Here its founders Larry Hardcastle and Jack Brennan reveal why they decided to set up an exclusive members’ club which celebrates the finest wines made right here on our doorstep
When it comes to doing a dream job then Jack Brennan and Larry Hardcastle are certainly doing theirs.
The duo recently pooled together their respective wine knowledge and business acumen – not to mention passion for drinking English wines – in order to set up a new subscription-based wine delivery service which cherry picks viticulture offerings from both well-known and lesser so vineyards from around the local area so fellow wine fans can also discover and enjoy them.
“It was around April that we had the idea to launch a business that celebrated our local vineyards and offered clients something really special,” explains Jack, as we sit down to chat at Salomons Estate.
“I had been working at Chapel Down but I decided to leave after a restructure. I’ve known Larry for years and was aware that he wanted to do something subscription-based so we got talking and came up with the idea of doing a wine delivery service.”
But the pair didn’t want to do a run of the mill wine club. Instead Larry – who heads up a number of other business enterprises including the tech agency Studio44 – and Jack had other ideas.
“We wanted to be hyper local, focusing on what’s available on our doorstep,” says Larry. “Once we started visiting various vineyards we realised there were so many amazing places and we wanted to share that passion and knowledge with others.”
Jack adds that right now this locality is where you’ll find some of the best still and sparkling wines around. “We genuinely believe that Kent has got the best vineyards. But Sussex is also on a par so we have been exploring there too. It says it all when you think a well known champagne brand wanted to buy up land in this region twenty years ago. Our terroir is now the same as the Champagne region which makes for some very exciting wine production.”
The terroir – which factors in the soil and climate where a particular wine is produced – is certainly proving to be successful given the amount of vineyards, both established and fledgling, that are around right now.
“When we started exploring different wineries we were amazed by the amount of good ones out there,” states Larry. “As we went out tasting we soon discovered that we were enjoying every single one! So actually it’s been hard to choose just three bottles per box!”
Jack says that one of Kent Wines’ key aims is to help spread the word about the impressive vinious offerings we have on our doorstep. “It’s now more important than ever to support local given Brexit and the effect the pandemic has had on small businesses. So yes, we want to help spread the word about those vineyards you might not necessarily have heard of but are brilliant. We want to give our customers opportunities to buy local and try new varietals.”
Larry goes on to say that it’s been ‘really fascinating’ to be out in the vineyards and meeting the makers. “A lot of the exclusive deals we have with producers are because we have made the effort to go out and meet them.” In other words they haven’t just dialled up numerous companies but instead put the effort in to visit, experience tasting flights and chat – just as any genuine wine fan would.
So what’s the Kent Wines offer?
Well, there are three different levels of subscription ranging from £60 to £100 per month with boxes split into three different categories: Explorers, Discoverers and Pioneers. There is no fixed-term contract so customers can opt in and out at any time. A new trio of boxes will be announced in the first week of every month for customers to choose from.
“Our box names were derived from the fact that you go on a journey with wine. You explore a little, then discover a gem and after a while then you’re a pioneer,” says Jack.
So how are they curating each offering? “It’s a lot to do with our experience with each vineyard,” replies Jack. “The wines in our first box – which we will start to deliver this month – are impeccable. We wanted a powerful start and we think we have achieved that by working with Balfour which is very well known, alongside Meophams and Yotes Court which are not as established but are still incredible.”
Larry agrees: “It’s a good combination. Each wine in our three launch boxes is an absolutely outstanding product – as will others be that we choose for future months. I suppose we wanted to balance what people knew already while also introducing smaller growers and in turn helping to support them. It’s not just championing what’s already out there and well known. It’s about a journey of discovery.”
And if people really like a particular wine in one of their boxes then Jack and Larry are encouraging their customers to go directly to the vineyard to buy more.
“Ultimately we are offering a taste of what each vineyard can do so if you like it you can find out more from them and buy direct from their cellar door,” Jack discloses. “We are a conduit if you like, we want to help the smaller producers of these amazing wines grow.”
Since Kent Wines announced its launch last month interest has been strong. Larry says that the website has had plenty of traction already and they’ve been in lots of conversations with a number of vineyards.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response,” smiles Jack. “People are really excited about it! We’ve already done some work with a couple of local charities offering prizes and we recently sponsored the Tori Scott comedy night at Trinity so people are starting to get to know the Kent Wines name.
Talking of names, Jack and Larry say they are not going to be solely focused on just what the Garden of England has to offer.
“We’ve been heading into Sussex too and discovering how good they are so we figured that we couldn’t possibly leave them out! We’re finding that people want to shop local and therefore reduce their carbon footprint so we’re helping them do that with what we offer – and ultimately to be more adventurous than just always going for the £5 supermarket bottle of wine.”
Other notable USPs of the Kent Wines business are that it’s sustainable: “We use no plastics at all unlike most other wine delivery companies,” confirms Jack.
They also take the time to include their own personal tasting notes alongside those of each vineyard – something the pair believes gives them a bespoke edge. “We feel that this just adds a bit more of a personal touch and is something that not everyone is doing,” Larry tells me
Kent Wines also boasts exclusivity with certain vineyards including launch partner Meophams: “That is another great selling point for us and that’s come about by going out and exploring what’s out there and being very personable. So far the vineyards we are working with have been wonderfully supportive,” Jack notes.
Larry reveals that as Kent Wines becomes more established, monthly offerings will be curated to certain seasons and occasions.
“We’ll tailor it throughout the year so there will be a heavier bias on whites and rosés in the summer months. There aren’t lots of English reds around so they’ll be few and far between but there will be plenty of sparkling as there are so many out there – most of which far exceed Champagnes so we’re really happy to be featuring some of those.”
Larry also discloses they are also very keen to branch out into hosting events. “We’re hoping to host some tastings and work with local bars and restaurants to help improve their English wine offering. I think there is a real appetite out there for it from a consumer point of view. When going out for dinner we’ve been very focused on ordering local wine as you’re not only supporting regional industry you can discover something amazing in the process.”
Jack says that upmarket restaurant The Lyle on Forest Road also wants to work with them stocking wines and doing tastings. “They would like around 60% of their wine menu to be English so they contacted us asking for our help. Vittle and Swig on Camden Road also want to do tastings as do Geography on the High Street.
And although Kent Wines is based in Tunbridge Wells that doesn’t mean they’ll only deliver locally. “We have a warehouse in Tonbridge and a deal with a local freight company who can deliver nationwide. It’s all about getting Kent and Sussex wines out to a bigger audience.”
But having said that, before they expand too much Larry divulges that the initial plan is local saturation. “We want to focus on the two counties of Kent and Sussex first as they are likely to be the biggest fans. We want to ensure we are satisfying that local thirst. People who live in Kent are more likely to want to support their own county.
“We’ve deliberately pitched the business as high end – working with premium brands. One of the challenges is that English wine lovers tend to be older and that’s fine but we also want to appeal to a younger demographic too. We want to attract those who don’t know about English wines.”
Jack adds: “What we’re trying to do in addition to offering quality wines, opening up the market and promoting sustainability is to offer value for money too. So if you are ordering through us it will never be more expensive than buying direct. The vineyards wouldn’t sell you individual bottles anyway but even if they did we will always aim to be better value. The essence is to appeal to those who love wine but want to try something different and we can definitely deliver all those elements.”
We’ll certainly drink to that! For more information visit kent-wines
