Cary Wine Estate: A Family-Run Kent Vineyard Crafting Outstanding Small-Batch English Wines
Introducing Cary Wine Estate
Nestled in the rolling countryside of north Kent, between the Swale estuary and the Kent Downs AONB, Cary Wine Estate is a small, family-run English vineyard that has quickly earned a reputation for producing outstanding, terroir-driven wines. Founded in 2019 by Jeremy and Jaine Cary and their family, the estate makes estate-grown still and sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines rooted in the free-draining chalk soils for which this part of the country has long been famous.
The Cary family's vision is straightforward but ambitious: to pursue the highest viticultural standards, produce exceptional wines and, in time, build a respected name within the English wine community. Their home is The Old Rectory in Norton, near Faversham, where a subterranean wine cellar sits seven metres below ground level and 8,000 vines now flourish in what was once an old cherry orchard.
The Story Behind the Estate
The Cary family's journey into wine began with a shared love of wine and a determination to create an estate they would be proud to put their name to. The family searched for a site that would deliver great soils and growing conditions for the wines they wished to make, while also offering beautiful vistas of rural Kent and a location convenient for visitors exploring England's favourite wine region.
Finding the Perfect Site
The search began in 2018. Twelve months later the family found what they were looking for: land that had previously been home to old cherry orchards, in a fruit-growing corner of Kent that, for centuries, has been famous across the country. The combination of climate, aspect and free-draining chalk soils, very similar to those of their noisy neighbours in Champagne, made it an irresistible proposition.
Planting and First Harvests
In November 2019, the Cary family moved to The Old Rectory in Norton and began work on the early stages of establishing the first vineyard. Once the old orchard had been cleared, the land was left to rest for several months while extensive renovations of the house and outbuildings got under way. By May 2020, GPS planting of 8,000 vines, comprising three Burgundian varieties, was under way in the Old Cherry Orchard. A second vineyard, the 'Cricket Pitch', followed in May 2022.
The first harvest came in October 2021, when the family were joined by twenty close friends and relatives to pick eight tonnes of fruit by hand over the course of a single day. That harvest produced the inaugural Provender Rosé, which was released in May 2022 as the estate's first commercial wine. Two further still wines, The Old Rectory Chardonnay and Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir, joined the range in May 2023, and on 21 June 2025, English Wine Week, the family celebrated the launch of their first-ever sparkling wine, the Cary Classic Cuvée 2021.
The Terroir: Soil, Microclimate and Topography
The stretch of land between the Swale to the north and the Kent Downs to the south has been a world-famous fruit-growing region for centuries. The same mild climate and chalk-rich soils that have underpinned that success are equally important for growing premium quality grapes, and they give Cary's wines a profile closely reminiscent of fine wines from further south in France.
The Vineyards
- The Cherry Orchard - the original 8,000-vine vineyard, planted in May 2020 on the site of an old cherry orchard. It is here that the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that go into every Cary wine are grown.
- The Cricket Pitch - the second vineyard, planted in May 2022 with a further 4,000 vines, extending the estate's footprint and giving the family scope to expand production in coming vintages.
The Wines
Cary Wine Estate deliberately stays small. That flexibility allows the family to produce different wines in different years depending on what the fruit gives them, striving for a true vinous representation of the land in any particular vintage. Every bottle is crafted exclusively from estate-grown fruit, reflecting the unique character of Kent's chalk-rich landscape.
Provender Rosé
The flagship of the range and the wine that started it all, the Provender Rosé is made entirely from estate-grown Pinot Noir. The 2024 vintage is bright and expressive, with English strawberries, cream, raspberries and hints of apricot and watermelon on the nose. Medium-bodied, with notes of red berries, fresh citrus acidity and a lingering elegant finish, it is bottled at 12% ABV after eight months on the yeast lees in stainless steel. The 2025 vintage continues the same elegant style. The earlier 2022 vintage, a blend of Pinot Noir (59%), Pinot Meunier (38%) and Chardonnay (3%), is also still available while stocks last.
- Provender Rosé 2025 - £20 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
- Provender Rosé 2024 - £20 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
- Provender Rosé 2024 Magnum - £40 (150cl) - buy here
- Provender Rosé 2023 Magnum - £40 (150cl) - buy here
The Old Rectory Chardonnay
The estate's barrel-fermented white takes its name from the family home. The 2024 vintage is a medium-bodied wine with pale yellow-green hues and an aromatic, spicy nose of English yellow apples, jasmine flower and fresh apricot. On the palate there are refreshing mineral undertones alongside toasty nougat and a clean finish with hints of white pepper, the result of nine months in French oak barrels (20% new) on the lees. The 2023 vintage, bottled at 13% ABV, was the first release to be widely reviewed and was praised by The Telegraph's Victoria Moore, who wrote that she "recently tasted and loved" it.
- The Old Rectory Chardonnay 2024 - £25 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
- The Old Rectory Chardonnay 2023 - £25 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
- The Old Rectory Chardonnay Magnum 2022 - £50 (150cl) - buy here
- The Old Rectory Chardonnay Magnum 2023 - £50 (150cl) - buy here
- The Old Rectory Chardonnay Magnum 2024 - £50 (150cl) - buy here
Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir
Made entirely from estate-grown Pinot Noir, the Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir is named after the original vineyard in which the vines grow. The 2024 vintage is medium garnet in appearance with intense aromas of red cherries, plum, cocoa, toasted vanilla and hints of tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied and balanced, the palate shows black cherry and chocolate cake notes with hints of vanilla on the finish and a delightful, long, fruit-driven finish. The fruit is hand-picked, partially destemmed with 20% whole bunches retained, cold-soaked for 72 hours and fermented in open-top fermenters with twice-daily punch-downs, before malolactic fermentation and nine months in French oak barriques (20% new, 80% seasoned).
- Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir 2024 - £30 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
- Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir 2023 - £30 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
Cary Classic Cuvée 2021
Released in June 2025, the Cary Classic Cuvée 2021 is the estate's first-ever sparkling wine. Hand-picked by friends and family on 15 October 2021, it is made using the celebrated sparkling noble varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and has spent nearly three years on the lees developing beautifully balanced characteristics before being disgorged in January 2025. The result is a wine of perfect colour, fine bubbles, floral notes of orchard fruit, citrus and bread crust on the palate, and a silky finish. Only 2,000 bottles of this inaugural release have been produced; the remainder of the vintage continues to mature on its lees, developing further complexity ahead of future release.
- Cary Classic Cuvée 2021 - £35 per bottle (75cl) - buy here
Mixed Cases
For those keen to taste across the range, Cary Wine Estate offers a number of mixed cases direct from the Mixed Cases page.
- Mixed Case of Six 2024 - £140. Two bottles each of the 2024 Provender Rosé, The Old Rectory Chardonnay and Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir. Order here.
- 2024 Mixed Case with Classic Cuvée - £160. Two bottles each of the Cary Classic Cuvée 2021, The Old Rectory Chardonnay 2024 and Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir 2024. Order here.
- 2023 Mixed Case with Classic Cuvée - £160. Two bottles each of the Cary Classic Cuvée 2021, The Old Rectory Chardonnay 2023 and Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir 2023. Order here.
Award Winning Wines
The Cary family entered their 2022 wines for the WineGB Awards for the very first time and were delighted when both the Old Rectory Chardonnay 2022 and Cherry Orchard Pinot Noir 2022 were awarded Silver Medals. The Cary family later reflected that they rather regretted not submitting the 2022 Provender Rosé for consideration at the same time. Both silver-medal-winning wines proved so popular that the 2022 Pinot Noir is now sold out, and only limited stocks of the 2022 Chardonnay and Rosé remain.
Visiting the Estate: Vineyard Tour & Tasting
Although Cary Wine Estate is primarily a working vineyard and winery, the family have begun opening their gates to visitors through a guided Vineyard Tour & Tasting experience. Lasting around two hours, the tour begins with a leisurely walk through the estate's vineyards, during which the team explain the varieties they grow, their viticultural practices and what makes their wines special. It finishes with a guided tasting of the entire Cary range, offering a complete picture of the estate's current releases.
- Vineyard Tour & Tasting - £30 per person. Time and date are arranged directly with Cary Wine Estate after purchase.
Bookings are made through the online shop, and the practical details of each visit, such as start time and date, are arranged by phone on 07900 582700 or by email at info@carywineestate.com.
Delivery and Returns
Cary Wine Estate offers delivery across mainland United Kingdom on its wines, with charges that scale by case size:
- 1 - 5 bottles: £7.99
- 6 bottles: £10
- 12 bottles: £15
- 18 bottles: £20
- Orders above £400: complimentary delivery
Orders are usually dispatched the next working day and delivered within two working days after that via a third-party courier. A 30-day return policy applies to unopened bottles in their original packaging; full details can be found on the Delivery & Returns page.
The Family Behind the Brand
Cary Wine Estate is, by their own admission, very much a family business. Throughout the growing year the whole family are active in the vineyard: from winter pruning to shoot selection and thinning, right through to harvest it is a family team effort. As well as the wider Cary family, two full-time team members, Peter and Danny, look after the vineyards, and a much-loved team of dogs (Figgy, Truffle and Hermione) keep everyone entertained along the way.
Jeremy has shared vivid accounts of the back-breaking work of pruning more than 80,000 vines by hand each winter, the dawn-to-dusk picking days that produce the family's wines, and the legendary harvest suppers that follow. The estate is operated by Fizzical Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales.
Sustainability and Stewardship
Across the estate the Carys work to minimise their carbon footprint and encourage biodiversity. Initiatives include wild flower meadows and minimal mowing at certain times of year. The family also work with a local contract winemaker based only a few miles from the vineyard, ensuring that 'grape miles' from vineyard to winery are kept as short as possible. They are members of WineGB, the trade body for English and Welsh wines, allowing them to draw on a wide network of established experts for input on viticultural best practice, healthy vines and careful bunch selection at harvest time.
Contact Cary Wine Estate
Cary Wine Estate welcomes enquiries from trade customers, visitors and members of the press. The team can be reached by:
- Email: info@carywineestate.com
- Phone: +44 (0)7900 582700
- Post: Cary Wine Estate, The Old Rectory, Provender Lane, Norton, Faversham, Kent ME13 0SU
The estate is also active on social media: follow @carywineestate on Instagram and on Twitter (X) for the latest updates from the vineyard.
Plan Your Visit or Order Online
Cary Wine Estate stands as one of the most exciting new names in English wine: a young Kent vineyard on chalk soils, with a growing portfolio of award-winning still and sparkling wines and a guided tour and tasting for visitors keen to experience the estate at first hand. Wines can be ordered through the estate shop.