Westwell tour and tasting

A guided visit to Westwell, a small family-run winery on the North Downs near Charing that makes experimental, low-intervention wines, including pet nats and wines fermented in amphorae. You walk the vineyard and go into the working winery, hearing about the estate's sustainable approach, then taste four still and sparkling wines. Allow about two hours.

Westwell is one of the more unusual producers in Kent, so this is a good choice if you already know mainstream English fizz. Food can be added when you book.

Vineyard tours run from February to October. In November and December they move indoors to the winery. The ground is uneven. Charing station is about a mile away.

Best for: adventurous wine drinkers who want something different from the big sparkling houses.

Westwell opens from Friday to Sunday, with hours that change with the season, and the vineyard tour runs from February to October on open days. In November and December it is replaced by a winter winery tour indoors, with a demonstration of sabrage, opening a bottle of sparkling wine with a blade, and a tasting of five wines.

Charing station is about a mile from the vineyard, one stop from Ashford and about an hour from London St Pancras. By car the entrance is on Westwell Lane, just off the A20 south of Charing, and parking is free, 20 metres from the winery.

The cellar door serves cheese, charcuterie and plant-based plates and toasties, with food trucks on Fridays, and picnics in the vineyard can be booked. Dogs are welcome on a lead in the vines and the tasting room but not in the winery, and under-18s go free on tours if you mention them when booking.

The Pilgrims Way and the North Downs Way run along the hill above the vines, and Domaine Evremond, Chapel Down and Gusbourne are all within reach by car for a longer day. Our guide to Westwell has the wines, a map and more on the area.