Gribble Bridge Sparkling Ortega Demi-Sec
£28
Floral and aromatic, with sweet green apple, ripe orchard fruit and soft bubbles. A generous, gently sweet sparkling wine made from some of Kent’s oldest Ortega vines.
1969
Biddenden
Biddenden began with a third of an acre and one wonderfully bold idea. When falling apple prices pushed the Barnes family to rethink their 40-acre orchard, Joyce Barnes heard a BBC Woman’s Hour feature about the return of English vineyards and saw a different future for the farm. The first vines went into the ground in 1969. More than half a century later, second and third generations of the family still grow, pick and make the wines here, combining deep local knowledge with the confidence to keep trying something new.
The single estate now covers 23 acres of sheltered, gently south-facing slopes just outside Biddenden. Sandy loam over clay, a maritime climate and a long growing season support 12 varieties, from Pinot Noir and Bacchus to the Ortega vines that have become part of the estate’s signature. Every grape is estate-grown and picked by hand, then pressed and bottled on site — a proper grape-to-glass operation with more than 55 vintages behind it.
WINEMAKER
Head winemaker Julian Barnes has spent decades learning what this Kent site can deliver, and now works alongside his son Tom and the wider family team. Their approach pairs hard-won experience with an appetite for experimentation: traditional-method sparkling wines sit beside distinctive still, sweet and limited-release bottlings, all shaped by fruit grown and handled entirely on the estate.
The Collection
£28
Floral and aromatic, with sweet green apple, ripe orchard fruit and soft bubbles. A generous, gently sweet sparkling wine made from some of Kent’s oldest Ortega vines.
£40
Baked peach and orchard fruit meet a creamy mousse, gentle brioche and a lightly smoky, herbal lift. Dry, generous and quietly complex, with enough freshness to keep everything moving.
£28
A blushing, off-dry rosé full of strawberry, raspberry and juicy pear, brightened by a squeeze of lemon and a lively stream of bubbles.
Vineyard shop
Monday: 09:00–17:00
Tuesday: 09:00–17:00
Wednesday: 09:00–17:00
Thursday: 09:00–17:00
Friday: 09:00–17:00
Saturday: 10:00–17:00
Sunday: 11:00–16:00
Vineyard shop: May–September hours shown. Seasonal hours vary from October to April; please check the official website before travelling. Bank holidays are generally 11:00–16:00 in the summer season.