Simpsons Wine Estate is midway through construction of its winery but has paid a hefty price after the Brexit vote last year.

Staff work in basic offices, in three adjacent warehouses, which are undergoing a renovation.

Once finished the site will feature a tasting room and, perhaps, a helter skelter sliding visitors down to the production area.

This is filled with 36 stainless steel tanks in various capacities, from five to 50 hectolitres (one hectolitre holds 100 litres).

The containers and the construction has been partially funded by a Defra grant, along with the Simpsons’ own investment.

The owners were forced to plough more of their own money into the project when the vote to leave the EU sent the value of the pound plummeting.

They had put down deposits of 10% to 20% on the viticultural equipment and were not due to pay the full amount – nearly €100,000 – until after the EU referendum.

The quote was at an exchange rate of €1.32 to the £1 but after the Brexit vote, the exchange rate fell to €1.17, costing the business thousands.

“Once Defra agree to give you a grant at a certain value, you have to buy that equipment,” said co-owner Charles Simpson.

“They don’t say they will give you some more money to compensate for the extra cost on the exchange rate. One of the biggest lessons you learn in viticulture is you know the cost of the ticket before you get on the plane.

“We look at this from a 10-year finance perspective. It is always a 10-year plan. You hope on the way a few upsides will compensate for the downsides.”

On the flipside, the falling value of the pound has also made sparkling wine from Kent cheaper for foreign buyers.

The Brexit vote could also have long-term benefits, according to Patrick McGrath, who runs the Domaine Evremond vineyard near Chilham with Taittinger president Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.

He said: “If anything, following Brexit, the British government may be more supportive of the English sparkling wine industry than now.

“Until now, it has had no effect of any substance. The vines are slightly more expensive because of the fall in sterling but that has not had a dramatic impact.”

Last year, his business partner Mr Taittinger briefly said he might run for the French presidency before changing his mind. What does he think of the UK attitude to Brexit?

“It has not changed anything in my love for Great Britain,” he said.

“The United Kingdom has been in Europe for 3,000 years. We are European. The political issues are behind us.

“In the wine world, the politics is stranger. Wine is made to abolish frontiers and escape nationalism.

“The Evremond project is a joint venture between two firms which are very close. Taittinger Champagne is very successful in Great Britain. Brexit will not change anything to our friendship.

“It is something for politicians but not for winemakers.”

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Simpsons Wine Estate will run regular vineyard tours for the first time this summer, with food and wine tastings at its new winery in Barham.

The visits will involve a stroll around the vineyards and a look at the new production centre, opened last October.

Tours will end with a glass of bubbles and a tasting of wines from the Simpsons’ Domaine de Sainte Rose estate in the Languedoc.

Co-owner Ruth Simpson said: “Wine tourism is very important for us and increasingly important to Kent, as the Garden of England.

"We’ve always wanted to welcome wine lovers to our English estate, so we are very excited to start hosting regular tours."

Tours will run from 10.30am to 1.30pm, costing £22.50 per person, including coffee and pastries on arrival and a guided tasting experience of the Sainte Rose wines paired with a local charcuterie and cheese board. Call 01227 832 200.

The next tour will take place on Saturday, June 17, with subsequent tours planned for Saturday, July 15 and Saturday, August 19.