ChapelDown

Have you ever dreamed about owning your own vineyard?

Perhaps you have imagined settling down with a picnic among the vines and drinking a bottle of your own label wine on a warm summer's day.

Chapel Down, England's leading wine producer, is giving you the opportunity to become a partner in the success story of English wines by offering you the chance to lease your own vines at our vineyard.

Vine leasing makes a great gift for anyone who loves wine. Personalised wine is also ideal for purchasing as a group, society or company. In addition to the pleasure of enjoying your own wine, our vine-lease scheme also gives you the opportunity to benefit from enjoying the company of fellow wine lovers and wine experts in a beautiful setting.

The Tenterden site has been producing excellent wines for 22 years. A thin layer of loamy clay over sand provides the soil for the beautifully aspected slopes looking towards the Isle of Oxney. Enjoying a picnic in "your" vineyard overlooking such a classic English rural scene is just one of the many joys of this unique vine leasing scheme.

The vineyard is in the beautiful Wealden town of Tenterden, which has a long history as a Cinque Port, even though it is now 12 miles from the sea. The vineyard was established 25 years ago and the site completely redeveloped in April 2005 to incorporate a wonderful Wine and Fine Food Store and a Restaurant, with sensational views south and west. Downloadable forms to purchase a lease are available at the bottom of this page.

An introduction to the Bacchus Grape
Bacchus was the Roman God of Wine and is also the name of a grape variety, of Riesling parentage, well-suited to the English soil and climate. Bacchus is one of the earlier-ripening varieties. We usually harvest in the first or second week in October to help retain its intense and distinctive flavours. After fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats at 12-18ºC, the wine is left on its lees for 2 months for body, and to retain the primary fruit aromas.

Bacchus produces intensely aromatic and refreshing white wine that is a perfect partner for seafood, fish, pasta and light meats. It has been lauded by many journalists and wine experts, and is sold in some of London's finest hotels, restaurants and stores.

Chapel Down win awards every year for their Bacchus wine and the Bacchus vines at Tenterden produce a particularly distinctive and delicious wine. Although there are vintage variations, Bacchus is typically Sauvignon-like in flavour and aromas. Notes of lime, apples, nettles, gooseberries, elderflower, blackcurrant leaves and even gun smoke are frequently mentioned. It can benefit from some ageing but is ready to drink young and fresh too. It is guaranteed to surprise and delight friends and family!

The Benefits of the Chapel Down Vine Lease Scheme
We have a number of different schemes available starting from just £180 for a one-year lease, with costs varying according to the length of your lease and the number of vines. Each lease bought includes the following exclusive benefits:

• You will recieve a Vine Lease Certificate confirming the number of vines leased and the leasing period.
• Your wine is made for you by our award winning winemaking team.
• Personalisation of labels for your own Bacchus wine is included (to our template).
• Invitation to an annual wine-tasting event, held at our vineyard in June, hosted by a Master of Wine such as Richard Bampfield MW. You will be able to taste your own wine and others over a leisurely luncheon, featuring foods to match the wines.
• Your vines are numbered and you can visit them at any time of the year by prior arrangement.
• You will receive a periodic newsletter detailing the current vineyard activity and an update on your vines' progress. The newsletter will also feature competitions, recipe ideas, and exclusive deals on other wines not available to the general public.
• You will have the opportunity to help harvest grapes from your own vines. All our grapes are hand-picked and instruction will be given.
• Throughout the duration of your lease you are entitled to 10% off the full retail price of all wines purchased in the shop or by telephone mail order.

Richard Bampfield MW on Bacchus, "A fine fruity wine, with crisp apple flavours and an intriguing, fruity undertone. Lighter and more refreshing than many a Sauvignon Blanc."

Vine Lease Scheme
We have both one-year and three-year lease schemes available. The one-year schemes make a fantastic gift and will give you the opportunity to learn a lot about wine, meet some great people and enjoy your own wine.

The three-year schemes offer a discount on one-year prices and additionally give you the opportunity to compare your wine over three vintages. All costs include two separate elements for both the vine lease and for the maintenance and management fees.

Bacchus Offer
If you have never tried Bacchus wines before, and would like to sample some before entering into the vine lease scheme, we are pleased to offer you a special discount. You are entitled to 10% off the full retail price when you buy a case of any 12 bottles of Bacchus.

Contact us by phone on 01580 763033 or e-mail sales@englishwinesgroup.com for more details.

You can download our Vine Lease contract and Vine Lease payment and gift form here.

You will need to complete and return to us by post 2 copies of the Vine Lease Contract completed with the purchasers details plus the payment form (and the gift form completed with the recipients details should you be purchasing a lease for someone else). If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Vine Lease Scheme options: