So on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we decided to drive out to Kent and visit the Chapel Down…read moreVineyard! We've been fans of the wine for awhile (their Pinot Reserve sparkling is delicious), and we needed to get some of their Flint Dry (and by some, I mean a lot) for a big celebration we had coming up. After driving through the countryside of Kent and through some small villages nearby, you will finally arrive at the Vineyard. It's not close to the motorway, just be prepared, but you do get to see the lovely scenic Kent countryside so that's a bonus. When you arrive, you're allowed three complimentary tastes of their wines or beers (although I'm not sure how hard and fast that rule is given we tried a few more than that). I can recommend many of their sparklings, whites and beers, but their reds aren't for me. Then if you want to buy some to take home, they offer 10% a purchase of 12 or more. There's also a huge food area to buy goodies from chocolates to jams and even savory spreads (like bacon jam!). After shopping (or even before) you can wander around the vineyard and see the grapes. We did a small walk through, but given the heat of the day, we mostly found a shaded spot in the grass and sat around chatting. There's even a restaurant if you desire a place to eat, or you can pick up cheese and biscuits from inside the shop and eat in the picnic area. It's a gorgeous place to spend a sunny Saturday.

Prior to our trip, we were looking for wineries to visit and found Chapel Down. We found them and…read moretheir wines interesting. They have a great location and encourage picnics with a bottle of their wine. We walked a bit in the vineyards before heading in for a tasting. We drink sparkling wine every weekend so the fact that they produced several was a huge draw. We really enjoyed them and they make the perfect bubbly to bring to any gathering. Crisp, clean and refreshing...the ideal accompaniment for sushi or charcuterie. Not huge fans of the whites, but their sparkling is a tremendous value and should be enjoyed weekly!

This amazing 23 acre smallholding has so much going on its hard to believe they keep all the balls…read morein the air at the same time. Its a running vineyard, cider making facility, sheep keeping, honey producing.....the list goes on. They also invite people to come and camp on their land at very reasonable rates (check website) which is an ideal place to stop for a few days with the kids as there's so much for them to do. Try their apple juice! Its the best I've ever tried.

This was our first visit to an English winery and our first tasting of English still wines so…read morenaturally were very excited to see and try them. The winery is located in a beautiful countryside town and/or is also just 15 minutes away from the train station. Upon arrival, you see the vineyards and cute tasting room. Chris and David, owners, meet you and take you in a tour and taste you through their wines. The three still wines they are serving are stunning, well structured, aromatic wines that you can drink, pair food with or age. They also pour some of their neighbors' sparkling wines, all of which are also top notch. The winery, vineyard, tasting room and owners are top notch and a must visit. You will not be let down.

Small and friendly wine merchant- given the size and location, a limited range of wines and beers…read moreare carried, emphasising quality ( go somewhere else if you want a case of Fosters). Some real gems on offer here, if you're willing to go with the proprietors nous ( for example, on last visit I had a fantastic Provençal Picpoul- fantastic with local seafood).

This small independent wine seller is a real gem…read more We held a wine tasting evening last Saturday and needed a good selection of wine/champagne - the owner Clement - was excellent at selecting different wines/champagne (direct from the vineyards) for each course of the dinner. He also provided us with details of all the bottles and lent us a book on what we were drinking. All the wine was organic and no-one had a hangover. Glasses were provided and also cleaned - no washing up is a huge bonus! Can fully recommend Smashing Wines.

The coolest bottle shop! Came here to pick up some speciality items that I can't get in the US and…read morewas blown away by the selection of liquors and fine wines. There is so much to look at. Would be a great place to pick up a gift for the wine or cocktail lover in your life. The staff here are knowledgeable and helped me wrap my bottles to bring back in my suitcase.

This place is fancy! We popped in to get a bottle of champagne for our niece and was greeted by a…read morefriendly associate asking if we needed help. We did. Got the recommendation and bought the bottle along with a couple more for the upcoming holiday. A little odd that some bottles were the only ones they had in stock. But no worries. Will for sure come back for our special occasions.

We went to Rye on a girl's trip on the first weekend of April. Weather was lovely during the day…read morebut it started raining really bad around 7 - and we found shelter at Olde Worlde Wines. The owner was very helpful and friendly! We had great English sparkling wine here, I can't remember its name right now (yes it was THAT good) but I plan on asking my flatmate and sneakily edit this review later. Tthey have three sparklings right now, all of them local wines. We had a lovely chat with some people at the bar as well. It is tiny but with a great atmosphere and a not broad but (from what we could see) well picked out selection of wines. I definitely recommend it if you're in the area.

Superb selection of wines + champagne and with a great price range available. Charlie and Sam…read morereally know their stuff !!