Photograph courtesy of Terlingham Vineyard.
The first time we visited Terlingham Vineyard, we came away with so much more than the photographs you see here. It was such a memorable day near Folkestone, and the sort of visit that stays with you. The Wilks family made us feel so welcome at their small Kent vineyard, where you could really see the place behind what you were drinking.
We have followed Terlingham since. In an earlier guide to British vineyard visits, we included it among the places worth discovering. Lindsay also wrote about the women who had helped shape its story — Lorna Wilks and her daughters Jackie, Caroline and Ashleigh — in our piece on women in winemaking.
When we reached out to Terlingham about their UKFizz producer profile, we received a lovely response from David Lowe, ther new winery manager. David got us up to speed about the work behind the new chapter under owners Kanagaratnam Rajamenon and Rickesh Rajamenon.
Since the handover, David has been working to get Terlingham up and running: managing the vineyard, supplying local shops and restaurants, and running events, tours and tastings. That work has included the Canterbury Wine Festival. Janneke van der Merwe is the vineyard’s winemaker.
For background on the change of ownership, read the Folkestone Dispatch’s December 2025 report on the Terlingham takeover.
Looking out from the Tasting Barn towards the vineyard. Photograph courtesy of Terlingham Vineyard.
For current information about visits, tours and tastings, explore Terlingham’s UKFizz profile.
Terlingham is a finalist in the Taste of Kent Awards. The Kent Wine of the Year result will be announced on Thursday 8 October. Congratulations to the team on reaching the final.
Good luck to all the vineyards taking part, and a big thank you to everyone doing such a great job in a challenging UK wine industry. A special shout-out to the wineries supporting UKFizz — we really appreciate being part of your story. We’re looking forward to hearing how the evening went and celebrating the people behind the wines.
Our older photographs remind us why we first wanted to share Terlingham with others. The vineyard has new owners and a new team, while the vines, the setting and the pleasure of discovering Kent wine where it comes from remain.
We are pleased to welcome Terlingham as one of UKFizz’s Founding 100 producers and look forward to following what happens next.
UKFizz is an independent discovery platform connecting people with the vineyards, producers, places and bottles shaping Britain’s wine story.
