Kent Wine Tours / Vineyards / Simpsons’
Vineyard guide · Barham
Charles and Ruth Simpson made wine in the south of France before planting chalk slopes in the Elham Valley near Canterbury. Their still Chardonnay is as good a reason to come as the sparkling wine. Book the Saturday vineyard and winery tour, and expect a grown-up visit, since everything is over-18s only.
| Founded | 2012, first vines planted 2014 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Still Chardonnay and traditional method sparkling wine from chalk |
| Awards | Listed by the estate: SWA Gold 2020; Decanter World Wine Awards Best in Show; Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships gold 2019; The Drinks Business special commendation 2020 |
| Grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier |
| Open | Office and cellar door 9am to 5pm for wine sales and click and collect; tastings and tours by booking only |
| Booking | All tours and tastings must be booked ahead, online or on 01227 832200 |
| Tours from | £25 |
| Food | None on site day to day; the estate will recommend local restaurants |
| Dogs | Registered assistance dogs only |
| Children | Over-18s only at all tours, tastings and events |
| By train | Canterbury West, a short taxi ride |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
Charles and Ruth Simpson had been making wine at Domaine de Sainte Rose, their 40-hectare estate in southern France, since 2002. In 2012 they came back to the UK and set up a second estate in the Elham Valley, near the village of Barham, on the North Downs south of Canterbury.
The first 10 hectares went in at the Roman Road Vineyard in 2014. A further 20 hectares followed on the village’s southern slopes at Railway Hill in 2016 and 2017, which gives 30 hectares in production, all of it Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier on lime-rich chalk sheltered by old woodland. The winery is a few minutes from the vines, and a solar array put in during 2021 covers its normal running.
The team is an international one, with an estate manager from New Zealand and assistant winemakers from Australia and South Africa. Simpsons’ was a founder member of the Wine Garden of England group of Kent vineyards, and is a member of Walpole, the British luxury brands association.
Start with the still wines. The Roman Road Chardonnay is the estate’s top still white, and Gravel Castle is the cheaper Chardonnay. There’s also a Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir, a Derringstone Pinot Meunier and the Railway Hill Rosé. The sparkling range is Chalklands Classic Cuvée, Canterbury Rose, Flint Fields Blanc de Noirs and White Cliffs Blanc de Blancs, plus an extended lees-aged Chalklands in magnum. Where to buy them.
Nothing here works on a walk-in basis. Every tasting and tour is booked, everyone has to be over 18, and dogs stay at home unless they are assistance dogs. We’d pay the extra for the tour rather than the tasting alone, because the walk is through Roman Road, the vineyard that gives its name to the estate’s dearest still Chardonnay. The Glass House Tasting Room is two floors up. The winery itself is all on one level, and if stairs are a problem the estate will set up a tasting on the ground floor if you call ahead. Parking is plentiful but not overnight. There’s no café, so plan lunch in Canterbury or one of the villages.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wine Tasting Experience A guided tasting of still and sparkling wines in the Glass House Tasting Room, which looks down over the winery. The room is up two flights of stairs. | £25 per person | 90 minutes | Scheduled through the week |
| Vineyard & Winery Tour & Tasting Experience A walk through the Roman Road vineyard, weather permitting, covering how the vines are planted, trained and harvested, then the winery for still and classic method winemaking, and a guided tasting of the range in the Glass House. | £45 per person | – | Saturdays and some Friday afternoons |
Book these on the Simpsons’ website.
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Workshop
Clare from Gingerly Green Flower Farm shows three festive table arrangements using foraged foliage, and you make a centrepiece to take home. Includes fizz, a mince pie and a still wine with each demonstration. Over 18s only.
Thursday 10 December 2026 · 6pm to 8.30pm · £65 a head · Book ahead
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.
The estate is on Church Lane in Barham, opposite St John the Baptist Church, about 15 minutes’ drive from Canterbury. By train, go to Canterbury West and take a taxi. The estate recommends two local firms on its contact page.
Elham Valley Vineyard is also in Barham, and Canterbury and its cathedral are a quarter of an hour away. Domaine Evremond, Taittinger’s English estate at Chilham, is the obvious second chalk vineyard on the same side of Canterbury.
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.
Yes. Cellar door sales and click and collect run during office hours, 9am to 5pm.
Mostly. The winery is on one level with wheelchair-width doors and there’s an accessible ground-floor toilet, but the Glass House Tasting Room is up two flights of stairs. Call 01227 832200 to arrange a ground-floor tasting. Cars can be driven into the vineyard for anyone with limited mobility.
Exchanges and refunds are at the estate’s discretion, and requests must be made in writing to theglasshouse@simpsonswine.com. If the estate cancels, you get a full refund.
What is on at the Kent vineyards that month, new tours worth booking, and our seasonal picks, from Christmas vouchers to harvest days. One email a month. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
