FOOD + DRINK
HOW TO ... WINE TASTING
AS THE WINE GARDEN OF ENGLAND , KENT IS NOT ONLY AWASH WITH GLORIOUS VINEYARDS AND DIVINE WINE , BUT ALSO HAS A HOST OF EXPERTS , WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENCES ON HAND SO YOU CAN GET THE VERY BEST OUT OF KENT ’ S FAVOURITE TIPPLE .
When it comes to vineyards , Kent is ripe in abundance . Crowned the Wine Garden of England for its production of the not-so-humble grape , this county has wine running through its very veins and has over the last 20 years , alongside its vines and grapes , grown a plethora of experts , connoisseurs and businesses all ready to appreciate English wine at its finest . When it comes to wine , no other beverage comes quite as close in being appreciated as an art form - with wine and wine tasting being regarded as an educational pastime as well as a recreational activity that many of us like to delve into ( both self-proclaimed wine connoisseurs and the occasional appreciators alike ). The know-how , knowledge , how-tos and the dos and don ’ ts of wine tasting have all become useful skills to obtain in order to select and understand a good glass of Kentish vino .
A practice much older than the first grapes that were brought to Kentish shores by the Romans , wine tasting has been around for nearly as long as the wine itself . Historians have established that the first evidence of winemaking dates back an incredible 9,000 years ago to China , and has become more prevalent through the centuries . As wine trading continued to evolve , so did the need for tasting : an essential act in order to define the quality of the produce before buying . Slowly , a categorised and more methodical approach started to develop , which is thought to have been first established during the 1300s and leads us right up to the tasting rooms and exciting workshops of today .
Plenty has happened on Kentish soil since the Romans planted up their first vines . Our knowledge has matured over thousands of years , filtering all the way down to our 2022 sommeliers . Ready to help us heighten this experience come the experts that Kent itself has inspired , all eager to share their knowledge and advice to those looking to enhance their own ‘ wine intelligence ’, as well as the way they taste and experience wine in order to get the most out of it . By helping us to develop ways in which to find and establish the wines we love most , our Kentish experts are sure to maximise the potential of our wine-tasting experiences and perhaps even turn you into more of a wine connoisseur than you ever thought you might be . insideKENT had a chat with the ultimate Kent vino experts …
Founder of Wine Tours of Kent (
www . winetoursofkent . co . uk ), Abi Ireland ’ s passion for wine , vineyards and the production process began in Australia . Upon her return to the UK , not only did she bring back the knowledge she had learned from the New World winemakers , but also the seedling for a brilliant business idea . Upon discovering there was a gap
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