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 of 72 acres at Aylesford in Kent and180 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 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, 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. Their Chapel Down Pinot Reserve 2004 has been awarded a Silver Medal at the 2010 International Wine Challenge and Decanter World Wine Awards. Their Chapel Down Brut Rose has been awarded Silver (Best in Class) at the International Wine and Spirit Competition and a Bronze Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010.

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, smoked meats, fish, pickles, preserves, confectionery and much more. The restaurant ‘Richard Phillips at Chapel Down’ was Winner of the Kent Restaurant Awards 2009.. The Herb Garden and vineyards are open to the public and Wine Tastings are always available. Tailor-made tours and gift experiences for groups and individuals are available. Conference and wedding 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 - 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.

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.