Chapel Down Winery & Smallhythe Place
Once I knew I was visiting Tenterden because of the (albeit quite small) ancestry connection, I started looking at what I could do whilst here. Kent is kind of known for its "wine country" and early into my research I found a winery called Chapel Down which offered tours for a reasonable price nearby to Tenterden. Couldn't pass it up!
I was grateful to not have the day start until 10:00 since yesterday was such an early morning. I slept in, got ready, and walked down to the High Street to meet the taxi I had arranged. Buses don't run on Sundays, so I had to find alternate transport to the winery. There was no walkable route. On the way to the taxi I had dropped my scarf, so had to retrace my steps to find it, losing a few minutes. I'm glad I realized I lost it before it was too late!
A real nice guy picked me up; he was from South Africa. The ride took just 5 minutes to the winery, so that was nice. We chatted a bit about what brought him to Tenterden and what brought me to England. His accent was hard to understand so I mostly just made noises like I understood what he was saying haha.
We started the tour by putting on orange vests--insurance requirement. The guy who did the tour was very knowledgable and I learned a lot. I forget this is people's jobs. He knows wine and growing grapes the way I know academic advising.
Wine wasn't really a thing in England until relatively recently. This winery didn't exist until the 70s and is only 18 acres here in Tenterden. This company has about 1000 acres in England; it's the largest wine producer in England. Grapevines do like the English climate. Apparently some places in France are starting to get too hot for grapes!
Very important sidenote as I'm typing up this blog: this bar is playing the artist who I am currently obsessed with--James Arthur! He is English and apparently won the X Factor several years ago, but his voice is the most beautiful I've ever heard!
Okay, back to the program: we learned about why the vines are planted in certain directions, what kinds of grapes they grow at this winery, what the growing season is like, and what the grape-smashing, fermentation, and bottling processes are. They are getting ready to harvest the grapes in three weeks! Everything was pretty detailed and I can't begin to remember it all, but it was all interesting!
I believe my eyes are closed in that last photo. The clouds were pretty today and the weather was a perfect day to do this!
After visiting the vines, the juicing area, and the bottling spot (technical terms), we went to a different area for the tasting.
I learned a lot whilst tasting too! He had us hold the glass at our chest to smell it, then at our chins, then at our nose. Some you can smell all the way from chest-height, others you can't. Then we swirled it in the glass and smelled again. There is definitely a difference in smell after swirled. He pointed out in your mouth where you can taste bitterness and sweetness.
He explained some of the "notes" as we tried seven different wines. Some of the things he said, I could pick up on. Other times I was just like, "ohhh okay, whatever." The older wines were for sure better tasting haha. I prefer still wines to sparkling.
I sat next to some local people from the next town over. They were nice; we chatted a bit throughout. One couple definitely were snobbish about wine. They clearly had visited other wineries and for sure had opinions.
The winery seemed pretty posh, so I asked the people next to me if the brand is known in England and if it's good quality. They said that it's familiar, but expensive for the quality. They told me I could buy it at the supermarket in town for cheaper than at the winery haha. One cool thing--William and Kate had Chapel Down sparkling wine at their wedding!
I was feeling a little tipsy after just two tastings! There was a little bucket to spit or pour the extra in if you didn't want to drink it all. It felt wasteful and tragic, but I had to start pouring the wine in the bucket after taking a couple sips. I would've been drunk if I had drank it all!
Visiting a winery seems so romantic, doesn't it? Maybe not so much when you are by yourself, but I had a great time nonetheless.
Next on the docket and just down the road from the winery was Smallhythe Place, a National Trust property. Victorian actress Ellen Terry lived in the house, but the house is about 500 years old.
I only walked 2.6 miles today and my legs/feet are thanking me!
Tomorrow I'm off to Eastbourne with a stop in Rye!
I was grateful to not have the day start until 10:00 since yesterday was such an early morning. I slept in, got ready, and walked down to the High Street to meet the taxi I had arranged. Buses don't run on Sundays, so I had to find alternate transport to the winery. There was no walkable route. On the way to the taxi I had dropped my scarf, so had to retrace my steps to find it, losing a few minutes. I'm glad I realized I lost it before it was too late!
A real nice guy picked me up; he was from South Africa. The ride took just 5 minutes to the winery, so that was nice. We chatted a bit about what brought him to Tenterden and what brought me to England. His accent was hard to understand so I mostly just made noises like I understood what he was saying haha.
We started the tour by putting on orange vests--insurance requirement. The guy who did the tour was very knowledgable and I learned a lot. I forget this is people's jobs. He knows wine and growing grapes the way I know academic advising.
Wine wasn't really a thing in England until relatively recently. This winery didn't exist until the 70s and is only 18 acres here in Tenterden. This company has about 1000 acres in England; it's the largest wine producer in England. Grapevines do like the English climate. Apparently some places in France are starting to get too hot for grapes!
Very important sidenote as I'm typing up this blog: this bar is playing the artist who I am currently obsessed with--James Arthur! He is English and apparently won the X Factor several years ago, but his voice is the most beautiful I've ever heard!
Okay, back to the program: we learned about why the vines are planted in certain directions, what kinds of grapes they grow at this winery, what the growing season is like, and what the grape-smashing, fermentation, and bottling processes are. They are getting ready to harvest the grapes in three weeks! Everything was pretty detailed and I can't begin to remember it all, but it was all interesting!
After visiting the vines, the juicing area, and the bottling spot (technical terms), we went to a different area for the tasting.
I learned a lot whilst tasting too! He had us hold the glass at our chest to smell it, then at our chins, then at our nose. Some you can smell all the way from chest-height, others you can't. Then we swirled it in the glass and smelled again. There is definitely a difference in smell after swirled. He pointed out in your mouth where you can taste bitterness and sweetness.
He explained some of the "notes" as we tried seven different wines. Some of the things he said, I could pick up on. Other times I was just like, "ohhh okay, whatever." The older wines were for sure better tasting haha. I prefer still wines to sparkling.
I sat next to some local people from the next town over. They were nice; we chatted a bit throughout. One couple definitely were snobbish about wine. They clearly had visited other wineries and for sure had opinions.
The winery seemed pretty posh, so I asked the people next to me if the brand is known in England and if it's good quality. They said that it's familiar, but expensive for the quality. They told me I could buy it at the supermarket in town for cheaper than at the winery haha. One cool thing--William and Kate had Chapel Down sparkling wine at their wedding!
I was feeling a little tipsy after just two tastings! There was a little bucket to spit or pour the extra in if you didn't want to drink it all. It felt wasteful and tragic, but I had to start pouring the wine in the bucket after taking a couple sips. I would've been drunk if I had drank it all!
Visiting a winery seems so romantic, doesn't it? Maybe not so much when you are by yourself, but I had a great time nonetheless.
Next on the docket and just down the road from the winery was Smallhythe Place, a National Trust property. Victorian actress Ellen Terry lived in the house, but the house is about 500 years old.
The house inside is so wonky; the floors are so uneven. I'm not sure how these buildings are even still standing! Unfortunately from photos you can't tell how uneven the floors really are, so I won't bother posting any.
For dinner I went to The Vine, a pub established in Tenterden in 1792. I had Sunday roast with pork.
The Yorkshire pudding (the fried dough thingy) was especially delicious here. I just noticed that the place is decorated with hops. It's popular here!
I only walked 2.6 miles today and my legs/feet are thanking me!
Tomorrow I'm off to Eastbourne with a stop in Rye!