Chapel Down Winery

Today I had the wonderful experience of visiting Chapel Down Winery, situated near Tenterden in Kent, in that beautiful part of the country known as The Garden of England. Despite being a small vineyard it is the largest producer in the UK, as it has partner vineyards across the UK. It is known for its white wines and sparkling wines, which are made in the method champenoise, as they are in France.

We had the most fascinating tour of the vineyards and winery, then had a tutored wine tasting (on an empty stomach before lunch!) and finally had a most delicious lunch in their restaurant, where I had one of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten! The tour was so interesting, and I learnt so much about the conditions in which the vines are grown and the way the wine and 'champagne' is made. Being only 10 miles from the sea and 50m above sea level they have a very moderate climate, and have produced some award winning wines. They plant mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and the German vine called Bacchus which grows better in England than it does in Germany. I don't drink white wine but I loved their sparkling wines, and I bought a bottle of their Rose Brut sparkling wine which was the one chosen by Will and Kate for their wedding! Due to the lovely warm summer we had this year, 2014 will be their best crop ever, producing about 30% more than their usual output.

It was a rather long drive there from my house but the countryside was so beautiful with oast houses, farms everywhere selling different apples varieties, pears, cobnuts (don't know what those are?) and even venison. It truly felt like it was the garden of England.