Kent has the most hours of sunshine in the UK and perfect soil similar to the Champagne region, making it an ideal spot for a French and English wine collaboration.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:00From royalty to representatives, many from across Kent gathered to see the opening of
00:04the first French-owned winery to start producing grapes from scratch in the UK.
00:09The Domaine Evremont winery has been nearly 10 years in the making, and opened today in
00:14the countryside of Chilham near Canterbury.
00:16Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brentley near Tunbridge Wells,
00:20arrived and gave a speech to commemorate the day, as well as unveiling their new plaque.
00:26Well we're just outside Canterbury in Chilham, and it's been seven years since the first
00:30vine was planted here at the Domaine Evremont winery.
00:34Now seven years on, it's 150 hectares of vines that cover the land.
00:39The owner of Domaine Evremont seems confident that Kent is the start of something bigger
00:43for the wine industry.
00:44In Kent we have very fast communication, whether it's on the high speed HS1, whether we're
00:49down from London, promoting tourism in Kent.
00:53I believe, and I really believe, that Kent will be seen as the go-to destination if you
00:58want to taste high quality sparkling wine, still wine, but also visit some amazing wineries,
01:04be educated, walk around the vineyards, have a picnic in the vineyards.
01:08It's going to be a fantastic new addition to the very strong tourist offering that Kent
01:14offers.
01:15Patrick is a Master of Wine, a title that only 416 people hold worldwide, and he joins
01:21the other master in Kent, Clive Barlow.
01:24Kent is known as the Garden of England, but many in the county might be surprised to hear
01:28that Kent is extremely similar geographically to the Champagne region of France.
01:33I asked the president of Tate de Champagne why Kent was chosen as the best place for
01:37the new winery.
01:38Kent, because of the soil, because of the soil mainly, and after you have many things
01:45that are quite easy to work with for us, because we have a wonderful grower we are
01:54working with, Mark Gaskin and his family, and I think that we have chosen this place
02:00for that, also for the proximity with the sea, the proximity of a big, big place of
02:09nature.
02:10According to experts, Kent has the best conditions in the UK for the production of wine and
02:15grapes, from the soil having the right amounts of clay and chalk, and the highest amount
02:19of hours with the sun in the sky.
02:22Well even though that might be the case normally, British weather is about as unpredictable
02:25as you can get.
02:26Finn McDermid for KMTV in Chilham.