Yotes Court vineyard tour and tasting

A morning visit to Yotes Court at Mereworth, between Maidstone and Tonbridge. A guide takes you through the 75-acre vineyard for about 45 minutes, covering the grapes and the vine's year. You then sit down to a self-guided flight, either four still wines or three sparkling, on the Paddock Lawn or in the Wine Barn, depending on the weather. Allow about an hour and a half.

The views from the vineyard are a real draw, and the Wine Barn serves cheese and charcuterie boards if you want to stay on.

Tours run from April to October. The ground is hilly and uneven, and pushchairs cannot go on the tour. Children and dogs on leads are welcome.

Best for: families or friends who want a sociable vineyard visit with good views and lunch on hand.

Yotes Court was first planted in 2016 on a former fruit farm at Mereworth, on a south-facing slope of ragstone, greensand and clay. It grows seven grape varieties, from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Divico, and makes still and sparkling wines, each from a single variety and a single year. All of them are vegan.

The morning tour runs at 11.30am from Wednesday to Sunday, April to October. The tasting afterwards is self-guided, at a table reserved for you, and the tour includes a voucher off six or more bottles to take home. If you would rather be talked through the wines, Yotes Court also runs a tour with a guided tasting in its Tasting Room.

The nearest stations are West Malling, Wateringbury and Yalding, but there are no taxi ranks, so book one in advance. From London, Yotes Court suggests Tonbridge, about half an hour from London Bridge, which has a rank. By car, approach by Seven Mile Lane and Stan Lane rather than the narrow Swanton Road; there is plenty of parking.

The Wine Barn and Tasting Room are wheelchair accessible, with accessible parking close by, but the vineyard tour crosses uneven ground. Our map of west Kent's vineyards shows Mereworth Wines and Silverhand nearby.