Jo
FOOD + DRINK
On The Grapevine
It’ s mayhem in the Amazon fulfilment centres, but it’ s mercifully quiet in the vineyards this month. The vines have lost their leaves and the cooler temperatures have allowed them to move into dormancy, so that they can replenish stocks for next season. Most vineyard estates still welcome visitors over the winter, but it’ s best to check their websites before making the journey. There’ s often a chance to wander through the sleeping vines, but in most cases you’ ll be focusing on the wine tasting and pairing them with delicious local produce, which is what these colder months in Kent are all about.
If you go on a vineyard tour and tasting, you will learn about the process from grape to glass, which sometimes inspires people to join our burgeoning wine industry. There are courses to suit all levels of interest and ambition at Plumpton( plumpton. ac. uk) or the Kent Wine School( localwineschool. com). Who knows... 2026 could be your year for learning something new.
Biddenden is one of my favourite places to visit at Christmas. It is the oldest vineyard in Kent, and has always worked closely with local producers to offer a wonderful choice of food and drink in their vineyard shop. It’ s a great place to find Christmas gifts, especially if you enjoy building hampers for friends and family. More information can be found at biddendenvineyards. com.
Have you planned your wines for Christmas Day yet? It won’ t surprise you to read that I venture no further than Kent for mine.
BALFOUR WINERY RANKED IN THE WORLD’ S BEST 100 VINEYARDS
The World’ s 50 Best Vineyards has unveiled the vineyards ranked numbers 51-100 ahead of the official awards ceremony. This annual list celebrates the best vineyard experiences across the globe and aims to boost wine-related travel and global recognition for wine regions worldwide.
Formerly known as the World’ s Best Vineyards, the World’ s 50 Best Vineyards continues to develop into a world-class live event programme, culminating in an awards ceremony attended by the most influential industry tastemakers and vineyard makers.
Balfour Winery, one of Kent’ s top vineyards, was ranked number 96 after re-entering the list for the first time since 2022. With 160 hectares of vineyards, oak woodlands and wildflower meadows in the Kent countryside, Balfour is renowned for its producing of fine English still and sparkling wines and has driven them to be recognised on a global scale.
Showcasing world-class wine destinations across six continents, the extended 51-100 list is compiled from the votes of more than 700 international wine industry professionals including sommeliers, wine journalists, travel and wine tourism specialists, and the international wine trade.
Don’ t ruin a perfectly good glass of English sparkling wine by adding orange juice. Go straight in on Christmas morning with a glass of 2013 Late Disgorged Vintage Brut Reserve from Squerryes. This wine has been resting in the cellars, accumulating lots of toasty flavours for over ten years. It will be a wonderful accompaniment to stollen- my mum’ s favourite. Sparkling elderflower cordial would be a refreshing alcohol-free alternative.
Most people like a red with traditional Christmas dinner, although I would choose a full-bodied white. In Kent, pinot noir ripens to perfection and many of our vineyards produce excellent examples. I would choose Yotes Court Pinot Noir Reserve for your red, and Simpsons Derringstone Pinot Meunier as your white to accompany the turkey. Both are made from red grapes and both would hold their own with all the rich pickings at the table.
A lighter finish to the meal would be Biddenden’ s Sparkling Ortega Demi-Sec. This is a refreshing, medium sweet sparkling wine that sits very happily next to trifle, Christmas pudding and also cheese.
On behalf of all the Kent vineyards, we wish you a Happy Christmas! We can’ t wait to welcome you to our estates next year!
Cheers!
Jo
JO GINN, BRAND MANAGER WINE GARDEN OF ENGLAND
jo @ winegardenofengland. com winegardenofengland
152 • www. insidekent. co. uk