Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Chapel Down is England’s leading winery. Located in Tenterden, in the heart of the Kent countryside, Chapel Down offers a world-class range of sparkling wines created using the Traditional Method, also used in Champagne, from chardonnays and pinot grapes grown in the Southeast of England.
With a mission to surprise and delight, Chapel Down has quickly gained support from leading chefs and sommeliers as well as receiving an unparalleled array of international awards.
Chapel Down offers guided tours of vineyards and of the winery, which boasts excellent visitor facilities, including an impressive restaurant, herb garden and retail shop.
The limestone soils of England’s southern end have proven ideal for the production of British sparkling wine. While it might seem too damp and cold for grape growing in England, recent warm summers and the onset of global warming signify great future growth for the British wine industry.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.