Lady’s Guide to Wine, Cider, and Beer Tasting in Kent

Today I want to bring you A Lady in London’s guide to wine, cider, and beer tasting in Kent. The Garden of England has a lot going for it when it comes to drinks, and there are plenty of wineries, cider producers, and breweries where you can go tasting in this part of England.

Wine, Cider, and Beer Tasting in Kent

It’s sunny in Kent. New lambs are finding their footing and bluebells are opening in the forests. Apple blossoms bud in the orchards as the Garden of England awakens for spring.

If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine I’m back home in California. But not just because of the sun. Also because of the vineyards.

Yes, there’s wine tasting in Kent. Seriously good wine tasting. And that’s to say nothing of the cider and beer tasting.

Wine Tasting in Kent

One of the things I miss most about living in San Francisco is the easy access to wine country.

Day trips to Napa and Sonoma are our version of going to the pub, and ordering wine at restaurants is easy because we’ve been to all of the wineries and know exactly what we like.

I’ve missed that in England over the years, but today I’ve discovered that now Kent is London’s wine country as much as Napa is San Francisco’s.

Less than 40 minutes by train from the UK capital, its budding viticulture scene and award-winning wines—the sparkling ones are beating French champagnes with ease these days—are worth a trip.

Kent’s chalk soil is so similar to that of the Champagne region in France that the sparkling wines are winners, and white varietals like those common in Germany are thriving in the relatively cool English climate.

There may not be the big, bold Napa Cabernet Sauvignons I’m used to, but this isn’t Napa anyway.

And we wouldn’t want it to be. In addition to producing wine, Kent is full of beautiful gardens, historic castles, and impossibly pretty market towns. And sheep. So many adorable sheep.

As I drive along the narrow country roads with my host from Visit Kent, who has organized my trip, I pass thatched-roof cottages and mock-Tudor buildings, getting my fix of old world charm as I travel to taste wine produced with new world technology.

Wine Tasting at Hush Heath Estate in Kent

Hush Heath Estate is the first place I go wine tasting in Kent. The tasting room table is set with a gorgeous lunch when I arrive, complete with a glass of the Balfour Brut Rose for which the winery is so famous.

After eating, I get a tour of the extensive grounds, which are home to both vineyards and apple orchards.

The tour is far more extensive than any I’ve been on back in California, another benefit of the lack of crowds that Napa and Sonoma attract.

I learn all about the history of Hush Heath (they used to sell apples to Harrods Food Halls), and try a range of impressive wines and ciders at the end.

Wine Tasting at Chapel Down in Kent

From there I continue my wine tasting in Kent with a trip to Chapel Down. One of the largest wineries in England, it’s also famous for its sparkling wines—rumor has it they were served at the Royal Wedding in 2011.

The winery has an excellent restaurant and a great tasting room with produce from all over Kent.

The gardens outside are gorgeous and the vines roll with the hills. This is one of the most romantic places in the UK. Ladies, start planning the winery wedding you’ve always wanted.

I do a tasting at Chapel Down and I’m impressed by both the quality and variety of their wines. Like Hush Heath, they also produce cider, and they even brew their own beers.

Cider Tasting in Kent

Which makes sense, because wine isn’t the only drink to taste in Kent. This being the Garden of England, there are not just grapes here.

There are apples, for example. And what better way to taste Harrods-worthy apples than at a place famous for its classic English cider?

Cider Tasting at Biddenden in Kent

None. So I head to Biddenden, one of the most famous producers of Kentish cider. If Hush Heath and Chapel Down are Napa, Biddenden is all Sonoma.

Laid-back and family run, the estate has an intimate atmosphere and the tasting room a rustic quality that makes me feel connected to the land and its produce.

I get a tour of Biddenden’s vineyards—they make wine here, too—and then take a peek at the bottling process before heading inside for a cider tasting in Kent.

The ciders have such a wide variety of flavors that it’s hard to comprehend. The sparkling cider made in the champagne method is particularly delicious.

Faversham

After a day on the English drinks trail in Kent, I need a rest. It comes in the form of a great pub with rooms in Faversham.

My room at the historic Sun Inn is a gorgeous attic space with rustic wooden beams and a lovely view across the orange rooftops of the town. Dinner there hits the spot; my chicken, ham, and leek pie rivals the best pub food in London.

Beer Tasting in Kent

I need my sustenance, too, because the next stop on my Kent travel itinerary is beer-related. I’m excited to do some beer tasting in Kent, not least because I’m going to one of Britain’s famous breweries.

Beer Tasting at Shepherd Neame in Kent

The oldest brewery in the country, Shepherd Neame dates back to 1698 and produces famous beers like Master Brew—the best selling cask ale in Kent—and Spitfire—originally created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The two-hour brewery tour gives an in-depth look at the history of Shepherd Neame and the beer brewing process, taking me from the tasting room to the heart of production and back.

At the end I do a beer tasting in Kent and sample a range of ales, lagers, and stouts to experience the result of the process.

Other Beer Tasting in Kent

Back outside, Faversham is full of the history of the brewing trade in Kent.

Beer’s roots here date back to medieval times, and the annual Faversham Hop Festival attracts visitors from all over England every summer. Even the local Tesco used to be a brewery.

But it’s not the only place in Kent where beer is made. Like many parts of the world, the microbrew scene is thriving here.

Names like Wantsum Brewery and Canterbury Ales mean there’s beer tasting in Kent to rival the wine and cider tasting.

Wine, Cider, and Beer Tasting in Kent

Sadly, I can’t spend forever wine, cider, beer tasting in Kent.

I hop back on a high-speed Southeastern train at Ashford International, speeding through the Kentish countryside and back to St Pancras (I also notice outlet shopping near Ashford—this really is the Napa of England!).

The quick journey reminds me how easy it is to spend a weekend in Kent—much easier than flying all the way back to San Francisco to get a taste of my favorite local drinks.

And the best part is that Kent will just keep getting better. The bluebells will continue to blanket the forest floors over the next few weeks, and apple blossoms will be in full splendor in a month.

The vines will bud, the grapes will grow, and come autumn there will be the harvest to witness.

It all gives me more reason to go back and experience the Garden of England’s abundance, and to feel like the UK now has one of the things I miss most about California. If this keeps up, I might never go home.

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