WANDERING the WINE GARDEN of ENGLAND

In 1077, a monk named Gundulf travelled from Normandy to a small English city on the River Medway, to assume the bishopric of its derelict 400-year-old cathedral. He quickly set to work building a new cathedral, which still stands today, but he also established something else: a vineyard.

During Gundulf’s time as Bishop of Rochester, the order of Benedictine monks that he founded grew grapes alongside their other duties. In fact, Gundulf became so associated with his vineyards that a wine festival was held every year on the anniversary of his death. Eventually, of course, this tradition faded away – that is, until now.

In 2018, the Wine Garden of England Festival was held