The Wealden Wine Trail is a destination marketing initiative showcasing Wealden’s vineyards and establishing the district as a leading English wine tourism destination. It was the first official wine tourism trail in Sussex.
Funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the content campaign uses professional marketing to increase visitor numbers, strengthen collaboration between vineyards and support the local visitor economy.
The Wealden Wine Trail launched in 2024 with 12 vineyards and has now grown to 16 participating vineyards. The project was developed to raise awareness of the region’s wine tourism offer and encourage visitors to explore multiple vineyards as part of a wider visitor experience.
UKSPF investment enabled a promotional campaign, bringing vineyards together under a single brand, while supporting wider ambitions to position Wealden within the Sussex Winelands network and increase regional collaboration.
The project aims to enhance the Wealden Wine Trail as a recognised English wine tourism destination by increasing awareness, visitor numbers and engagement.
Objectives included producing high-quality photography and films, to promote the trail, growing social media audiences and encouraging collaboration between vineyards.
Integration with Sussex Winelands, the regional wine tourism brand is helping extend the campaign’s reach while supporting local businesses and the wider visitor economy.
The Wealden Wine Trail was delivered in two phases, designed to create a strong destination brand and provide lasting promotional benefits for participating vineyards.
Phase One focused on developing a suite of high-quality marketing assets funded through the UKSPF. This included professional photography, drone imagery and promotional films for the overall trail and each individual vineyard, creating a consistent visual identity that could be used across promotion. The campaign launched ahead of English Wine Week, supported by social media, press activity. Promotional films were released sequentially, helping to build momentum and maintain audience engagement throughout the campaign.
Phase Two focused on embedding the Wealden Wine Trail within the wider Sussex Winelands network. Through shared branding, website listings, interactive mapping, public relations and influencer activity, the project expanded its regional reach and strengthened collaboration between vineyards. This phase ensures the campaign continues beyond English Wine Week, providing long-term promotional assets that support visitor engagement, wine tourism and the continued growth of Wealden’s vineyard destination.
The Wealden Wine Trail campaign has significantly increased awareness of the region’s wine tourism and helped position Wealden as an emerging English wine destination. The campaign has successfully reached new audiences and generated strong engagement, supporting greater visibility for participating vineyards and the wider economy.
During the first 90 days, campaign content generated 38,316 views, reached 12,481 accounts and delivered 1,777 interactions on Instagram. Reels accounted for more than 24,000 views, while over 62% of views came from non-followers, demonstrating the campaign’s ability to reach audiences beyond the existing social media community. The campaign also grew the trail’s Instagram following by more than 600 followers.
Beyond these immediate results, the project has created lasting value for the local economy. Promotional assets provide vineyards with high-quality marketing materials they can continue to use, while increased collaboration strengthens the collective promotion of the district. By encouraging visitors to discover multiple vineyards, the trail has the potential to increase visitor spend, support local businesses and contribute to the long-term growth of Wealden tourism.