FOOD + DRINK Vineyard Discovery cont...
A SPARKLING HERITAGE
RAGSTONE RIDGE
It is hard to believe that Kent’ s first commercial vineyard started just 57 years ago. In a county celebrating thousands of years of history, its thriving wine industry is remarkably young. Yet in little more than half a century, viticulture has flourished, with vineyards taking root across every corner of the Garden of England.
Today, Kent is home to more than 50 commercial vineyards alongside a wealth of private estates. It is estimated that as many as 120 vineyards are now spread across the county; this makes up roughly 26 % of Great Britain’ s total vineyard acreage, highlighting just how rapidly the world of viticulture has and continues to flourish in Kent.
The interesting thing is that Kent’ s success as a wine-producing region is no coincidence. Evidence of vineyards dates back to the medieval period, with records from the early 14th century in Chartham, where monks once cultivated the land. It’ s no surprise that they most likely enjoyed a little Kentish wine as part of their daily ration( who wouldn’ t?).
However, much of Kent’ s success lies beneath the surface, with the county’ s chalk-rich soils providing excellent drainage and a relatively mild climate allowing vines to establish deep root systems. Together, these conditions produce healthy, resilient vines capable of withstanding the increasingly frequent periods of dry weather- including, rather pointedly, 2026.
From still wines to award-winning sparkling vintages, Kent’ s notso-humble beverage is now produced in roughly a few thousand to a few million bottles every year- and with the great grape harvest underway, a wealth of oenophiles, connoisseurs and curious visitors begin to emerge, all eager to have their taste of Kentish wine, one glass at a time.
THE DEEPER ROOTS OF KENTISH WINE
Every vineyard begins with a simple cutting. Over time, that cutting becomes a vine and its fruit is transformed into a bottle of wine. Yet, behind every bottle lie years of dedication, and while Kent’ s winemakers can carefully tend their vines, the weather and the land itself ultimately shape the outcome of each harvest. Still, it’ s no secret that the county’ s chalk-rich soils have ensured that some of Kent’ s oldest vineyards thrive decade after decade and this year is no exception. So, where better to begin our vineyard discovery than with some of the county’ s deepest roots?
At the heart of Kent’ s commercial viticulture is Biddenden Vineyard( biddendenvineyards. com), with the deepest roots in the county. Since 1969, the Barnes family has carefully cultivated its rolling rows of vines, celebrating its inaugural bottle in 1972. Today, those humble beginnings have blossomed into more than 80,000 bottles each year!
Now overseen by the second and third generations of the Barnes family, with tradition kept close at hand, the majority of the vineyard’ s work is still carried out manually, with the harvest typically running from mid-September through to November. Guests can explore the heavy clusters of ripe grapes for themselves on Self-Guided Tours(£ 15pp) and Open Guided Tours( from £ 30pp), which also offer a unique opportunity to witness Biddenden’ s annual harvest in full swing, with tanks overflowing with freshly picked red and white grapes ready for pressing.
“ 2026 has already been a standout year weather wise for Biddenden; there’ s still time to come and see us as we start the harvest- a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of Kent’ s oldest vineyard as we get stuck into the harvest season” TOM BARNES, BIDDENDEN VINEYARD
BIDDENDEN
102 • www. insidekent. co. uk