insideKENT Magazine Issue 54 - September 2016 | Page 43

EXCITING NEWS FOR KENT’S WINE SCENE:
CHAMPAGNE TAITTINGER ACQUIRES LAND IN
KENT TO ESTABLISH A UK VINEYARD

Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick McGrath MW with flags.

Champagne Taittinger has announced the
launch of Domaine Evremond. Working
with Hatch Mansfield and private investors,
this unique collaboration marks the first
time that a Champagne house has
invested in the UK with the intention of
producing premium English Sparkling
Wines.

“Our family has strong connections to
Kent through my father, Jean Taittinger,
who twinned Canterbury with Reims over
45 years ago when he was Mayor of Reims
(1959 – 1977); so I am looking forward to
being able to strengthen these links with
Kent and with Great Britain as we embark
on this venture.”

The team has purchased 69 hectares of
farmland at Stone Stile Farm in Kent. Forty
hectares of this will be planted with
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
vines to produce English Sparkling Wine.

The land, a former apple farm, is near
Chilham in Kent, close to Canterbury and
Faversham. The plots to be planted are a
maximum of 80 metres above sea level,
with chalk soil and south-facing slopes,
creating an ideal terroir (soil, microclimate
and topography) to plant and grow high
quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot
Meunier vines.

Comments Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger,
President, Champagne Taittinger: “We
have dreamt for a number of years of
working with our dear friends in the UK
to create a special Franco/British project.
Built on the values of friendship, this
venture will create something special to
show our appreciation of the UK support
for Champagne – it is Champagne
Taittinger’s number one export market.
We are very excited that this dream is now
becoming a reality.

© Thomas Alexander

43

No wine will be produced until the plots
are transformed from orchards into
vineyards, after which time premium
English Sparkling Wine will be made using
‘domaine’ fruit from the farm.