted to announce that Balfour Winery has been featured English vineyard to be awarded Gold in VisitEngland’s top tourist attractions – as recognised in the organisation’s Accolade Awards.

Our winery, which is just 45 minutes by train from London, achieved the top rating based on the scores obtained following an annual VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessment. 

Recent changes to the climate, as well as a desire to holiday closer to home due to both COVID and a bid to avoid air travel, have seen a boom in wine tourism in the UK. 

The accolade puts an English winery in the same category as such culturally important venues as the Richard III Centre, Sherwood Forest and the Arsenal Stadium.

Over 15,000 people visit our beautiful estate and Balfour Winery each year, and 2023 is on track to be a record as more people discover England’s emerging wine country. Overall UK wineries are expecting a further 20% increase in visitor numbers over the next five years (according to WineGB).

Speaking after the Gold accolade win, our Commercial Director, Sarah Easton, said : 

“The recognition from VisitEngland is really fantastic for us at Balfour. To be listed amongst some of the most popular and renowned attractions in England is really exciting, and shows just how far we are coming as an industry. It’s a massive testament to the team’s hard-work on our famous Balfour hospitality.”

According to VisitEngland, tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing about 2.6 million people and, in 2022, generating £66.3 billion in domestic visitor spending. It also represents, on average, 24% of the income for English wineries. 

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:

“These accolades are a testament to the outstanding experiences and customer service that attractions in England give visitors. They also recognise different aspects of the visitor experience with attractions who really go the extra mile, whether it’s offering exceptional food and drink or magical storytelling. The attractions honoured today go out of their way to make visits memorable, creating reasons for people to travel to new locations, also boosting local economies across England.”