FOOD + DRINK
THE WINE EDITION CONT .
Kent ’ s original vineyard , Biddenden ( www . biddendenvineyards . com ), is also a member of the Wine Garden of England . Biddenden Vineyard was established by the Barnes family in 1969 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 . The vineyard has remained family owned and is today run by the second and third generation , drawing on many years of experience in winemaking at Biddenden . Eleven varieties of grapes are grown across 23 acres , including both Germanic and French varieties , producing award-winning white , red , rosé and sparkling wines . Biddenden ’ s wines are produced only with grapes grown on the estate . The Barnes family take great pride in their grape-to-glass philosophy , using years of experience and expert knowledge on the grape ’ s journey from vineyard to winery . The skills , expertise and passion that go into crafting their wines has been developed and perfected over 50 years , with each generation of the Barnes family adding their own unique touch .
Wine buffs and simply those with intrigue and wanting to appreciate the beauty of the vineyard and their grapeto-glass process can take part in a tour at Biddenden , at which they will learn more about the story of the family run vineyard and get to taste the award-winning selection of English wines . The private guided tours are for small groups of up to six people , offering in-depth insight into Biddenden Vineyards ’ history and winemaking . Your own personal guide will escort you around the vineyard and winery explaining the processes and any specific areas of interest you may have , before accompanying you through a tasting of four selected Biddenden wines - a truly remarkable and perfectly Kentish day out .
Another family owned vineyard and also a member of the Wine Garden of England is Westwell ( www . winegardenofengland . co . uk / westwell ). Located just beneath the Pilgrims Way on the North Downs , this estate occupies a route used for centuries by Pilgrims travelling to Canterbury and boasts an ideal mix of climate , aspect and soil . There are six classified soil geologies at Westwell and the varieties have been planted with these in mind . Westwell grows five different varieties on their 40-acre estate : Pinot Meunier , Pinot Noir , Chardonnay , a little Regent and their signature grape , Ortega . Westwell let insideKENT in on what is new for this season : “ Visitors can now pop into our cellar door shop for a glass of wine and a charcuterie or cheese plate anytime on Thursday , Friday or Saturday from 11am to 5pm . We also offer tours and tastings on Friday and Saturday hourly from 12pm to 4pm - you can just drop in or book ahead online via our website .”
“ Our tours are of course very popular this season . They are always led by the people who grow the grapes and make the wine , and our cellar door is a unique space which overlooks the winery so you can see us at work while tasting the fruits of our labour . In the spring and summer , tours involve a walk through the vineyard - taking in all of our 51,000 vines , as well as a visit to our wildflower meadow , which on a good day enjoys stunning views out to sea . This winter however , we will be bringing visitors inside the winery to taste through the vintage ’ s wines as they progress - direct from the tank . Following tours , visitors can try our wines in a tutored tasting and enjoy locally sourced charcuterie and cheese plates .”
For a 10 % discount on Westwell tours , insideKENT readers can use the code TOURSTEN at the checkout .
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