The Vineyard Hoppers

If you’re looking to get into the world of vineyard hopping, then we’ve got a little something for you.

We’ve put together, what we deem as a great starting point for you to really see how winemaking can be so versatile in just a weekend.

THE BIG ONE

Chapel Down

Chapel Down Vineyard produce an extensive range of world-class, award-winning wines, both sparkling and still, alongside a selection of gins and vodka. Their sparkling wines are some of the best in the World and all created from fruit grown in the South-East of England.

On your visit, we highly recommend taking a tour to really immerse yourself in spirit of Chapel Down. We have previously taken the Walking with Wine Tour,  £35pp, which gives you the opportunity to taste a selection of wines amongst the very vines from which they are grown, whilst learning about the vineyard cycle. On the tour, you get to go behind the scenes where the wonderful wine is made and you get to keep your cute Chapel Down tasting glass.

Whilst at Chapel Down, do book a lunch at The Swan, the on-site restaurant that’s got a Michelin Star. The menu is so affordable and is worth every penny at 2 courses for £27.50 or 3 courses for £30. We had such good food and I’d go back in a heartbeat. The service was impeccable and of course, the wine paired perfectly.

THE OLDER ONE

Biddenden Vineyard

Biddenden Vineyard is a a family-run estate producing ciders, wines & apple juice. Originally home to a 40 acre apple orchard, the Barnes family started to consider diversifying the farm in the late 1960s as apple prices began to decline. After listening to a feature on the BBC’s Woman’s Hour programme about English vineyards being replanted, Joyce Barnes was inspired to turn to viticulture. In 1969, one third of an acre of vines was planted and Biddenden Vineyards was born.

For £10 each, you can take yourself the self-guided tour. You will be provided with a pack that will walk you through the vines, giving you an insight into the family vineyard history and the grape varieties they grow to make their exclusive Biddenden wines.

The tours are available between April and early November, and there is also the option to take a private guided tour which is £40 each with a minimum of 2 people.

After the tour, you are asked to select which 3 wines you’d like to try from the range, which is a lovely personal touch.

You can then use your ticket to redeem £5 off against purchases of Biddenden products over £20 from the vineyard shop!

THE NEW ONE

Woodchurch Wine

When it comes to vineyard tours, not much can beat being taken around by the very person that planted every vine, and when you visit Woodchurch, that’s exactly what you get.

All of the vines are tended to, harvested and pruned by hand by the small team and you can really taste the love and effort that then goes into each bottle. Graham teaches you the basic to understand just how much work goes into owning and running a vineyard with a very small team.

After your tour, you will have a tasting of the wines on offer; we tried the Classic Brut and Rosé Brut both at £36 a bottle, the still Rosé at £20 a bottle and the Natural Bacchus.

If you’re not lunching at Chapel Down, then we highly recommend doing so at Woodchurch. We ordered, on both of our visits, consisted of two charcuterie boards and two cheese boards (or 2 mixed boards) between the four of us with extra bread and olives. All the produce was sourced locally and we had a selection of three cheese, three types of meat and bread, crackers and a selection of antipasti.

WHERE TO STAY

We usually stay at the London Beach Golf Course & Hotel, but most recently, we opted for a stay at The King’s Hotel so change things up a little and this is where we’re going to recommend as it’s great value for money.

The King’s Hotel is newly built hotel that enjoys modern and contemporary décor offering a range of flexible accommodation. All rooms have ensuite bathrooms and enjoy Air Conditioning, free Wi-Fi, smart TV’s and complementary tea/coffee.

But, what won it for us was the ‘Stay Over Special’ that included a 3 course meal for 2 in their Indian Restaurant next door, spend the night in the hotel with a double room and finish your visit with breakfast for 2 all for £155 a night of a weekend!

For the 3 course meal, you’re entitled to a Popadom with all Chutney’s, a Starter and Main Course with vegetable side dish/rice/bread. From experience, this is plenty of food. You just have to pay for your drinks. Breakfast is a cooked option with turkey sausages, mushrooms, beans, fried egg, omelette, hash browns and toast.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

If that hasn’t tired you out, here’s a few ‘bolt-on’s’ you could add to your trip.

Kent & East Sussex Railway – kesr.org.uk
Col.Stephens Railway Museum – kesr.org.uk/museum
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway – rhdr.org.uk
Sissinghurst Castle Garden – nationaltrust.org.uk
Nightingale Farm Shop – nightingalecider.com
Old Dairy Brewery – olddairybrewery.com
Smallhythe Place – nationaltrust.org.uk
Designer Outlet Ashford – mcarthurglen.com
Tenterden Museum – tenterdenmuseum.co.uk