It belongs to Nikki and Kevin Ward, who, along with Nucleus Arts entrepreneur Aaron Sergejenkovs-Telford, are behind the winery business venture.
Kevin bought the fort, perched on one of the highest hills in the county, for £1.5 million, paying another £700,000 for the 50 acres of land surrounding it.
The couple picked up the keys two and a half years ago and last July planted their first batch of nearly 20,000 vines, which will take up to seven years to mature before being harvested.
Admitting to being more of a wine drinker than wine producer, Kevin told KentOnline: “It’s early days. I’m no expert and I have a lot to learn.”
Kevin’s interest in the world of viticulture came after a motorbike trip to France with mates a few years ago, when they found themselves in the Epernay region of Champagne,
While talking to locals, they had been ribbed about “awful English wine”.
However, since then, with an increasingly warmer climate and the right soil type, winemaking has taken off in this country – and we are getting better at it.
There are now about 50 vineyards in Kent, with the more well-known Balfour Winery in Staplehurst and Chapel Down in Tenterden selling their products in pubs, restaurants and supermarkets all over Britain.
So is there room for the Nucleus Winery?
Kevin, 54, who used to run his own security company, said: “My job was fiercely competitive, so I was surprised how supportive other winemakers have been. We’ve been offered lots of advice.”
Wife Nikki ,53, agreed, adding “There’s always going to be room for another one, and it’s in everyone’s interest for the reputation of everyone to produce the best wine in England.”
Aaron, a wine connoisseur who makes regular trips abroad to hand-select for his restaurants, already has connections with people in the trade.
The trio met while the couple and Nikki’s later father Derek Foreman, a ”wine buff”, were dining at Aaron’s Nucleus restaurant in Rochester.
They got chatting about wine, struck up a friendship and Kevin is now a business partner.
When the Wards bought the property, it had fallen into disrepair as the previous owner only made a small section of it habitable to live in.
Built in 1875, after it served its function during wartime and conflicts, it was used as a pig farm and for storage space for the nearby Young Offenders’ Institution.
In its new role as a vineyard and winery, the cool temperature in its labyrinth of tunnels and underground caverns is said to be perfect for grape fermentation.
When up and running, they will be producing Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier, similar to those that come from the Champagne region.
Kevin said it was ironic following the derogatory remark made on his trip to France that because of climate change and temperatures in France exceeding 40 degrees, the French had started to buy up plots in Kent to produce wine.
He said: “I’m not sure about better, but I can see a day when we will be as good at the French at making wine.”
While they are in the throes of the massive renovation project and getting the vineyard off the ground, for most of the time, they remain living at their home in Lower Rainham.
The long-term plan is to hold tours and tastings and open it up to history groups and schools.
The Victorian fortification, which itself extends to eight acres and comprises a separate guards’ house, was built by convicts.
And fittingly, they are considering offering work and apprenticeships to inmates at the neighbouring prisons.
Kevin added: “All those years ago the fort was built for a purpose. But that has finished.
“We are giving it a new lease of life. It now has a new purpose.”
