GARDENOFENGLAND
PRODUCED IN KENT:
SQUERRYES ESTATE
When a French Champagne house approached the family at the heart of the Squerryes Estate to buy some of their land, the idea to plant their own vines and make sparkling wine started to take root. Now, some 19 years later, there are 50 acres of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes that thrive high up on the North Downs in Westerham, Kent. These are the three signature grapes used to make English sparkling wine and also Champagne.
Squerryes make a classic Brut, a delicate Rosé and a crisp Blanc de Blancs using the traditional method. This means the wine has time sitting on the lees( the sediment created by the yeast used during the fermentation process in the bottle), bringing a depth of flavour and wonderful golden hues as the wine ages, just the same process used to make Champagne.
Squerryes’ newly appointed head winemaker, Tom Jones, a native New Zealander who has worked in some of the major wine regions around the world before settling in Kent, oversees the vineyard, making the wine and improving their sustainability from the vineyard to the bottle. The English summers are rarely reliable and offer many challenges throughout the growing season, even to a seasoned winemaker like Tom.
“ Every year is entirely different in viticulture and I’ m really looking forward to getting into my first full year at Squerryes. It’ s very rare to be part of an industry that’ s so young, but here in Kent it’ s a very collaborative industry, making it quite unique but beneficial to everyone involved,” says Tom.“ Being the most northern winemaking region of significance in the world, the UK is on the frontier of winemaking, so it’ s always going to be a challenge and climate change is adding to that year on year. But, with these challenges come great rewards( and our wines are winning awards), so I encourage you to visit to taste our wines and experience them for yourself.”
When you visit Squerryes, their priority is to make sure you take with you a memory that has their stamp on it: enjoyment and pleasure. You can pre-book to join a tour and tasting, learning more about the estate history, or order a Squerryes tasting flight to sip at your leisure; both come with a tasting of their three signature wines.
Squerreys hospitality can be enjoyed in the two AA Rosette restaurant( or on the terrace in the summer months), with a few small plates in the Tasting Bar, relaxing in the Vineyard Café or taking part in an event. They have a year-round calendar of events as well as membership at Squerryes, opening the door to more exclusive events on the estate. However you choose to enjoy Squerryes, they look forward to welcoming you soon for a taste of estate life.
squerryes. co. uk
74 • www. insidekent. co. uk