Champagne Taittinger has bought land in Kent to establish a UK vineyard.
It has bought 171 acres at Stone Stile Farm near Faversham, of which almost 100 acres will be planted with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes to produce premium English sparkling wine.
The sparkling wine will be launched under the Domaine Evremond brand, a newly announced venture with UK wine company Hatch Mansfield and private investors.
Strutt & Parker advised Taittinger Champagne on the acquisition.
Nigel Porter, partner at Strutt & Parker, said: “Our cool climate – now with just enough sunshine hours to fully ripen the grapes – and our chalky soil create some of the best sites for producing grapes which are ideal for sparkling wine. It is for this reason that we have increasingly been involved with the sale and purchase of land in the south of England for viticultural use.”
Plots will be planted at a maximum of 80 metres above sea level on south-facing slopes, creating the right terroir – soil, microclimate and topography – to plant high-quality vines.
