Yotes Court vineyard tour and tasting
A morning tour of the 75-acre vineyard, then a tasting in the cellar door or on the lawn.
Starts Yotes Court Vineyard, Mereworth, near Maidstone, Kent
Kent Wine Tours / Vineyards / Yotes Court
Vineyard guide · Mereworth
Visiting Yotes Court Vineyard
Yotes Court is a 75-acre vineyard on a former fruit farm between Mereworth and West Peckham, planted in 2016 and making single-varietal still and sparkling wines under its own label. From spring to autumn you can drop into the Wine Barn or book a tour, and in winter the Tasting Room opens on Fridays and Saturdays.
Yotes Court at a glance
| Founded | Planted 2016, first own-label wines released 2021 |
|---|---|
| Known for | Single-varietal, single-vintage still wines, including Bacchus, Pinot Meunier rosé and the red grape Divico |
| Grapes | Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Divico |
| Open | Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5.30pm, 1 April to 1 November; Friday and Saturday, 12pm to 5pm, 2 November to 19 December |
| Booking | Walk-ins welcome at the Wine Barn and Tasting Room, book tours, tastings and events online |
| Tours from | £27.50 |
| Food | Light bites and nibbles at the cellar door, with light lunches on some booked tastings |
| Dogs | Welcome on leads in the Wine Barn, on the Paddock Lawn and on the 11.30am tour and wine flight, not on guided tastings or garden tours |
| Children | Welcome in the Wine Barn and on the lawn, free on the 11.30am tour and wine flight, not on guided tastings |
| By train | Tonbridge, a short taxi ride, or West Malling, Wateringbury and Yalding with a pre-booked taxi |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in October 2026.
About Yotes Court
Yotes Court is a Grade I listed 17th-century manor house between West Peckham and Mereworth, and the vineyard lies on the former soft and top fruit farm to its west. When the owner, Susannah Ricci, took it on, the house was tired, the garden overgrown and the fruit farm in need of investment. On the advice of Stephen Skelton MW, who rates it the best site he has planted, the first vines went in during 2016, with about 60 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown for Chapel Down’s traditional method sparkling wines.
In 2018 Susannah Ricci added 10 acres for wines under the Yotes Court name, planting Bacchus and Pinot Blanc on the highest point, a former apricot orchard 140 metres above sea level, followed by Pinot Gris and the disease-resistant red grape Divico in 2019. The slope faces south towards Bidborough Ridge on free-draining soils full of Kentish ragstone, with greensand at the top and heavier clay lower down. The vineyard manager, Tony Purdie, came from Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand in 2016, and in August 2020 Yotes Court was among the first producers accredited by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain. The wines are made by Defined Wine near Canterbury, as there is no winery on site.
The first own-label wines, four still wines from the 2020 vintage, were released in 2021 and all won medals at that year’s WineGB Awards, including a gold and the Newcomer Trophy for the Pinot Meunier rosé ’Best Turned Out’. The wine names come from the owner’s interest in National Hunt racing. In 2024 Yotes Court became the ninth member of the Wine Garden of England group, and the 20-acre garden around the house has been redesigned by Tom Stuart-Smith.
The wines
Every Yotes Court wine is made from a single grape variety from a single vintage, all grown on the estate, and all are vegan. The still range includes ’On the Nod’ Bacchus, ’Hands and Heels’ Pinot Blanc, ’Loose Rein’ Pinot Gris, ’Two Beat Trot’ Chardonnay, ’Best Turned Out’ Pinot Meunier rosé, ’Starter’s Orders’ Pinot Noir and ’The Favourite’, a red from the newer Divico grape. Sparkling wines include ’LiveLoveLaugh’, an early-release Pinot Gris, the rosé ’Let’s Dance’, the ’Annie Power’ Cuvée, and a Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs. The Divico is the one to try if you want something you will not find at most English vineyards. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Yotes Court
From 1 April to 1 November the Wine Barn and Paddock Lawn open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 5.30pm for wine by the glass, flights and local nibbles, with walk-ins welcome; indoor tables can be booked, outdoor ones cannot. Tours and guided tastings run in the same season, and picnics in the vines can be booked. From 2 November to 19 December the Tasting Room opens on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 5pm, and the shop is open on other weekdays for wine, gift boxes and hampers. The vineyard is closed on bank holiday Mondays. The wines are vegan, the cellar door has vegan and vegetarian nibbles, and other dietary needs can usually be met with 24 hours’ notice. Non-drinkers can have Roughway Farm apple juice and other soft drinks at the cellar door. Garden tours of the 20-acre garden with the head gardener run once a month on Fridays from April to September at £40.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Tour, Guided Tasting and Light Lunch The most popular visit: a tour of the vineyard, a guided tasting in the Tasting Room, then a light lunch with a glass of sparkling wine. | £48.50 per person | 2 hours or more | Wednesday to Sunday at 11.30am, April to October |
| Vineyard Tour and Guided Tasting A walk through the vines followed by a guided tasting in the Tasting Room. Not open to under-18s or dogs. | £32 per person | 1.5 hours | April to October: Wednesday at 11.30am, Thursday and Friday at 11.30am and 1.30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 1.30pm |
| Vineyard Tour and Self-Guided Wine Flight A morning vineyard tour, then a flight of wines to taste at your own pace with a tasting guide. The one booked visit that welcomes both children and dogs. | £27.50 per person, under-18s free with an adult | 1.5 hours | Wednesday to Sunday at 11.30am, April to October |
| Self-Guided Wine Flight No booking needed: a flight of Yotes Court wines with a tasting guide, in the Wine Barn or on the Paddock Lawn. | £16 per person | As long as you like | Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5pm, April to October |
| In From The Cold: winter Tasting Room Wine by the glass or bottle, tasting flights and light nibbles indoors, with views over the vineyard. Walk-ins are welcome, and well-behaved children and dogs on leads are allowed. | Pay as you go | Drop in, or book a table from 12pm to 4pm | Fridays and Saturdays, 12pm to 5pm, 2 November to 19 December 2026 |
| Sparkle and Sprigs wreath-making workshop Make a festive wreath from vineyard and garden materials, with all equipment provided, then a glass of sparkling wine and a cheese and charcuterie platter in the Tasting Room. Limited to 10 people and mostly outdoors, so dress warmly. | £65 per person | 10am to about 12.30pm | Saturday 28 November 2026 |
Book these on the Yotes Court website.
Tours that include Yotes Court
If you would rather not drive, these tours take you there, with tastings included.
What’s on
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Workshop
Wreath making workshop
Make a wreath from natural materials in a group of up to ten, followed by a glass of sparkling wine and a cheese and charcuterie platter.
Saturday 28 November 2026 · 10am to 12.30pm · £65 a head · Book ahead
Buy Yotes Court 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
Tonbridge station is about 32 minutes from London Bridge, with a taxi rank for the short ride out. West Malling, Wateringbury and Yalding are closer, but you need to pre-book a taxi from them; book return taxis well ahead too. Buses stop at Mereworth School, about a 20-minute walk from the entrance. By car, use ME18 5JT or what3words circle.racing.finger, and come via Seven Mile Lane, Mereworth Road, Forge Lane and Stan Lane, avoiding narrow Swanton Road. The entrance is on Stan Lane, not the Manor House entrance on Mereworth Road: pass the spotty barn, go through the white gate and follow signs to the Cellar Door. Parking is plentiful. Walkers can come in from Stan Lane or by the bridleway along the north of the vineyard.
Make a day of it
Yotes Court sits in farmland just outside Mereworth, a few minutes from the village of West Peckham and less than an hour from London. The vineyard publishes a guide to local walking routes, and the 20-acre garden around the house can be seen on the monthly garden tours from April to September. For an overnight stay, the vineyard suggests The Nutplat Retreat, vintage glamping at Roughway about an hour’s country walk away, and Orchard Pods, a farm B&B with four en-suite pods at Offham.
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.
Questions people ask
Do you need to book at Yotes Court Vineyard?
Not for the Wine Barn, Paddock Lawn or the £16 self-guided wine flight, which take walk-ins. Tours, guided tastings, garden tours and events should be booked online.
Is Yotes Court open in winter?
Yes, from 2 November to 19 December the Tasting Room opens on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 5pm for wine by the glass or bottle, flights and nibbles. The main season of tours and tastings runs from April to October.
How much is a tour at Yotes Court?
A vineyard tour with a self-guided wine flight is £27.50, a tour with a guided tasting £32, and a tour, guided tasting and light lunch £48.50. They run Wednesday to Sunday from April to October.
Is Yotes Court dog friendly?
Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the Wine Barn, on the Paddock Lawn, at vineyard picnics, on the 11.30am tour and wine flight, and in the winter Tasting Room. They are not allowed on guided tastings or garden tours, apart from assistance dogs.
Can you take children to Yotes Court?
Yes. Children are welcome in the Wine Barn, on the lawn and at picnics, and under-18s go free on the 11.30am tour and wine flight with an adult. Guided tastings are for over-18s only.
How do you get to Yotes Court by train?
Take a train to Tonbridge, about 32 minutes from London Bridge, then a taxi from the rank. The nearer stations at West Malling, Wateringbury and Yalding need a pre-booked taxi.