insideKENT Magazine Issue 66 - September 2017 | Page 64

FOOD+DRINK
KENT: A wine lover’s dream cont.
64
WOODCHURCH WINE HARBOURNE VINEYARD MARDEN ORGANIC (HERBERT HALL WINES LTD)
Susan’s Hill, Woodchurch TN26 3RE
www.woodchurchwine.co.uk Wittersham, Tenterden TN30 7NP
www.harbourvineyard.co.uk Poultry Farm, Plain Road, Marden TN12 9LS
www.herberthall.com
A combination of the perfect location and a
wealth of knowledge make Woodchurch Wine
Estate one to watch. Woodchurch is a family
business that started in 2009, and it is now an
award-winning vineyard producing the
Woodchurch Classic Cuvee 2013,
Woodchurch Rosé 2014 and Woodchurch
Blanc de Blancs 2013. The first wines were
released in 2015, and each year will have
completely different characteristics, which
makes Woodchurch an interesting prospect
all round. Harbourne Vineyard produces a variety of
wines from grapes such as Ortega, Regner,
Muller Thurgau, Seyval Blanc and Pinot
Meunier. These wines are suitable for
vegetarians and vegans. Everything is grown,
made and even bottled at the vineyard, making
this a definite all-in-one operation. The
vineyard at Harbourne was originally planted
in 1979, and traditional methods are still very
much in use. Thanks to the elevation of the
land, frost is hardly ever a problem meaning
that a good crop of grapes is produced each
year. And anything that is left over in the
winemaking process, such as skins and pips,
is used as fertiliser, so nothing is ever wasted. It is sparkling wine that is created at Marden
Organic Vineyard, and, as the vineyard’s name
suggests, the grapes are grown organically.
That means that wine you get at the end of
the traditional process will be organic too –
and its provenance is completely traceable.
These handmade wines are made in the ‘brut’
style, and some of it is in fermented in old oak
barrels. This adds a very special flavour and a
roundness to the wine which has been
described as ‘masterful’ by Tom Stevenson,
author of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopaedia.