Kent winemaker up for sale for £1.5m

Kent-based English wine producer Barnsole has been put up for sale with a guide price of £1.5 million. The entirety of the issued share capital of the business is being sold due to the current owners planning to retire.

Planted in the early 1990’s, the Barnsole Vineyard is among the oldest in Kent and is located on the outskirts of Staple, a village situated between Canterbury and Sandwich. The business originally produced the Reichensteiner and Huxelrebe varieties, but has since expanded into Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and recently launched a trial block of indigenous English vine Wrotham Pinot, set to first be released in 2024.

This expansion into new varieties has seen the vineyard grow from the original three acres to seven and forms part of a wider expansion of the business under the ownership of Phillip and Sally Watts, who acquired Barnsole ten years ago. Last year, the purpose-built winery on site was doubled in size, which in future will enable the business to upscale production from its current levels of 20,000 bottles per year, to around 80,000 bottles.

The business produces English sparkling, still white and red wines, all of which are grown, picked, pressed and bottled by hand on-site. The winery, which offers daily tastings and tours of the vineyard, attracts, on average, approximately 5,000 visitors per year.

The sale, which is being handled by BTF Partnership, includes the entirety of the business’ issued share capital, the freehold property, farm machinery, current stock (which comprises around 25,000 bottles) and the related support business Socket & Plug Ltd. The business also currently employs a winemaker and agricultural apprentice, each with extensive experience of the varieties produced at the vineyard.

BTF Partnership Director Alex Cornwallis said: “We are delighted to be working with Phillip and Sally on this business sale. It is an exciting and unique opportunity for a new owner to walk into a successful business in a growing sector with the ability to significantly increase production in the coming years. The new trial block of Wrotham Pinot England’s indigenous vine being grown in Kent for the first time in a commercial vineyard setting is also something to shout about.”

Barnsole Vineyard co-owner Phillip Watts commented that the sale was an opportunity for someone looking to buy a wine business to “step into one which is ready to be taken to the next level.” Watts said that, under their ownership, profits have been “continually reinvested” back into the business, helping to build both its “strong foundations” and a “vision for the future”.

Watts added: “With the growing national and international interest in English wine and wine tourism here in the South East, we are proud of where the business is today, the strong brand identity we have created and importantly the award winning, dynamic wines we now produce from start to finish.”


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