Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
OUR VINEYARDS
SPOTLIGHT ON ENGLISH WINE WEEK
English wine has something to celebrate – and Kent, with some of its most successful producers, more than most. A million vines are set to be planted in the UK this year and in the last 10 years the acreage planted with grapevines has grown by a whopping 135%, making wine production one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the country.
As Kent marks English Wine Week, we look at where you can sample the county’s slice of the action and talk to those who make it happen.
It’s English Wine Week and Kent has some of the top tipples made in this country. We look at what wines we’re making, and wash it all down with the latest foodie news from across the county
HUSH HEATH
The boutique winery and estate in the picturesque Staplehurst countryside holds tastings and tours, and is open for walk-in tastings, vineyard tours and tutored tastings.
The estate has the only English vineyard dedicated to the creation of rose sparkling wine, aiming for a wine of world-beating quality that is a modern classic. Richard Balfour-lynn, producer, said: “What’s interesting is now all English wineries are developing their own style. One doesn’t talk about English wine having a certain taste. All the wineries are developing their own house styles.”
The vineyard is also holding a wine pairing dinner, with Richard hosting and talking about the wines and the future of the English wine industry, as part of the week, on Saturday, May 27.
For details go to hushheath.com
THE MOUNT VINEYARD
Winner of the Kent Wine of the Year 2017 at the Taste of Kent Awards for its flagship sparkling rose wine, the Shoreham vineyard benefits from a sunny microclimate, clocking up just four days sunshine a year less than the Champagne region in France, and a chalk-stream valley, making for the growing of quality grapes. Currently open from noon to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, which is extended in the summer, it will mark Wine Wednesday during the week, on May 31, with a tour and tasting, accompanied by cheese and charcuterie, which makes for a great introduction to not only the English wine industry but the local produce and environment. Rounding off the week will be a Food Fest, on Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, where there will be artisan producers, fine foods and brewers and live music.
For details of Wine Wednesday go to themountvineyard.co.uk/ english-wine-week and for more on the festival head to thefoodfest. com.
CHAPEL DOWN
The Tenterden winemaker has been toasting an excellent year, with sales of sparkling and still wines, beers and ciders up, 12 months after it planted a further 95 acres of new vineyards, adding to its 233 acres owned or managed land across Kent and Sussex.
Its sparkling wines are created using the same method as Champagne, and is distributed in Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Majestic. Chief executive Frazer Thompson said: “The best thing I ever did was put our prices up. The higher prices gave people confidence in our product.
“People want our brand. I’ve always believed the future is trying to do things other people can’t.” Visitors can explore the grounds, herb garden and complimentary vineyard walks, with the site open between 10am and 5pm daily. Guided tours run from March to November, lasting an hour and 45 minutes and cost £15 for adults and 12 to 17-year-olds £3.
For details call 01580 766111 or go to chapeldown.com/visit/guided-tours
BIDDENDEN VINEYARD
The family-run vineyard, which started out in 1969 when a third of an acre of vines were planted, runs charity guided tours, private guided tours, group tours, and has marked routes to explore.
The first Biddenden wine was bottled around 1972-3, but today production has grown to around 80,000 bottles a year.
All vine work on the estate is carried out by hand, including pruning, canopy management and picking.
Visitors can just pop in as the site is open to the public daily throughout the year, with free admission and tastings. You can take a self-guided tour around the vines, with fourlegged friends on leads, and you can pop into the shop at the end.
Charity tours take place on Saturdays all year round and Wednesdays from June to September, starting at 10am, lasting around a hour and costing £1 per person, which goes to a chosen charity, this year being Dandelion Time. For more details, including costs of guided tours for up to 15 people, visit biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726.
SIMPSONS WINE ESTATE
With its sheltered slopes of the North Downs and vines anchored in chalky soil, the estate at Barham is an extension of Charles and Ruth Simpson’s French property, where they have been producing wines for 15 years. They brought their savoir-faire to Barham in the county in 2014.
You can take a guided walking tour of the Roman Road vineyard, where you will learn how the vines are planted, trained, nurtured and harvested, before visiting the winery, and guided through the Traditional wine-making process.
The first sparkling wines from the estate will be released in 2018, but you can sample the
wines from Domaine Sainte Rose, the Simpson’s French estate.
Charles Simpson said: “English wine is absolutely bursting with life.
“I lived in New Zealand as a boy in the late 1970s and early 1980s and my parents talk about how horrible and undrinkable their wine was. “Then New Zealand concentrated on Sauvignon Blanc and it made them famous. That is what can happen in 20 to 30 years. That is what England is doing with sparkling wine.”
For details visit simpsonswine. com or call
01227 832200.
DOMAINE EVREMOND
Champagne Taittinger along with UK partner Hatch
Mansfield Ltd and friends have set up Domaine Evremond, buying 69 hectares of farmland at Selling Court Farm, 40 hectares of which will be planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes to produce English sparkling wine. The unique collaboration marks the first time that a Champagne house has invested in the UK with the aim of producing a range of premium English sparkling wines.
Patrick Mcgrath, co-owner, said: “English wines tend to be fresher. When our first wines go one sale in 2023, we hope the taste will be very good. “We will be different from champagne because the climate here is cooler. Taste depends on which grape varieties are predominantly used, which depends on which grow best.”