First planted in 1977, Tenterden Vineyard now incorporates 24.5 acres. Substantial re-planting has taken place in recent years with Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Regent, Rondo and Dornfelder now being the main varieties. In addition,there are 180 acres of vines under contract across the South-East.

Tenterden Vineyard is the home of English Wines Group, the largest producer in the UK , whose wines are bottled mainly under the Chapel Down label. Their winery has a capacity of 1 million litres in temperature controlled stainless steel. All white and sparkling grapes are whole-bunch pressed and fermented by variety and vineyard. All sparkling wines are bottle fermented in the traditional method, spending between 9 months and 3 years on the lees before disgorging. Red wines are fermented in specialised fermenting tanks and usually spend some time in cask. Their winemaker, Owen Elias, has won the UK national competition's Winemaker of the Year award three times.

A brand new shop and bistro was opened in April this year.

Grape Varieties:

White: Bacchus, Chardonnay, Reichensteiner, Schönburger, Müller-Thurgau
Red: Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Rondo, Regent

Wines:

Still White (dry to medium and late harvest)
Still Rosé
Still Red
Sparkling White

Chapel Down sparkling wines and Curious Grape still (these wines are now also labelled Chapel Down) have won numerous awards. Their Chapel Down Pinot Reserve 1999 was awarded a Gold medal in the 2004 International Wine Challenge. Curious Grape Pinot Noir 2002 was awarded a Gold Medal, Best Red Wine and Best Single Varietal Wine at the UKVA Awards 2004.

Visitors' Facilities:

The new 'Chapel Down Winery' is a spectacular operation as befits England 's premier producer. Facilities include a wine and food shop selling a range of English cheeses, smoked meats, fish, pickles, preserves, confectionery and much more. The Bistro and Terrace offer home-cooked food seven days a week. Herb and vineyards open to the public Wine Tastings are always available. Tailor-made tours and gift experiences for groups and individuals are available. Conference and wedding facilities, special events, hampers and topiary courses also available - contact the vineyard direct.

The vineyard is open daily from l0.00am to 5.00pm throughout the yea Guided tours of the winery are available - advance bookings only.

Sales:

Wines are sold direct from the Vineyard shop and via their mail-order service through their web-site. Availability is also through major retailers including Waitrose and EH Booth, plus independent accounts including Hotel du Vin, Malmaison Hotels, Fortnum and Mason, The Savoy, The National Trust and Selfridges. Their wines are sold direct to the On and Off trade both in the U.K. and abroad.

Directions:

From Tenterden High Street (A28) turn on to the B2082 at the traffic lights by the William Caxton pub. Follow the road for 2.5 miles to the sign for Small Hythe - the vineyard is a further 300 yards on the right. From Rye , follow the signs for Tenterden and the brown Vineyard signs on the B2082 for approx 8 miles.