Join the Country Life wine tasting — and sumptuous lunch — at Gusbourne

Gusbourne are inviting you to discover the secrets behind the success of English sparkling wine on a special day at their Kent estate, in association with Country Life.

In 2004, when the first vines were planted at Gusbourne estate in Appledore, Kent, we had a clear vision and a single goal: to create English sparkling wines that would stand up alongside the finest offerings from across the globe. We’ve had our sights set on perfection ever since and are the proud recipients of more than 230 medals at local, regional and international level, as well as being the only three-time winner of the ‘English Wine Producer of the Year’ Award from the International Wine & Spirits Challenge.

In celebration of English Wine Week, we invite you to join us for a special ‘behind the scenes’ Gusbourne experience hosted by Country Life’s Executive Editor, Giles Kime. You will have the opportunity to discover our diverse array of sparkling and still wines with our head winemaker Charlie Holland, as well as a chance to see first-hand what makes the region so special for winemaking.

The day will begin in our tasting room, The Nest, overlooking the vines, where you will learn about our winemaking and the history of Gusbourne. You will then be taken on a tour around our vineyards to see why it’s so important for us to grow our own grapes and make exclusively vintage wines.

Next, Charlie will guide you through a tasting of our wines, with a preview of new releases and vintages for the year, followed by a delicious lunch prepared with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients designed to complement the wines.

Find us in leading restaurants, such as The Fat Duck, Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, L’Enclume and The Clove Club, hotels including Whatley Manor, Corinthia and The Langham and historic estates such as Goodwood. Prestige retailers including Berry Bros & Rudd, Fortnum & Mason and many independent, specialist wine merchants, such as Jeroboams, also stock our wines.

Book now to join the Country Life Gusbourne readers’ event 2022

We are delighted to welcome Country Life readers to a special event in celebration of English Wine Week, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Join us at Gusbourne estate for a unique behind-the-scenes dining and wine-tasting experience, £75pp. For further information and to book, please visit www.gusbourne.com/events/countrylife22

The experts

Charlie Holland

In 2009, after working abroad and excited by the burgeoning English sparkling-wine industry, Charlie returned to the UK to work as winemaker for four years at Ridgeview in East Sussex. In 2013, he joined Gusbourne as head winemaker, where he has gone on to produce some of the UK’s most celebrated wines. In addition to overseeing daily operations at the winery, Charlie also represents the company as CEO.

Giles Kime

Country Life’s Executive Editor Giles Kime has written widely on wine and travelled to most of the world’s leading wine regions. As well as having been the youngest editor of Decanter, he has written a weekly wine column for The Sunday Telegraph and is the author of Secrets of Wine: Insider Insights into the Real World of Wine. His next book, co authored with Emma SimsHilditch, is The Evolution Of Home, which will be published this autumn by Rizzoli.