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Simpsons best vineyards kent

The Wine Garden of England: Best Vineyards in Kent

23 April 2026
Holly Price

The Best Vineyards in Kent

A combination of factors makes Kent an exceptional region for winemaking. From the chalky-rich soil to the drier, warmer climate, it shares several things in common with the Champagne province of France, which is why many vineyards throughout the county have become known (and celebrated) for their English sparkling wine. To promote the area’s diverse and delicious vinification efforts, the Wine Garden of England is a ‘family’ of nine different vineyards that are partnering to promote world-class wine tourism and develop Kent’s very own ‘wine route’ not unlike those found in France’s Loire Valley and Germany’s Weinstraße. 

Keepers Cottages are working closely with the Wine Garden of England, to ensure all our guests can enjoy the best that Kent has to offer! These top producers offer exceptional tours, tastings, and picturesque landscapes. Moving from West to East (because it’s impossible to pick favourites), we’re exploring the nine vineyards putting Kent on the global oenotourism – and viticulture – map. 

Squerryes wine vineyards kent

Squerryes

Location: Westerham, Kent, TN16 1QP

Known as: The Ancestral Estate 

Known for: Their English sparkling wine, which has won five gold medals for five consecutive vintages in the World Championships of Champagne and Sparkling Wine. 

High on the North Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the 2,500-acre Squerryes Estate is home to a chalk-rich vineyard. Fed by ancient, mineral-dense, water-bearing rock (or aquifer, if you know your geology), the vineyard sits 150m above sea level on the spiritual Pilgrim’s Way, with the elevation making this special site 1 degree Celsius cooler than most other vineyards in the south-east of England. The result is a long, cool summer that helps them produce their signature, award-winning sparkling wines.  

Having the family motto, Licet Esse Beatis, meaning ‘it is permitted to be joyful’ engraved above the front door helps to ensure this spirit of joy continues to flow into every facet of the Squerryes experience.

Yotes court vineyards kent

Yotes Court

Location: West Peckham, Kent, ME18 5JT

Known as: The Winning View 

Known for: Their focus on creating quality English still wines – Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Bacchus. (And an award-winning sparkling Pinot Gris.)  

Yotes Court Vineyard is nestled between Tonbridge and Maidstone, just a mere 30 miles from London. It was established in 2016 by well-known national hunt racehorse owner Susannah Ricci. Seeking out the best in the industry, she transformed a tired fruit farm and orchard into a magnificent 30-hectare vineyard with a Tasting Room overlooking almost the entire Estate.

Today, Ricci is assisted by New Zealand’s Babich Wines former Regional Vineyard Manager, Tony Purdie, who brings 25 years of Southern Hemisphere savoir-faire to this captivating corner of Kent. A shared trait of New Zealand and English viticulture is that to make it successful, you must be innovative in your approach. So, in 2018 and 2019, Susannah and Tony decided to expand the vineyard with a focus on creating quality English still wines, planting a further 50,000 vines – Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Bacchus.

Balfour winery Kent vineyards

Balfour Winery

Location: Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0HT

Known as: The Rural Masterpiece 

Known for: One of the most iconic and exclusive English sparkling wines, Balfour Brut Rosé.  

Hush Heath Estate is a 400-acre family-owned estate at the heart of Kent with storybook scenery – think sprawling ancient woodlands, vineyards, apple orchards and wildflower meadows. With family values at its core, the Estate combines conservation with an unrivalled spirit of hospitality and generosity. Co-founded by husband and wife team Richard and Leslie Balfour-Lynn, the Balfour vineyards were established onsite in 2002 and are predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, although more recently, plantings of Bacchus and Pinot Blanc have been added. All grapes are handpicked and blended in their state-of-the-art Winery.

Biddenden best vineyards kent

Biddenden

Location: Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0HT

Known as: The Family Vineyard  

Known for: Their signature varietal, Ortega, which has repeatedly claimed top honours in regional and international competitions. 

One of the oldest vineyards in the UK, Biddenden has been owned and run by the Barnes family since 1969, drawing on three generations of winemaking experience. Originally home to a 40-acre apple orchard, the vineyard is arguably an icon of female entrepreneurship – when apple prices began to decline in the late 1960s, Mrs Barnes herself became inspired to diversify into winemaking after listening to a BBC Woman’s Hour programme about the replanting of English vineyards. In 1969, one-third of an acre of vines was planted, and Biddenden Vineyards was born. From the eighties onwards, the family focused their efforts on the Ortega grape variety, which has now become synonymous with the Biddenden name.

Today, the single estate vineyard spans 25 acres of gentle south-facing slopes situated in a sheltered valley, where 12 different grape varieties produce an array of award-winning White, Rosé, Red and Sparkling English wines.

Chapel Down best vineyards Kent

Chapel Down

Location: Tenterden, Kent TN30 7NG

Known as: The British Icon   

Known for: Their sparkling wines, which give even the finest Champagnes a run for their money. Arguably the most famous is their Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2016. 

Chapel Down is England’s largest producer of wine with a capacity to produce 2.4 million bottles of wine per annum. With a desire to change the way the World thinks about English wine forever, they strive to make cool climate wines both accessible and contemporary.

Based in the picturesque market town of Tenterden, Chapel Down sources fruit from over 700 acres of its own vineyards across the South East of England. Specialising in traditional method sparkling wines, they also create crisp, aromatic white wines and delicate rosés. The winery boasts excellent visitor facilities, including a two AA Rosette and Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant ‘The Swan’, and an onsite shop stocking high-quality English produce.

Gusbourne best vineyards Kent

Gusbourne

Location: Ashford, Kent, TN26 2BE

Known as: The Luxury Escape   

Known for: Their multi-award-winning Blanc de Blancs, particularly vintages like the 2018 Boot Hill or Selhurst Park editions. 

With acres of vineyards overlooking the rolling Kent countryside, Gusbourne has earned the title of IWSC English Producer of the Year three times, the only English winery to do so. Entirely estate-grown, they use their fruit to craft vintage-only wines with a lot of Burgundian clones, which are planted in both our chalky Sussex vineyards and clay-based Kent vineyards. Known in the Wine Garden of England family as ‘the luxury escape,’ they also offer elevated onsite experiences which are ‘enjoyably unhurried and informal.’

Westwell best vineyards Kent

Westwell

Location: Ashford TN27 0BW

Known as: The Indie Label   

Known for: Their Ortega Classic Ferment 2016 leads IWSC top entries, with a saline finish that makes it perfect as a Kentish seafood pairing. 

Located in the heart of the English countryside, Westwell is known for its experimental winemaking, strong visual identity and a roster of vibrant community events, including outdoor cinema screenings between the vines, pizza nights and even an annual dog show.

Located just beneath the Pilgrims Way on the North Downs, the vineyard is managed by husband and wife team Adrian and Galia Pike, who previously worked within the music industry. Adrian used to run a record label producing the likes of Bloc Party, Hot Chip and Florence and the Machine, while his wife, Galia, formed one half of multi-award-winning duo Psapp (the creative genius behind the Grey’s Anatomy theme tune and many others) and subsequently designed record-sleeve art. Galia is now responsible for the vineyard’s striking, ultra-intricate wine labels, which are her own illustrations of the tiny, vivid details – be that chalk under a microscope or the invisible levels of the Ortega vine. 

Domaine Evremond best vineyards Kent

Domaine Evremond

Location: Chilham, Canterbury, CT4 8DT

Known as: The Anglo-French Alliance    

Known for: The Classic Cuvée Edition I NV, the inaugural release blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. 

Domaine Evremond was created in 2015 when two close friends, Patrick McGrath MW and Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger (oui, that Taittinger), agreed that they would establish a new English Sparkling Wine estate. Domaine Evremond has since evolved from an idea into a dedicated state-of-the-art winery on a 125-hectare estate, producing certified Quality English Sparkling Wine. While the spirit of Domaine Evremond is firmly rooted in the modern-day friendship of Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick McGrath MW, France and England, it also takes inspiration from the historic friendship between Charles de Saint Évremond and King Charles II in the 1600s.

 Charles de Saint Évremond was a French soldier, poet, essayist, literary critic and known hedonist. It is widely thought that he brought the sparkling wines of Champagne to the UK, where, of course, they were welcomed with open arms.

Simpsons best vineyards kent

Simpsons

Location: Canterbury, Kent, CT4 6PB

Known as: The Contemporary Boutique    

Known for: Their Chalklands Classic Cuvée 2016 earned Gold and “Best in Class” at the 2019 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships – and their world’s first winery helter skelter slide also has quite the reputation!

Previously running a winery in the sun-soaked south of France, Charles & Ruth Simpson made the bold decision to bring their learnings to the UK in 2012, establishing Simpsons’ Wine Estate in Barham, with an aspiration to create the finest quality English wines.  

 With 30 hectares of vineyards now established on the iconic chalk terroir of the North Downs and a state-of-the-art winery situated minutes from the vines, the Simpsons saw their first harvest in 2016. In the years since, they have produced an internationally-acclaimed range of exclusively estate-grown still and sparkling wines, including the award-winning Roman Road Chardonnay, Flint Fields Blanc de Noirs and Chalklands Classic Cuvee. The Estate now also offers a diverse range of vineyard and winery tours and events. Head here if you want to experience the elegant Glasshouse Tasting Room, complete with the world’s first winery helter-skelter slide!

Enjoy a Kent wine tour with Keepers Cottages

Hopefully, this has left you feeling inspired and enthusiastic about the world of English wines. At Keepers Cottages, we have a wealth of stunning places to stay right by each of the vineyards above – perfect if you’re planning a wine tour of Kent and you want holiday cottages close to Kent vineyards. Our Ashford holiday cottages are just a short journey from the likes of Chapel Down and Gusbourne, while Canterbury is a fabulous base for visiting the Domaine Evremond, Simpsons and Westwell vineyards.

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About Holly Price

Holly is a Freelance Copywriter who joined the Keeper's Cottage marketing team in 2025. Passionate about good food, good wine, good books and good beaches, she's keen to highlight the very best spots to explore and enjoy throughout Kent.

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