A few weeks ago, the House of Decant team escaped London for the day and headed down to Squerryes Estate in Kent. One of those journeys where, somehow, less than an hour later, you’re standing among vineyards, chalk slopes and an enormous historic house wondering why you don’t do this more often.

We were lucky enough to be invited to Squerryes Court by Claire and Henry Warde, whose family have lived on the estate since 1731. The house itself is sensational, historic, elegant, and instantly recognisable to anyone who watched Bridgerton, which naturally caused a certain amount of excitement from our team.

After a tour of the estate, we sat down with Tom Surgey, Patience & Trade Lead, broadcaster, wine communicator, and a very good person to have talking you through wines like these. He guided us through the full Squerryes range, the philosophy behind the wines, and the thinking that runs through the estate. Alongside the tasting came personal stories from Henry Warde himself, whose passion for the project is impossible not to feel when you’re there.

And then came the grand finale: Patience. But more on that in a moment.

More Than English Sparkling Wine

Squerryes sits on the North Downs of Kent, on ancient chalk soils remarkably similar to those found in Champagne. The Warde family planted the vineyard in 2006, but the estate’s history stretches back almost 300 years, with the family having lived there since 1731.

Today, Squerryes has become one of the most exciting names in English sparkling wine. Not just because the wines are exceptional, though they are, but because everything about the estate feels thoughtful, ambitious, and genuinely world-class.

And the estate has grown into far more than just a vineyard. Alongside the winery is The Squerryes Winery Restaurant, overlooking the vines, where we were lucky enough to eat during our visit. Very good food, excellent bottles, vineyard views, and certainly where we were far happier to be spending the afternoon than sitting in the office.

Meeting Patience

And then there is Patience itself.

Not simply a prestige cuvée or a one-off “special release”, but something far more considered than that.

Patience is the result of over a decade of careful ageing, tasting and restraint. Henry Warde, Laura Evans MW and the Squerryes winemaking team identified exceptional wines from the estate’s best vintages and held them back to see how they evolved over time.

Only when a wine truly proved itself worthy would it become Patience.

The inaugural release is the 2014 vintage. Just 3,000 bottles exist, with only 1,500 being released initially in July 2026.

The wine takes inspiration from Henry Warde’s ancestor, Patience Warde, a fascinating and wildly colourful figure from British history whose family motto, Licet Esse Beatis (“it is permitted to be joyful”), still hangs above the door at Squerryes Court today.

Like the story behind it, the wine feels thoughtful, layered and deeply personal.

A Rare Bottle and a Very Special Evening

We’re incredibly excited to say that House of Decant will be one of the very few places offering Patience for sale.

And if you’d like to experience it properly, we’ll also be hosting a special tasting event at The House on the 18th June, where we’ll explore the full Squerryes range before finishing with Patience itself.

An evening of exceptional English sparkling wine and stories stretching back centuries.

Very limited spaces. Very special wines.

And proof, if any was needed, that some of the most exciting bottles in the world are now being made just down the road in Kent.