A girls’ wine weekend you can join solo

UK Wine Weekends are something a little different from our usual France wine retreats: shorter, closer to home, and designed around a different kind of experience. Think less grand retreat, more cozy get-together. A small group of women, a comfortable Airbnb base, two days in English wine country, and the kind of weekend that's genuinely easy to say yes to.

No flights, no fuss. Just good wine, great company, and a Sunday morning where nobody's quite ready to leave.

With weekends closer to home, there's a good chance some of the women you meet will be the kind of friends you can actually see again on a random Thursday!

Amica Vina UK Wine Weekends

August 14th–16th, 2026

Kent, England

Fully Booked

A Christmas UK Wine Weekend (in Kent or York) is in the works!
Save the date: December 11th-13th

Where we’re going

A quiet street scene in a historic town during sunset, featuring old brick houses with tiled roofs, lush greenery on the right side, and a cobblestone path.

Kent

The Garden of England and vineyards producing sparkling wines that rival Champagne.

2 Nights | 6-8 Guests | £635 per person

  • August 14th–16th

Dates:

The Itinerary

Friday - Welcome dinner & wine tasting

Taxis will pick you up from the train station and take you to our Airbnb.

Friday night is about settling in and getting to know each other: welcome wine, snacks, a wine-tasting game, dinner together, and of course, bottles of wine to share with new friends.

Saturday Morning

Breakfast and free time to hang out and slowly get ready for the winery visits ahead!

Saturday afternoon - Wineries!

We’ll start the day with a guided tour and tasting at our first winery (Gusbourne).

Next, we’ll head to our second winery (Woodchurch) for lunch and a wine tasting among the vines.

After lunch, we’ll head to our third and final winery (Chapel Down) for another guided tasting. 

Saturday Evening - Dinner & games

Back to the Airbnb for a bit of downtime. Then dinner together and a fun living room “pub quiz”. Maybe even a movie to end the night.

Sunday Morning

A slower breakfast, reflections on the weekend, and a little thank-you gift from me.

Then, taxis back to the train station and a WhatsApp group of new friends that's already active.

Where We Stay

These weekends are based in a comfortable, well-equipped Airbnb — not a boutique hotel or a countryside villa. That's intentional.

The home setting is part of what makes the weekend feel relaxed rather than formal: breakfast at the kitchen table, wine open on the counter, a “pub quiz” around the living room. It's warm, easy, and far less precious than a hotel.

If you're looking for the full Amica Vina retreat experience (the château, the private pool, the world-famous wine regions), that's what the France retreats are for. This is the version you can join on a Friday after-work train.

Living room with a large gray sectional sofa, a wooden coffee table, a textured round pouf, a potted plant with large green leaves, a modern pendant light, a table lamp, and a white pillow with a cityscape design.

What’s Included?

Airbnb Accommodation (2 Nights)

All breakfasts and dinners

Wine tours and tastings

Lunch at a winery

Transport to/from the train station

Transport to all wineries/activities

Wine on the first night

Snacks & essentials for the Airbnb

A dedicated hostess

And more!

What’s not included?

Your train, and anything you choose to spend independently. That's genuinely it.

People at a dinner table raising glasses of champagne in a toast outdoors.

Who is this weekend for?

This is not the France experience in a British postcode. It's a different thing, and for a lot of women, it's exactly the right thing.

It's for the solo traveller who wants a ready-made group, not a solo hotel room.

For those who enjoy wine without needing to be an expert on it.

For the busy woman who's looked at her calendar and thought I need a weekend getaway, but doesn't want to spend weeks planning one.

For anyone who's quietly curious about English wine but hasn't had a reason to explore it yet.

You don't need to know anyone.

You don't need to know anything about wine.

Most guests arrive alone. Nobody leaves feeling that way.

Why Join Amica Vina?

Here’s what makes Amica Vina retreats special:

  • Amica Vina retreat itineraries are tested first-hand by the research trips I take - making sure the wineries and activities are as wonderful as imagined.

    Blending delicious wine, aesthetic atmospheres, and great hospitality so that everyone enjoys themselves (newbies to wine aficionados all welcome!).

  • Designed with solo female travellers in mind, so you can feel safe and supported - surrounded by like-minded women. Friend duos also welcome!

  • Built-in friend group for a dream girls’ trip. You may arrive solo, but you’ll never feel alone.

  • Taste, learn about, and enjoy wine. No expertise required.

  • I handle the details (accommodation, activities, and transportation) so you can simply relax and enjoy. And as a registered member of the Travel Trust Association (TTA), your payments are always fully protected.

  • I keep retreat group sizes small so everyone feels included, supported, and part of the group.

Meet Your Host:

Samantha

A woman in a navy blue top, white shorts, and white sneakers standing on a stone pathway at a marina, with white boats docked in the water and Mediterranean-style white buildings in the background.

In my 20s, I lived in Canada, France, the UK, and Australia; always eager to meet new people and discover new places. I built a career in advertising and dedicated my free time to travel; chasing experiences and collecting stories, including solo trips and visiting beautiful vineyards around the world.

Over time, my curiosity about wine grew. So much so that I now hold a WSET Level 3 qualification.

Though I’m grateful to have lived in different countries, moving around highlighted how challenging it can be to make new friends as an adult (and how many women feel the same).

These things together inspired me to create Amica Vina: curated wine retreats where women can travel together, explore beautiful wine regions, and build genuine connections that go beyond a single trip.

When you join an Amica Vina retreat, the hard work is already done; you just get to soak up the scenery, enjoy sharing wine, and meet inspiring women who may become lifelong friends.

I can’t wait to welcome you to Amica Vina this year.

What Guests Say

  • I love the Kent wine weekend with Amica Vina. Everything was so well organised and thoughtfully paced, with fantastic wine and food, and lots of personal touches from Sam that made the weekend feel really special. It was also a great way to discover a part of the UK I hadn’t visited before and meet a lovely group of women. I’d definitely join another Amica Vina trip in the future!

    Marybeth H. (Attended Kent Wine Weekend, August 2026)

  • “Travelling through Bordeaux with Sam felt completely effortless. The city has such a cool yet elegant vibe, and the wineries (aka chateaux) were so glamorous. Every winery we visited was clearly chosen with care. The wineries were welcoming and never felt overly ‘wine-technical,’ but I still learned a lot and had fun doing it. I loved how everything flowed so smoothly (no pun intended!), without needing to think or plan at all. The trip felt like the perfect balance of structure and freedom to explore Bordeaux, and I already want to do another trip like it!”

    — Mairead D. (Travelled with Amica Vina on Bordeaux research trip)

  • “Samantha puts so much thought into selecting the best wineries. It was cool seeing her process during the research trip, making sure each winery had the right balance of quality wine, great hospitality, and also felt unique from the others. You can tell she’s in her element, and her love of learning about wine is infectious.”

    — Chantel D. (Travelled with Amica Vina on Alsace research trip)

  • “Travelling through Paris and Champagne was so fun, I couldn’t think of a better city combo for a girls' trip. As a Champagne lover, I found the tastings were elegant yet approachable. The whole experience felt social and celebratory, yet I learned more than I could imagine about the craft of wine. I loved that we could enjoy multiple wine tours without any stress or decision-making. While in Paris, you could tell Sam was so comfortable in the city, guiding us from sight to sight with fun wine and food pit-stops along the way. She curates the trip so it never feels overly touristy either. The care and detail she brings to Amica Vina, even on the research trip, makes you feel completely taken care of.”

    — Mairead D. (Travelled with Amica Vina on Paris & Champagne research trip)

  • “Alsace in December is like something out of a fairytale, and the way Amica Vina curates the experience makes it even more special. Everything felt thoughtfully paced. Pairing wine tastings with Christmas markets was such a fun mix. Many people say it’s the Christmas capital, and I can see why. The wine tastings were informative and still easy to digest. You get to try so many wine styles specific to the Alsace region (lots of them new to me, including my new favourite, Gewürztraminer!). I wouldn’t have thought to do a wine tour in the winter, but this trip made me realise how magical a winter wine retreat can be!”

    — Chantel D. (Travelled with Amica Vina to Alsace)

  • “Truthfully, wine travel wasn't really on my radar before this trip. I joined Sam in the Loire Valley simply for the adventure of exploring a new place. As someone who doesn’t usually drink wine, I ended up loving all the winery tours and tastings (I even bought some bottles to take home with me!). I totally get the appeal of a wine tour now. The chateaux of the region were a stunning bonus on top.”

    — Roisin V. (Travelled with Amica Vina on Loire Valley research trip)

  • “It didn’t take much convincing to join Sam in the Loire Valley. She had it all planned out, so all I had to do was show up. We tasted wines from across the region and learned about the wine-making process in a digestible and entertaining way. I'd been vaguely aware of the Loire Valley before, but now I’d definitely recommend a trip to anyone interested in visiting chateaux and drinking delicious wine, and doing it as a curated retreat makes all the difference!”

    — Laura B. (Travelled with Amica Vina on Loire Valley research trip)

  • Had such a lovely weekend with Amica Vina on their Kent Wine Experience! 🍷🍇 The whole weekend was so relaxed and well organised, and it was really nice getting to explore the vineyards, learn more about English wine and, of course, taste some amazing wines along the way! 🥂 Sam thought of everything from transport, to food to fun activities to get to know the other girls! Such a gorgeous experience and definitely something I’d recommend if you’re looking for a fun weekend out in the countryside. We had the best time! 🤍

    – Caylee M. (Attended Kent Wine Weekend, August 2026)

  • My weekend with Amica Vina in Kent was honestly superb from start to finish. Sam has this brilliant way of making everything feel effortless and welcoming — you can tell how much thought she puts into every detail. We arrived to a lovely gift bag full of personal touches, and from that moment it felt like we were being looked after. And when I say everything was included… literally everything other than the bottles we chose to buy at the vineyards. Food, transport, tastings, activities — all included. There was enough food and snacks to feed the 5000, so no one was ever left hungry or wondering what was next. One thing I really appreciated was that nobody expected you to be a wine connoisseur. You didn’t need to know anything beyond being open‑minded. I learnt loads just by listening and tasting, without ever feeling like I had to pretend to be an expert. It was relaxed, fun, and completely pressure‑free. The pub quiz was great fun (I’m saving my first‑place prize for a special occasion), but the real highlight was the group of girls and the atmosphere Sam created. Everyone gelled so quickly — by the end of day one it felt like we’d known each other for ages. It was relaxed, friendly, and full of laughs in that way you just can’t manufacture. I’m already looking forward to my next trip with Amica Vina because weekends like this are genuinely hard to beat. Thanks Sam!

    Aisling D. (Attended Kent Wine Weekend, August 2026)

UK Wine Weekend FAQs

  • York weekends are £560 per person. Kent weekends are £635.

    Both include everything listed above: accommodation, all meals, winery visits with tastings and lunch, all local transport within the weekend, the welcome evening, Saturday night activity, etc. Your train ticket is the only thing not included.

  • For York, simply take a train to York Train Station.

    For Kent, take a train to Ashford International Train Station.

  • Each retreat hosts 6-8 guests; small enough to stay intimate, but big enough to build a vibrant group dynamic.

  • Our retreats are designed for women in their 20s, 30s, & 40s, creating a group of like-minded travellers at similar life stages.

  • Rooms are typically shared, but pending availability, private rooms may be available.

  • Before the retreat, we’ll send a short survey to help match guests with the most compatible roommates.

    If you’re joining with a friend, let us know, and we’ll pair you together.

  • Yes, and most guests do. The whole weekend is designed so that coming solo feels completely natural. By the first night, you'll know everyone.

  • Absolutely! Make note of this on your forms when you individually register, so we can make sure you room together.

  • Yes! We’ll set up a WhatsApp group before the trip so everyone can connect ahead of time.

  • Not even a little. Amica Vina is specifically for women who enjoy wine without taking it seriously. You'll simply just taste good wine, figure out what you like, and have fun while doing it.

  • Payments are made securely by card or bank transfer at the time of booking.

    A non-refundable deposit of £150 secures your place. The balance is due 30 days before the trip start date.

  • Yes! We can customise this retreat for your own group of friends (without an Amica Vina host). Reach out to samantha@amicavina.com to discuss private bookings.

Questions before you commit?