First planted in 1977, Tenterden Vineyard now incorporates 22 acres. Substantial re-planting has taken place in recent years, with Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Bacchus now being the main varieties. In addition, there are new plantings (2008) of 72 acres at Aylesford in Kent and180 acres of vines under contract across the South-East.

Tenterden Vineyard is the home of Chapel Down Group plc, the largest producer in the UK, whose wines are bottled mainly under the Chapel Down label.

Their winery has a capacity of just under 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.

Grape Varieties:

White: Bacchus, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, 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

Sparkling Rosé

Chapel Down still and sparkling wines have won numerous national and international awards. In 2011 Chapel Down Rosé Brut was awarded a Gold Medal at The International Wine Challenge and Pinot Chardonnay 2006 was awarded a Silver Medal in all three major International Wine Competitions (IWC, IWSC and Decanter World Wine Awards). Chapel Down Bacchus 2010 was awarded a Gold Medal and Most Outstanding Large Production Wine at the 2011 UK Vineyards Association Awards.

Visitors' Facilities:

The 'Chapel Down Winery' is a spectacular operation as befits England’s premier producer. Facilities include a wine and fine food shop selling a range of English cheeses, pickles, preserves, confectionery and much more. The Herb Garden and vineyards are open to the public and Wine Tastings are always available. Conference facilities, special events and hampers - contact the vineyard direct.

The vineyard is open daily from l0.00am to 5.00pm throughout the year Guided tours of the winery are available throughout the summer for individuals and groups by advance bookings only on tel: 01580 766111.

Chapel Down also operates a vine leasing scheme offering customers the chance to lease their own Bacchus vines, help to harvest the grapes and receive their own wine with personalised labels. More details can be found on their website.

Sales:

Wines are sold direct from the Vineyard shop, via their mail-order service and through their web-site www.chapeldown.com. Still and sparkling wines are also available through major retailers including Waitrose, EH Booth and Marks and Spencer, Plus many high profile independent on and off-trade accounts.