Wayfarer Wines - A Family-Run Kent Vineyard in Woodchurch
Nestled in the rolling farmland of Woodchurch on the edge of the Weald of Kent, Wayfarer Wines is one of the new generation of family-run English vineyards turning out award-winning bottles from a small, hand-tended estate. Run by Matt Ashford together with his wife Karen and sister Emma, the project was crowned Best Wine in Kent in 2024, beating some of the biggest names in the UK wine industry. The team's quiet ambition is to produce some of the finest wines in Kent, and a visit to the cellar door suggests they are well on their way.
The story behind Wayfarer Wines
Wayfarer Wines is, in the most literal sense, a family business. The vineyard is run by Matt Ashford alongside his wife, Karen, and sister, Emma, with each member of the family bringing a different strand to the operation. Together they look after vines in Woodchurch, Kent, and also source fruit from their second site at Pilgrims Way, Maidstone, which features on the labels of several wines in the current range.
The team operates with a small-scale, low-intervention philosophy, working the vines by hand across both estates and producing wines that reflect the cool, south-east corner of England. In 2024 the wines were singled out by the Taste of Kent awards, with the Wandering Wayfarer Oaked Bacchus 2023 taking a Double Gold medal and being named Kent Wine of the Year. The vineyard now welcomes visitors for tours, tastings, lunches and special release events, sharing the passion behind every bottle.
The Kent terroir and the two estates
Kent has long been referred to as the Garden of England, and its combination of free-draining greensand and chalk soils, maritime climate and gently sloping aspect makes it ideal for the cool-climate grape varieties that thrive in the UK. Wayfarer draws on two distinct sites:
- Highfield, Woodchurch - the home estate, where the cellar door sits. The still rosé, chardonnay, Ortega, Bacchus and oaked Bacchus wines all carry the Highfield designation.
- Pilgrims Way, Maidstone - a second site that supplies Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Rosé grapes for the Pilgrims Way range, carrying slightly different ripening characteristics thanks to the more easterly position.
The current wine range
Wayfarer currently has seven wines in production, spanning still white, rosé and an oaked Bacchus, with prices starting at £17 per bottle and loyalty members receiving a 10% discount on all orders. A mixed case of six is also available for £95.
White wines
Woodland Chardonnay 2022 - £17.00 - Notes of honeysuckle, a fresh dose of flint minerality and zingy lemon; 13.0% ABV. A clean, restrained English Chardonnay that punches well above its modest price tag, drinking beautifully on its own or with grilled chicken and salads.
Fathers Path Ortega 2025 - £27.00 - Light and fruity with apricot notes and white peach; 12.0% ABV; from the Highfield, Woodchurch estate. Ortega is one of the underrated varieties of cool-climate winemaking, often delivering gently aromatic, off-dry whites.
Pilgrims Way Pinot Gris 2025 - £27.00 - Ripe conference pear on the nose, citrus lime and green apple on the palate; 12.5% ABV; from Pilgrims Way, Maidstone. A poised, modern English Pinot Gris that sits well alongside seafood or a Sunday roast.
Wandering Wayfarer Oaked Bacchus 2023 - £27.00 - The flagship of the range. Partial oak ageing and lees stirring create complexity, body and texture, with subtle vanilla notes lifted by elderflower aromas and fresh lychee; 12.0% ABV. Double Gold medal winner and crowned Kent Wine of the Year at the Taste of Kent awards.
Steve's Blend Bacchus/Ortega 2024 - £22.00 - The team's aromatic blend, taking the elderflower character of Bacchus and the gentle stone-fruit of Ortega, sold by the bottle at £22 (or £24 when bought as part of a six).
Rosé wines
Hedgerow Pinot Noir Rose 2022 - £22.00 - Smooth and moreish; the palate bursts with wild strawberry, ripe summer berries and candied red apple. Easy drinking, yet complex and structured; 12.0% ABV, from Highfield, Woodchurch. Currently £120 a case of six, or £20 a bottle when bought as a six.
Highfield Rosé Blend 2022 - £22.00 - Honeysuckle and redcurrant aromas, followed by gala apple and honeydew melon on the palate; 12.0% ABV. Works nicely at £20 a bottle when purchased by the six.
Pilgrims Way Pinot Noir Rosé 2024 - £27.00 - Powdery coral pink in colour, with cherry blossom on the nose. Zingy grapefruit and a lingering, fragrant raspberry finish; 11.0% ABV; from Pilgrims Way, Maidstone. Currently the freshest rosé in the line-up.
Mixed cases and bundles
For visitors who want to try more than one wine, the Mix And Match Case is offered at £95.00, allowing customers to build a six-bottle selection across the range. Loyalty members also gain access to a members-only pricing tier and discount code at checkout.
From the pantry - chutneys, honey and candles
Beyond the wines themselves, Wayfarer produces a small but well-curated Pantry range designed to complement a glass of their own wines. The full selection is available online.
Honeys
The two honeys are made by the resident bees at Highfield farm in Woodchurch, harvested in spring and summer and jarred for the table. Each is priced at £6.50 a 227g jar:
- Highfield Honey 227g Jar - natural runny honey from the home vineyard, with seasonal variation in colour and taste.
- Pilgrims Way Honey 227g Jar - the sister jar from the Maidstone site.
Chutneys and preserves
The preserve shelf is priced at £5.50 a jar across the board and is designed to pair with the cheese and charcuterie boards:
- Apricot and Ginger
- Red Onion Marmalade
- Spiced Tomato And Caramelized Onions
- Sticky Figgy
- Sweet Chilli Jam
Recycled-bottle candles
The team have turned the leftover glass from their wine bottles into a small line of scented candles, each inspired by the wine whose bottle it was cut from. They are made by hand in the UK using natural wax (typically soy, occasionally rapeseed or coconut), are biodegradable and vegan friendly, and are priced at £18.00 each:
- Bacchus Candle (New) - notes of elderflower and white peach.
- Chardonnay Candle (New) - refreshing and clean, with honeysuckle and lemon.
- Pinot Gris Candle (New) - pear and green apple.
- Pinot Noir Rose Candle - soft red-fruit character.
- Steves Blend Candle (New) - the aromatic flagship in candle form.
Food pairing - cheese and charcuterie
For those building a tasting board at home, Wayfarer offers three ready-made pairings from neighbouring Kent producers:
- Kentish Cheese Selection - £20.00 - from award-winning local dairy farmers; comes with local honey, chutney and crackers.
- Kent Charcuterie Selection - £20.00 - British saucisson, salami, chorizo and pepperoni sticks made by hand at a farm in nearby Tenterden, served with pickles and chutneys. Serves two.
- Charcuterie Board K - £17.50 - a simpler single-person charcuterie board option.
Add a jar of Sweet Chilli Jam or Sticky Figgy and a glass of Woodland Chardonnay or Highfield Rosé Blend for an easy weekend lunch built almost entirely from Kent. The Hamper Set at £45.00 bundles a number of these items together as a ready-made gift.
Tours, tastings and experiences
Visits to the cellar door form a key part of the Wayfarer offer, with three ticketed experiences alongside a free-to-book lunch reservation and a cheese evening.
Vineyard Tour and Tasting
Priced at £25.00 per person (a reduced £20 rate appears for loyalty members in some listings), the Vineyard Tour and Tasting is the entry-point Wayfarer experience. Guests are taken on a guided walk through the vines at Highfield before sitting down to a tasting led by the team. It is the most accessible way to understand the two estates and to get hands-on with the wines.
Folkestone Wine Bus
The headline experience is the Folkestone Wine Bus, priced at £49.00 per person. The coach collects guests from Folkestone Harbour at 11am and travels through the Kent countryside to the Woodchurch vineyard for a short walk through the vines and a guided tasting with Karen. You will taste all seven wines currently produced by Wayfarer while the team talks through the growing season, the winemaking process and what goes into every bottle.
Food can be purchased on the day or pre-ordered in advance, with a choice between an award-winning Kentish cheese selection platter or a local charcuterie board, both served with chutneys, local honey, pickles and fresh bread. Gluten-free and other dietary needs can be catered for with notice. The coach drops you back at Folkestone Harbour at approximately 4pm.
Stop by for lunch
For those who simply want a long, lazy lunch at the cellar door, Stop by for lunch is a free-to-book table reservation (listed at £0.00 with the booking fee acting as a placeholder). Booking is not strictly necessary but recommended, particularly for Saturdays or for groups of six or more. As you go through the booking process you can add cheese and charcuterie boards plus any dietary requirements, pre-order a bottle to enjoy, or simply order wines by the glass on the day.
Ultimate Cheese night
An evening cheese tasting listed as Ultimate Cheese night, again using the £0.00 deposit model, complements the Saturday lunch slot and gives visitors another reason to make a day of it in the Weald.
Calendar of events
Wayfarer's events programme includes the following:
- Pre-Release Event - Saturday 18 April, £20.00. Join the team to celebrate the release of brand new wines from the 2025 harvest, with a tasting and a talk on the 2025 growing season and harvest. Book via the Pre-Release Event page.
- Vineyard Tour and Tasting - offered on a recurring basis (tickets at the cellar door on Saturdays).
- Folkestone Wine Bus - recurring day-out experience running to the published schedule.
- Stop by for lunch - recurring Saturday lunch booking.
- Ultimate Cheese night - recurring evening cheese event.
Loyalty membership and gifting
Customers who sign up to the loyalty mailing list receive a 10% discount code that can be entered at checkout, alongside access to a members-only pricing tier on individual bottles. Free click and collect is available at the cellar door, an attractive option for visitors planning to drive out from London or the south-east and take a mixed case home.
For gifting, a Wayfarer Wines Gift Card (from £10) is available via the shop, alongside the pre-built Hamper Set at £45.00 and any of the bottle-and-board combinations.
Planning your visit
The cellar door is based at Highfield, Woodchurch, on the edge of the Weald in Kent. The exact sat-nav instructions are included in the booking confirmation email.
Opening hours
The Cellar Door opens on Saturdays, 11am to 4pm. Tours run during those hours, and the lunch slots are scheduled around them. For weekday or out-of-hours visits it is best to book one of the ticketed experiences in advance.
Getting there
Woodchurch sits between Ashford and Tenterden in Kent, an easy drive from the M20. The Folkestone Wine Bus is the easiest way to visit without a car, picking up at Folkestone Harbour in the morning and returning mid-afternoon. Train travellers can reach nearby Ham Street or Ashford International and arrange a short onward taxi.
What visitors are saying
Wayfarer Wines maintains a healthy presence on TripAdvisor, where the Woodchurch site features reviews from past guests.
Contact and follow Wayfarer
The simplest route into the team is the official Contact page. For day-to-day updates, new releases and harvest news, follow Wayfarer Wines on Facebook and Instagram.
A useful contact list
- Website: wayfarerwines.com
- Shop: Products
- Pantry: Chutneys, honey, candles
- Tours: Tours and Events
- About: About Us
- TripAdvisor: Wayfarer Wines reviews
Final thoughts
Wayfarer Wines is a brilliant example of the new wave of small, family-run vineyards putting Kent on the international wine map. With seven wines in the range, from an easy-drinking Woodland Chardonnay through to the award-winning Wandering Wayfarer Oaked Bacchus, a thoughtful pantry of locally-made pairings, and a calendar that includes tours, the Folkestone Wine Bus, lunches and seasonal release events, Wayfarer is well worth a Saturday trip out to Woodchurch.