When fruit grower Mark Gaskain decided to sell some of his land at Chilham in Kent because he could see it was an ideal location for growing vines, it marked not the end of an era but a new beginning.
Mark soon became a valued member of the Domaine Evremond team that has since planted 60 ha of grapes and developed a state-of-the art winery at the site.
It’s a business relationship that grew into friendship, a word used often as Domaine Evremond launched the impressive new winery, opened the previous day by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO, with a splendid lunch for members of the press.
Taittinger’s decision to plant grapes in Kent represented the first investment by a major Champagne house in land in the United Kingdom and has helped cement the South East’s reputation as the home of top-quality sparkling wine that compares with anything in the world.
Domaine Evremond is a partnership between Champagne Taittinger and the French company’s UK partner, Hatch Mansfield, and reflects a longstanding friendship between Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick McGrath MW.
More recent friendships include the one that quickly flourished between Mark, of Gaskains Ltd., and Taittinger’s vineyard director Christelle Rinville, who shared the presentation on the ‘outside’ elements of the site, which totals 125 ha.
Mark, who still grows 70 million apples a year, sold his land to the partnership in 2015, but with Domaine Evremond recognising his skill set and his knowledge of the land, his team now carries out all the vineyard management tasks under Christelle’s guidance and with agronomy support from Agrii.
The first vines – unsurprisingly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – were planted in 2017, with renowned UK viticulturalist Stephen Skelton MW also contributing his expertise to the team.
Following a small harvest in 2019, Domaine Evremond’s first full harvest was in 2020 and the first bottling took place in 2021. The first edition of Domaine Evremond’s Classic Cuvée, a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier, has spent three years on the lees and went down well with the guests at the launch. It will be on sale from next spring.
Work began on the striking winery at the top of the site in 2022 following a lengthy planning battle with a resident who opposed the plans, which had been readily approved by Ashford Borough Council. The building, much of which is buried deep in the ground and features a natural cellar, involved digging a 40,000 cubic metre hole in the chalk.
After Christelle and Mark had outlined the surface elements of the operation, Champagne Taittinger’s chef de cave Alexandre Ponnavoy showed guests around the impressive winery.
At the Royal opening, Patrick McGrath MW commented: “Domaine Evremond has been more than 10 years in the making. It has been an incredible and exciting journey for all the team, and the driving force throughout has always been that of friendship.”
Photo: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh and Patrick McGrath MW ©Thomas Alexander Photography
