Domaine Evremond gets the headlines, and fairly so. But it's one stop on a much wider map, and if you're staying with us for more than a single tasting, it's worth knowing what else sits within half an hour.
We've got four real, bookable places here — not a padded-out list of anywhere within an hour that sells a bottle. One brewery that's been going since 1698. One cidery that's a working farm first. One newer wine estate that's still finding its voice. And Evremond itself, if you haven't read our full guide yet. All graded honestly by distance, because "nearby" means something different at 11 minutes than it does at 25.
Quick facts for planning:
- Domaine Evremond: about 12 minutes — English sparkling wine, the newest and best-known name
- Badgers Hill Farm & Cidery: about 11 minutes — homemade cider, farm café, animals for the kids
- Shepherd Neame, Faversham: about 15 minutes — Britain's oldest brewer, 80-minute tour
- Simpsons' Wine Estate, Barham: about 25 minutes — book ahead, no walk-ins
Domaine Evremond: The Closest, The Newest
Twelve minutes away and the reason this whole cluster of articles exists. Taittinger's English estate has walk-in terrace tastings Wednesday to Sunday, a guided tour if you book ahead, and a food-pairing experience built around it. We've written a complete guide to visiting — booking, prices, the parking quirk, all of it — so we won't repeat it here. Start there if Evremond's your main event.
Badgers Hill Farm & Cidery: Cider on the Doorstep
Eleven minutes the other direction, and the odd one out on this list in the best way — a working family farm that happens to make its own cider, beer and wine, rather than a visitor attraction built around drinks. There's a farm shop, a café doing all-day breakfasts and ploughman's, and animal enclosures that make this the stop to pick if not everyone in your group is here for the tasting. Open daily 9am to 5pm. Full detail, including how it fits into a Chilham day out, is in our village guide.
Shepherd Neame, Faversham: Britain's Oldest Brewer
Fifteen minutes up the A251 and a real change of pace from wine — Shepherd Neame has been brewing in Faversham since 1698, and their visitor tour is the most structured, best-value experience on this list.
The standard tour runs eighty minutes: round the working brewery site, into the Old Brewery Store for a look at historic delivery vehicles, a recreated cooper's workshop and decades of pub signs, then back to the Visitor Centre bar for a tutored tasting of their Kentish ales and speciality lagers. It's £25 a head, groups of up to twenty, on scheduled morning and afternoon slots. Want it as a private group instead? That's available year-round from £275 for up to ten people, or £23 a head for larger groups up to sixty, with a two-course lunch option if you want to make a full afternoon of it.
Two things worth knowing before you book. First, if you're coming without a car, Shepherd Neame runs a genuine 2-for-1 offer through National Rail's Days Out Guide — claim the e-voucher, book your tour, show your train ticket on the day. Worth combining with our car-free weekend guide if that's the trip you're planning. Second, there's also an evening tour with a two-course supper, and a seasonal six-course beer-and-food-matching night if you want something more of an event than an afternoon out. Call 01795 542016 or book online.
Simpsons' Wine Estate, Barham: The Quieter One
Twenty-five minutes out via the A252 and A2 — just inside half an hour, not a quick hop — Simpsons' sits on Church Lane in Barham, directly opposite St John the Baptist Church.
We'll be honest: Simpsons keeps a much lower profile online than Evremond or Shepherd Neame, and their own site doesn't publish specific tour formats or prices the way the others do. That's not a criticism — plenty of good wine estates would rather you rang and asked than filled in a web form — but it does mean we can't hand you a menu of experiences here the way we can for the other three. What we do know is that every tour and experience needs booking in advance — there's no walk-in tasting here — and the cellar door handles wine sales and click-and-collect during normal office hours, 9am to 5pm.
If Simpsons is the one you're most curious about, ring ahead on 01227 832200 or book through their website before you set off; don't turn up expecting to wing it the way you can at Evremond's terrace. The entrance itself is easy enough to find once you're in Barham — Church Lane, directly opposite St John the Baptist Church — but there's no substitute for confirming your visit is actually expected before you drive the best part of half an hour to get there.
Which One Matches Your Mood
Four very different places, and they don't all suit the same kind of day.
Celebrating something specific — an anniversary, a birthday, a "we finally got away" weekend? Evremond earns the occasion; it's the newest, the most photogenic, and the one your group will actually remember the name of afterwards. Rainy forecast and you'd rather not be outdoors much? Shepherd Neame's tour is almost entirely indoors, brewery floor to Visitor Centre bar, which makes it the obvious back-up plan when the weather turns on you. Got children or anyone who doesn't drink in the group? Badgers Hill solves that instantly — cider for the adults, animals and cake for everyone else, and nobody's stuck nursing a soft drink while everyone else tastes. And if what you actually want is a quieter, less-visited wine estate without a coach party in sight, that's Simpsons — you'll just need to plan ahead rather than turning up on a whim.
How to Build a Drinks-Touring Day
Four stops in one day is a bad idea, and we'll say that even though it costs us nothing to say it. Pick two, at most, and leave real time between them — a rushed tasting is a wasted one.
The natural pairing is Evremond and Badgers Hill, since both sit close to Chilham and you can walk between the village and the vineyard rather than driving a third leg. For a beer-and-wine day instead, Shepherd Neame in the morning and Evremond in the afternoon works well, with lunch in Faversham to break it up. Simpsons is the one to treat as its own trip rather than bolting onto a full day elsewhere — it's a bit further out, and worth its own dedicated visit rather than squeezing in as stop three.
If you want it mapped out rather than described: a Chilham-based day starts with a late-morning walk out to Evremond, lunch back in the village, then Badgers Hill on the way home for cider and a look at the animals before the light goes. A Faversham-based day is simpler still — the Shepherd Neame tour late morning, lunch in the town itself (it's a genuine old market town, worth an hour beyond the brewery), then back to us for the evening rather than trying to fit anything else in.
And obviously: whoever's driving needs to actually not drink at whichever stops involve tasting. It sounds obvious written down. It's the detail every group forgets to actually assign until they're stood at the cellar door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I visit more than one of these in a day?
You can, but we'd cap it at two. Evremond and Badgers Hill pair naturally since they're both near Chilham; Shepherd Neame and Evremond work as a beer-then-wine day with a bit more driving involved.
Do I need to book ahead at all four?
Shepherd Neame and Simpsons both require advance booking for tours. Evremond takes walk-ins on its terrace (weather allowing) but tours need booking. Badgers Hill is a working farm and café — no booking needed, just turn up in opening hours.
Is there somewhere to eat at each stop?
Badgers Hill has its own café. Shepherd Neame's tours include tastings but not a full meal, unless you book the supper or beer-dinner experiences. Evremond offers light bites. Simpsons doesn't advertise food on-site.
Which is best for a group that isn't all into wine?
Badgers Hill, without much competition — cider, beer, a farm shop and animals mean there's something for guests who'd rather not do another tasting flight.
Is Simpsons open for walk-in tastings?
No — everything at Simpsons needs booking in advance, unlike Evremond's terrace. Ring ahead or book online before you go.
How do I get to Shepherd Neame without driving?
Train to Faversham, then it's a short walk to the brewery. Claim their 2-for-1 tour voucher through National Rail's Days Out Guide and show your ticket on the day — genuinely worth doing if you're already travelling car-free.
One Base, Four Directions
However you split your visit, the useful bit is having somewhere central to come back to. We're eleven to twenty-five minutes from all four of these, with a private hot tub waiting at the end of whichever direction you pick.
Explore the Kent Downs from Landews Meadow — book direct for the guaranteed best price.
