Kent Wine of the Year 2022 Finalist: Chapel Down Bacchus
Chapel Down is England’s leading wine producer, proudly made in Kent in the Garden of England.
Chapel Down is England’s leading wine producer, proudly made in Kent in the Garden of England. We produce a world-class, award winning range of sparkling and still wines, along with innovative spirits inspired by our winemaking expertise. As market leader, we are proud and excited to be at the forefront of a high-growth category.
We own some of the finest vineyards in England, primarily situated on the North Downs of Kent with a terroir very similar to that of Champagne. Our vines are grown on south-facing chalk soils and benefit from a warm, maritime climate.
Our world-class winemaking team have extensive experience in sparkling wine and cool climate wine regions. Chapel Down sparkling and still wines are made to the highest standards using the latest winemaking techniques, resulting in elegant wines with balanced acidity and rich fruit characters.
Our home, The Chapel Down Winery in Small Hythe, Tenterden, is open daily for visitors.
Chapel Down Bacchus 2020
(abv: 12.5%)
Bacchus is widely becoming known as England’s leading still wine variety and is Chapel Down's best-selling white wine, available direct from our cellar door and via many major retailers. This highly aromatic wine is crisp and refreshing with an abundance of grapefruit, melon and green apple on the nose. The palate has fresh flavours of citrus, melon and pineapple, which lead to a crisp finish.
Originally from the German region of Pfalz, Bacchus was created in the 30s as a cross between Silvaner x Riesling and Muller-Thurgau but became available as a commercial variety in the 1970s. Under the UK climate, Bacchus has become a world-class wine in its own right, developing distinct floral, citrus and grassy aromas that have led to frequent comparison with the highest-quality Sauvignon Blancs.
To ensure consistent top-quality fruit for this wine, we source from a collection of vineyards in Kent, Sussex
and Essex, with 90% of this blend grown in Kent.
Grapes are grown predominantly on single and double guyot pruning systems on varied soils including chalk,
clay and loam to best benefit the grape varietals grown.
At our home in Tenterden we have Bacchus vines that are more than 30 years old; these can be leased as part of our vine-leasing scheme, which offers the opportunity to own your own vines, get involved in the grape harvest and receive your own personalised Tenterden Estate Bacchus wine. Seeing the potential for
this grape variety, Chapel Down has planted additional acreage in other locations across the county including
the North Downs.
This wine was made in Tenterden by our talented winemaking team, led by head winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire. Hand-picked grapes were wholebunch pressed and fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to retain the aromatic purity of this wine.
Blending and clarification took place after six months on the lees in the tank. The result was a young, vibrant
wine, full of the freshness we associate with this grape variety.
Chapel Down Bacchus is an ideal pairing to seafood, summer salads or Thai cuisine and a fantastic home-grown alternative to a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
