insideKENT Magazine Issue 47 - February 2016 | Page 62

FOOD+DRINK

Raise A Glass
To Kent’s Thriving Wine Industry
We are living in exciting times for local food and drink, and none more so than here
in the Garden of England. We are fortunate there are so many innovative and exciting
products being made right under our noses! The growth of Kent’s wine industry is a
great example, and for those of you who haven’t yet tried some please pop in to one
of the vineyards and do a tasting and maybe a wine tour as well.

Kent can trace its heritage back to at least The Domesday Survey carried
out in 1086 when there were 42 vineyards in England, three of which were
in Kent at Chart Sutton, Leeds and Chislet. There is further evidence of
Kentish vineyards around 1280 with pruning in March and treading the
grapes in September. By the reign of Henry VIII there were around 139
vineyards across England and Wales. There followed a period of decline
in the 19th and early 20th centuries until its revival in the 1930s-50s and
the formation of the England Vineyards Association in 1972. There are now
over 570!

Julian Barnes, chairman of English
Wine Producers and managing
director of Biddenden, said: “Kent’s
wine industry is continually growing
and there is no doubt that a positive
future lies ahead. With exponential
growth in the number of vineyards
springing up, the growing acreage
of vines being planted, and the
amount of investment into new sites
both from exciting English wine
producers and perhaps more
interestingly from a distinguished
Champagne house. Tattinger’s
purchase of land at Chilham is the
ultimate endorsement for Kent,
illustrating the strength of our
reputation as a high quality wine
producing area.”

Kent has always
featured highly as a wine
producing region of
England making it the
number one county for
English wine. Over the
past 12 months the
English wine industry
has featured heavily in
the national news. From
reported increase in
sales of 188% at a leading supermarket chain, to Gold awards from
internationally recognised competitions, and from outperforming Champagne
in blind tastings, to being served to foreign dignitaries at Buckingham
Palace. It is hard to deny that the English sparkling wine industry is going
anywhere but up.

A resurgent passion for local food
and drink, combined with Kent’s
high-quality restaurants, pubs and
independent retailers, as well as
increased take-up from
supermarkets and the county’s
close proximity to London, all help
to boost the Kentish wine industry.
More consumers are asking for local
produce and are increasingly being

Kent has certainly established itself as a key player in this industry and is
currently home to 45 registered vineyards including renowned producers
such as Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Hush Heath and Biddenden.

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able to find it on menus, wine lists
and on shop shelves.
From a tourism perspective too,
the industry has a major role to play
in attracting visitors to the area. It
would not be unreasonable to
assume visitor numbers to
vineyards are approaching a quarter
of a million per year and with wine
trail information leaflets such as
Cheers, developed by Ashford and
Tenterden Tourism Association, it
is becoming easier for tourists to
plan their visits. Educating the public
on popular grape varieties, how
sparkling wine is made by the
traditional methods and then
offering tastings all helps to boost
the passion and interest which
presently surrounds Kent’s wine
industry. So let’s raise a glass to
another successful year for Kent’s
wine industry.
Make 2016 the year you try
something new in Kent, visit
Produced in Kent’s website
www.producedinkent.co.uk for
plenty of ideas and inspiration!