Uber has collaborated with Highweald Wine Estate in West Sussex to launch a consumer-facing English wine experience – The Grape British Railway. 

The Grape British Railway – which is set to take place on August 23 and 30 – is a full-day experience that celebrates both train travel and English wine, according to Uber. 

The experience starts at Kingscote Station and ends at Highweald Wine Estate. It includes a trip on a classic Pullman train where a three-course meal will be served and ends with a vineyard tour and tasting at Highweald. 

According to Uber, the experience was born from research showing that Gen Z are now opting for shorter staycations rather than going abroad. 

It was also inspired by statistics showing that tourism in English vineyards is on the rise by 55%, citing data from WineGB on the 2022 to 2023 period. 

On the launch, Andrew Brem, general manager at Uber UK, said: “We’re incredibly excited to launch The Grape British Railway, a beautiful blend of British style, scenery and sommelier-selected wines. With English vineyards on the rise and more people discovering the joy of exploring the UK by train, it’s the perfect summer escape.” 

At the launch event, Robin Langton, MD at Highweald, told Drinks Retailing that the opportunity to collaborate with Uber came through Great British Wine Tours, who the wine estate has “worked with successfully for a number of years”. 

He continued: “English wine tourism is massively important. 30% of sales are at the cellar door, and I think [the Uber experience] will hopefully help us grow sales and more followers.” 

Daniel Edwards, director at Great British Wine Tours, noted that repeat customers make up 30% of his tourism experiences. He therefore has no doubt that the Uber experience will lead to further growth in the English wine tourism space. 

Edwards further commented: “It’s also been a fantastic experience because it’s brought in the Bluebell Railway, which is a volunteer-run organisation.” 

On the combination of trains and English wine, he finished: “There’s such a romance to trundling through the Sussex countryside, eating and drinking produce from the countryside, and then ending up somewhere lovely.”