The Kent wine trail

Kent has more vineyards open to visitors than almost anywhere in England, which makes choosing the hard part. We have grouped the ones worth the trip into three routes, with where to start and what to book before you go.

Checked against each vineyard’s own visitor information in September 2026. All seventeen Kent vineyards were rechecked against their own websites on 26 October 2026, apart from Squerryes and Elham Valley, which we could not recheck and which keep their 1 October 2026 dates.

The routes in brief

The Weald: Balfour, Biddenden, Chapel Down, Woodchurch, Gusbourne and Warehorne. It has the most vineyards and is best done over a weekend from Tenterden.
The North Downs and Canterbury: Westwell, Domaine Evremond, Simpsons’ and Barnsole. Chalk country and sparkling wine, with Canterbury as a base.
West Kent: Squerryes, Yotes Court and Mereworth. The nearest to London.

Balfour, Biddenden, Chapel Down, Domaine Evremond, Gusbourne, Simpsons’, Squerryes, Westwell and Yotes Court all belong to the Wine Garden of England, Kent’s own group of producers. Whoever drives will have to skip the tastings, so think about taxis between stops. To try the wines at home first, our pick of English wines to buy has bottles from Balfour, Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Westwell and Simpsons’.

Route one: the Weald

Start at Balfour near Staplehurst and head south-east through Biddenden to Tenterden, then carry on to the edge of Romney Marsh. No hop is much more than 15 to 20 minutes by road. See the Weald on a map.

Balfour at Hush Heath, StaplehurstA 400-acre estate, and the home of Balfour Brut Rosé. You can do the self-guided estate walk without booking, and guided tours and tastings run all year. Lunch is served daily in the Winemakers’ Kitchen, which makes this a good first stop. From Friday to Sunday there is a free shuttle from Marden station. Book the walk and tasting. Our full guide to Balfour.
Biddenden Vineyards, BiddendenKent’s original vineyard, founded in 1969. It makes cider and juice as well as wine, and there is a shop. From May to September the self-guided tour is £15 with a flight of three wines, and the guided Open Tour runs Wednesday to Saturday at £30. From October the tour moves indoors as the Behind the Glass tour, also £30 (prices checked October 2026).
Chapel Down, TenterdenOne of England’s biggest producers, open all year. Guided tours, a self-guided vineyard walk and the tasting bar are all on site, and the shop opens every day from 10am to 5pm. The Swan, its restaurant, is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. On those days Tenterden is a few minutes up the road for lunch. Our full guide to Chapel Down.
Woodchurch Wine Estate, WoodchurchA family estate between Tenterden and Ashford, founded in 2009 and open all year. Hours are 12pm to 5pm on Thursday and Friday and 11am to 5pm at weekends. The self-guided tour costs nothing, and a guided tour and tasting is £30 (checked October 2026).
Gusbourne, AppledoreVintage-only sparkling wine on the edge of Romney Marsh. The cellar door is called The Nest and opens daily from 10am to 5pm for tours and tasting flights. Most Fridays to Sundays you can also walk in for a glass and a platter. Come by pre-booked taxi from Ashford International. Book a tasting. Our full guide to Gusbourne.
Warehorne Vineyard, WarehorneA young vineyard, ten to fifteen minutes on foot from Ham Street station, so it ends the route well if you came by train. The cellar door opens on Saturday and Sunday, and a guided tour and tasting is £15 (checked October 2026). Book a tour. Our full guide to Warehorne.

Route two: the North Downs and Canterbury

This one follows the Stour valley from Charing to Chilham and then loops round Canterbury. You can walk to two of the four from a station. See the North Downs and Canterbury on a map.

Westwell Wines, CharingExperimental, low-intervention wines, pet nats and amphora wines among them, and the most interesting stop on this route if you like something odd. The cellar door, bar and shop open Friday to Sunday, and a food truck comes on Friday evenings. The tour and tasting is £28. From February to October it goes out into the vines, and in November and December it stays in the winery (checked October 2026). Charing station is a mile away. Book a tour. Our full guide to Westwell.
Domaine Evremond, ChilhamThe Champagne house Taittinger’s English estate. Its first wine came out in 2025. The cellar door opens Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 6.30pm between April and September and 11am to 5.30pm between October and March. Walk-in tastings start at £25, and the tour and tasting is £60 (checked October 2026). Chilham station is half an hour’s walk.
Simpsons’ Wine Estate, BarhamSparkling and still wines on North Downs chalk, and a helter-skelter in the tasting room. Visits are pre-booked and adults only, on Saturdays and some Friday afternoons. A 90-minute guided tasting is £25, and the vineyard and winery tour with a tasting is £45 (checked October 2026). It is about 15 minutes by car from Canterbury West.
Barnsole Vineyard, StapleA small family vineyard, first planted in 1993. It opens from 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday and on bank holidays, and the drop-in tasting is free. A one-hour tour with a tasting is £20, booked by phone or email (checked October 2026). Children and dogs are welcome. Picnics are not.

Route three: west Kent

The quickest route from London, running between Westerham and Maidstone. Start from Sevenoaks or Tonbridge. See west Kent on a map.

Squerryes, WesterhamSparkling wine from a 2,500-acre family estate. The winery restaurant holds two rosettes, so it is the place on this route for a proper lunch. There are tasting experiences, and a cellar door with a deli. Book a tour.
Yotes Court Vineyard, MereworthWineGB Best Newcomer in 2021, and the easiest stop here for families, since children and dogs are both welcome. From 1 April to 1 November the wine barn and lawn open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5.30pm, with no booking needed. The self-guided wine flight is £16. Booked tours, tastings and picnics in the vines start at £27.50 (checked October 2026). From 2 November to 19 December the tasting room opens on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Book a tour.
Mereworth Wines, MereworthSparkling wine from its own vineyards at Wateringbury. A winery tour with a tasting is £30 midweek and £35 at weekends (checked October 2026). There is a bar and kitchen, and it does afternoon tea. It keeps late hours for a winery, 12pm to 11pm on Thursday and Friday, 9am to 11pm on Saturday and 9am to 7pm on Sunday. Monday to Wednesday is by appointment.

Rather not drive?

Let someone else do the driving

These tours do the Weald route in a day. Transport from London and lunch are included.

Private Kent wine tour

Private · Two vineyards · Pickup available

Your own driver and guide for the day, so everyone can enjoy the tastings.

Starts Ashford International station, Kent

Find out more Book now

Going by train? See Kent vineyards by train. Over the border in East Sussex, the Wealden Wine Trail links sixteen more vineyards.

Good to know

Questions people ask

Is there an official Kent wine trail?

There is no signed route. The Wine Garden of England, a group of nine Kent producers, promotes visits to its members. This guide puts them and other Kent vineyards into three routes you can follow yourself.

How long does the Kent wine trail take?

Three or four stops make a full day on any route. The Weald has the most vineyards, and we would stay in Tenterden and spread it over a weekend.

Can I do the Kent wine trail without a car?

Partly. You can walk to Westwell, Warehorne and Domaine Evremond from a station, and Balfour runs a free weekend shuttle from Marden. Elsewhere it means taxis between stops, or a day tour from London.