UK Kent wine & cheese tasting at Gusbourne Estate
Gusbourne Winery and the ‘Nest’ tasting room - Source: Winekeller
Single-minded vision to produce the finest wines in the world
We were intrigued and excited to visit Gusbourne Estate in Kent in England’s South-east wine region - simply because we had heard that their English sparkling wines are amongst the finest - and they are also producing some stunning Pinot Noir red wines.
We had also read that Gusbourne is not only uncompromisingly focused on producing the highest quality wines - and only ‘vintage’ wines - it is a trailblazer in the UK for ‘sustainable winemaking’. In fact Gusbourne is one of the founder members for Sustainable Wines of Great Britain.
A quick peruse of Gusbourne’s website creates a first impression of a top quality, modern, classy, sleek operation - we were excited to find out whether a wine tour experience at Gusbourne would live up to expectations!
Please note that since this article was written, Gusbourne has been listed no. 61 in the 2023 list of the ‘World’s Best Vineyards’!
Gusbourne - top quality English wine estate
In 2004, South African Andrew Weeber took over the Gusbourne Estate in Appledore, Kent, with a clear vision in his mind - to harness the special clay soils and the special warm climate (unique to the UK), to produce the best possible wines that could compete on the world stage. To achieve this Andrew planted the first vines in the same year and set about investing in the best equipment and technology to achieve his vision. His focus on modern winemaking however, is equally matched by a great respect for tradition, authenticity and the land his grapes are grown on.
The estate dates back to 1410 and was originally a goose farm, owned by the ‘de Goosbourne’ family. The name evolved to ‘Gusbourne’ and the geese forming part of the original family crest are reflected today on every bottle of Gusbourne wine.
The first sparkling wines were produced from the 2016 vintage and were released in 2010, to industry acclaim. Gusbourne has never looked back and is still winning top awards today - in fact the spectacular Blanc de Blancs 2016 has just picked up the Platinum award at the 2021 Decanter World Wine Award competition.
Gusbourne’s vineyards
Gusbourne only makes wines with its own grapes - from 60 hectares of vines in Kent and an additional 30 hectares in Sussex. Gusbourne has purposely focused on the 3 traditional Burgundy grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, to make premium English wines.
The soil in the Kent vineyards is not chalk, but a tough, sandy clay, which gives an environment where the vines have to work harder and the roots go deeper. This can give a deeper complexity to the wines and with the benefit of the extra hours of sunshine in this region and gentle breezes from the sea, Gusbourne grapes have a near perfect environment to thrive.
Gusbourne practices a minimum intervention approach in the vineyards and lets Nature do her thing, with all grapes being handpicked. The focus on making only vintage wines means each vintage has its own distinct and unique expression. Conservation in the vineyards is also important to Gusbourne. Acres of beautiful wild flower meadows have been planted to encourage biodiversity and old English oaks have been preserved throughout the vineyards.
Gusbourne vineyards - Source: Winekeller
Gusbourne’s winery and winemaker
Celebrated winemaker Charlie Holland is in charge at Gusbourne and his philosophy to winemaking is that it takes time, patience and attention to detail to produce the best results, working with Nature and the best possible fruit. Charlie has produced some stunning sparkling and still wines, winning numerous international awards and becoming the only three-time winner of the IWSC English Wine Producer of the Year.
Gusbourne conducts the primary fermentation, in stainless steel tanks and selective use of oak barrels, onsite at it’s Kent vineyards. The secondary bottle fermentation for the sparkling wines is definitely an unhurried process. The bottles are stored in the cellar and the wine is left to age for an extended time on the lees (dead yeast) to add depth and flavour, for a minimum of 28 months. Once disgorged, the wines are often allowed to age further under cork, adding to the complexity of the wines.
Gusbourne wines
Gusbourne has 3 sparkling wines in its core range - the entry level and their most popular wine, Brut Reserve (2017), the Rosé (2016) and the amazing Blanc de Blancs (2016), for which it has just received the amazing Platinum award from Decanter World Wine Awards 2021. This wine isn’t cheap - £59 per bottle - but - it is supremely good. It is regarded by winemaker Charlie Holland as Gusbourne’s finest wine and the wine that is the truest expression of the terroir. Not only has it won many awards, it is served up in some of the UK’s top restaurants, was the sparkling wine served during the 2012 London Olympics opening party and served by Buckingham Palace for visiting heads of state. So maybe it’s worth £59 a bottle for those very special occasions!
Gusbourne is also making waves with its Chardonnay Guinevere (2019) and its Pinot Noir (2019).
Our wine tour to Gusbourne Estate
Our visit to Gusbourne was part of a 4 day trip in Hampshire, Kent and E.Sussex where we got to visit 4 vineyards in total, so we thought we’d try something different and booked an evening wine tour at Gusbourne, with a wine and cheese tasting! And we weren’t disappointed!
We were really fortunate with the weather and arrived at Gusbourne on a beautifully sunny and warm Summer’s evening, but I don’t think you could fail to be impressed arriving in any weather at Gusbourne - the first impression you get is ‘quality, precision, professional’.
We were welcomed with a glass of the lovely Blanc de Blancs 2013, which went down extremely well - a great sign of things to follow! We had this on the lawns and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
Gusbourne wine tasting
We were led into the fabulous ‘Nest’ tasting room, beautifully designed and airy with floor to ceiling windows, setting off the stunning views over the vineyards and countryside.
Our guide talked us through 5 wines - firstly, the beautiful Blanc de Blancs 2016 - to enable us to compare this vintage with the 2013 vintage we had enjoyed earlier. This was for us the stand out wine and we preferred it to the 2013 vintage as it was more fruity. Made from 100-per-cent Chardonnay grapes it was really delicious - and yes we succumbed and bought a bottle - hopefully we can hold it back for a special occasion!
We then tasted both of the still chardonnays - the Guinevere and the limited edition Chardonnay 809 (2019) - the second one being our favourite. It really was like no other Chardonnay we’d tasted before, made from a specific clone variety.
Then onto a 2020 Pinot Noir Rosé (which isn’t on the Gusbourne website, so maybe it’s been very popular and sold out?) We loved this rosé - scrummy raspberry and strawberry flavours and a lovely long finish.
And finally, the Pinot Noir - we were lucky to try this as it’s very popular and in demand! We agreed with everything we had read about it - it was delicious - but at £35 pretty pricey!
Cheese tasting
Gusbourne paired our wines with a plate each of 3 beautiful cheeses and biscuits:
‘Idle Hour’ semi-hard cheese from Sussex
‘Winterdale Shaw’ cheddar from Kent
‘Lord London’ semi-soft cheese from Sussex
We really enjoyed being able to taste our wines with the different cheeses - it really was a great wine and food experience!
Vineyard tour
We were then invited to join our guide on a stroll around the vineyards - much needed after all of that cheese and 6 wines!
This was so lovely - an evening stroll through glorious vineyards and meadows, with stunning views over the Kent countryside. It really couldn’t have been better and our guide was excellent.
Self guided tours are possible at Gusbourne - you are given a map and allowed to wander by yourselves. We could see that this would be a really good option as everything is so well marked out and explained in the supporting literature.
Our guide talked us through the different vineyards and vines and pointed out the great views and landmarks along the way.
Where to buy Gusbourne wines:
You can purchase Gusbourne wines via their own website and direct from the cellar door, but they are also available from The Wine Society, in Waitrose and in wine specialists, Berry Bros. & Rudd.
Useful information for your Gusbourne visit
Wine tours and wine tasting options
So as already mentioned you can simply turn up, collect a map and enjoy a self-guided tour through the vineyards.
Or if you prefer a guided tour you will need to book in advance, choosing from a 2 hour guided ‘Vineyard’ tour including the vineyards, the winery tour and wine tasting, a ‘Discovery’ tour which lasts about 4 hours and includes a relaxed lunch and an extended tasting, or the ‘Estate’ tour which includes some more limited edition wines and a 3-course lunch. There are lots of other options too, including the cheese and wine evening we enjoyed, picnic in the vineyards and special ‘Harvest’ tours.
There is something for everyone at Gusbourne and we certainly found our experience, although quite expensive, good value for money.
What to see and do in the area
Gusbourne is located in ‘1066’ country, famous for historic towns, castles, the Battle of Hastings, glorious beaches, fresh seafood and nowadays also for lovely vineyards.
For ideas about what to see and do near Gusbourne, visit here.
Rye, which is actually in Sussex, is just 10 minutes away and we loved our time here, with its medieval houses and cobbled streets as well as the beautiful Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. We spent some time on Camber Sands beach just 3 miles from Rye - 3 miles of clean sandy beach and dunes and where the movie Dunkirk was filmed!
Where to stay and where to eat near Gusbourne
We stayed in beautiful Rye for 3 nights during our trip which was a 45 minute drive away from Hush Heath. We loved everything about the Rye Windmill where we stayed and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It served as an ideal base for us to explore Rye (a must) and other surrounding villages, Romney Marsh and Camber Sands on the coast.
Kent is not short on great places to enjoy its wonderful produce - the best of the vine, the hop and the land, as well as the sea!
We had a fabulous meal in Kent at ‘Webbe’s at the Fish Café.’ Superb fresh fish and shellfish - an award-winning restaurant in a restored warehouse.
We can also recommend The Hoof in Rye for meat lovers - and for curry lovers, also in Rye, an excellent Bangladeshi restaurant called Mahdi Lounge (most amazing lamb curries!)
For ideas about where to stay and where to eat, see here.
Transport
Gusbourne is easy to find from Rye by car - just 10 minutes away - and is also just 15 minutes away from Ashford.
Due to their close proximity you could also get a taxi from Rye or Ashford (train links with London St. Pancras.)
See more information here.
Address: Kenardington Rd, Appledore, Ashford TN26 2BE
Other UK vineyards to visit in the area:
There are some lovely vineyards and wineries to visit in Kent and on the Kent/E.Sussex border - for example:
Balfour, Hush Heath Estate (see our blog about our visit to Balfour-Hush Heath here)
Conclusion
We really loved our time at Gusbourne - everything about it is impressive - the wines, the wine tours, the guides, the setting, the location…
We couldn’t fault it and visiting it gives you a real sense of significant investment to achieve something very special. The price of the wines probably reflect this, but Gusbourne is aiming for the very best quality and I guess at the end of the day, that’s what you pay for.
The location and setting are stunning and it makes a great wine tourism destination. We look forward to opening our bottle of Blanc de Blancs some time in the very near future!!
Visit Gusbourne’s website for information and to book your visit.
Refer to our web pages for more information about UK wines and the South-east wine region of the UK
We hope you enjoy it as much as we did and maybe you can let us know what you think of the wines??
