Kent Wine Tours / Vineyards / North Downs and Canterbury
Kent
Six vineyards on the chalk of the North Downs, from Charing along the Stour valley to Chilham, round Canterbury and on to the hills above Folkestone. Taittinger’s English estate is here, and two are reachable on foot from a station.
We’re an independent guide. Details checked in October 2026.
Taken from each vineyard’s own visiting information. A dash means the vineyard does not say, so check with them before you travel.
| Vineyard | Where | Booking | Food | Dogs | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwell Wines | Charing | – | Yes | – | – |
| Domaine Evremond | Chilham, near Canterbury | Some walk-in | Yes | Yes | – |
| Simpsons’ Wine Estate | Barham, near Canterbury | Book ahead | – | No | – |
| Barnsole Vineyard | Staple, near Canterbury | Some walk-in | Yes | Yes | – |
| Elham Valley Vineyard | Breach, Barham, near Canterbury | – | Yes | – | – |
| Terlingham Vineyard | Hawkinge, near Folkestone | Book ahead | – | – | Yes |
From Westwell near Charing eastwards to Terlingham above Folkestone.
Charing
A family winery known for experimental wines, including pet nats and amphora wines, and for its Ortega. Named Best Small Cellar Door at the first WineGB Cellar Door Awards in 2026.
Visiting: Cellar door, bar and shop open Friday to Sunday, with tours, tastings, cheese and charcuterie plates. Charing station is a mile away.
Our full guide Vineyard website Book a tour Buy the Ortega, £21
Chilham, near Canterbury
The English estate of the Champagne house Taittinger, created in 2015. Its first wine, Classic Cuvée Edition I, was released in 2025, and Edition II has followed.
Visiting: Cellar door open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6.30pm from April to September and 10.30am to 5.30pm from October to March. Tours, guided tastings and food pairings must be booked; walk-ins can taste on the terrace or in the cellar door on a first-come basis. Dogs are welcome on the terrace but not on tours. Chilham station is a 30-minute walk.
Barham, near Canterbury
Founded in 2012 on North Downs chalk by a couple who also make wine in the south of France. Its tasting room has a helter-skelter.
Visiting: Guided tastings through the week, and a vineyard and winery tour with a tasting on Saturdays and some Friday afternoons. All visits are booked in advance. Adults only, and no dogs except assistance dogs. A short taxi ride from Canterbury West, where the high-speed trains from London St Pancras stop.
Staple, near Canterbury
A family vineyard first planted in 1993.
Visiting: Open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, plus bank holidays, with a free drop-in tasting. A one-hour tour with a tasting costs £20 and is booked by phone or email, and platters can be ordered in advance. Children and dogs welcome, but no picnics.
Breach, Barham, near Canterbury
Established in 1985 and one of the first vineyards in this part of Kent, with around 2,000 vines and 500 Solaris planted in 2024. It is run by the Fifth Trust, a charity that gives work experience to adults with learning disabilities, and the wine is made less than five miles away by Defined Wine.
Visiting: A garden walkway runs through the vines and is free to walk. The café is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm, and the garden centre Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm, Saturday 9am to 4pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. Wine is sold on site. There is no regular tour; occasional events in the vines are listed on the trust’s site and sell out.
Hawkinge, near Folkestone
A small vineyard in the hills above Folkestone, with views over the Channel. Makes sustainably farmed wine and gin, and is now owned by the Leaf Hotels Group.
Visiting: Pre-booked vineyard walks and tastings in the Tasting Barn on Fridays and Saturdays at 11am and 3pm, from £40 for six wines. Bed and breakfast at the winery.
Along the Stour valley. Westwell and Domaine Evremond sit on the same railway line, Charing and Chilham, so a day on foot and by train works well: Westwell opens Friday to Sunday, Domaine Evremond Wednesday to Sunday.
East of Canterbury. With a car or a driver, start with a booked tasting at Simpsons’ in Barham (pre-booked visits only, adults only), have lunch at the Elham Valley Vineyard café at nearby Breach, and finish at Barnsole near Staple, open Thursday to Sunday with free drop-in tastings.
Above Folkestone. Terlingham runs pre-booked walks and tastings on Fridays and Saturdays. The vineyard suggests a taxi from Folkestone Central.
Elsewhere in Kent, see the Weald and West Kent, or every Kent vineyard on one map.
A red-brick Jacobean manor built around 1638, with walled kitchen gardens, three miles south of Canterbury.
In the heart of historic Chilham, the inn has 14 hotel rooms, most of them dog friendly.
A traditional 15th-century coaching inn standing close to Canterbury’s Westgate on St Dunstan’s Street.
A manor house hotel and spa set in countryside grounds, where Manor House rooms have four-poster beds and garden views.
Prices are often the same either way, so compare the booking site with booking direct.
A tour of one of Kent’s most adventurous small wineries, with a tasting.
Starts Westwell Wines, Charing, Kent
Westwell is a mile from Charing station, and Domaine Evremond about half an hour’s walk from Chilham. For Simpsons’ and Barnsole, take a taxi from Canterbury.
Yes. Taittinger’s English estate at Chilham has a cellar door open from Wednesday to Sunday, with tastings and tours. Tours and food pairings need booking.
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