Writing a blog can become a bit like a diary, an intensely private affair, so it comes as an occasional wake-up to realise it's actually really quite widely read. Like when I walked into the offices at Chapel Down Wines in Tenterden this morning and the md, Frazer Thompson, reminded me I hadn't written anything since his birthday last Wednesday. How time flies when you're trying to put a bumper September edition to bed!
Despite my love of wine, much-documented by appearances in the Diary pages of Kent Life, rarely without a glass in hand (this has been pointed out by quite a few people - it's my job, I protest, weakly), I was at Chapel Down early on a wet Tuesday for non-quaffing purposes.
Frazer is my 'Kent Character' for the October edition and, despite the aforementioned press week, I had agreed to an early date so that my snapper Manu could come along and get the pics in before his holiday. No such luck. Drizzle turned into a downpour and Tenterden will have to wait for a sunny day before it gets its moment of glory. But I had a great chat with Frazer, who seemed to get more Geordie on me as the interview progressed, for some reason, and I was genuinely shocked to find that someone who has made such a name for himself and for English wines has only been in the county seven years. Hope you'll enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the interview.
Sarah