11 vineyards in Kent for you to swill and swish at

Kentish wine is having its time in the sun. Literally. 

With more than 1,300 hectares covered in vines, the county is now home to around 25% of the UK’s vineyards and produced more than five million bottles of wine last year. 

Thanks to our mild, and increasingly warmer, climate and chalky and clay heavy soil, Kent has now become a premier wine growing region - not just for Britain, but for Europe too. 

While the changing climate has led to a huge drop in grape yields in other European wine growing regions, the hotter, dryer summers are doing wonders for British wine. Blighty’s wine production is up year-on-year, including a 77% increase from 2022 to 2023. And it’s expected this year’s endless heatwave will produce yet another huge yield. 

Kent’s success is also down to its grape type and the style of wine produced here - Bacchus and Pinot grapes are hardy while sparkling wine is less fussy than still. 

So good is The Garden of England’s wine list, Produced in Kent has just announced its launch of The Kent Wine Way, a tourism initiative designed to link up vineyards so that visitors can test out a few in a day or weekend. 

Although it’s unclear how the Kent Wine Way will roll out, in theory, the initiative brings together 30 vineyards across the county for you to try out. 

With more than 150 commercial vineyards, including 50 independent estates, dotted around the county we have everything from small, family run vineyards making small batch biodynamic pet nats, to the big guns of British wine making; we’re spoilt for choice. 

With that in mind, here are 11 vineyards to try out, just to get you started. 

Gusbourne Estate

With an open air bar and tables under white canopies in front of an expanse of grapevines, walking into the estate feels like you’ve gatecrashed someone's wedding. Best known for its traditional sparkling wines, Gusbourne is probably Kent’s shiniest vineyard gem. Polished yet relaxed, expect the bar to be filled with packs of MAMILS, polo shirts and crisp linen shirts. Folk can go on a self-guided walk around the vineyard, and there’s several wine+tour, wine tasting packages you can go for, or just pop by for a glass or bottle. The basic tour and tasting package is £50, with prices rising steeply pretty quickly.
Address: Kenardington Road, Appledore, Ashford, TN26 2BE
Website: gusbourne.com

Chapel Down

Chapel Down is every bit as splendid and polished as Gusbourne, but a little more casual. There’s a pizza truck and a cellar door, and a well stocked bottle shop, where you can splash out, or grab a few bottles for around £15 each. While there is some outdoor seating, you’ll also find people relaxing on the lawn too. A lovely little walled garden is great for a meander, and you can book yourself in for a meal at the restaurant if you fancy. Tours and tastings start at £30, with prices also quickly escalating. UK’s biggest wine producer, Chapel Down’s signature drops are its traditional-method sparklings and its dry, crisp whites and rosé.
Address: Chapel Down Winery, Small Hythe Road, Tenterden, TN30 7NG
Website: chapeldown.com

Simpsons Wine Estate

Just outside Canterbury, tucked into the North Downs at Barham, the family-run and owned Simpsons Estate is not quite the massive tourist operation Chapel Down or Gusborne Estate are. The vineyard favours low intervention wine-making processes, with its hero drop, the Roman Road Chardonnay, winning Best in Show at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards. Visits to the estate are on selected days only, with tastings + tours (starting from £25), and sunset sessions - walks, tastings and Macknade platters. If there’s a group of you, you can get in touch for something bespoke.
Address: The Barns, Church Lane, Barham, Canterbury, CT4 6PB
Website: simpsonswine.com

Domaine Evremond

Found in Chilham, in an AONB near Canterbury, Domaine Evermond is part of the Taittinger empire. A relatively new venture, the champagne house acquired the land circa 2015, and set out to produce a similar style of sparkling to France. After planting vines in 2017, the first Domaine Evremond Classic Cuvée was released last year. The winery and cellar door opened in 2022. In addition to the tours and the tastings (tour + tasting from £50), and various food and wine deals, during summer there is live music on Saturdays and a monthly oyster and live music night. The village is also ridiculously pretty, so don’t forget to take a wander around.
Address: Chalk Hill, New Cut Road, Chilham, Canterbury, CT4 8DT
Website: domaineevremond.com

Biddenden Vineyards

Operating since 1969, Biddenden is Kent’s oldest vineyard. Still family-run, Biddenden has a larger range of wines than other vineyards - Ortega, Bacchus, rosé, and several sparklings - and it makes cider too. Tours run May to September, with a self-guided tour £15, and a tour and tasting starting from £30. You can finish your visit off with a platter and a bottle - bought from the vineyard shop, or stay at the vineyard’s private cottage.
Address: Gribble Bridge Lane, Biddenden, Ashford, TN27 8DF
Website: biddendenvineyards.com

Westwell Wine Estates

Family-run and with a focus on low intervention, independent vineyard Westwell's output centres on unfiltered, pet nat and pet nat adjacent drops - although it does produce traditional-method sparkling too. The small estate found near Charing, Ashford, has a cellar door, bar tours and tastings (tour + tasting from £28), and picnics where you can wander off into the vineyard on a self-guided tour and park yourself somewhere lovely with a hamper and a bottle of wine (from £80). There are also Friday pizza nights, occasional supper clubs and an annual Pilgrims Walk wine and walk, led by writer Gemma Purkiss.
Address: The Vyneyarde, Westwell Lane, Charing, Ashford, TN27 0BW
Website: westwellwines.com

Ham Street Wines

This small vineyard run by a husband and wife duo is a fairly closed shop when it comes to visiting. Opening one day a month for walk-ins from May to August, the vineyard will also occasionally put on a family open day too. You can, however, get in touch if you want to organise a tour. These are £25 a head, with a minimum of four people on a tour. A new vineyard, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Bacchus and Pinot Gris grapes were planted in 2019 and harvested for the first time in 2021. Ham Street is also certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative, and uses holistic farming processes. Bottles are natural and small-batch, with styles coming and going depending on the harvest.
Address: Warehorne Road, Hamstreet, Ashford, TN26 2JT
Website: hamstreetwines.co.uk

Woodchurch Wine 

Founded by a family, now run by four friends, Woodchurch Wine is set on south-facing hills near Romney Marsh, overlooking the English Channel. Making the most of the area’s clay soil and microclimate, the vineyard produces Chardonnay, brut and rosé. A tour and tasting will set you back £25, after which you can stay on for drinks or food at the restaurant, which serves pizza on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays alongside the regular menu.
Address: Susan's Hill, Woodchurch, Ashford, TN26 3RE
Website: woodchurchwine.co.uk

Barnsole Vineyard

Perhaps the closest vineyard to Thanet, Barnsole is only about a 25 minute drive towards Sandwich. One of Kent’s oldest vineyards, it produces low intervention, traditional-method sparkling. A casual affair, you can drop in for a free tasting without an appointment, but tours with tastings must be booked and cost £20 - which is pretty good, considering a bottle of Barnsole fizz will set you back around £80. You’re more than welcome to buy a bottle when you visit, which you can enjoy in the vineyard for a £10 corkage fee.
Address: Barnsole Vineyard, Fleming Road, Staple, Canterbury, CT3 1LG
Website: barnsole.co.uk

Terlingham Vinyard

Certified by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, Terlingham is a carbon zero vineyard. Found near Folkestone, it is family-run and independent, and produces Bacchus, rose and cuvée  - and gin. Terlingham has a Tasting Barn which overlooks the channel. Open Friday and Saturday, it has sittings usually at 11am and 3pm. Tours and tastings start from £40.
Address: Terlingham Lane, Hawkinge, Folkestone, CT18 7AE
Website: terlinghamvineyard.co.uk

Harbourne Vineyard

A regular at Broadstairs Food Festival, this very small, family-owned vineyard has been quietly chugging away for 40 years or so. Using minimal intervention and traditional methods, wine is made and bottled in the vineyard, using handpicking and basket-pressing only. You can try getting in touch for a tour around the vineyard, however, if you’re pootling around Ashford (perhaps on your way to Chapel Down) stop off at the vineyard shop. What could be the front room of a home, the shop stocks all the vineyard’s wines, which you can try and buy for later.
Address: Harbourne Vineyard, Wittersham, Tenterden, Ashford, TN30 7NP
Website: harbournevineyard.co.uk