FOOD + DRINK Vineyard Discovery cont...
“ Running an annual English wine competition, it’ s incredible to see just how consistently Kent delivers. The county produces outstanding sparkling wines, from increasingly household names, but it’ s the confidence and diversity of its still wines, and the tranche of smaller indie-minded innovator producers that really surprise and impress us now too. Kent is perhaps the best example of the quality, diversity and innovation that drive English wine forward.”
ALEX TAYLOR, FOUNDER, INDEPENDENT ENGLISH WINE AWARDS( THE IEWA)
Established in 2015, Wayfarer Wines( wayfarerwines. com) is a thriving family-run vineyard specialising exclusively in still wines. Throughout September, Boys Hall( boys-hall. com) is offering the chance to stay, sip and explore with Wayfarer Wines on the Vineyard Escape( from £ 232pp). A Sunday to Thursday package, enjoy an overnight stay in one of Boys Hall’ s characterful rooms, each fitted with plush double beds and a complimentary bottle of Wayfarer Wine waiting to be enjoyed through the evening.
The experience is completed with a Wayfarer Wines Vineyard Tour & Tasting the next day, starting with a scenic stroll through the grounds; walking alongside the founders, you will learn about the estate’ s small-batch winemaking firsthand and have a taste for yourself.
Setting the standard for the new generation, Silverhand Estate( silverhandestate. com) is a hidden gem based in Luddesdown, blending Kent’ s natural beauty with awardwinning English sparkling wine. The estate has established the largest single organic vineyard in the UK. Having begun in 2018, here, 900 acres incorporate organic farming methods and among the rows you’ ll find Jacob and Romney Marsh sheep grazing between the vines, which act as Silverhand’ s natural lawnmowers.
For an elevated experience, the estate offers Vineyard Safaris(£ 100pp); a private two-hour experience, you will have the opportunity to see the impressive scale of the estate from a vintage Land Rover, driving between the luscious vines and seeing the ripening grapes up close as the safari takes you from Luddesdown through to Upper Bush. Pitstops along the way will include wildlife towers and viewpoints, where an elevated view sees the rows of vines merge into a blanket of green velvet.
Established two years later in 2020, Nine Oaks( nine-oaks. co. uk) is setting the standard for family-run estates that produce a new wave of exceptional wines. Nine Oaks works in small batches, cultivating traditional methods such as ageing their wine in underground clay, an ancient process known as Qvevri.
This year, their hard work has paid off and they’ ve received a Silver medal at the Independent English Wine Awards 2026 for their Nine Oaks RosOrange 2025, which has the rich body of an orange wine but the fresh delicacy of a rosé.
Join one of Nine Oaks’ s Guided Tasting Tours(£ 20pp) and learn about how a wine like the RosOragne 2025 was grown through the estate’ s traditional practices, with a structured tasting of at least three estate-grown still and sparkling wines.
BRENLEY BRENLEY
106 • www. insidekent. co. uk