Water Lane Wine Fair & Supper on Saturday 15th June
Water Lane Wine Fair
Saturday 15th June, 12pm - 6pm
Tickets here
Water Lane, a walled garden near Hawkhurst, Kent is hosting its first Wine Fair on Saturday 15th June, from 12pm-6pm. Situated in the High Weald, an area of natural beauty encompassing Kent, the garden of England, and Sussex with its strong similarities in soil and climate to the Champagne region in France, Water Lane is surrounded by some of the best expressions of English wine.
Curated in collaboration with wine writer and communicator, Abbie Moulton, author of New British Wine, (Hoxton Mini Press) the Wine Fair is being held at the start of English Wine Week. In keeping with Water Lane’s ethos, winemakers have been handpicked to reflect the same values: highlighting family-run and independent wineries, and those committed to organic and sustainable winemaking. Throughout the day there will be a programme of events - learn to taste like a pro at an expert-led tutorial, find out about the future of English wine at the panel talk or listen to award-winning sommelier Honey Spencer talk about her new book Natural Wine, No Drama (Pavilion Books). In the evening, an early summer supper of sharing plate style dishes will be served, cooked by Head Chef Jed Wrobel and his team; each course will be paired with an English wine by a guest sommelier.
Historically, England may not have been the first place to come to mind for fine wine, but over the past couple of decades, things have changed dramatically and there are now wines of world-class quality, helped in part by rising temperatures, but also because of increased knowledge and experimentation. English Sparkling wine has been in the spotlight for some years now, spearheaded by vineyards such as Nyetimber and Gusbourne, but still wines are quietly undergoing something of a revolution too, with an ever-growing collection of pioneering makers, such as Ben Walgate from Walgate Wines and Kristin Syltevik at Oxney Organic Estate, helping put British wine on the map.
Tickets to the Wine Fair are £25 per person and includes four tasting samples and admittance to the panel discussion and interview event. Tickets to the Wine Fair and Supper (from 6.30pm) are £100 per person and includes four tasting glasses from the wine market and a four-course sharing supper paired with our chosen wines.
Wine makers and producers confirmed include:
Oxney Organic Estate - Artelium Wine Estate - Roebuck Estates - Tillingham Winery -
Kinsbrook Vinyard - Ham Street Wines - Walgate Wines - Mountfield Vinery
About Abbie Moulton
Abbie Moulton is a drinks writer, author, broadcaster and presenter, specialising in wine and whisky – the people who make them and the places that pour them. Her work has been featured in the Evening Standard, The Times, Suitcase and Table magazine, among other publications, and she regularly chats on the radio and on podcasts. Her first book New British Wine celebrates the people who are growing, producing, and championing the best of the new wave of British wine. This sumptuous coffee table book, filled with superb original photography, brings together personal interviews with some of the most inspiring people in Britain’s fast-growing, eclectic wine scene – taking the reader on a tour of over 30 influential winemakers, sommeliers and restaurants, from Cornish vineyards to Scottish wine bars.
About Water Lane
Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.