The Kent Wine Trail

Arrive at Chilston Park Hotel by car or train (Ashford International – taxi transfer 15 minutes). Late morning private luxury coach to Balfour – Hush Heath for a tour and lunch. This 400 acre estate run by Richard and Leslie Balfour- Lynn, first planted vineyards back in 2002 and is famed for its pink sparkling wine which became the first English wine to win a Trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2007. We will have a ploughman’s lunch at their beautiful visitor centre while tasting their latest wines. In the afternoon we travel to Squerryes, home of the Warde family for over 300 years. It is the only English wine estate to have won a gold medal for six consecutive vintages in the World Championships of Champagne and Sparkling Wine, and in 2021 be crowned National Champion, a unique achievement for an English wine brand. Recently they also won the 'Best English Sparkling Wine' Trophy in the International Wine Challenge and 'Best in Show' in the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards, recognising Squerryes in the top 50 wines in the world. We will taste a selection of their wines before returning to the Chilston Park Hotel for dinner.

We head for Rye, first stopping at Charles Palmer, a family run, single wine estate near Winchelsea. The winery is set within the grounds of the delightfully picturesque Wickham Manor, where we will taste up to three sparkling wines. Thereafter, we move down the road to Tillingham for lunch. This 2018 new boy is gaining a reputation as a star of the future with its biodynamic approach and “natural” winemaking. In the afternoon we visit the Gusbourne Estate, created by the South African visionary Andrew Weeber. They produce exclusively vintage wines of very high and consistent quality. Here our visit will be hosted by Master Sommelier and Gusbourne Ambassador, Laura Rhys.

A mid-morning trip to Biddenden, which has recently marked 50 years of winemaking. This family-owned vineyard brings new grape varieties not commonly seen in the UK such as Ortega, Reichensteiner and Scheurebe. Not far up the road we will then visit the world famous Chapel Down Estate where we will have lunch at The Swann Restaurant, followed by a tour and tasting.

In the morning we will travel to the ancient cathedral town of Canterbury, where we spend a few hours absorbing its rich history before heading to our final vineyard at Simpsons. Charles and Ruth Simpson have been making wine here since 2014 having learnt the trade making wine in southern France since 2002. We will have a leisurely picnic while sampling their Rose, Classic Cuvee and Blanc de Noirs.

We will return mid afternoon to Chilston Park Hotel where the tour will end.