Kent Wine Tours / Vineyards / Chapel Down
Vineyard guide · Tenterden
Small Hythe, just outside Tenterden, is the home estate of Chapel Down, one of England’s best-known wine producers, and one of the easiest big wineries in Kent to drop in on. It opens every day. Vineyard walks and the tasting bar need no booking, but guided tours do.
| Founded | Tenterden vineyard first planted 1977 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Traditional-method sparkling wine, the Kit’s Coty Collection and still Bacchus |
| Awards | WineGB Cellar Door Awards 2026 Best Large Cellar Door; WineGB Awards 2026 Classic Cuvée Trophy and Best Sustainable WineGB Wine for Grand Reserve 2019 |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus |
| Open | Daily, 10am to 5pm |
| Booking | Book tours ahead, walk-ins welcome for vineyard walks and the tasting bar |
| Tours from | £15 walk-in flight, guided tours from £30 |
| Food | The Swan Wine Kitchen restaurant (lunch Wednesday to Sunday, dinner Thursday to Saturday, closed Monday and Tuesday), nibbles and wine by the glass, picnics allowed |
| Dogs | On leads outdoors, not on tours or in the shop, assistance dogs welcome |
| Children | Welcome on site, supervised over-7s can join the standard tour, tastings 18 and over, dining experiences for adults |
| By train | Headcorn (20 minutes by taxi) or Ashford International (35 minutes) |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
The first vines went in on the Tenterden site in April 1977. It has since become the home of Chapel Down, which calls itself England’s leading wine producer, and the estate at Small Hythe is the part of the business most visitors see.
Chapel Down’s own vineyards are mainly on the Kent Downs, where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus grow on south-facing chalk soils in a maritime climate. It also buys fruit from long-term partner growers across Kent, Sussex and Essex. The premium Kit’s Coty Collection comes from a single vineyard at Kit’s Coty on Bluebell Hill, near Aylesford. The Discovery Series, started in 2021, uses experimental plantings and newer winemaking techniques. Chapel Down is a founder member of the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain scheme.
In July 2026 it was named Best Large Cellar Door at the first WineGB Cellar Door Awards, and its Grand Reserve 2019 won the Classic Cuvée Trophy and Best Sustainable WineGB Wine. You may have drunk it without knowing, since it is the official sparkling wine of the England and Wales Cricket Board and the official English sparkling wine of Ascot Racecourse.
The sparkling wine is what Chapel Down is known for. It runs from the non-vintage Brut and Rosé to the vintage Grand Reserve, whose 2019 won the Classic Cuvée Trophy at the 2026 WineGB Awards. The Kit’s Coty Collection is the premium single-vineyard range, topped by the Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée, which is the one wine you can’t choose for the walk-in flight. Still wines include Bacchus and Flint Dry. The lighter sparkling wines go under the A Touch of Sparkle name, and the Discovery Series covers small experimental releases. Where to buy them.
You don’t need to book to walk the vineyards. Pick up a trail map from the shop and follow one of two routes. Picnics are allowed, and in summer there is a Horsebox bar outside. For a guided tour, book ahead, especially for a summer weekend. The standard two-hour tour is the one we’d choose, partly because supervised children aged 7 and over can come too. At harvest the winery may be left off the tour. The winery shop opens from 10am to 5pm. Hours may run to 7pm from Thursday to Saturday, so check opening times before you travel for a later visit. The Swan is up 36 stairs with no lift, but the shop, the winery and most of the estate are level.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Wine Flight Choose any three wines from the full range (except Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée) to taste at the cellar door bar, with no set start time. | £15 per person | At your own pace | Daily, 10am to 5pm |
| Guided Tour and Tasting A walk through the Tenterden vineyard and an introduction to traditional-method winemaking, then a tutored tasting of five signature wines. Concessions for over-60s and students. | From £30 per person | About 2 hours | Year round |
| The Kit’s Coty Collection Tour A guided vineyard tour and a behind-the-scenes talk with the senior cellar hand, followed by a tutored tasting of the Kit’s Coty Collection. | From £50 per person | About 2 hours | Year round |
| Cheese and Wine Experience The guided tour and five-wine tasting, paired with local cheeses and crackers, plus a £10 voucher for the winery shop. | From £70 per person | About 2 hours | Year round |
| Wine and Dine Experience The guided tour and five-wine tasting, then a three-course set lunch at The Swan with two glasses of Chapel Down still wine. | From £120 per person | About 4 hours | Year round |
| Luxury Dining Experience An early evening vineyard tour and tasting of five luxury wines, followed by a five-course tasting menu at The Swan with two glasses of still wine. | From £160 per person | About 5 hours | Early evening |
| Winter Luxury Dining Experience The winter version of the luxury evening: a vineyard tour and tasting of five wines, then a tasting menu at The Swan with two glasses of still wine. | From £130 per person | About 5 hours | Winter, early evening |
Book these on the Chapel Down website.
A guided tour of the vineyard and winery with a tutored tasting, at one of England’s biggest producers. Vouchers for a cheese and wine pairing or lunch at The Swan, its restaurant, cost more.
Good to know Chapel Down sends its vouchers by email, so they work as a last-minute present. The retailer vouchers are valid for twelve months; the cheapest covers visits from Sunday to Friday, the others any day.
A Grade II listed pub on Tenterden High Street with oak beams and 14 bedrooms above the bar.
A 16th-century inn on Church Lane, Warehorne, with five adults-only suites and breakfast included.
Rebuilt in 1420 over cellars from 1156, on cobbled Mermaid Street. There are 31 rooms and a restaurant with 2 AA Rosettes.
Cottages, oasts and barn conversions around Tenterden and the Kent Weald, close to Chapel Down and Gusbourne.
Prices are often the same either way, so compare the booking site with booking direct.
9 bottles in stock with our wine partners this week. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Sparkling
The house fizz, adding Pinot Blanc to the three Champagne grapes, with apple and citrus.
Sparkling
Chapel Down's vintage-dated fizz from the 2021 harvest, a step up from the house Brut.
Sparkling rosé
A five-grape pink fizz, including Pinot Blanc and Early Pinot Noir, with redcurrant and wild strawberry.
Sparkling rosé
Almost all Pinot Noir, with 18 months on lees in bottle, wild strawberry and redcurrant.
White
An easy, crisp white blended mainly from Chardonnay, with pear and green apple.
White
Chapel Down's best-selling white, a crisp Bacchus with elderflower and grapefruit.
White
Single-estate Bacchus grown around the Tenterden winery, with tropical fruit and lime zest.
White
Kit's Coty vineyard Chardonnay from the North Downs, aged in French oak, with baked apple and lemon.
Rosé
A dry still rosé led by Pinot Noir and Meunier, with strawberry and raspberry.
Chapel Down is best reached by car, about an hour from London. There is a large free car park with three disabled bays near the shop, but no electric car charger; the nearest is about 2 miles away. By train, Headcorn is about 20 minutes away by taxi. Ashford International, with fast trains from London St Pancras, is about 35 minutes. There is no taxi rank at Headcorn, so book a taxi in advance there and back.
Tenterden, a mile or two up the road, is a market town with a wide high street, shops and pubs, and the starting point of the Kent and East Sussex Railway, a heritage steam line. Smallhythe Place, a National Trust house, is in the same hamlet. Gusbourne at Appledore is a short drive to the south-east, and Balfour Winery near Staplehurst and Sissinghurst Castle Garden are both within about half an hour. Finish the day in Rye, just over the Sussex border.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Kent directory. Our other Kent vineyard guides: Gusbourne, Balfour, Westwell, Warehorne, Silverhand, Domaine Evremond, Chartham, Yotes Court.
Not for a vineyard walk or a drink at the cellar door bar. Turn up during opening hours and pick up a trail map from the shop. Guided tours and experiences must be booked in advance.
Yes, on leads for walks around the estate. Dogs are not allowed on tours or in the winery shop, though assistance dogs are welcome.
Yes. The Swan Wine Kitchen, upstairs on the estate, serves lunch Wednesday to Sunday and dinner Thursday to Saturday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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