Vineyards & Wineries

Taste some of England's finest wines and ales when you visit the vineyards, wineries and breweries in Maidstone.

Stunning Vineyards and Award-Winning Wines

Maidstone and the surrounding area has similar soils to the Champagne region in France and in consequence it is able to produce some very fine quality grapes resulting in exceptional wines. Balfour Winery on the Hush Heath Estate  near Staplehurst produces Balfour Brut Rose which won a Decanter Gold Award for its 2010 vintage. The colour is the palest pink with a very clean and crisp initial taste to the palette with a complex finish. Well worth a try and certainly rating amongst the finest wines produced in England.

A number of other wines and exceptional ciders are produced from Hush Heath Winery and a visit, tour and walk are highly recommended.

Close to Maidstone you will find Chapel Down Vineyards growing vines in the Kits Coty area, which because of the “terroir” and the local climate is producing some excellent wines. The award-winning Biddenden Vineyard which has lead wine production in Kent since the 1960’s when Mrs Barnes planted her first vines, is now in its third generation of family wine producers.  Ortega leads the collection of wines from Biddenden Vineyards and is a favourite  for local people.

The cellar doors of all of our local wineries are almost always open and beyond Maidstone but close by in Kent you will find Gusborne, Squerry and Simpson’s Wine Estate.  These have recently been joined by Domaine Evremond who are working in partnership with Champagne Taittinger.  Their investment and support for the local wine industry is a major confidence boost in the Kent quality wine production.

Discussing the wine partnership, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, of Champagne Taittinger and Kent collaboration Domaine Evremond, said: “Kent is one of the warmest and driest counties of England, and we were delighted to find some beautiful land, on chalk, near the charming village of Chilham – we planted our first vines in May last year at Domaine Evremond. We were welcomed with open arms by the other producers in the region and I am delighted that we are joining forces with six of the top Kentish wineries in the spirit of friendship, to form the Wine Garden of England and work together proactively to promote the wonderful wines of the region.”

English Wine Week

Whilst English Wine Week is late May early June each year, a visit to one or more of our local wineries is educational, interesting and entertaining.  If you don’t want to come by car, put your bicycle on the train as most of the vineyards are within easy reach of train station, ride your bike there, do a little tasting, fill up your panniers, enjoy a little local produce for lunch along the way and return having had a great day out with wonderful memories.