Kent Wine Tours / Vineyards / Brabourne
Vineyard guide · East Brabourne
Visiting Brabourne Vineyard
Brabourne is a two-acre family vineyard on a chalk slope at the foot of the North Downs, with a tasting room in a Second World War Nissen hut. Every tour is private to your group and costs £20 a head until the end of 2026. Book ahead, as visits are by appointment.
Brabourne at a glance
| Founded | Planted 2014, first harvest 2017 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Small-batch sparkling and still wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, made at Oxney, and a vermouth |
| Awards | WineGB Awards: silver for the 2017 Blanc de Noirs and the 2018 Classic Cuvée, bronze for the 2019 Rosé de Noirs |
| Grapes | Pinot Noir and Chardonnay |
| Open | Tours and tastings by appointment, five days a week. Outdoor tables at weekends from May to September. Cellar door sales by appointment |
| Booking | Book tours and tables online; groups of more than eight by email |
| Tours from | £20 (£30 from 2027) |
| Food | Cheese platters, £10 a head, pre-ordered with a tour or table booking |
| Dogs | Well-behaved dogs welcome |
| Children | Welcome, and free on tours as non-drinkers |
| Stay | Fig Cottage, a holiday cottage overlooking the vineyard |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Brabourne
Paul and Hester Fenwick came back to the UK in 2012 after nearly ten years moving round Europe, and bought Court Lodge in East Brabourne. They had been looking for enough land for a few fruit trees and chickens, and found they had a south-west-facing chalk slope that was right for vines. Paul studied viticulture at Plumpton College, and the vines went in during 2014.
The first harvest was in 2017, and the Blanc de Noirs from it came out in 2020. The two acres are tended by hand by the family, and picking in October relies on village volunteers, with a waiting list to help. The record crop was more than eight tonnes in 2023. Kristin and Salvatore at Oxney make the wine, and the style changes with the year: still wines from warm seasons, sparkling from cooler ones, and a vermouth from the less kind 2021 season.
The house goes back to at least 1710 and was part of the Brabourne Estate. After the war three women ran a market garden, an orchard and a poultry farm here, and it was they who brought in the Nissen hut that is now the tasting room. The 2022 rosé was named after Salburga, Lady of Brabourne, who died in 864 and whose will is the earliest written record of the village.
The wines
Start with the Classic Cuvée 2022, a traditional method sparkling wine, and then the Blanc de Noirs 2020. Brabourne’s first wine was a Blanc de Noirs, so it is the wine that started things here. Among the still wines, the 2023 Adeliza is a white Pinot Noir, an unusual style in England, and there is a 2023 Albermarle Chardonnay and the 2025 Sybilla Rosé. The red vermouth, made from 2025 Pinot Noir with rose petals from the vineyard, fig leaves and lavender, is the bottle to take home. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Brabourne
This is a very small place run by a family, and the tour reflects that. It is never shared with other groups, so it follows what you want to know, and it is cheap for what you get. Book it before the price goes up in 2027. The weekend tables from May to September suit people who just want a glass in the vines, though they are outside with little cover. Parking is tight. The courtyard takes two cars, so say if you are coming with more, and in dry weather they open a field across the road. You walk uphill over grass to the tasting hut, so wear proper shoes, and note there is no wheelchair-accessible toilet. Turning up without booking is a gamble, since someone may not be in.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour & Tasting A private tour for your group only. You walk the vineyard with a glass of sparkling wine, then taste more wines in the tasting room, inside or out depending on the weather. A cheese platter can be pre-ordered at £10 a head, and wine bought after a paid tour gets an extra 10% off. Up to eight book online; the tasting room seats 15 at most. Cancel more than 28 days ahead for a refund or a new date. | £20 per person for tours before 31 December 2026, £30 in 2027. Non-drinkers free | Just over an hour | By appointment, five days a week; times on the booking calendar |
| Book a Table An outdoor table for up to eight to drink wine and order food, with no guided tasting. Tables are about 100m up the field from the tasting room, with little shelter, so watch the forecast. | Free to book | – | Weekends, May to September |
| Christmas Wreath Making Festive wreath making with fizz, run with a local florist. | See booking page | – | 28 and 29 November, 5 and 6 December |
Book these on the Brabourne website.
Buy Brabourne wines
None of our wine partners has these wines in stock this week. The vineyard sells them in its own shop, or see our pick of English wines to buy online.
Getting there
Court Lodge is on The Street in East Brabourne, at the foot of the North Downs east of Ashford; the what3words address is cheeses.ideals.mild. The website gives no public transport directions, so drive or take a taxi, and book the taxi back if you are tasting.
Make a day of it
The Five Bells pub is a short walk along the village street and stocks Brabourne’s wine, with four rooms of its own. The village church has a 12th-century window that the vineyard describes as the oldest stained glass in the UK, and that inspired its logo. Boys Hall, on this side of Ashford, is where many visitors stay.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Kent directory. Our other Kent vineyard guides: Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Balfour, Westwell, Warehorne, Silverhand, Domaine Evremond, Chartham, Yotes Court, Biddenden Vineyards, Simpsons’, Woodchurch, Mereworth, Oast Wood, The Mount, Terlingham.
Questions people ask
Can I just turn up?
It is better not to. Visits are by appointment, and although there are occasional drop-in sessions announced on social media, at other times someone may not be in.
Can I bring children and the dog?
Yes. Children and well-behaved dogs are welcome, and anyone not drinking goes free on the tour.
Can I stay at the vineyard?
Yes, in Fig Cottage, which overlooks the vines. It books up quickly, and the Five Bells in the village also has rooms.