Vineyards of Kent - The Wine Garden of England

Kent has more vineyards than any other English county, and the best of them are concentrated in a triangle between Tenterden, Cranbrook and Canterbury. This three-day route takes in seven producers covering the range of what Kent does well: sparkling wine made by the traditional method, serious still whites, and estates that have been at it long enough to know exactly what their land is for.

Chapel Down is the largest English wine producer by volume and the most visited vineyard in the country. The scale means the experience is organised rather than intimate, but the wines are consistently good - the Bacchus and the Kit's Coty sparkling range in particular. Tours run daily and book up quickly in summer. Located at Small Hythe, near Tenterden.

Woodchurch Wine Estate, a short drive from Chapel Down, isn't part of the Wine Garden of England partnership but makes a good independent counterpoint: a smaller family estate, more relaxed atmosphere, walk-in tastings usually available. It only opens Thursday to Sunday, which is worth building the rest of the route around. The Ortega and Pinot Blanc are worth trying.

Gusbourne is one of the most serious sparkling wine producers in England. The estate at Appledore focuses almost entirely on traditional method sparkling, with the Blanc de Blancs in particular drawing comparisons to Champagne. Tours are bookable and worthwhile, and the estate is closed on Tuesdays. The setting - flat Romney Marsh farmland - is unusual for a high-end English wine estate.

Biddenden Vineyards is one of Kent's longest-established estates, planted in 1969. It makes a wide range of still and sparkling wines alongside cider. Walk-in visits are usually possible; the shop is well stocked. Located near Cranbrook.

Balfour Winery near Staplehurst is a larger operation best known for its Brut Rosé. The estate also produces still wines under the Hush Heath label. Tours and tastings need booking.

Simpsons Wine Estate at Barham, east of Canterbury, is a newer estate but one of the most ambitious in Kent. The chalk soils here are closer to those of Champagne than anywhere else in England. Tastings run by appointment on Saturdays and some Fridays; booking is currently open through November, with winter dates not yet confirmed, so check the calendar before planning a trip outside the main season.

Westwell sits on a chalk escarpment above the Weald near Charing, midway between Ashford and Maidstone. Small and precise, focused on still wines - the Ortega is excellent. It only opens Friday to Sunday.

The Wine Garden of England is Kent's official wine-tourism partnership. It formed in 2017 when seven local producers joined forces: Biddenden, Chapel Down, Domaine Evremond, Gusbourne, Hush Heath Estate (which trades as Balfour Winery), Simpsons and Squerryes, aiming to build a wine trail through the county in the way Napa Valley or the Loire have one. Westwell and Yotes Court have joined since, taking the group to nine members drawing roughly 120,000 visitors a year between them.

Six of the nine are stops on this route: Balfour, Biddenden, Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Simpsons and Westwell. The other three are worth knowing about even if they don't fit neatly into this particular loop. Squerryes sits out west near Westerham, closer to Sevenoaks than to Tenterden. Yotes Court is at West Peckham, roughly midway between the Weald and Maidstone. And Domaine Evremond, near Chilham, is the newest member: a Kent estate backed by the Champagne house Taittinger, now open for tours and tastings.

The Kentish Wine Way launched on 11 August 2026, a Visit Kent campaign bringing together around 30 vineyards open to the public across the county, each with its own cellar door. It's broader than the Wine Garden of England partnership above: Kent has roughly 120 commercial vineyards in total, and this trail names the ones worth building a visit around, from Chapel Down to small family plots most visitors won't have heard of.

The campaign's own pacing advice is a fair rule of thumb for any of these: two vineyards in a day, three if you're taking your time, four across a weekend.

• Balfour Winery
• Biddenden Vineyards
• Brabourne Vineyard
• Brenley Wine
• Chapel Down
• Chartham Vineyard
• Domaine Evremond
• Elham Valley Vineyard
• Four Daughters
• Gusbourne
• Ham Street Wines
• Heartenoak Vineyard
• Herbert Hall Winery
• Meopham Valley Vineyard
• Mereworth Wines
• Nine Oaks Vineyard
• Oast Wood Vineyard
• Silverhand Estate
• Simpsons Wine Estate
• Squerryes
• Terlingham Vineyard
• The Mount Vineyard
• Warehorne Vineyard
• Wayfarer Wines
• Westwell (read our review)
• Wildshark Vineyard
• Woodchurch Wine Estate
• Yotes Court

Every Wine Garden of England member listed above also appears on this wider trail. The seven vineyards featured in the day-by-day route are still the ones worth building the itinerary around; treat this longer list as a directory for a longer stay in the county.

Start in Tenterden, which makes a good base for the first night. Chapel Down is ten minutes south; book the morning tour and tasting to get it done before the afternoon crowds. After lunch, drive to Woodchurch (15 minutes) for a more relaxed second visit. Gusbourne at Appledore is another 20 minutes south and west - a late-afternoon slot gives you the Romney Marsh light at its best.

Tenterden has decent pubs and restaurants for the evening.

Move your base to Canterbury for the second night. Simpsons at Barham, 15 minutes south of the city, is the only vineyard stop today. Its tours run on Saturdays and some Fridays, so this is the day built around that slot, and it needs booking well ahead.

The rest of the day is free for Canterbury itself: the cathedral, the city walls, and plenty of places to eat before the last day on the road.

Head back west into the Weald. Balfour at Staplehurst is around 40 minutes from Canterbury. Biddenden is 15 minutes further, near Cranbrook. Westwell, near Charing, is only 19 minutes from Staplehurst and worth fitting in on the way home. It only opens Friday to Sunday, so Sunday is the last day this route gives you to catch it.

Ashford, just south of Charing, has direct trains to London St Pancras in around 40 minutes if you are travelling without a car.

None of the seven vineyards on this route have rooms of their own, but Balfour Winery owns three boutique inns in Kent, including The Woolpack in Tenterden: a 15th-century pub with seven dog-friendly rooms, a short walk from where day one starts. Balfour also runs The Winemaker's Pub in Goudhurst and The Tickled Trout in West Farleigh, both close to Staplehurst if you'd rather stay nearer the vineyard itself.

For the Canterbury night, ABode Canterbury is inside the city walls, 300 metres from the cathedral.

Start this route on a Friday. Day one's stops are flexible: Woodchurch only opens Thursday to Sunday and Gusbourne is closed on Tuesdays, both easily satisfied by a Friday start. Day two has to land on a Saturday, because that's when Simpsons runs its tours (occasionally a Friday, but Saturday is the reliable one), and a Friday start puts Saturday exactly where day two needs it.

Six of the seven vineyards are open year-round. Simpsons is the exception: its tour bookings currently run through November, and winter availability isn't confirmed, so check its calendar before planning this route for December through April.

Gusbourne is worth booking well ahead too. Balfour and Chapel Down are the easiest to visit without forward planning outside peak summer.

A car is the only realistic way to complete this route. Tenterden and Ashford both have good rail connections to London for the journey in and out.