One of the county's top vineyards has agreed a deal to secure more land to make it the biggest in England and capable of producing one million bottles of sparkling wine.

Chapel Down, headquartered in Tenterden, says its has exchanged on an agreement to lease 388 acres of land adjoining its existing vineyards on the North Downs.

The site at Boarley and Abbey Farm in Boxley will be vined between 2019 and 2021 resulting in a total area under long term leases of 788 acres.

It means the firm's total area on which it grows its vines will exceed 950 acres.

The completion of the lease is subject to the landlord obtaining vacant possession of the land and associated agricultural buildings - anticipated for on or around October 11.

Frazer Thompson, chief executive of the Chapel Down Group, said: “This is more exciting news for Chapel Down and the English sparkling wine business.

"The Boxley site is close to our existing vineyard at Kits Coty and our other recently vined sites at Court Lodge Farm and Street Farm on the North Downs.

“We believe this area of the North Downs offers the finest terroir [soil] in England for sparkling varieties and successive excellent crops and critical acclaim for wines from our Kits Coty vineyard prove it.

“This will be the largest vineyard in England with the potential to produce up to a million bottles of sparkling wine per annum when mature.

“The sites will be planted over the coming years to enable us to grow our business to satisfy the increasing demand for Chapel Down wines over the next 25 years.”