Yotes Court Vineyard

Yotes Court Vineyard: A Sustainable Kent Estate Where Racing Heritage Meets English Wine

Less than an hour from London, between the picture-book villages of Mereworth and West Peckham in Kent, a 75-acre vineyard spills across the lower slopes of a south-facing ridge. Yotes Court Vineyard is one of the newest faces in England's fast-rising wine story, but it is rooted in deep local history. The grapes are grown next to a Grade I listed 17th-century manor house, and every bottle that leaves the estate carries the name of a champion racehorse owned by its founder. The result is a place that feels unmistakably of Kent: traditional in its sense of place, modern in its ambition, and quietly confident in its wines.

A Vineyard Born From Heritage, Not Hype

The story of Yotes Court Vineyard begins long before the first vine went into the ground. The estate sits on what was originally a soft and top fruit farm, and the land has been cultivated for centuries. The manor house itself was built for James Masters in 1656, during a turbulent period of English history, and is now an English Heritage Grade I listed property. By 2008, when the estate came up for sale, the house and gardens were tired and in need of investment. A two-year restoration under owner Susannah Ricci returned the house to its former glory, and the 20-acre garden was re-landscaped by three-time Chelsea Flower Show Best in Show winner Tom Stuart-Smith OBE.

It was during those conversations about the land that the idea of a vineyard took shape. Master of Wine Stephen Skelton, who has planted well over 100 sites in the UK, identified the south-sloping land as a rare find:

“Best site I have ever planted, and that's from well over 100 sites in the UK.”

Skelton advised on the purchase of the vines and helped recruit Tony Purdie as Vineyard Manager. Purdie, who relocated from New Zealand where he had been regional vineyard manager for Babich Wines in Hawkes Bay, supervised the first vines being planted in 2016. In the early years the entire 60-acre crop of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier was sold to Chapel Down for their Traditional Method sparkling wines. In 2018, Susannah planted a further ten acres with a view to producing wines under her own label. Yotes Court's first wines were released in 2021 from the 2020 vintage, and all four debut wines picked up awards at the WineGB Awards that same year, including a Gold Medal and the Newcomer Trophy for the Best Turned Out Pinot Meunier Rosé.

The Land: Why Kent's Soil Works for Vines

Wine is, above all, a product of place. Yotes Court's site combines several features that viticulturists dream about: it is frost-free, sheltered, sunny, and south-facing, with green sand at the top of the slope, heavier clay as the land levels out, and stony Kentish ragstone running through the free-draining soil. The continuous weathering of that parent material produces fertile fine clays and free-draining sands, and the rocky soils heat up quickly in summer, altering the microclimate enough to push the vines to perfect ripeness.

Seven grape varieties are now grown across the estate:

• Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - the classic sparkling trio, planted in the original 60 acres in 2016.
• Bacchus - the aromatic German cross that has become a UK flagship variety, planted at the highest point of the vineyard in 2018.
• Pinot Blanc - planted alongside Bacchus in 2018 on a sunny former apricot orchard 140m above sea level.
• Pinot Gris - planted a year later, first harvested in October 2021.
• Divico - a new Swiss red variety bred for natural disease resistance, also planted in 2019 and first harvested in 2021.

This range of varieties gives Yotes Court the flexibility to produce both still and sparkling wines, in red, white, rosé and traditional method styles, depending on the conditions of each vintage. Critically, every bottle of Yotes Court wine is made from 100% estate-grown grapes. The wines are single varietal, single vintage, designed to express the unique characteristics of each grape and the site they come from.

Sustainability at the Core

Yotes Court was amongst the very first 12 producers to be accredited under the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB) scheme in August 2020, and holds the Gold Award. Vineyard Manager Tony Purdie has been heavily involved in helping WineGB establish the scheme itself. The approach is holistic: maintaining soil health, increasing biodiversity, minimising the use of water, chemicals and fuel, and increasing organic matter to improve soil structure.

In practical terms, this means mulching vine prunings back into the rows to compost on-site, combining jobs on the tractor to halve fuel use, and deliberately leaving less conventionally neat inter-vine alleys to encourage wildflowers, beneficial insects and predatory birds. The winemaking partner - Defined Wine near Canterbury, run by Henry Sugden and award-winning winemaker Nick Lane - is also SWGB accredited, meaning the entire journey from ground to grape to glass can proudly carry the SWGB logo. Defined Wine was chosen in part because Yotes Court was determined to work with a winemaker that shared the same sustainable vision.

Owner Susannah Ricci sums it up simply:

“We work hard on sustainability, so you can just relax and enjoy our wines knowing we're minimising environmental impact.”

The Wines: A Racing Stable in a Glass

Every wine in the Yotes Court cellar door and online shop carries the name of one of Susannah Ricci's racehorses. Susannah is one of the most successful National Hunt owners in England and Ireland, and her horses have recorded more than 200 victories at premier festivals and racecourses including Cheltenham, Aintree, Ascot, Royal Ascot, Punchestown, Leopardstown and Galway. Her runners have also competed internationally in Tokyo, Hong Kong, South Korea and at the Melbourne Cup. The pink-and-green spotted silk that defines her racing colours runs through the entire Yotes Court brand, from the labels and gift wrap to the life-size spotted horse sculpture that greets visitors on the Paddock Lawn (a fibreglass horse bought in support of the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund).

The current range includes twelve wines across still and sparkling styles.

Sparkling Wines

• ‘Annie Power' Cuvée - a Traditional Method sparkling wine named after the legendary mare who won 15 of her 17 starts and became Champion Hurdle winner at Cheltenham in 2016.
• ‘Benie Des Dieux' Blanc de Blancs - a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs named after the multiple Grade 1 winning mare whose most notable wins were the 2018 Cheltenham Festival Mares' Hurdle and the 2019 French Champion Hurdle.
• ‘Chacun Pour Soi' Blanc de Noirs - a 100% Pinot Noir Blanc de Noirs named after the six-time Grade 1 winning chaser who retired in July 2023.
• ‘LiveLoveLaugh' Sparkling Pinot Gris - a Traditional Method sparkling Pinot Gris named after the horse who loved his trip over the Grand National fences and won the Topham Chase at Aintree in 2021.
• ‘Let's Dance' Sparkling Rosé - a Traditional Method sparkling rosé inspired by the racehorse ‘Let's Dance', winner of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

Still White and Rosé Wines

• ‘On the Nod' Bacchus - a crisp, floral and intensely zesty English Bacchus. “A race won ‘on the nod' is so close it is often decided by a photo.”
• ‘Loose Rein' Pinot Gris - a balanced Pinot Gris with pear, floral and spice notes, given its name because the winemaker was given complete freedom over the style.
• ‘Hands and Heels' Pinot Blanc - an award-winning dry, clean, gently made Pinot Blanc with the vines nurtured to need little winemaker intervention.
• ‘Two Beat Trot' Chardonnay - a Chardonnay whose name reflects dressage's perfect balance, harmony and precision.
• ‘Best Turned Out' Pinot Meunier Rosé - a 100% Pinot Meunier still rosé, winner of the WineGB Best Newcomer Trophy in 2021.

Still Red Wines

• ‘Starter's Orders' Pinot Noir Reserve - the estate's flagship red, made from the Pinot Noir vines planted in 2016 in Block 1 right in front of the Paddock Lawn.
• ‘The Favourite' Divico - the first single-varietal Divico ever released in the UK. The first vintage sold out in weeks, and it has since been featured by The Times, Forbes, The Drinks Business, Waitrose Weekly, ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, and by Tom Surgey in the wider press. A second vintage followed.

All Yotes Court wines are vegan-friendly, and technical sheets for every vintage from 2020 onwards are available from the winery on request. The 2020 vintage of ‘Best Turned Out' Pinot Meunier Rosé won the WineGB Newcomer Trophy, the 2021 vintage white wines each won a Silver Medal at the WineGB Awards 2022, and ‘LiveLoveLaugh' Sparkling Pinot Gris 2021 Early Release received a Bronze Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2023.

Visit Yotes Court Vineyard

The estate is open to visitors from 1 April to 31 October 2026, Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5:30pm. The team is closed on Bank Holiday Mondays. Wine is served by the glass and bottle alongside locally sourced nibbles, cheese and charcuterie boards. Well-behaved dogs and children are welcome in the Cellar Door Wine Barn and on the Paddock Lawn.

The address is Yotes Court Vineyard, Stan Lane, West Peckham, Kent, ME18 5JT. Drivers are advised to come via the Seven Mile Lane > Mereworth Road > Forge Lane > Stan Lane route, as Swanton Road is very narrow. The what3words reference for the main vineyard entrance is /// circle.racing.finger. From London Bridge, the train to Tonbridge takes 32 minutes, and taxis can be pre-booked through the recommended local firms: GoEventa, Place2Place, West Malling Taxis, Castle Cars and Kings Hill Cars. There is a downloadable local walking routes guide for those arriving on foot.

Wine Experiences and Tours

Yotes Court offers a layered programme of bookable experiences, all of which can be redeemed against a gift voucher. Bookings are taken by phone on 07961 663 564 or by email at [email protected].

Vineyard Tour + Guided Wine Tasting + Light Lunch - £48.50 per person

The signature 2+ hour experience starts at 11:30am, Wednesday to Sunday, April to October. Guests tour the vineyard, learn about the vine lifecycle, then take a 45-minute guided tasting of Yotes Court wines in the Tasting Room, before sitting down to a leisurely light lunch with a glass of sparkling wine. Lunch is a choice of cheese, charcuterie or hummus platter using ingredients from local Kent suppliers, served in the Wine Barn or out on the Paddock Lawn.

Guided Wine Tasting + Light Lunch - £37.50 per person

A 1.5-hour, lunchtime experience starting at 12:30pm. Ideal for visitors who want to skip the vineyard walk but still want the structured tasting and lunch.

Vineyard Tour + Guided Wine Tasting - £32 per person

A 1.5-hour experience that pairs the morning vineyard tour with a guided tasting in the Tasting Room. Runs 11:30am Wednesday; 11:30am and 1:30pm Thursday and Friday; 1:30pm Saturday and Sunday, April to October.

Vineyard Tour + Self-Guided Wine Flight - £27.50 per person

A 1.5-hour, dog-friendly experience at 11:30am. After a 45-minute guided walk through the vines, guests enjoy a relaxed self-guided tasting in the Wine Barn or Paddock Lawn. Choose between a still flight (four 50ml pours) or a sparkling flight (three 50ml pours), with a tasting booklet and a £10 voucher towards takeaway purchases of six bottles or more. Children under 18 come free.

Self-Guided Wine Flight - £16 per person

A walk-in tasting at the Cellar Door between 12pm and 5pm, Wednesday to Sunday, April to October. No booking required.

Garden Tours - £40 per person

Once a month on Fridays at 10:30am, April to September, the estate opens the gates to its 20-acre private garden for a 2+ hour tour led by a senior member of the gardening team. The garden was redesigned and re-landscaped in 2010 by Tom Stuart-Smith OBE and includes his signature pleached limes, sculptural topiary, cloud hedging and layered perennial borders. Guests walk from the vineyard through the orchard and wildflower meadow to the walled garden. Limited to 16 people per tour. Upcoming 2026 dates include Friday 28 August and Friday 18 September. Out of consideration for other guests, children under 12 and dogs (other than assistance dogs) cannot be accommodated.

The Cellar Door, the Wine Barn and the Paddock Lawn

The Cellar Door at Yotes Court is the social heart of the estate. Inside the rustic Wine Barn and out on the sun-soaked Paddock Lawn, visitors can enjoy wine by the glass, tasting flights, cheese and charcuterie boards, plus a small gift selection to take home. The first table booking is at 12pm and the last at 4pm, with walk-ins always welcome. Children and well-behaved dogs are welcome, on leads at all times.

For something more immersive, Picnics in the Vineyard allow guests to settle in for up to 2.5 hours at a dedicated picnic site in the vines, with a chilled bottle of Yotes Court wine (one bottle for two to four seats, two bottles for five to ten seats) and complimentary glassware and cool bags. The picnic site bookings are 12pm to 2:30pm or 3pm to 5:30pm - bookings must be made in advance via the office on 07961 663 564.

Weddings and Corporate Events

Yotes Court's wines and the estate itself are available for private hire. Wedding couples can book a complimentary wine consultation and tasting for up to eight guests, with bespoke menu pairing, quantity planning, bulk pricing and logistics all handled by the Yotes Court team. Every couple who chooses Yotes Court wine for their wedding is invited back for a complimentary vineyard experience. The corporate programme is similarly bespoke, with vineyard tours, guided tastings and tailored experiences for groups of up to 40, plus a curated gifting service for client and employee rewards. All wines are SWGB Gold certified and sustainably produced, and Yotes Court's wines are not available on supermarket shelves, making them a distinctly local choice. Enquiries are welcomed by phone on 07961 663 564 or by email at [email protected].

Events Calendar 2026

Highlights of the 2026 programme include:

• Wine Garden of England Tasting - Sunday 16 August 2026, 3:30pm to 5:00pm, £27.50pp. A tasting of signature wines from Yotes Court's Wine Garden of England partners, limited to 28 guests.
• The Veraison Party - Saturday 5 September 2026, 5:00pm to 8:30pm. A members-only evening in the vineyard with live music, a welcome glass of sparkling wine, light bites for sale and a BYO picnic. Tickets are complimentary for Friends of Yotes Court members and partner members; guest tickets are £25 per person.
• The Science of Harvest - Sunday 6 September 2026, 3:30pm to 5:00pm, £40pp. A behind-the-scenes harvest walk-and-talk with vineyard manager Tony Purdie, limited to 18 guests.
• Paint & Sip with Eli - Sunday 20 September 2026, 2:00pm to 5:00pm, £42.50pp. A guided painting afternoon in the Tasting Room with a glass of sparkling wine and cake included, limited to 14 guests.
• The Harvest Experience - Saturday 26 September 2026, 10:00am to around 2:00pm, £45pp. Help pick the grapes alongside Tony and the team, then relax with a casual lunch and drinks.
• Sparkle & Sprigs: Sustainable Wreath-making Workshop - November 2026, date and price to be confirmed. A festive workshop with Head Gardener Janina, making wreaths from Yotes Court vines, seasonal greenery, berries and garden seed pods.
• Garden Tours - monthly Friday tours through April to September, £40pp.

The Friends of Yotes Court Wine Club

The Friends of Yotes Court wine club is the easiest way to keep a regular supply of the estate's wines on the table. Membership has no joining fee: members commit to purchasing 12 bottles per year, delivered as two curated cases of six wines each in May and November. Members can customise the contents of each case as long as minimum requirements are met.

Benefits include:

• A complimentary bottle of sparkling wine on sign-up, and a complimentary bottle of still wine in the member's birthday month.
• 20% off additional wine purchases online and at the Cellar Door all year round.
• Free delivery on orders over £80.
• Priority booking for popular events, including the annual Veraison Party, plus complimentary new-wine tastings on release day.
• Access to a private, announcement-only Members' WhatsApp channel for behind-the-scenes content.
• Optional Partner Membership at £40 per year, giving one additional adult at the same address the same benefits and a complimentary Veraison Party ticket.

The initial membership term is 12 months; cancellation in the first year incurs a £100 fee, after which the membership rolls on with no cancellation fee. To sign up or cancel, contact the office on 07961 663 564 or email [email protected].

Buying Yotes Court Wines

The online shop offers the full range of still and sparkling wines, mixed cases, gift cards, gift hampers and gift wrapping. UK mainland delivery is £9 per order, with free delivery on orders over £100 (over £80 for club members). Collection from the Cellar Door is free during opening hours. Orders can also be placed by phone on 07961 663 564.

Yotes Court wines are also stocked at independent retailers across the South East and beyond, including Haywards Farm Shop in Tonbridge, Cranbrook Farm Shop, Hercules Wines in Sandwich, The Cheese Shop in Tunbridge Wells, Quercus Wines in Westerham, Village Wines in Bexley, Grape Britannia in Cambridge, Fairview Wines in Midhurst, Corkage in Guildford, Sevenoaks Bookshop, Fortnum & Mason at the Royal Exchange in London, Corkk in Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury, Cellar Magnifique in Woking, Fleur de Lys in Leigh, Le Flamant in Lindfield, The Market House in Tonbridge, The Milk House in Sissinghurst, Hammonds in Oxted, St Leonards in West Malling, Boys Hall in Ashford, Hever Castle in Edenbridge, Willow and Sage in Cranbrook, Marleys in Folkestone and the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair.

Accessibility and Practical Information

The Cellar Door Wine Barn, Tasting Room and toilets are all wheelchair accessible, with a wide entrance of over 180cm into the Wine Barn and 80cm into the Tasting Room. Accessible parking is available approximately 15m from the Wine Barn and 30m from the Tasting Room. Some vineyard tours take place on uneven terrain and may not be suitable for guests with limited mobility - the team is happy to discuss alternative options. Free Wi-Fi is available on site. Full accessibility details are available from the office on request.

Where to Stay Nearby

For visitors who want to make a weekend of it, the team recommends several local places to stay:

• The Nutplat Retreat in Roughway, a roughly one-hour country walk from the vineyard, offering vintage glamping.
• Bloom Stays, a South East holiday letting agency offering hand-picked properties across Kent including Bushes Oast in Sevenoaks Weald, The Wonky House in Rochester, The Coach House in Harrietsham, Dormstone House in Charing, and Dairy Barn and Cart Lodge in Blackham.
• Orchard Pods in Offham, a family-run glamping site with four luxurious ensuite pods.

Press and Accolades

Yotes Court has received consistent national and international press coverage, including features in Forbes (“England's Yotes Court Vineyard Is Letting Nature Do The Work”), The Drinks Business, The Times (“Bordeaux beware, here comes the Kent claret”), Bloomberg, Country Living, Waitrose Weekly, BBC Radio Kent, ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, and Channel 4's Aldi's Next Big Thing, which featured a canned spritzer made with Yotes Court Bacchus. In June 2023, Virgin Atlantic partnered with Yotes Court to serve ‘On the Nod' Bacchus 2021 as the first English still wine to be served long haul.