English Wines

Chapel Down is the largest producer of English wines in the country. Tenterden Vineyard, just outside Ashford, is the home of the UK’s leading winery and the centre of the fast growing English wines industry.

The multi-award winning Chapel Down is the leading English wine brand and is fast establishing itself as a world class premium wine, gaining national and international recognition. It is stocked in the very best restaurants and bars in New York and Tokyo as well as in the finest establishments in London, including Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes restaurants. It was the first ever English producer to win a gold medal for its sparkling wine at the prestigious International Wine Challenge.

The winery sources its grapes from over 400 acres across the county and the 25 acre vineyard at Tenterden is planted on gentle south-facing slopes. The chalky soils of the Kent Downs are geologically almost identical to those found around Reims and Epernay in the Champagne region of France. The increasingly warm summers and these perfect soils provide ideal growing conditions for premium sparkling wines.

The winery at Chapel Down is not only the largest in the country but also has an award-winning fine food store featuring local produce and a quality bistro attracting some 50,000 visitors every year – a figure that is growing as its reputation spreads. With advances in the vineyard, consistently high investment in the winery and England’s best winemaking team led by Owen Elias, winemaker of the year 2002/3/5/6, the quality of Chapel Down wines has been improving every year. And there are more exciting new developments to come.

Frazer Thompson, Managing Director, believes there is a winning formula for the vineyard’s success: “At Chapel Down we are fortunate to have a dedicated and creative winemaking team and modern winemaking equipment. The winemaker’s expertise ensures that the style and quality remain consistent over the years. Chapel Down is committed to getting even better every year, with the very latest techniques and more of the highest quality growers. We are committed to making Kent the centre of this booming industry that will enhance the environment and provide not only skilled employment but also be a source of local, regional and national pride, attracting thousands of new converts”

For more information visit the Chapel Down Wines website or telephone 01580 763033.