Simpson Wine Estate
The Wee Vinoteca team go to Canterbury
Since they started at The Wee Vinoteca, Grace, Charlie, and Reece had all become incredibly knowledgeable about wine. They knew the names of the villages in Burgundy, how Champagne is made, what makes a wine vegan, and how to recommend a bottle to pair with sushi.
And yet… they hadn’t actually been to a vineyard or winery.
This week, we fixed that.
Nestled on the sunlit slopes of the North Downs just outside Canterbury lies Simpsons’ English Wine Estate – a relative newcomer that’s already making waves in the world of English wine. Founded in 2012 by Charles and Ruth Simpson, this Kentish adventure began with a dream forged in the South of France. After a decade revitalising vineyards at their Domaine de Sainte Rose, the Simpsons turned their gaze northwards, convinced that England’s chalk soils and cool climate could produce sparkling wines to rival Champagne.
The chalky soil here is part of the same geological seam that runs through Champagne and Burgundy – intensely lime-rich, brilliantly free-draining, yet moisture-retentive enough to support vines through dry spells. The result is a delicate balance of ripeness and acidity: textbook terroir for Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay.
We began with a brief walk through a picturesque English village to their Roman Road vineyard. South-facing and shielded from the elements by a natural wall of trees, it’s an ideal site for growing high-quality grapes.
Back at the winery, we followed the journey the grapes take: from arrival at the press, where juice is separated from the solids, to the fermentation tanks, then on to the barrel room, where wines are aged before bottling. Finally, we visited their newest building – affectionately named Amy (as in Winehouse) – where they store finished wines for ageing and shipping.
By this point, we’d done enough walking and enough talking.
It was time to taste.
The Sparkling Wines:
Chalklands Classic Cuvée – Everything you’d expect from an English sparkling. This is the only non-vintage in their range and serves as a great introduction to the house style.
White Cliffs Blanc de Blancs – Sometimes Blanc de Blancs can feel a bit too lean. Not this one. It had excellent weight and depth.
Flint Fields Blanc de Noirs – Almond pastry and Christmas spices in a glass.
Canterbury Sparkling Rosé – This wasn’t a pretty pink fizz. It was a serious, food-friendly rosé with an onion-skin hue and buckets of complexity.
Originally, Simpsons planned to focus exclusively on sparkling wine. But as the business evolved, still wines became not only part of the mix but a cornerstone of their offering.
The Still Wines:
“Derringstone” Meunier – Not for everyone, but seriously cool. Textured, savoury, and a real conversation starter.
“Railway Hill” Rosé – Maybe it was the weather, but for many, this was the wine of the day. A truly lovely rosé.
“Gravel Castle” Chardonnay – Our host, Silva, described this as a ‘converter Chardonnay’. Crisp, refreshing, and very approachable.
“Roman Road” Chardonnay – One of their flagship wines. Made with Burgundy clones and a variety of oak, this was a big, decadent Chardonnay.
“Rabbit Hole” Pinot Noir – I’m sceptical about English reds at the best of times, but this nailed it. Light but not watery, fruit-forward with depth. Very good – especially for the price.
We enjoyed the still wines with a simple but perfect lunch of cheese, charcuterie, and sourdough bread. At that point, I thought the day couldn’t get any better.
I was wrong.
By “company policy,” there was only one way to exit the tasting room on the top floor of the winery: via their custom-built slide, which ejected you next to the fermentation tanks.
Silly? Yes.
Brilliant? Absolutely.
Unforgettable.
Trips like this are brilliant for deepening our team’s knowledge and confidence. They help bring WSET qualifications to life—bridging theory with real-world experience.
They also throw a pleasant spanner in the works. On the drive home, all we could talk about was which wines we absolutely had to bring into the shop… and which ones we’d have to (temporarily) say goodbye to in order to make space.
Cheers,
Duncan
P.S. I loved the Simpsons wines so much, I’m planning to put together a limited run of mixed cases featuring six of my favourites from the day. If you’d be interested in more information, just reply with "yes" to this email and I’ll be in touch when I’ve got the details.