insideKENT Magazine Issue 84 - March 2019 | Page 62

FOOD+DRINK
a toast TO KENT CONT.
Gusbourne
The Gusbourne Vineyard vision is simple, but not
easy: to cr eate the finest wines in the w orld. To
achieve that goal, Gusbour ne embraces tradition,
challenges convention and adds a f ocused dash of
attention to detail in order to elevate its wines from
great to exceptional, from its beautiful location on
the original Gusbourne Estate located in Appledore.
The estate, taken over by Andrew Weeber in 2004,
planted its fir st vines tha t same year to begin the
journey to cr eating Eng lish sparkling wines tha t
would stand up to the finest g lobal of ferings.
In a clear nod to its heritage, each and every bottle
of Gusbourne wine, from its debut vintages of Brut
Reserve in 2006 and Blanc de Blanc 2006, w hich
were released to critical acclaim in 2010, car ry a
contemporary goose crest not only identifiable as an
honour to the Gusbourne Estate’s de Goosebourne
family cr est, b ut also as a mar k of trust and
uncompromising quality.
www.gusbourne.com
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Old Dairy Brewery Wise Owl Cider
From the immediate success of the original micro-brewery set up in early 2010 in an
old milking par lour, The Old Dair y Brewery now operates from its pur pose-built
expanded br ewery inside tw o WWII Nissan Huts fea turing an impr essive 30-
barrel brew kit (that’s 9,000 pints!) that opened in 2014 in the Jewel of the Weald town
of Tenterden. Wise Owl Cider is a g reat example of a passion turned into a business.
Richard Wise has worked in the fruit industr y for over 20 years, and he
and his wife, Paula, after visiting the West Country and attending cider
festivals to scope out the best of the best, decided, ‘Why don’t we just make
our own?’ And that’s exactly what they did.
From its picturesque location of rolling hills and views, and relaxed yet creative working
environment, the Old Dairy team now brew everything from their range of national
award-winning traditional beer s and ales thr ough to moder n artisan and speciality
beers utilising the best and freshest local ingredients, including their Hukins Hops grown
just three miles from the distillery. They made their very first cider in 2012 and their first commercial batch
was bottled in 2014, made fr om apples sourced from nearby Pluckley,
and some bitter sweet cider v arieties fr om near Bodiam Castle .
Approximately eight varieties go into the crisp and fresh Dry and Medium
Ciders produced by Wise Owl – and all of the fruit is milled and pressed
themselves on site.
Combining their approach to ingredients and creativity with an unwavering commitment
to producing enjoyable and drinkable beers, The Old Dairy Brewery has built a loyal
fan base w ho appreciate their finely crafted r ecipes which span bitter s, pale ales ,
American pale ales, stouts and IPAs as well as an array of seasonal speciality brews,
Imperial Russian Stouts, Double Hopped IPAs, vintage and historic recipes. Wise Owl Cider has gone from humble home-business beginnings, to now
having a solid customer base and plenty of awards to boot, including a
Taste of Kent Award for Best Kentish Cider or Perry, and Cider of the
Festival Award in the Campaign for Real Ale competition.
www.olddairybrewery.com www.wiseowlcider.co.uk