ABOUT US
OUR STORY - A PIONEERING WINE LEGACY
In 1806 Gregory Blaxland, a farmer from Canterbury Kent, emigrated to Australia with his brother John. The journey took 220 days. En route they collected vines from the Cape of Good Hope. In 1813 Gregory, with two other explorers, found a passage across the Blue Mountains, making Australian history.
From the vines he planted he became the first person to export wine from Australia to the UK, winning a silver medal for his red wine in London in 1822.
In 2016 Gregory’s descendant Henry Blaxland, inspired by the pioneering family history, planted 6.25 hectares of vines on farm land on the edge of the Kent Downs overlooking Canterbury Cathedral, which has been in the family for generations.
Our Vines
Prior to planting the land had been assessed as exceptional for vine growing. The geological strata of chalk, limestone and clay (peppered with flint) together with changing climactic conditions make East Kent an optimum location for growing grapes for sparkling wine. The vineyard is on a gentle south facing slope at the perfect height above sea level.
We have planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier principally for sparkling wine, but including clones which produce outstanding still wines. 10% of the area has been planted with Pinot Gris.
Where once apples and blackcurrants grew in abundance on our land in the heart of the Garden of England, vines are now forging a new identity for the region.
Our Wine
Our sparkling wines for the 2018 to 2021 vintages were made by the internationally renowned wine maker Emma Rice of Hattingley Valley and have won multiple awards.
Both out still and sparkling wines are now made by the expert team at Defined Wine, a contract winery just south of Canterbury, where Nick Lane is the head wine maker and which has established a national reputation.
