The festival will take place in Rochester Cathedral this autumn for the first time in a millennium
An exclusive English wine festival will take place in Rochester Cathedral this autumn for the first time in a millennium. The cathedral is hosting The Wine Garden of England Festival in November in celebration of Kent’s wine producers and to honour one of the county’s first producers – Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester from 1077 to 1108, who championed viticulture at the cathedral more than 1,000 years ago.
The event is organised by the Dean and Chapter of Rochester and the newly formed Wine Garden of England partnership (read all about the seven Kent wineries involved in the October issue of Kent Life), and will take place in the cathedral crypt on 17 November.
The ticketed event, sponsored by Southeastern, is the first public outing for the Kentish wine partnership, with the seven producing wineries offering tutored tastings and talks in three two-hour sessions throughout the day.
Attendees will receive their own branded wine glass and have the chance to meet the producers themselves and sample 30 wines. Tickets for one two-hour session cost £50. Spaces are limited, and tickets are expected to sell fast when they go on public sale during the first week of September: www.rochestercathedral.org/new-events.
A blessing of the wine on 16 November is open to all and will be held in the main cathedral during Evensong
