Setley Ridge Vineyard - A Family-Run New Forest Winery Offering Tours, Tastings and Local Produce
Tucked into the southern edge of the New Forest National Park, just outside the village of Brockenhurst in Hampshire, Setley Ridge Vineyard is a family-run English winery that has quietly grown into one of the most rewarding places to visit in the south of England. The Girling family have owned and worked the vineyard since 1999, transforming it from a single agricultural holding into a hub of wine, food and outdoor experiences that celebrates everything that is special about the New Forest.
Where to find Setley Ridge Vineyard
The vineyard sits on Lymington Road, on the outskirts of Brockenhurst, Hampshire, with the postcode SO42 7UF. Brockenhurst is one of the best-connected villages in the New Forest: it has a mainline railway station with frequent trains from London Waterloo and easy connections to Lymington, Southampton and Bournemouth. For drivers, the vineyard is signed from the Brockenhurst turning off the A337, and there is a bus stop within a five-minute walk of the campsite.
What makes the location truly special, however, is the setting. The vineyard is surrounded by ancient woodland, open heath and the famously free-roaming ponies of the New Forest, and the entire estate falls inside a National Park that is internationally recognised for its biodiversity and rare habitats.
A short history of the vineyard
Setley Ridge Vineyard was first planted in the mid-1980s, in the wave of new English vineyards that began to transform the country's wine map during that decade. When Paul and Hayley Girling took the property on in 1999 they inherited a working vineyard and the bones of a small winery, but they have spent the years since then steadily reshaping it.
Total annual production now sits at around 6,000 to 8,000 bottles, a deliberately small scale that allows every step of the winemaking process to be carried out by hand on site. The whole journey from grape to glass takes place at Setley Ridge: the harvest is brought in from the vines, the wine is fermented, aged and bottled in the on-site winery, and the finished bottles are sold over the counter in the adjoining farm shop.
Sustainability and disease-resistant varieties
One of the most important changes the Girlings have made has been in the vineyard itself. From the original planting, they have carried out a series of new plantings focused exclusively on disease-resistant varieties. These modern crosses, bred to cope with the unpredictable English climate, have allowed the family to stop using non-organic pesticides entirely.
The result has been a quietly dramatic improvement in biodiversity across the site. Without regular spraying, the flora and fauna between the rows has flourished, and the vineyard now plays host to a wide range of pollinators, birds and small mammals. For a vineyard sitting in the heart of a protected National Park, that sustainability story matters as much as the wine itself.
The vineyard year at Setley Ridge
Like every English vineyard, Setley Ridge follows the rhythm of the seasons. Winter pruning shapes the vines and prepares them for the year ahead; growth begins in late April to early May, when the buds burst and the first green shoots appear; flowering follows in late June.
The harvest takes place from late September into early October, and from there the winery takes over. Whites and rosés are usually bottled over the winter and are often ready to drink by Easter the following year. Reds are aged in oak and take a little longer, typically around 18 months from harvest to release. Sparkling wines, produced only in occasional vintages, follow traditional longer lees ageing.
The Setley Ridge wine range
Setley Ridge produces still red, white and rosé wines, with an occasional limited-production sparkling release when the vintage allows. Production is supplemented with grapes from other local vineyards to round out each blend, but every step of the winemaking process is carried out in the Setley Ridge winery. All of the wines are vegan friendly.
The wines vary from year to year and reflect the season in which they were made. The current range includes the following bottles.
Oaked Red 2021
A blend of Regent, Rondo and Triomphe at 12% alcohol. Dark crimson in the glass with a silky appearance, the wine shows flavours of summer fruits, including raspberry, blackcurrant and loganberry, over a full palate of soft oak that finishes crisp. The winery recommends it as a good food wine, particularly with barbecues.
Dry White 2022
The 2022 dry white is currently sold out at the winery while the next vintage works its magic in the tanks. It will return when the new release is ready, in line with the Easter release window the family typically aims for.
Rosé 2022
Like the dry white, the 2022 rosé is currently sold out and the next vintage is still in tank. The next release is due for the Easter bottling window.
Medium Dry White 2022
A blend of Seyval, Schonburger and Reichensteiner at 10% alcohol. The nose is strongly floral with elderflower and citrus, while the palate shows soft acidity and gentle flavours of lemon and melon. An easy-drinking style that suits the British summer particularly well.
Sparkling Rosé 21/22
Made from Seyval and Rondo at 11% alcohol, this is a pale salmon pink, lightly sparkling rosé with subtle raspberry and redcurrant flavours. The winery describes it as refreshing, easy drinking and clean on the finish, and suggests it as perfect for a warm summer's day.
Classic Blend Reserve
A classic Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier blend, presented in the bottle as an off-dry still wine rather than a fully sparkling style. The palate shows citrus and sweet baked apple, a full smooth mouthfeel with elderflower notes and a lingering finish. The winery recommends it as an aperitif, or paired with gently spiced Thai food or vegetarian dishes.
Where to buy the wines
Every wine in the range is available to taste and buy in the Setley Ridge Farm Shop. Free wine tasting is offered every day at the shop counter, so even passing visitors can drop in, learn about the range and take a bottle or two home. Wines can be bought online from the Setley Ridge Farm Shop.
Vineyard tours and tastings
A visit to Setley Ridge is at its best when paired with a guided vineyard tour and tasting, and the family has built a relaxed, informative experience that suits wine newcomers and enthusiasts alike.
The tour lasts approximately 60 to 90 minutes and takes in both the vineyard and the working winery. After the walk-and-talk, guests sit down for an in-depth tasting of the Setley Ridge range, with the winemakers on hand to talk through each wine.
Vineyard tour prices and gift vouchers
Tours are priced at £17.50 per person. The winery sells Tour Gift Vouchers priced from £17.50 up to £140.00, with the upper price covering a voucher for eight guests. Vouchers can be sent directly to the recipient by email, making them an easy gift for any wine lover, and the recipient then chooses the date that suits them.
Booking status
Online vineyard tour bookings are temporarily paused while the winery carries out essential maintenance on its booking system. Bookings are expected to reopen shortly. Anyone who needs to rearrange an existing booking, has a gift voucher to redeem, or wants to be added to early notification of new dates can contact the winery directly on 07786 245463 or by email at vineyard@setleyridge.co.uk.
Free wine tasting in the farm shop
Even when tour bookings are paused, visitors can still enjoy a free wine tasting every day in the farm shop, where a bottle of Setley Ridge wine is always open. It is a low-key way to discover the range before committing to a full tour.
Tour terms and accessibility
The winery operates a no-refund policy on tours and events; reservations can be moved once to a different date with at least 24 hours' notice. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome on the tour, although they are not permitted inside the winery itself. The vineyard and winery are not open to the general public outside of guided tour times. Visitors with accessibility requirements are asked to contact the team in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Beyond the vines: the Setley Ridge estate
What sets Setley Ridge apart from many English vineyards is that it is more than just a vineyard. The Girling family has built the estate into a destination, with a farm shop, tea room, garden centre and a small campsite, all on the same site.
The Farm Shop
The Setley Ridge Farm Shop is the hub of the estate. It stocks a wide selection of local produce (bread, milk, meat, cheese, cakes and much more) alongside the full Setley Ridge wine range, and it is where the daily free wine tasting takes place.
Daisy's Tea Room
Next door to the farm shop is Daisy's Tea Room, serving breakfast, lunch, cakes, coffee and tea, with Setley Ridge wine available by the glass for those who want to linger. It is a popular spot to book in before or after a vineyard tour. Bookings should be made directly with the tea room on 01590 622912.
Garden Centre
The on-site Setley Ridge Garden Centre stocks a wide range of plants and gifts, and visitors can wander through it while taking in views back across the vines.
Camping & Caravanning
For visitors who want to make a weekend of it, Setley Ridge runs a small, peaceful, adult-only Camping and Caravanning Club certificated site tucked among the vines. The campsite is open from March to the end of October, with electric hook-ups, flushing toilets, showers, a WC disposal point and drinking water on site. It is a members-only site, but joining the Camping and Caravanning Club is straightforward and can be done online before arrival. No pets and no large groups are permitted.
To book for 2026, the family asks visitors to send a text enquiry from 1 February to the booking mobile on 07786 245463.
Things to do near the vineyard
Setley Ridge sits in one of the most visitor-friendly corners of the New Forest, and there is plenty to fill a day or a long weekend.
- The Filly Inn, the local pub, is about a five-minute walk from the campsite via a footpath through the woods, and serves well-regarded pub food.
- Brockenhurst village, roughly 20 minutes' walk away, is packed with pubs, restaurants, cafés and independent shops, and has a mainline railway station for onward travel.
- The Pig Beer Brewery sits right next door to Setley Ridge. Their bar is open Sunday to Thursday until 5pm, and Friday and Saturday until 8pm, when street food and live music are added to the mix.
- The wider New Forest National Park offers virtually endless walking and cycling trails right on the doorstep, with wild ponies, cattle and deer a constant presence.
- For wildlife lovers, the vineyard and surrounding woods are home to badgers, foxes, rabbits, squirrels, moles, voles, bats, owls, buzzards, nightingales and red kites, with deer regularly seen in the woods behind the vineyard.
Why visit Setley Ridge Vineyard
Setley Ridge is the kind of place that earns its reputation slowly. It is not a glossy, big-production visitor centre; it is a working family vineyard in a deeply rural setting, run by people who care about the land they look after and the wine they make from it. The still wines are honest expressions of the English climate, the sparkling releases are limited and worth seeking out, and the wider estate gives visitors a genuine reason to spend a whole day, or even longer, on site.
For anyone planning a New Forest holiday, a day trip from Southampton, Bournemouth or the Isle of Wight, or simply a relaxed weekend of wine, walking and good food, Setley Ridge is well worth a stop. Drop in for a free tasting in the farm shop, book onto a guided tour when bookings reopen, stay overnight on the vineyard campsite, and discover one of Hampshire's most quietly impressive small wineries.
Plan your visit
- Address: Setley Ridge, Lymington Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire SO42 7UF
- Phone: 07786 245463 (vineyard, tours and campsite bookings)
- Tea Room: 01590 622912
- Email: vineyard@setleyridge.co.uk
- Tours: setleyridge.co.uk/vineyard-tours (bookings temporarily paused)
- Wines: setleyridge.co.uk/wines
- Gift Vouchers: Tour Gift Voucher from £17.50
- Farm Shop: setleyridgefarmshop.co.uk
- Tea Room: daisyteagarden.co.uk
- Garden Centre: setleyridgegardencentre.co.uk