Over 40 people filled the tables at Bilsington village hall last Saturday for an entertaining and informative evening of wine tasting and conversation with the owners of local vineyards.
Hosted by Hester Fenwick from Brabourne Vineyard and Lucie Swiestowska of Hamstreet Vineyard, with more wines contributed by the nearby Woodchurch Vineyard, guests enjoyed six wines and a laden charcuterie board while listening to Hester outline the history of English winemaking in the southeast.
An enlightening discussion followed, with Lucie Swiestowska explaining the processes of “natural” winemaking and the benefits of the organic and regenerative farming processes being employed at Hamstreet Vineyard. This small, ten-acre vineyard should be producing wine for the market in 2022.
The Brabourne Vineyard, a family-owned and run operation where all the vines are tended by hand, grows mostly pinot noir grapes with a focus on producing premium wines. Hester explained the challenges facing producers of red wine in this country but proudly explained that English sparkling wine has improved enormously in recent years and now rightly holds its own against the top champagne marques from Europe. Indeed, the cases of Brabourne sparkling wine, available to buy on the night, sold out in record time.
As more shoppers are buying locally produced food and veg, let’s not forget the local wineries… chin chin!
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Image Credits: Chris Lawson .