Visiting Biddenden during our recent tour of Kent was particularly exciting for me – I was already very familiar with their Ortega, having included it on my Wine List at The Wingerworth following the English Wine Producers Trade & Press Tasting in London in 2014. I was eager to explore where the wine had started its life and to see what else Biddenden Vineyards had to offer. Unfortunately, we were greeted at the vineyard by a torrential downpour, which somewhat curtailed our customary walk through the vines. Nevertheless Victoria Rose, Biddenden’s Sales & Marketing Manager, greeted us enthusiastically and we battled the elements the best we could. The first thing to note was just how established some of the vines looked in comparison to others we had seen that weekend, and I was fascinated to discover that Biddenden is the oldest vineyard in Kent. The vineyard’s history is evident everywhere, from the traditional look of the branding and labelling, to the focus on Germanic grape varietals and the seventeenth-century horse-driven pack press that stands proudly by the entrance to the cellar door. Victoria told us that their iconic branding had now become a piece of the vineyard’s history, so whilst the new Gribble Bridge range had enjoyed a youthful and modern facelift recently, the core wines would always retain their nostalgic charm.
The land occupied by Biddenden Vineyard has been owned by the Barnes family since the 1920s, originally planted as an apple orchard to produce cider. This part of the business is still very evident in the continuing contract cider production for many other local growers. It was also fascinating to note that if you were to come across a supermarket food product containing cider in some form, the cider element has almost certainly passed through Biddenden’s doors at some stage. When apple prices began to fall in the 1960s, the Barneses were forced to consider their options and after hearing a feature about English Vineyards on BBC Woman’s Hour, Mrs Barnes decided that grapes were to be the answer to their problem.
The backbone of their operation is now firmly in wine, with the first vines being planted in 1972 and gradually expanding until all 23 acres were under grape rather than orchard. Over half of the production is Ortega, which Victoria told us was perfect for the English climate – with the hardy vines producing low acid, stone fruit flavoured wines. Indeed, following our more recent trip to the English Wine Producers Tasting in May 2016, we can confirm that Biddenden's Ortega is the pick of the bunch! So much so, that we Commended the wine in the Other Single Varietal White category in our mini awards after the event.
The current owner Julian Barnes and his son Tom are now charged with running the vineyard and they have a very hands-on approach, with everything up to disgorgement (which is done at nearby Chapel Down) happening in house. The grape selection is very much handled by the father and son team too, now with 10 additional varietals to the Ortega; Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Dornfelder, Huxelrebe, Reichensteiner, Scheurebe, Shönburger, Acolon and [hold your breath Beaujolais lovers!] England’s only planting of Gamay. I recently watched the incredible wine documentary, Somm: Into the Bottle for perhaps the twelfth time since it was released a few months ago, in which Beaujolais was unanimously considered to be the most underrated wine region in the world by the Master Sommeliers – well, could this be Britain’s equivalent?...
It’s refreshing to see that Biddenden are focussed on producing the wines that they love rather than, as Victoria aptly put it, “chasing the Champagne dream”. The focus is on producing delicious, approachable, affordable and accessible wines, designed to be drunk within a few years. Their real passion is for sweet wine, but whilst they produce a sweet Schönberger through noble rot, they do not think that our climate is quite warm enough to make this their primary focus. Whilst it wouldn’t be viable for too many vineyards to occupy this niche, it is wonderful to see that not only is someone filling this gap in the market, but filling it extremely well.
The wine itself bears no oak – it’s all about the fruit. The character is fresh and the wines are designed to be drunk young. The range is constantly evolving too, with the first release of the Pinot Reserve arriving just a few months ago in November 2015. Returning to their roots, Biddenden are launching a new cider this Summer and they are the only people in the country to produce a red apple juice, which is have to say is quite delicious! They use the same farmers within a 15 mile radius to source their apples each year and it was a surprise to hear that in the local area, Biddenden Vineyard is known much more for its cider and apple juice than its wine.
As with many English Wine producers that we visit, Biddenden do like to keep things local – it enables a control on their product and are they very selective in who they sell to. Victoria explained that they do not sell to wholesalers or large supermarkets because they only want people who have a real passion for the brand to stock their products. It is ideal then, that their location sits between quiet, picturesque villages amongst the Kent countryside – this is where their key demographic happens to live, as well as a smattering of small independent wine shops, delicatessens and farm shops.
So what about their diverse and unusual range? Well, here’s what we thought about the wines:
Date Visited: Friday 15th April 2016
Website: biddendenvineyards.com
Location: Biddenden, Kent
Pingback: There’s Something About Kent – Great British Wine