Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Scott Gebbie, Managing Director and head of production Mereworth Wines in Kent. 

Scott graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Food and Nutrition before discovering an interest in viticulture and winemaking. This led him to explore and work in vineyards and wineries in both the southern and northern hemispheres, vintage hopping between Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, England, Portugal and Italy. 

After studying for a Joint Master's Degree in Viticulture, Oenology and Wine Business from Montpellier and Geisenheim Universities, he took up a research position for the Comité Champagne in Epernay and worked closely with growers looking at the planting structure of vineyards, the climate and its effect on the sensory typicity of Champagne.

In 2018, Scott returned to his native Kent and helped establish the vineyards at Mereworth Wines, which comprise 2.5 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier planted on the Greensand Ridge. 

Dating back 500 years, Mereworth boasts a long association with fruit and hop growing, with some of the first hops in the country planted here. Now, the former Brewers Hall oast house is home to a winery, which has expanded over the years to now include a full contract winemaking business. 

Keep up to date with all things Mereworth at mereworth.co.uk and on Instagram @mereworthwines. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to the 15th series of The English Wine Diaries!! 

Joining me on today’s episode is Collette O’Leary, head winemaker and estate manager at Henners Vineyard in Herstmonceaux, East Sussex. 

Collette began her career in PR & Marketing in London, specialising in behaviour change campaigns including promoting the HPV vaccine to young women and girls and developing education initiatives to encourage young people to consider vocational education. 

 While it was rewarding work, following a period spent travelling the world, which involved visiting multiple vineyards, she caught the wine bug and decided to retrain as a winemaker. She graduated from Plumpton College in 2014 – at a time when English wine was starting to gain real momentum.

After travelling again overseas to gain experience with renowned sparkling wine producers, such a J Vineyards & Winery in California and Graham Beck in South Africa, she returned to England, joining Bluebell Vineyard Estates before moving a few miles east to Henners, where she has been head winemaker for the past six years.   

Henners was first established in 2007 by former Formula One engineer Lawrence Warr. A decade later it was acquired by Boutinot Wines and is now part of a family of wineries with roots across the world. 

Catch up with all things Henners at henners.com and on Instagram @hennersvineyard. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Ending the 14th series of The English Wine Diaries on a high with one of the most well known winemakers in the UK, Emma Rice. 

Emma developed a fascination with fine wine while working as a waitress in The White Horse Inn, Chilgrove as a teenager in the 1990s. It was a chance taste of the 1979 vintage of Krug that was the lightbulb moment that began her career in wine. 

She got a job at Oddbins – a rite of passage for anyone going into the wine trade in the nineties – and studied here WSETs before travelling to New Zealand for a harvest. 

Back in the UK and after spotting an advert in the trade press for a Wine Editor, she was taken on as managing editor of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, but  also got involved with the World Atlas of Wine. 

It was during this time that she made the move from London to Brighton and enrolled in the newly created Wine Production Course at Plumpton, becoming one of the first cohort of six to graduate in the UK.

Time in Napa Valley and Tasmania followed but the excitement of working in the burgeoning domestic industry in the UK led her to return home and set up a wine analysis laboratory and consultancy in the South Downs. 

Through this, she was introduced to Simon Robinson, the owner of Hattingley Valley Wines, who asked her to build him a winery – the winery today remains one of the largest in the UK. 

During her 14 or so years at Hattingley, Emma was awarded UK Winemaker of the Year twice, and her wines won many awards including at The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships and WineGB Supreme Champion. 

She left Hattingley Valley in 2022 and currently works as an independent consultant winemaker, releasing the first wines under her own brand last year. 

Emma talks honestly and opening about how the wine industry has changed over the years, including how the challenges she has faced along the way have pushed her to be the winemaker she is today. 

You can follow her latest projects on Instagram @ricerywine and emmarice.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries are Neil and Maria Corbould, owners of The Grape Escape Vineyard – one of the country’s newest and perhaps most unique wine producers. 

Neil and Maria planted their five-acre boutique vineyard in Chertsey, Surrey, in 2023 and have been busy tending to the vines with their first commercial harvest taking place this year. 

However, the couple’s day jobs are quite different – often seeing them swap muddy boots and secateurs for glad rags and red carpets.

Neil is an award-winning Special Effects Supervisor, whose four-decade career has helped shape some of the most iconic films in modern cinema. 

His groundbreaking effects on large scale productions, such as Gladiator, Gravity, Mission: Impossible, Rogue One, and Napoleon, have earned him global acclaim, with two Academy Awards and four Baftas. 

Maria is also from a distinguished film background. With a Masters degree in Film Production, she has worked across numerous major productions, including Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and many more. 

Their combined expertise in film brings a real storytelling element to their vineyard journey, which they share on social media with the handle @the.grape.escape.vineyard.

I had so much fun recording this episode – Neil and Maria are such fun and aren't afraid to share the highs and lows of their vineyard experience. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries is Tom Barratt-Jones –  head winemaker at Squerryes Wine Estate in Kent. 

Born in New Zealand, Tom has gained experience in the wine industry around the world – upon finishing a degree in Viticulture and Oenology in 2012, he went to work for New Zealand producer Villa Maria, one of perhaps the best known brands responsible for the rise in popularity of Sauvignon Blanc here in the UK. 

After travelling to the US and Australia, Tom landed in England in 2017, where he spent over six years working alongside Charlie Holland and Mary Bridges making award winning still and sparkling wines at Gusbourne Estate in the heart of Kent. 

The lure and opportunity to head up a brand-new winery led him to Squerryes – an historic estate in Westerham, home to the Warde family for almost 300 years and now famous for its traditional method sparkling wine. He began work here just as the 2024 harvest came in. 

Tom says of Squerryes: “From the first time I visited, I could tell Squerryes was a business filled with positive, valued, ambitious people and I couldn't help but want to be a part of its journey. My aim is to ensure Squerryes consistently produces wines that best reflect its terroir, and to ensure the vineyard can continue to develop its wines going forward. Not to step away from the successes achieved in the past, but to simply build on them for the future.”

You can find out more about Squerryes at Squerryes.co.uk or by following @squerryes on instagram. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries is Karen Ashford, from Wayfarer Wines in Woodchurch, Kent. 

Wayfarer was founded by Jeff Ashford in 2016, when he planted his first vineyard to the rear of his family home on the Pilgrims Way in the edge of the Weald of Kent. 

His family now runs two vineyards spread across 8 acres and plan to double that with more plantings soon. 

Unlike many English Vineyards, Wayfarer doesn’t produce any sparkling wine, instead focusing on producing truly outstanding still wines. 

The driving force behind all their decisions is quality over quantity and really allowing the sugars and characteristic flavours of the grape to develop to their fullest potential to ensure the best possible still wines.

Karen, who is married to Jeff’s son and Wayfarer’s Vineyard Manager, Matt Ashford, has a background in restaurant wholesale and small business management and joined the team to develop the commercial side of the business. 

She says “I think we have a really unique take on the English wine industry. We are changing perceptions of what people expect from English still wines, and to be a part of that is really exciting!”

Find out more about Wayfarere Wines at wayfarerwines.com or by following them on Instagram @wayfarerwines. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Alasdair Warren, owner of Bride Valley Vineyard in Dorset. 

Born and raised in Dorset, Alasdair and his family have a long history of farming in the county, with his Great Grandfather establishing Warren's cider in the 1920s.

Educated at the University of Nottingham with a Batchelor of Science in Geology, Alasdair began his career in investment banking and currently heads up a Global Soda Ash business. 

He also runs Slapelands Farm, just outside Bridport, where he upholds his family's cider making tradition, using heritage variety apples grown in the orchard there. 

In September 2023, Alasdair purchased Bride Valley Vineyard, which was initially established by world renowned industry figure Steven Spurrier – the orchestrator of the famous 1976 blind tasting competition The Judgement of Paris. 

 Steven, who sadly died in 2021, planted vines on his wife’s family sheep farm in 2008 and Bride Valley has since become famous for its Dorset Crémant among other award-winning wines. 

 Alasdair says the acquisition of the vineyard reflects his motivation to honour and develop his family’s rural heritage while promoting the outstanding produce Dorset offers, adding that it is his aim is to "continue a deep-rooted family connection to agriculture in Dorset" by applying modern viticultural practices to preserve the unique chalk-soil terroir. 

To find out more about Bride Valley, visit bridevalleyvineyard.com and follow @Bridevalleywine on Instagram. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Brad Lomas, co-founder and owner of Boys Hall, a beautifully restored, 9-bedroom 17th-century Jacobean manor in Ashford, Kent. 

With a background in pubs, restaurants, and operations – most notably as Operations Director at East London Pub Co. – Brad brings a wealth of industry experience to Boys Hall, which he runs alongside his wife, Kristie. 

The couple have painstakingly restored the house to its former glory with the help of family, friends, and a variety of local specialists – the vision to create a warm, design-led space with exceptional food, service, and atmosphere. 

Since opening, Boys Hall has earned a place in the Michelin Guide and wide acclaim for its unique balance of character, comfort, and community-driven ethos.

Brad is a passionate advocate for English wine and has curated a thoughtfully selected wine list that showcases the best local vineyards, while Boys Hall has recently launched its own English sparkling wine called 17 Sovereigns. 

To find out more about about Boys Hall, visit boys-hall.com or follow @boys.hall on instagram. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to a new series of The English Wine Diaries and a special welcome to our brand new sponsor – Rankin Brothers and Sons,leading manufacturer and supplier of bottle closures to the drinks industry.

So, to kick start the 14th series, I have Rankin's, Commercial & Managing Director, JIm Rankin joining me. 

Jim is the sixth generation of the family to lead the business, which was founded just over 250 years ago in 1774, meaning it has seen – and survived – the creation of the United States of America, two World Wars, and the Covid-19 crisis.

Perhaps one of the key reasons for the company’s success is that it is responsible for ensuring the quality of the wine, beer and spirits that we drink remains protected while in bottle, enabling us to consume our favourite tipple in exactly the way its producers intended. That’s pretty essential if you ask me.

Before Jim joined the firm 30 years ago, he admits he had little interest in the business, instead travelling to Australia to work in wine and taking an apprenticeship at Penfolds Wines, before his grandfather persuaded him to re-consider.

Now, Jim heads up the company and continues to ensure the family’s expertise as corkologists is prevalent within the £3-4 billion euro cork industry today, while also embracing shifts within the market for alternative bottle closure options.

To learn more about Rankin and how it is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk, and follow @rankincork on Instagram. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week’s episode of The English Wine Diaries are Amy, Emma and Lucy Baxter – three quarters of the sibling foursome that make up Four Daughters, a new English wine brand based on their family’s fourth generation fruit farm in Kent. 

Having successfully run their farm for almost 80 years, the Baxter family were approached a few years back to become a contract grower for Balfour Winery, beginning their exploration into grape growing. This partnership continues but it also sowed the seed that they too could make wine, and the Four Daughters vineyard journey began. 

Together with their other sisters Sophie, Amy and Lucy have set about creating a wine brand that is fun and energetic with wines that not only reflect their family values and each of the sisters’ individual personalities but are also helping to keep the often very challenging tradition of British farming alive. 

With a focus on still wine, so far they have released a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Albarino, the 2022 vintage of the latter picking up a gold medal at the 2025 WineGB Awards and shortlisted for the still white trophy. 

This was one of the funniest episodes I've recorded and a great way to round off Series 13 of The English Wine Diaries. The sisters are such a breath of fresh air and I hope to see more like them join the English wine industry in years to come. 

You can keep up to date with what Four Daughters are up to by following @fourdaughters.wine on Instagram and TikTok or visit their website fourdaughters.co.uk.

With thanks to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On today's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Patrick McGrath, Master of Wine and CEO of Hatch Mansfield, a UK specialist in premium wines made by independently-owned wine companies from around the world.

Patrick joined the wine trade in 1983 as a Management Trainee with Victoria Wine, spending his first 6 months in shops and then joining the buying department. Five years later he joined Grants of St James’s as Marketing Manager for the former Hatch Mansfield business, before moving to Mentzendorff in 1991 as Marketing Controller and then Director for Bollinger Champagne.  

Patrick passed the Master of Wine exam in 1993 and the following year became a founding member of the “new” Hatch Mansfield team, taking on the role of Managing Director. Just over a decade later, in 2004, his significant contribution to the drinks industry was recognised when he was named Drinks Business Magazine’s Man of the Year.

Last year Patrick was delighted to mark Hatch Mansfield’s 30th anniversary 2025 has been yet another busy year as the first Classic Cuvée from Domaine Evremond –  the Kent wine estate he founded with friend Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger a decade ago – was released for sale and the vineyard and cellar door experience also opened to the public. 

We talk about Patrick's journey to become an MW, the friendships that have formed the foundations of Domaine Evremond and the King Charles III's thoughts on serving the wine estate's 1st edition Classic Cuvee at July's state banquet with French president Emmanuel Macron. 

You can find out more about how to visit Domaine Evremond and buy its wine by visiting domaineevremond.com and following @domaineevremond on Instagram. 

With thanks to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Jessica Summer, founder of Mouse & Grape an award-winning cheese and wine business specialising in curated hampers and immersive tasting events focused on this delicious food and wine combo. 

Jessica, who last year opened her first deli and wine bar in London, was one of Harpers 30 Under 30 in 2023 and this year was named winner of the IWSC Emerging Talent in Wine Award, as well as winner of Retail Buyer of the year at The Drinks Business Awards. 

Underpinning her expertise is a Level 3 WSET certificate and a Level 2 certification from the Academy of Cheese but she’s also got a brilliant marketing head on her shoulders – her innovative April Fools campaign, which saw a host of wine influencers humorously – and quite literally – combining cheese and wine, also won the Drinks Business Social Media Campaign of the Year in 2024.

Mouse & Grape has been featured in publications like the Metro, Telegraph, and Express, while Jessica has made notable appearances on Saturday Kitchen, BBC Radio London, the Michael Portillo show on GB News, and today The English Wine Diaries podcast…! 

We tried the following cheese and wine combinations: 

1. NV Louis de Grenelle Platine Crémant de Loire Brut X La Tur –  a blend of thermised cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk, from Alta Langa in Piedmont, Italy. 
2. Gruner No.1 Canned Wine Co. and Three Choirs Amber Wine X Taleggio – from Lombardy, Italy. 
3. Treve Estivale 2022 Rosé X Tor, a smooth goat's cheese from White Lake in Somerset. 

For Jessica's English cheese and wine pairing alternatives – listen in to the episode. 

To find out more visit mouseandgrape.com or follow @mouseandgrape on instagram. 

With thanks to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me this week's episode of the English Wine Diaries is Billy Sengupta, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Cobham House, a new English wine brand based in Kent. 

After working at Diageo for over seven years, Billy left his position as Global Director of Luxury Tequila to help realise a 32-year-old family dream of owning a vineyard. 

In 2022, three generations of his family came together to launch Cobham House Vineyard and earlier this year they launched their first wine, a luxury, vintag still English rosé made by esteemed winemaker Emma Rice. 

Just weeks after launch, the wine, which is made from 100% Gamay and fermented in used, Ruby Port Barrels, was awarded a gold medal by Wine GB, while critics have praised the innovative approach, driven by Billy’s time developing new products at Diageo. 

In addition to creating luxury wines, Billy and his family intend to use Cobham House as a platform to create opportunities within English wine for underrepresented minorities and have already started to take positive steps in this space, having launched a scholarship programme with Plumpton College earlier this year.

We talk about whirlwind success, happy accidents and how Cobham House intends to disrupt the English wine industry. 

You can dind out more about Cobham House and buy the wine direct at cobhamhouse.co.uk and follow them @cobhamhousevineyard on Instagram. 

With thanks to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sam Weatherill, wine director at etch. by Steven Edwards, an award-winning restaurant based in Hove, East Sussex founded by 2013 Master Chef the Professionals winner, Steven Edwards. 

Since the restaurant opened in 2017, etch has gained a cult following and global reputation for its wine offering – particularly that made in Great Britain; it is said to have the second largest selection of English sparkling wine in the country, after 67 Pall Mall. 

Born and raised in Brighton, Sam, who goes by the moniker Sassy Sommelier and runs the monthly pop-up wine tasting event Zest Wine Club in his home city, came into the wine trade late on, after studying economics and subsequently completing a MA in Corruption and Governance. 

He now holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine, is a certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and an ambassador for the British Wine WSET Diploma.  

During his time at etch, the restaurant has won Star List’s Contemporary Wine List of the Year in 2023 as well as Best Medium Sized wine list in 2024 and, while Sam has ranked number 19 in the Sommelier Edit Top 100 and, at this year’s London Wine Fair, claimed the prestigious Wine Buyer On-Trade Single Venue Wine Buyer Award. 

We talk about unusual food and wine pairings, the top sellers at etch and what the UK is doing that's a little bit different to elsewhere in the world when it comes to wine. 

Follow Sam @sassysommelier on Instagram, check out @zestwineclub for news on his latest tastings and visit etchfood.co.uk to see the latest tasting menu and book a table. 

With thanks to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is brought to you in partnership with Knight Frank’s Viticulture department – the leading vineyard broker in the UK and the exclusive property partner of WineGB and the Wine Garden of England.

As the only dedicated viticulture team in property consultancy, they support both the largest and most exciting emerging wineries - not just through brokerage, but also through consultancy that helps vineyard owners scale their businesses. Their expertise spans sales, distribution, valuation and planning, making them a key player in the growth of the UK wine sector.

And joining me today is Ed Mansel Lewis, who heads up that department. Ed is a chartered surveyor by training but has also completed an MBA focused on the mergers and acquisitions of international wine businesses. 

Ed has been in the sector for over seven years and during that time has worked for a wide range of clients including Domaine Evremond, Simpsons Wine Estate, Chapel Down and Hush Heath. 

We talk about what goes on behind the scenes before vines are even put into the ground, Ed's biggest deal to date and Knight Frank's new demographic mapping tool which aims to enable vineyards to welcome an increasing number of customers through the door. 

With thanks, as always, to series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Harry Cragoe, founder of The Gallivant – a luxury beachside retreat in Camber Sands, near the picturesque market town of Rye in East Sussex. 

Harry describes himself as an entrepreneur with a purpose and his career has taken him across the globe and into many different businesses with one clear mission – to spark moments of joy and happiness through hospitality. 

The Gallivant epitomises this. Here, Harry and his wife, Sigrid, have created a place rooted in delivering exceptional hospitality in a comfortable, thoughtfully designed setting that enables personal growth and encourages creativity and healthier lifestyles.

The hotel opened in 2010 and has since built a cult following of loyal visitors from the UK and further afield – it also happens to be one of my favourite places in the world as I got married there. 

Harry, Sigrid and their team are fiercely committed to supporting the local economy, particularly the English wine industry and partner with local vineyards on tours, special tasting events and their daily ‘English wine at 5’ programme, which sees guests treated to a glass of something from a different local vineyard each day. 

The Gallivant was recently awarded a Michelin Key and welcomed the arrival of former Bibenden chef Matthew Harris to take the helm at the hotel’s reimagined beachside restaurant, Harry’s, which have been described by the Guardian’s restaurant critic, Grace Dent, as ‘precise, timeworn food, without making a huge song and dance about it’. 

We talk about how food and wine have been central to Harry's life since he was young, why creating a hotel where people feel they can kick off their shoes and relax was so important to him and the reason he will never stop reimagining.  

Keep up to date with The Gallivant's latest news by following @TheGallivant and @harryscambersands on Instagram or visit: thegallivant.co.uk. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to open an account and see their award-winning range of English wine and bottles from around the globe that have exceptional stories to tell. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Did you know over 40% of people in the UK are looking to cut down on their alcohol intake? This episode of The English Wine Diaries podcast is brought to you in partnership with BOLLE – the innovative wine brand vying to redefine the no and low category. 

Joining me today is Gary Read, CEO of BOLLE Drinks, a proudly English brand that is leading the charge in this fast-growing space with the world’s first and only non-alcoholic wine to undergo secondary fermentation. This process enables non-alcoholic wine to maintain the same depth, complexity and enjoyment as its alcoholic equivalent. 

Gary, who lived in California for 22 years but now resides in London, is a seasoned entrepreneur and company builder with nearly 40 years’ experience founding, leading and selling high-growth businesses across the UK, Europe and the US. His business philosophy blends what he describes as American ambition with British clarity, an approach reflected in BOLLE’s mission to transform the quality and reputation of low and no alcohol wines.

Though still a young brand BOLLE is already gaining significant momentum, particularly in the US, where its Sparkling Rose recently won Best in Show for Sparkling Wine at the Monterey International Wine Competition. It’s also winning significant praise here in the UK with critics regularly rating it as their top pick when it comes to non-alcoholic wine. 

To find out more, visit bolledrinks.com and follow @bolledrinks on Instagram.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

 Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Simon Rolfe, director of 10 International and co-founder of Sea Change, an eco-friendly wine company that directly supports global ocean conservation projects. 

After living with his family on the coast of Australia, Simon, who previously worked in investment banking, saw first-hand the damage being done to the ocean. He helped found Sea Change in 2018, with the mission to turn the tide against plastic pollution. 

Sea Change wines are all vegan, they have no plastic wrap around the all-natural cork, the label paper is sourced from certified sustainable forests and made partially from grape waste, and a donation from every purchase supports the work of the company’s global marine charity partners.

Since inception, the company has raised over €600,000 through its partnerships with charities, including Ocean Generation, Sea-Changers and the Olive Ridley Project. 

In 2023, Sea Change won Luxelife’s ‘Most Eco-Friendly Wine Brand in the UK’ and it won the Innovation Award at Gatwick Diamond Business Awards. You’ll find its wines online and at the Natural History Museum, The Fat Duck and on Virgin Atlantic flights. 

Find out more at seachangewine.com or follow @seachangewine on Instagram. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sibylla Tindale, co-founder of High Clandon Estate in the heart of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Sibylla and her husband, Bruce, founded the boutique vineyard, which sits on a chalky-limestone hill, 20 years ago with the aim of producing only aged vintage sparkling wine to rival – and even surpass – the best that France can offer. 

Each year the Tindales, who are originally from South Africa, celebrate the launch of their exquisite Cuvées with their flagship event: Art & Sculptures in the Vineyard ­– a summer exhibition of pieces dotted amongst their beautiful gardens, wildflower meadows, vineyard and atmospheric Glass Barn. 

 But as well as being renowned for its English Sparkling Wine, High Clandon has another claim to its name – recently, the trained noses of the Tindale’s cocker spaniels Persephone and Juno, have snuffled out black Perigord truffles on the estate – the first find in the south of England and thought to be the second such in England as a whole, the other being at the late Duke of Edinburgh’s estate at Sandringham in 2018. 

Find out more about their adventures at highclandon.co.uk or by following @highclandon on Instagram. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Richard Gladwin of "Local & Wild" a restaurant group co-founded with his brother, Oliver, which celebrates seasonal, sustainable dining inspired by their countryside upbringing on the family farm and vineyard, Nutbourne in West Sussex. 

Together, they have a portfolio of five London restaurants, which each bring the farm-to-table philosophy to life in the city. The restaurants also champion English wine, particularly those from Nutbourne. 

Vines were first planted at Nutbourne in 1979 and have been owned, managed and expanded by the Gladwin family since 1991. Nutbourne is now considered one of the finest boutique wine producers in the South East, with 26 acres under vine growing eight different grape varieties to make single varietal and sparkling blends.

Last year the Gladwin family – which also includes third brother and farmer Gregory, and parents, Peter and Bridget – launched a cookbook that takes readers on a journey through the seasons of their vineyard and family lifestyle, alongside recipes featuring the very best of British countryside produce and wine pairings to complement each dish.

We talk about spending childhood on a vineyard and joining his first harvest at 10 years old, what it's like working with family to this day and why a bottle of Nutty will always be in his fridge. 

Find out more about the Gladwins at gladwinbrothers.com or by following @thegladwins_ on instagram. Visit the vineyard website at nutbournevineyards.com and follow @nutbournevineyards on Instagram. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Jeany Cronk, co-founder of Mirabeau. 

Born in Munich, Jeany moved to the UK for secondary school and later studied at the London School of Economics. A career in tech Marketing followed, where she met her husband, Stephen in 1997, and together they have three children. 

Life in the leafy suburbs of South London was good but something was missing and in 2009 the family gave up England for fragrant Provence with the dream of creating their own brand of rosé wine. 

Mirabeau is now considered one of the most well-known and acclaimed rosé brands in the world – the wines are sold in 50 countries and are among the top selling roses in the UK. 

Stephen and Jeany, who has been on the board of Wines of Provence for 10 years, now run their own vineyard too; they bought Domaine Mirabeau, a 20 hectare estate which includes 14 hectares of AOP Côtes de Provence vines, in 2019 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of their move to France. 

At the heart of Mirabeau is a fierce dedication to sustainability, the brand achieved B-Crop Status in 2023, and Stephen co-founded the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation two years earlier to support better understanding and promotion of biodiversity in viticulture. 

In the very little spare time she has, Jeany loves to cook and this May will publish a cookbook sharing recipes, table settings, and a nuanced look at the local culture and style of Provence, to give readers a little taste of life there.

Find out more at maisonmirabeau.com or by following @maisonmirabeau on Instagram. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Laura Riches, co-founder of wine brand Laylo. 

Laura was previously the marketing director at Naked Wines, the UK's largest direct-to-consumer wine brand and, during her tenure, was responsible for record-breaking years of customer retention through a focus on customer engagement and storytelling.

In November 2020, Laura joined forces with Laura Rosenberger to create Laylo with the aim of reinventing boxed wine and making environmentally conscious drinking a no-brainer. 

The design of glass wine bottles has barely changed in 200 years. But the amount of bottles and how we ship them around the world really has – to a point that has become unsustainable. 

Believing that boxed wine was the smartest alternative but aware of the preconceptions about its quality, Laura and Laura set about focusing on premium quality and beautiful design. 

Since its inception, Laylo has built a cult following – it has featured on mainstream TV and in national newspapers and magazines, has won awards and is now stocked by Ocado and Whole Foods as well as being served in restaurants and bars nationwide.

Laylo has also recently branched out into canned wine, and last year released its first English boxed wine. 

We talk about being a female maverick in a male dominated world, Laura's most 'out there' marketing stunts and the next new launch on the cards for Laylo. 

Find out more about Laylo by visiting: drinklaylo.com and you can follow Laura and the rest of the team on Instagram @drinklaylo. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sandy Booth, life-long farmer and owner of B58 Winery in Beaulieu, Hampshire. 

Sandy founded the B58 Winery off the back of his hugely successful soft fruit farming business, after realising that his knowledge and innovative approach to growing fruit in polytunnels could also be applied to growing grape varieties that aren’t usually, successfully grown in the UK climate. 

Growing up in St Andrews, Scotland, Sandy learnt about farming life from his father, who worked on a cattle farm looking after Aberdeen Angus, but honed his skills in plant propagation, irrigation set-up and the nutritional needs of plants when he moved to Kent when he was in his 20s. 

In 1997, he joined tenant farmer John Boyd in Beaulieu and played a significant role in quadrupling the farm’s strawberry business. As well as growing strawberries, Sandy has trialled crops such as artichokes, apricots, melons and asparagus. 

Recent innovations include a vegan friendly snack made from wonky' strawberries, otherwise destined for food waste, and Japanese strawberries – a ground breaking first that may lead to year-round production of strawberries on the farm.

Growing vines in tunnels has enabled him to explore growing grape varieties such as Shiraz and Gewürztraminer, and together with Hampshire-based Swiss winemaker Guillaume Lagger, Sandy launched his first wines to market in February 2025. 

“My long-term goal is to break away from conventional approaches,” he says “Challenge the status quo and pursue innovative paths to achieve something truly unique and impactful.’’

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome to a new series of The English Wine Diaries and my first guest to join me to talk about all things English wine in 2025 is Trevor Clough, CEO and head blender of Digby Fine English. 

Trevor and his husband, Jason Humphries, launched their first Digby wines for sale in 2013 having swapped the corporate grind of London for Sussex, in the heart of English wine country. 

Impelled to give English sparkling wine the same fanfare as its international counterparts, they developed a method of ranking England’s burgeoning vineyards to find the finest grapes going, carefully building their grower portfolio across the southeast. 

In 2021, the couple acquired their best Pinot Noir site, Digby’s Hilden Vineyard, in Hildenborough, Kent, and their dedication to the maturation process was solidified the following year when they secured their own winery space in Madehurst, West Sussex.

Their house blending style celebrates the satisfying sharpness of English fruit while bringing a sumptuous texture and roundness to the wines through long ageing; it’s a style they like to call “sophisticated yet racy.” 

Over the years Digby Fine English has received much critical acclaim; they’ve won numerous trophies, have beaten the likes of Krug and Dom Pérignon in a prestigious 2017 blind tasting, and in 2020 became the official English sparkling wine supplier to the House of Commons Gift Shop. 

To find out more about Digby Fine English and how to visit their Arundel tasting room, follow them on Instagram @digbyfineenglish or visit digby-fine-english.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on the last episode of season 11 of The English Wine Diaries is Mark Darley, founder and owner of All Angels Vineyard in Newbury, Berkshire. 

Mark and his family became custodians of Church Farm in 2009 and, while it was still earlyish days for English wine back then, talks around the dinner table soon turned to planting a vineyard. 

When the farmland was analysed as ideal for growing grapes for outstanding English Sparkling Wine, and the first vineyard planted in 2011, Mark decided to swap his daily commute to the city, where he had been a corporate lawyer for 35 years, for a life in viticulture. 

Mark's love of wine goes back to when he started collecting at the age of 25 and his personal cellar now runs to many thousands of bottles. The opportunity to make his own wine seemed particularly fitting as a plan for retirement – although he uses that term loosely as running All Angels (along with his three labs, Skeena, Copper & Kasi) is indeed a pretty full-time job. 

Over the past decade, All Angels has totted up a number of industry awards and the vineyard, which is named after the parish church nearby, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its first vintage with the release of a rather special classic cuvee.

We talk about the historic significance of All Angels, the high-tech methods they use to handle frost in the vineyard, and a wine in the making that Mark may not see come to fruition within his lifetime.

To find out more about All Angels wines and how to visit, follow them on Instagram @allangelsvineyard or visit allangels.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Luke Spalding General Manager at Everflyht Vineyard in East Sussex. 

With a background in wine studies from Plumpton Wine Division, and having worked at nearby vineyard, Ridgeview, Luke joined the Everflyht single vineyard estate in 2019 just two years after owners Ben and Sam Ellis planted the first vines. 

As well as planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier on their land, which sits at the bottom of Ditchling Beacon, they also set aside acreage for biodiversity and have since planted trees, hedgerow and integrated wildflower meadows within the vineyard. 

It is here where Luke’s passion for regenerative farming has come into its own. At Everflyht, he blends data-driven expertise with hands-on application to champion regenerative viticulture by creating sustainable practices that not only benefit the environment but produce award-winning – and may I add blinking good value – premium sparkling wines.

We have a very honest discussion about how Luke got into wine, why he believes you can should never be dogmatic when it comes to making wine and his hopes for the Royals to one day visit Everflyht.

Catch up with Everflyht's new releases and other news on Instagram @everflyht and at everflyht.com. To hear more about how the Everflyht story began, listen back to owners Ben and Sam Ellis' on episode 41 of the podcast.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries is Laura Robinson and Mathew Abbey from Burn Valley Vineyard in Norfolk. 

Laura’s family moved to Crossways Farm in North Creake in October 1989, but it wasn’t until 2016 that they decided to plant vines on their land, harvesting their first crop after the hot summer of 2018. 

Since then, they have built and expanded a winery and developed a portfolio of still, sparkling and sweet wines and vermouths.  

Laura, who has a background in forensic science, works with her sister, Sam, to run the vineyard while her brother, Jack, farms the surrounding land. Mathew, who has been working in the wine industry for over 17 years including a decade in New Zealand’s top wine regions, joined the team in 2019. 

This year they won the Independent English Wine Award trophy for their 2022 Chardonnay, shining a spotlight on Burn Valley and the wider region of Norfolk as a future hot spot for the grape and still winemaking in the UK.

We talk about their growing, diverse portfolio of wines, how they feel Norfolk has grown as a wine region over the last few years and the wines they would like to make in the future.

To find out more follow @burnvalleyvineyard on Instagram or visit burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk.

NB apologies, we had slight audio difficulties recording this episode.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries is award-winning wine expert and social media sensation, Tom Gilbey. 

The Gilbey name is synonymous with wine and spirits. The Gilbey family were the first English family to buy a vineyard in Bordeaux in 1875 and subsequently became the most prominent wine and spirits merchant in the UK, selling one in every three bottles of wine consumed, and building a portfolio that included Smirnoff Vodka, J&B whisky and their very own Gilbeys Gin.

Tom spent much of his childhood at his great-grandfather's chateaux and naturally caught the wine bug. He began making wine at the tender age of 23 before becoming a wine merchant and now runs a wine events business, renowned for its energetic and entertaining approach to wine. 

In recent years Tom has brought this engaging style of wine education to a new audience on social media, working with his son, Fred, to produce hilarious wine reviews and essentially take the piss out of the perceived stuffiness of the wine world.  

But, if you haven’t yet caught him on Instagram or TikTok, then you may have seen him splashed across the news last spring when he ran the London Marathon, blind tasting 20-odd wines along the way and raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds Tom's expertise and enthusiasm for bringing wine to a new generation a huge breath of fresh air.

We talk about his 'Eddie the Eagle' post-marathon week, which saw him interviewed by news stations across the globe, how and why he is so passionate about bringing wine to a new audience and exactly what it's like to be a 'Wine Wanker'.

You can follow Tom and Fred's antics @TomGilbeywine on Instagram and TikTok and find out more about his wine boxes, tastings and events at tomgilbey.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Richard Balfour-Lynn, co-founder of Balfour Winery in Kent. 

Following an education at Westminster School and the City of London Business School, Richard set up his first business at 24 years old – his early business interests ranged from Irish linen and lace to medical diagnostic centres and air conditioning companies, all with varying degrees of success and failure. 

In his late 20s, he began developing high end residential properties across Central London and later progressed into commercial property ranging from office buildings and shopping centres to leisure centres and hotels. During this time he was involved in the running of brands such as Malmaison, Hotel du Vin, DeVere, Liberty and Searcy’s. 

In 2002, Richard and his wife Leslie decided to plant a vineyard in Kent for fun, and eight years later built their first winery on the Hush Heath Estate near Staplehurst in Kent. But, with the huge success of their first wine, Balfour Brut Rosé, what began as a passion project soon became a family business.  

Today, Richard and Leslie offer an exceptional guest experience across 400 acres of pristine Kent countryside and within their winery and 200-seater tasting room. They also run the “Hush Heath Hospitality” group comprising a growing number of pubs with boutique hotel rooms across London, Kent and Sussex.

You can find out more about Balfour Winery by following @balfourwinery on Instagram or visit balfourwinery.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Johnny Stanford, chef patron of Tern Restaurant in Worthing. 

Manchester born and bred, Johnny began his career working with Paul Kitching at his acclaimed restaurant Juniper in Altrincham, before heading to Cumbria, then Edinburgh and finally settling in Sussex in 2012. 

Johnny worked as sous chef at the Michelin starred restaurant Matt Gillan @ The Pass before taking the reins as head chef at Pascere in Brighton and then heading up the 3 AA rosettes restaurant AG’s at Alexander House. 

Last year, Johnny became the proud owner and Head Chef of Tern, a fine dining restaurant situated at the end of Worthing’s Art Deco Pier. Here he creates captivating menus using British produce in the peak of its seasonality, offers an England-only wine list and some of THE most breathtaking views of the South Coast.

We talk about the logistical challenges of running a restaurant at the end of a 300-metre long pier (if you follow Johnny or Tern then you’ll know they had their biggest yet this week when Worthing Pier unexpectedly closed for repair work), his strangest food and English wine pairings and the reason why he believes in British food and drink producers so much.

I loved this chat with Johnny and hope you enjoy it too - you can show him and the rest of the Tern team some love by following @johnntstanfordchef and @Ternrestaurant on Instagram and look out for news of their latest English winemaker dinners at ternrestaurant.co.uk.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Mary Bridges, head winemaker and vineyard visionary at Gusbourne.

Mary grew up near Inverness in Scotland in a farming family, where her love of the land developed from an early age, along with an instinct for the flavour alchemy created by good wine.

She started her career in hospitality and quickly became enthused with the wine aspect, so sought to further her passion and knowledge at Plumpton College, all the way down south in Sussex. 

Before joining Gusbourne, Mary spent time abroad working with renowned wine producers in the South of France and California but returned to the UK to explore the fast-growing opportunities on this side of the Atlantic. 

She joined the winemaking team at Gusbourne in 2018 and has spent the last six years working closely with former Head Winemaker and previous guest on this podcast, Charlie Holland, to create some of the brand’s most exceptional vintages.

Mary was promoted to oenologist in 2020, before being appointed Head Winemaker in September 2023, when she was somewhat thrown into the deep-end overseeing what has been Gusbourne’s largest harvest to date.

We talk about the new generation of English winemakers coming through the ranks, what Mary has learned during her eight years at Gusbourne and what the future has in store for one of England's most renowned wine brands.

You can follow Mary on Instagram @maero_b and Gusbourne @Gusbourne_wine.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

We're back with series 11 of The English Wine Diaries and kick starting this season is The Mistress of Wine, aka Sam Caporn MW. 

Not only is Sam one of just 421 Masters of Wine world-wide, (of which there are only 149 women) she was also the recipient of the 2011 Madame Bollinger Medal for Excellence in Tasting and remains one of just 16 women to have received the medal to date. 

Sam’s wine career started as a trainee manager at Majestic and in the years that followed, she studied a swathe of wine qualifications, culminating in her Masters of Wine accreditation. 

But, she remembers all too well the time before that, when – in her own words, she knew not a sausage about wine. And it is this that drives her passion today for educating others about wine in an approachable and entertaining way.  

As well as working as a consultant across the wine industry and judging for awards, including co-chairing the International Wine Challenge, Sam hosts corporate and private tastings, which are often focused on her wine flavour tree.  

The tree forms the basis for her debut book, The Wine Flavour Guide, which shows readers how to pick the best wine for any occasion.

Listen in to find out who Sam's favourite English wine brands are, who she'd choose to share her favourite bottle of wine with and the reason she has some Veuve Clicquot branded wellies in her closet.

You can follow Sam on Instagram @themistressofwine and find out more about her at themistresswine.com. The Wine Flavour Guide is published by Square Peg and is available from all good book stores, RRP £20.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on the last episode of series 10 of The English Wine Diaries is wine expert and presenter, Tom Surgey. 

Tom was just 14 when his career in hospitality started, peeling carrots and potatoes in a Sussex pub after school. At the tender age of 20, he found himself working at The Ivy in London, where a hero called Sancho taught him the basics of wine and his passion for the drink really grew. 

He took his WSET qualifications and, hooked on wine, left the restaurant side of the industry in 2014 to join Ridgeview, where he spent six years working alongside renowned pioneers of high-quality English wine-making, the Roberts family. 

During his time at Ridgeview, Tom was invited to join the official line-up of Three Wine Men – joining Oz Clarke, Olly Smith and Tim Atkin with his unique style of wine presentation. 

As a freelance wine communicator and consultant, he works with a broad range of premium wine businesses, is a regular on BBC Sussex & Surrey Radio and often shares his expert drinks tips with star guests on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh. 

Set for release later this summer, Tom’s debut book, How to Drink Wine, promises to be a charismatic guide to teach you everything you need to know to enjoy this tremendous tipple.

During this episode, which is brought to you in partnership with Plumpton College Wine Division, we talk about those early days at The Club at The Ivy, how he joined the Three Wine Men line-up and - having grown up and still living in Sussex – his true thoughts on the Sussex PDO.

Follow Tom @tomsurgey on instagram and pre-order his book, How to Drink Wine, published on August 29, at geni.us/howtodrinkwine.

Find out more about Plumpton College Wine Division's new short courses at plumpton.ac.uk.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Michael Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of Roebuck Estates – who make premium sparkling wine from their multi-vineyard estates in Sussex.

Following university, Michael joined the Graduate Management Scheme of Marks and Spencer, and became the first trainee manager to be appointed to an overseas position in Paris. After a period as a buyer, he moved to Mars Confectionery where he worked as a National Sales Manager in the UK.

What followed was years in the drinks industry working predominantly in premium branded spirits – he joined the Drambuie Liqueur Company in 2002, became CEO in 2011 and after a successful turnaround of the iconic Scottish brand, led the subsequent sale to William Grants & Son in 2014.

His most recent role, prior to joining Roebuck Estates, was with Stock Spirits Group, one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of alcoholic beverages in Europe, where he ran the Italian and international arm of the business and headed up the Mergers & Acquisitions department. 

During his comparatively short time at Roebuck Estates, which was established in 2013, the brand has won numerous trophies and awards at global wine competitions, launched a new tasting area at its flagship Petworth vineyard and become the first exclusive English sparkling wine partner at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival.

You can find out more about Roebuck Estates by following them @roebuckestates on Instagram and facebook. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is David Bailey – the owner of Wraxall Vineyard in Somerset. 

David and his wife, Lexa Hunt bought Wraxall – thought to be the oldest vineyard in Somerset – in February 2021 having moved into the neighbouring 200-year-old farmhouse a few years earlier. 

The couple, who have both run and grown businesses within the financial sector, had absolutely no viticultural experience but saw an opportunity, not only to make great wine, but a place where people can come and enjoy that wine. 

Last year, they opened The View at Wraxall, a stunning glass-fronted tasting and events space overlooking the vines and they have recently finished renovating the old, dilapidated   winery into a charming rural botlhole to get away from it all. 

Their increasing portfolio of high-quality wines currently includes a still rosé, made from early ripening pinot noir, a still bacchus and a barrel fermented bacchus, which recently won the trophy for Best Bacchus at the WineGB Awards. The first of their traditionally method sparkling wines are expected to be ready for release towards the end of the year.

We talk about David's reluctance to become a vineyard owner, how important tourism is to the longevity of Wraxall and what the vineyard's previous 90-year-old owners think about David and Lexa's takeover.

You can find out more about Wraxall and order their award-winning wines at wraxallvineyard.co.uk and you can follow them @wraxallvineyard on Instagram. 

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is John Wilkins, Commercial Director at Itasca Wines and Penn Croft Vineyards in Hampshire. 

Itasca Wines is a sustainable full contract winemaking company, which under the lead of award-winning winemaker Ben Smith, delivers a grape to bottle service for a host of top wine brands and premium boutique vineyards across the UK.

Ben and the Itasca team also produce wines from grapes grown in their own vineyard, Penn Croft, where they have 16,000 vines of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus. 

The business is the shared vision of local farmer and sustainable agriculture expert, Simon Porter, and filmmaker Malcolm Walker, whose credits include Star Wars, Aliens and wine documentary show Cellar Rats. 

Central to their business vision is sustainability and a mission to drive adoption of biodiverse viticulture and they have invested huge amounts into sustainability-focused innovations including a natural wetlands system so no waste water leaves the site, a solar farm for electricity and thermo controlled tanks. 

This, they say, is because they are in it for the long run and want to make wine in a way that not only protects, but actively gives back to the natural world.

To find out more follow @penncroftvineyards and @itascawines on Instagram.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is brought to you in partnership with New Dawn Pubs and The Red Lion in Odiham, where you can book a Pinot & Pyjamas weekender, which includes a 2-night weekend stay, early check-in, or late check-out, a welcome glass of wine each, your choice of two nibble dishes to share, plus a £100 food and drink credit and 10% off a Penn Croft Wine Tasting & Tour - all for just £365. Visit redlionodiham.co.uk and keep an eye out on socials for your chance to win a Pinot & Pyjamas stay!

With thanks, as always to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is none other than Blur bassist, Alex James.

Blur formed in 1988 and their nine studio albums have all topped the charts in the UK, generating numerous hit singles along the way including Song 2, Beetlebum and Coffee & TV.

Now you may be wondering why a member of one of the most successful and influential bands of the 90s would come on a podcast about English wine but I assure you, there is good reason! 

Following a hugely successful career with Blur, and as a songwriter and producer for other big-name artists, Alex somewhat stepped away from the limelight in the early noughties when he moved to the country with his wife, Claire, and set up a cheese farm.

This 200 acre estate in The Cotswolds now plays host to The Big Feastival, which brings together over 75,000 people across three days in August to celebrate good food, good music and good times. 

What goes down well at festivals? Cider of course. And in 2019, Alex launched his first sparkling medium dry cider, which he aptly named BritPop. 

Last year he threw a bit of a curve ball into the mix and launched an English Sparkling Wine, also under the Britpop name and made with grapes grown on the Furleigh Estate in Dorset, the county where Alex was born and bred.

He has now added an English sparkling rosé  and elderflower wine spritzer to the range and I can attest to the fact they all go brilliantly well with his award-winning cheeses!

We talk about crisps as canapés, drinking Champagne for breakfast and what dream person Alex would love to share a glass of Britpop with.

The Britpop collection is available from laithwaites.co.uk and you can book tickets to The Big Feastival (which takes place between 23rd to 25th August 2024) at thebigfeastival.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Will Perkins, winemaker for Louis Pommery England, the English project under the Vranken-Pommery portfolio, which has planted 35-hectares of vines on the Pinglestone Estate in Hampshire. 

Having grown up in Hampshire, just outside Winchester, Will has fond memories of formative years in the county and it was here that his first work in wine began – helping out at Hattingley Valley vineyard during his school holidays. 

Travelling to South Africa to study History, Politics and Spanish at university in Cape Town, a career in English viticulture wasn’t hugely on his radar. But when he returned to England, a harvest cellar hand position at Hattingly presented itself. Soon Will had embarked on a degree in Viticulture and was promoted to Assistant Winemaker at Hattingley. 

After five years, an unrelenting quest to explore, experiment and experience further afield saw him leave his home county once again and spend time working on pioneering projects across the globe, from California to Central Otago and from the Adelaide Hills to the Yarra Valley.

Now with his feet firmly back on home soil, Will describes joining Pinglestone Estate in 2022 as an opportunity to ‘reconnect with the land and community that runs through his being.”

You can keep up to date with developments at Pinglestone Estate by following @louispommeryengland on Instagram.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is winemaker Charlie Holland. 

Charlie worked his first vintage in Australia some 24 years ago and caught the wine bug. He returned to England and immediately enrolled at the renowned Plumpton College in Sussex. 

While there he worked part-time at nearby Ridgeview wine estate before heading off to do winemaking stints in California, Germany and New Zealand. 

In 2009 he took on a full-time winemaking role back home at Ridgeview, before being offered the position of Head Winemaker at Gusbourne in 2013 – that role expanded to CEO just three years later. 

However, last year Charlie announced he was leaving this prestigious role to join California-based wine company, Jackson Family Wines, and help spearhead the brand’s own English wine venture, which has included the planting of vines in Essex’s Crouch Valley.

He joins me from the edge of said vineyard in Essex, having just moments earlier planted the last vine in the current phase of this English wine venture to talk about the evolution of winemaking in Kent & Sussex over the past decade, the future for grapes in Essex and why, sometimes, beer is better than wine.

To find out more about what the new Essex vineyard and what's next for Jackson Family Wines' English adventure, follow @jacksonfamilywines on instagram or visit jacksonfamilywines.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to Series 10 of The English wine Diaries. Joining me on the first episode of this series are Katie and Umut Yesil from Riverview Crouch Valley Vineyard in Essex. 

 Prior to planting their vineyard in the now famed Crouch Valley, the couple ran a food and drink PR business in London, but following a conversation around the kitchen table with Katie’s father Billy – a third generation arable farmer – they decided to focus their attention on English wine. 

 In 2017 they set about converting 11 acres of land on the family farm into a vineyard, planting the traditional Champagne varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier with a view to make sparkling wine. 

 However, when the grapes from their first harvest in 2020 came back with incredible sugar levels, they decided to produce single varietal still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These have already received rave reviews from wine critics and have been placed in fine dining restaurants across the UK.

We talk about English still versus sparkling wine, winning rave reviews for their wines and what might be the future for winekmaking in Essex's Crouch Valley.

Keep up to date with news from Katie and Umut by following @riverviewcrouchvalley and buy their wines at riverviewcrouchvalley.com.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Art Tukker, owner of Tinwood Estate in West Sussex. 

The Tukker family farm, which is situated in the hamlet of Halnacker, near Chichester, has a history of growing lettuce but when Art took over in 2006, he had other ideas. 

While studying agriculture and farming at university, it dawned on Art that growing vines could be his family’s future and, after spending some time working at vineyards in New Zealand, returned to Sussex and set about planting the three classic Champagne varieties. 

Fast forward 18 years and the Tinwood estate now has 110 acres under vine and harvests between three and four hundred tonnes of grapes each year. 

As well as touring the vineyards and sampling Tinwood’s award-winning sparkling wine, visitors to the estate can also stay the night in one of the three – very soon to be eight – luxury lodges. 

And once a year Art and his team host a sell-out summer party, where guests dance among the vines to the sound of top DJs, accompanied by fabulous street food and, of course, plenty of English sparkling wine. 

 We talk about how Art transitioned his family farm from producing salad to wine,  the challenges he faced in the early days and why Tinwood is all about making English sparkling wine and the vineyard experience inclusive for everyone.

To find out more about Tinwood Estate, visit tinwoodestate.com or follow @tinwoodestatevineyard on Instagram or @TinwoodEstate on Facebook.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

In this special episode of The English Wine Diaries, brought to you in partnership with Coravin, I am joined by the company's inventor and founder Greg Lambrecht.  

Having had a successful career in medical technologies and engineering degrees from MIT, Greg combined his knowledge of medical-grade needles with his passion for wine to develop a unique preservation system that allowed him to pour wine without removing the cork. 

The first Coravin wine preservation system, which uses a non-coring needle to pass through the cork while it’s still in the bottle, was launched to the market in 2013. 

 Since the launch of that ground-breaking device, Greg has continued to innovate and has created additional products for still and sparkling wines that give both consumers and trade professionals the freedom to pour wine, in any amount, without feeling the need to finish the entire bottle or waste a single drop. 

To anyone like me, who loves wine, or works in the industry – he is quite frankly a genius!

We talk about the catalyst for the invention of the Coravin wine preservation system, returning to the place Greg had his first taste of wine as a teenager and his hopes and dreams for the future of the brand. 

For more information about Coravin's wine preservation systems, visit coravin.co.uk. You can follow Greg on Instagram @gregatcoravin.

With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sarah Massey, the esteemed head winemaker at Lyme Bay Winery in Axeminster, in Devon. 

Sarah’s interest in winemaking was sparked at an early age and, after completing her Wine Business degree at Plumpton College, she embarked on a remarkable career, working harvests around the world before arriving at Lyme Bay Winery in 2019. 

Sarah's leadership, expertise and innovative approach have been instrumental in shaping Lyme Bay’s reputation as a beacon of excellence within the English wine industry. 

Having initially started as a cider house 30 years ago, Lyme Bay is now a trailblazer in the production of top-tier English wines – buying the best fruit from vineyards located in the best parts of the UK, to make the best quality wine possible. 

 Under Sarah's guidance, this diverse portfolio of wines, which ranges from traditional method sparkling wines to exceptional still varietals, has garnered accolades and critical acclaim for authentically capturing the unique terroir of the English countryside.

 We talk about the moment Sarah fell in love with English wine, her passion for Burgundian-style wines and what attracted her back to her Devon roots after travelling the world.

To find out more about Lyme Bay Winery and tastings  at its cellar door, visit lymebaywinery.co.uk and follow @lymebaywinery on Instagram and facebook. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is wine educator and winemaker, Jimmy Smith. 

Jimmy has worked in the wine industry for over 20 years. Having started his career in wine buying, he founded West London Wine School, one of the UK's leading wine, spirit and beer education facilities, in 2010, and in 2020 started online wine education tool Wine with Jimmy.

The school has won multiple awards over the years, including Consumer Educator of the Year at the International Wine Challenge in 2023.

Jimmy has more recently turned his hand to winemaking and, together with business partner and wife, Bethany Paterson, and fellow winemaker Sam Hill, set up Beare Green Winery in the Surrey Hills. 

The winery crafts small batch wines made of grapes sourced from exceptional vineyards within the south of England and focuses on natural yeast fermentation, minimal intervention, innovation and creativity.

We talk about where Jimmy's passion for wine originated, how Beare Green Winery has given he and and Sam the vehicle to experiment with different grapes and techniques and the wine regions that have influenced their winemaking style.

To find out more about the latest wines from Beare Green Winery visit bearegreenwinery.com or follow Jimmy @winewithjimmy on Instagram.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Gail Gardner, Managing Director of Ashling Park Estate in the charming hamlet of West Ashling near Chichester.

It was after Gail spent some time living in Switzerland and was seduced by the romantic vineyards there that she convinced her family to plant vines back in Sussex and, in 2018 their English wine adventure began.

They planted the traditional champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier, as well as some Bacchus and Pinot Precoce, and have gone on to produce sparkling and still wines which have won numerous awards.

But with a fabulous estate at her disposal and a career in marketing, Gail wasn’t happy to settle for just producing award-winning wines. So, along with her team, she has developed Ashling Park into a thriving tourist spot that not only offers vineyard tours and tastings but a stunning first floor restaurant with views across the vines, luxury accommodation, designed by Lewes-based architect and Channel 4 Amazing Spaces co-host, William Hardie and there’s even a gin-making school.

We talk about the future of Sussex's wine tourism, the pressure to keep winning awards and how Gail hopes Ashling Park will continue to be a family affair for years to come.

For more information about Ashling Park Estate  visit ashlingpark.co.uk or follow @ashlingpark on Instagram or @ashlingparkestate on facebook. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries podcast is Tommy Grimshaw, head winemaker at Langham, in Dorset. 

Tommy developed a love for English wine after a summer holiday season spent labelling and bottling wine as a teenager. He left school to work a harvest at Sharpham Vineyard – now known as Sandridge Barton – in Devon and there, he progressed to Assistant Winemaker. 

He joined Langham in 2019 and worked alongside Daniel Ham with the aim of producing world class sparkling wines without fining or filtration and minimal SO2 additions. In January 2020, at the age of 24, Tommy took on the role of Head Winemaker, making him the youngest head winemaker in the UK.

As well as producing and developing Langham’s award-winning, minimal intervention wines, Tommy has judged for the Independent English Wine Awards, has been included in the Harpers 30 Under 30 list and was named their Commitment Champion for his dedication to the industry.

We talk about Tommy's love of hands-off winemaking, why the landscape of the Jurassic Coast, where Langham is situated, is so perfect for creating sparkling wine (despite the rain!) and his hopes for more young people to join the English wine-making scene. 

You can follow Tommy on Instagram @tommy_grimshaw and find out more about Langham at langhamwine.co.uk.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries podcast is TV chef and author, the icon that is Rosemary Shrager.  

In the early to mid-noughties Rosemary rose to small screen fame with guest appearances on cooking shows before landing her own prime-time programme on Channel 5 called Castle Cook. She’s rarely been off our TV screens over the past 20 years appearing on shows such as Ladette to Lady, I’m a Celebrity, The Real Marigold Hotel and Cooking with the Stars to name just a few. 

Throughout her career, Rosemary has run cookery schools across the country and has written countless cookbooks. More recently however she has turned her hand to fiction, writing three food-themed murder mystery novels and, she tells me, may well write one focused on wine, in the future. 

We talk about her love of fine wine from France and her collection of Mouton Rothschild bottle labels, how she feels English sparkling compares to its French counterpart and the latest novel in her Prudence Bulstrode murder mystery series. 

Rosemary's latest novel, Too Many Cooks is out on February 15th, published by Little Brown, a division of Hachette UK. To find out more about Rosemary's latest online cookery masterclasses, recipes and books, visit rosemaryshrager.com or follow her @rosemaryshrager on Instagram and Facebook and @rosemaryshragerchef on YouTube. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to series 9 of The English Wine Diaries podcast!

Joining me on today's episode is Josh Donaghay-Spire, Head Winemaker and Operations Director at Chapel Down in Kent. 

Josh’s career in wine began as a teenager working in a wine bar and, after studying WSET qualifications and later enrolling in Plumpton College, he was able to travel to some of the world’s most renowned wine regions, honing his skills in winemaking. 

But he decided the English wine industry was where he wanted to be and in 2010 joined Chapel Down. Over the past 14 years, he has been at the heart the brand’s winemaking achievements and has been instrumental in its journey to become England’s largest wine producer.

Last year, Josh was announced as English Winemaker of the year in the Drinks Business’ 100 Master Winemaker Awards and he continues to be one of the most talented winemakers within the English wine industry.

We talk about Josh's journey back to his Kent (and family farming) roots, the growth of Chapel Down as a brand and why its Brut Non-Vintage is such an English wine success story.

To find out more about visiting Chapel Down's home in Tenterden or to browse its full portfolio of English wine, visit chapeldown.com and to keep up to date with the brand's news, follow @chapeldown on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today's guest on The English Wine Diaries is former tech executive and now co-founder of Pelegrims Skincare, Jérôme Moisan 

 Born and raised in rural Brittany, Jérôme moved to the UK after he met his English wife, Laura, at university and they settled in the town of Maidstone in Kent, where they are surrounded by vineyards stretching along the North Downs. 

Having seen the success that companies, such as Caudalie, had achieved in his native France – and with the English wine industry now booming – Jérôme went about looking to establish an independent skincare business that would celebrate the success of English vineyards.

Two years ago, he joined forces with Alex Verrier, a young entrepreneur, who had previously worked on a skincare brand formulated in Margate and together they created Pelegrims Skincare – low intervention, active formulations made using extract from the skins, seeds and stalks of English grapevines.

To find out more about Pelegrims visit pelegrims.com, or follow @Pelegrims on Instagram and facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

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Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

*Apologies for the sound quality at the start of this episode due to some technical difficulties*

This week on The English Wine Diaries podcast is last year’s Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year, Henry Jeffreys. 

Henry studied English and Classical Literature at Leeds University before working in the wine trade and later becoming a freelance writer and broadcaster.

He was wine critic at The Lady, has appeared in magazines, such as Spectator and BBC Good Food and has featured on BBC radio and TV. Currently he is features editor for the Master of Malt drinks blog and drinks writer for The Critic.

Henry is also the author of a number of booze-inspired books including the award-winning Empire of Booze: British History through the Bottom of a Glass, The Home Bar, The Cocktail Dictionary and today, he joins me fresh off the publication of his first book on English wine, Vines In a Cold Climate.

We talk about Henry's somewhat accidental route into wine writing, those big personalities in the world of wine and what's in store for the future of the English wine industry.   

Vines In a Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution is published by Atlantic Books and is available in hardback from all good bookshops priced at £16.99. 

You can read more of Henry's work on his Substack or follow him on Instagram @henrygjeffreys.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

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Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries podcast is William Coren, the CEO and founder of House Coren, a vineyard and négociant, based near Horsham in West Sussex. 

 After ten years of wine retail and hospitality, William and his family decided to plant 30,000 vines in 2020, with the aim of creating innovative and high-quality English wines that are accessible to all. 

Whilst waiting for Lower Lodge Vineyard's first harvest, William pioneered the launch of Boco by House Coren; a Charmat Method sparkling wine using grapes from other vineyards in England.

 This year, House Coren released a rosé version of Boco and plans to add many more innovative wines to its portfolio in the coming years with the intention of breaking the mould to 'keep life interesting'.

We talk about the importance of provenance, the freedom winemakers in England have to experiment with different techniques and why a Prosecco-style English wine is not something to be frowned upon.

To find out more about what's in store for the Coren family, visit housecoren.co.uk and  follow @housecoren on Instagram and facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

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Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week's guest on The English Wine Diaries podcast is Jose Quintana, winemaker at Vagabond Wines – one of London’s urban wineries.  

Despite the Spanish name, Jose grew up on an arable farm in Sussex and agriculture was always a part life. After attempts at careers in music and property, Jose took inspiration from friends and family, who were grape growers and winemakers in Spain, and enrolled at Plumpton College to study viticulture.

While there, Jose worked at Davenport Organic Vineyards in Sussex, with Dermot Sugrue at Wiston Estate and did harvests in the Gredos region of Spain. After graduating, he worked as assistant winemaker at Henners in Sussex and Westwell in Kent before joining Vagabond as winemaker shortly before the 2021 harvest.

Here he continues to learn and experiment to create wines that showcase the potential of UK wine production and push its boundaries.

We talk about life in an urban winery, Vagabond's new English wine bar in Sussex and how Jose's Sussex and Spanish heritage has influenced his career.

For the latest news from Jose and the team follow @Vagabondwines on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

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Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Lucy Hulland from Huxbear Vineyard, situated in the rolling hills of the picturesque Teign Valley, just outside the ancient wool town of Chudleigh in Devon. 

Lucy and her husband, Ben, established the vineyard in 2007, planting roughly 15 acres of the three classic Champagne varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – alongside Bacchus, Siegerrebe, Schonberger and Pinot Gris.

The couple had two aims: to produce delicious English wine and to make the winemaking process as sustainable as possible. And they have managed to achieve both – not only are their wines award-winning but the vineyard is completely off-grid with all power produced from renewable sources.

We talk about how Lucy, who is originally from the north of England, ended up settling in the South West, the story behind Huxbear's name and the diversity of Devon's foodie community.

To find out more about Huxbear, visit huxbear.co.uk and follow @huxbear_vineyard on Instagram or @HuxbearVineyard on Facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest on today's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Kirsty Goring, brand director for Wiston Winery, wife of Richard Goring and daughter-in-law of Pip and Harry Goring, who call this historic estate in West Sussex home. 

Kirsty read history at Oxford before signing up to a course at the famed Irish cookery school Balleymaloe. Her time on the 100-acre organic farm sparked a passion to grow and utilise the freshest and most delicious ingredients wherever possible. 

After marrying Richard in 2004, the couple moved to Canada together to work on small scale organic farms on remote islands off the west coast before returning to the family home in England in 2006, not long after vines had been planted. 

Together the family have built an enviable and reputable English wine brand, as well as a destination winery, which now includes a restaurant, called Chalk, and a brand new holiday cottage, The Pump House.

We talk about Sussex's thriving wine tourism, working in the wine world with your other half and all those goosebump moments that have made the Wiston dream become reality.

Find out more about Wiston by visiting wistonestate.com or following @wistonestate on instagram and facebook. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to the eighth series of The English Wine Diaries podcast!

Joining me on today’s episode, in the week that we celebrate National Cheese and Wine Day, is author, speaker and cheese and wine expert Steve Parker.  

Having worked for an international brewer and wine distributor, Steve left corporate life to set up an award-winning cheese shop, delicatessen and wine bar in South West London. 

A judge for international food and drink competitions, such as the British, International and World Cheese Awards, Steve now organises food and drink tasting events and is a writer and speaker on his favourite subjects of, you guessed it, cheese and wine, with a particular focus on the cheeses and wines of Great Britain. 

His first book ‘British Cheese on Toast’ was published in 2020 while ‘British Cheesespotting’ is due to be published this August and he also has two more books in the pipeline: ‘British Cheese and Wine Pairing’ and ‘British Winespotting’.

For more about Steve's latest ventures, visit steveparkercheeseandwine.com. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode are Coworth Park’s executive chef, Adam Smith, and Director of Food and Beverage, Jonathan Ellson. 

Adam grew up in Birmingham, starting his culinary career as a pot wash at his local pub aged just 13. After joining The Ritz in 2004, he rose up the ranks and won numerous awards including the Roux Scholarship in 2012. Three years at The Devonshire Arms followed before Adam joined The Dorchester Collection’s only county house hotel, Coworth Park in 2016. The following year he was named Master of Culinary Arts – the UK’s highest culinary and hospitality honour.

Jonathan started his wine career at Majestic, where he undertook his WSET Diploma before joining Virginia Water-based independent wine retailer and restaurant, The Wine Circle. He began his journey at Coworth Park as head sommelier in 2015 and now oversees the entire food and beverage operation at the hotel alongside Adam and general manager Zoe Jenkins. 

Adam and Jonathan have worked closely together on the launch of Coworth Park’s latest restaurant concept, Woven by Adam Smith, which opened last September with an English-focused wine list and was recently awarded a Michelin star.

To find out more visit dorchestercollection.com

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Gavin Hills, wine director and assistant restaurant manager of the only pub in the UK to hold two-Michelin stars,  The Hand & Flowers, in Marlow.

Born in Cambridge, Gavin grew up with a passion for cooking and a strong love of baking, which led him to study Food Technology at Cambridge Regional College. His professional life began in kitchens but it wasn’t long before his ambition to work front of house took over. 

After supervising a number of restaurants at hotels including The Arundel, in Cambridge and The Banyers hotel in Royston, Hertfordshire, Gavin joined The Hand & Flowers in 2010 and two years later was promoted to head waiter, the same year the pub won its second Michelin star. 

Now the pub’s wine director, Gavin has developed The Hand & Flowers’ award-winning wine list to 190 bottles across old and new world styles and champions English wines, particularly the growth of vintage English wines.

We talk about what it's like to work for Tom Kerridge, Gavin's ideal dinner guest and
his hand in helping to create The Hand & Flowers very own, limited edition, English sparkling wine.

For more information about The Hand & Flowers, follow @handfmarlow on Instagram or visit thehandandflowers.co.uk.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on this week's episode of the English Wine Diaries is Jacob Leadley and Zoe Driver, winemakers at Black Chalk Vineyard in Hampshire. 

In 2009 Jacob left a comfortable job in the City to re-train as a winemaker at Plumpton College. Since then, he has worked in the English wine industry including seven years at Hattingley Valley, where he helped produce a number of award-winning sparkling wines. In 2015, he launched Black Chalk together with his brother-in-law Andrew Seddon and is currently the chair of Wine GB Wessex. 

Zoe fell in love with winemaking when she worked for a sparkling winery in Australia while travelling the world. On her return to England, she became the UK’s first Winemaking Apprentice at Hattingley Valley, where she was quickly promoted to assistant winemaker. She joined the team at Black Chalk in 2019 and in 2021 graduated from Plumpton with a masters in Viticulture and Eenology.

We talk about their latest wines – the first to be released from grapes grown on their estate – making wine in a power cut and the truth behind their Little White Lie.

Find out more about Black Chalk by visiting blackchalkwine.co.uk and following @blackchalkwine on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode is Sam Mount, Managing Director at Kentish Pip Cider and Woolton Farm in Bekesbourne near Canterbury. 

Sam grew up on the farm where his parents, Mark and Rosie, grew apples, pears and soft fruits and was encouraged to muck in with all aspects of farming life from an early age. 

After travelling and living abroad in his early 20s, Sam settled in London and built a career as an event producer and operations manager working on projects such as the London 2012 Olympic ceremonies and British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park. He also worked on events for global brands including EE, Corona, Nintendo and Coca Cola. 

Meanwhile, the family business at Woolton Farm was evolving with the planting of a vineyard in 2011 and the launch of cider brand Kentish Pip in 2012. 

Sam moved back to Kent full time in 2019 and now oversees all operations on the farm, which includes a collection of cottages and bell tents where guests can stay overnight.

To find out more about what's going on at Woolton Farm Vineyard, follow @wooltonfarm on Instagram and Facebook or visit wooltonfarm.co.uk

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week's guest on The English Wine Diaries is Cherie Spriggs, Head Winemaker at Nyetimber in Sussex. 

Cherie was born and raised in Canada and after completing a master’s degree at the Wine Research Centre in Vancouver she and her husband, Brad, who is also a winemaker, decided to follow their dream of working together at a winery that shared their passion for producing only the best sparkling wine. 

Cherie had previously tasted Nyetimber and detected a texture and potential in the wine that she hadn’t experienced anywhere else in the world and knew that was where she wanted to work. 

It was 2007 and, as luck would have it, Nyetimber, was looking for winemakers to join the team so the couple moved to England and have been making award-winning wines there ever since. 

In 2018, Cherie won ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the Year’ at the International Wine Challenge - which was not only the first time in history a winemaker from outside Champagne has won but the first time a woman has won this award.

We talk about serendipitous moments, the evolution of Nyetimber over the past 16 years and why the consumer journey is everything.

Find out more about Nyetimber by following @nyetimber on Instagram, @Nyetimberwines on Facebook or visit nyetimber.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today's episode of The English Wine Diaires podcast is wine enthusiast, entrepreneur and modern-day innovator, Lucy Hitchcock. 

Lucy is an e-commerce and branding consultant and the founder of Partner In Wine, a business born out of need ­– the need to avoid drinking warm rosé wine at all costs.  

Partner In Wine was launched during lockdown in 2020 but it was when one of Lucy’s TikTok videos racked up half a million views in 12 hours, that the business went viral, with sales increasing by 1,700 per cent in a single day. 

Since then the business has collaborated with Elizabeth Arden, Candy Kittens, Doughnut Time, Nails Inc, Mirabeau, is stocked in Selfridges and Liberty in London and Lucy's quirky social videos continue to entertain audiences across the globe.

We talk about the highs and lows of starting a business from scratch, how social media is opening up a new audience to the wonders of wine and what innovation truly means.

You can follow Lucy on Instagram @partnerinwine and @partnerinwineuk on TikTok.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Dermot Sugrue, who is widely recognised as the UK’s most successful and decorated winemaker. 

After studying viticulture at Plumpton College Dermot joined Nyetimber in 2003 and oversaw the West Sussex vineyard’s emergence as one of the world’s greatest sparkling wine producers. 

He went on to help Harry and Pip Goring establish Wiston Estate a few miles down the road and for the next 16 years was responsible for making some of England’s most celebrated wines. 

Somehow, he also found time to make his own wine, setting up Sugrue South Downs in 2006 and releasing his first own-brand sparkling, The Trouble with Dreams, in 2013 to critical acclaim. 

Last year Dermot left Wiston to focus full time on Sugrue South Downs with his wife Ana, who is also a winemaker, and the couple have received investment from none other than hotelier, Robin Hutson, who was in fact the first ever guest on this podcast.

We talk about his first introduction to wine, why he decided to take the leap and focus full time on Sugrue and lets us in on some exciting news about what’s on the agenda for the Sugrue family this summer.

Keep up to date with Sugrue South Downs’ latest news and releases at Sugruesouthdowns.com or by following @sugruesouthdowns on Instagram.

NB apologies for some sound quality issues in this episode.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest today is award-winning author, drinks writer, presenter and founder of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club, Helen McGinn.

Helen started her wine career as a supermarket wine buyer for Tesco, before founding her successful wine blog, which garnered so much attention that it is now a best-selling book.

She writes for the Daily Mail’s Femail Magazine, as well as Waitrose Food Magazine, and regularly appears on television as a wine expert on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and ITV’s This Morning.

Helen co-chairs the International Wine Challenge, one of the world’s biggest wine competitions, and her own accolades include Best Online Drinks Writer at Fortnum & Mason’s inaugural Food & Drink Awards.

And if that doesn’t sound like she's busy enough, she is also a best-selling fiction author – her third book, This Is Us, was published by Boldwood in September and she’s currently writing her fourth novel, set to be published next year.

We talk about meeting celebrity crushes, Helen's new Create Academy courses, her top tips for finding good wines on a budget and what should be in your drinks cabinet this Christmas.

You can keep up to date with Helen's wine whereabouts by following her on Instagram @knackeredmother or by visiting knackeredmotherswineclub.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on the podcast today is Joe Beckett from Kinsbrook, a young, progressive vineyard in the heart of West Sussex wine country. 

At just 29, Joe remains one of the youngest vineyard owners in the country and, together with his partner Rebecca Dancer and an enthusiastic team, produces an exciting range of English wines from grapes grown on his third-generation family farmland, just outside Thakeham. 

At the top of the team’s agenda is to create an inclusive and sustainable lifestyle culture centred around wine, feel-good food and hospitality.

This November saw the launch of Kinsbrook Farmhouse, a new restaurant and deli showcasing the best of local produce and, of course, Kinsbrook’s own wines.

We talk about what made Joe, a rugby player and former self-confessed 'meat head' excited about viticulture, proving himself among wine critics and the many challenges of running a hospitality business. 

To keep up to date with all things Kinsbook, visit kinsbrookvineyard.com and follow @kinsbrookvineyard on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on the podcast today are Sam and Ben Ellis, owners of Everflyht, a new single vineyard estate set at the foot of the Ditchling Beacon.

 Both planners by career, Sam and Ben built a designer house for their family on the estate, before planting 6.8 hectares of vines. These included the traditional sparkling varieties of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, as well as some Pinot Gris, Pinot Précoce and Gamay. 

 Under the watchful eye of general and vineyard manager Luke Spalding and with the help of the winemakers at Hambledon in Hampshire, Everflyht released its first sparkling wines – a rose de Saignee and non-vintage Brut – earlier this year in what I can only describe as some of the sleekest bottles from any English wine brand I have ever seen…

We talk about building their dream, 'Grand Designs' style home and why planting vines was always part of the plan, the intricacies of running a small family vineyard and the meaning behind their brand name.

To find out more about their journey you can follow Sam and Ben @everflyht on Instagram and Facebook or visit everflyht.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest on today's episode of The English Wine Diaries is Ian Kellett, owner and managing director of Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire. 

Ian grew up in Yorkshire but ventured south for university where he studied biochemistry before qualifying as an accountant and working in the food and drink industry in general management, equity research and then corporate finance. 

 After buying a house in France, Ian fell in love with the idea of owning a vineyard but, instead of purchasing one in Medoc, saw that Hambledon Vineyard, nestled on the edge of the South Downs in Hampshire, was for sale and in 1999 his journey into English sparkling wine began. 

Hambledon Vineyard is England’s oldest commercial vineyard and this year celebrates its 70th anniversary, which Ian and his family have been celebrating with a number of exciting new launches and partnerships.

We talk about those partnerships, the science behind viticulture in England and what's next for Hambledon as it looks to open a luxury restaurant on site in 2023.

You can keep up to date with new releases and developments at Hambledon by following @hambledon_vineyard on Instagram or by visiting hambledonvineyard.co.uk.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today's guest on The English Wine Diaries is Cindy-Marie Harvey, owner of private wine tour company, Love Wine Food, and author of the newly-released cookbook Watercress, Willow and Wine. 

Cindy-Marie’s career in wine began after she spent a year in Piemonte and discovered the local’s passion for ‘abbinamento’ – the Italian name for food and wine pairing. She fell in love with the area so much, she ended up staying for five years.

When she returned to the UK, she became a wine importer and then spent the next 20 years planning, organising and escorting wine and food tours around the globe, getting to know some of the most fascinating wine makers in the world.

Back home in Petersfield, and surrounded by bookshelves full of recipe books in a host of different languages, Cindy-Marie is never happier than when planning menus, discovering new grape varieties or producers, and matching them with traditional regional recipes or local produce reinvented with a modern twist. 

The pandemic led her to explore more closely the many vineyards popping up on her doorstep in Hampshire and West Sussex, and write a book based on her findings. Published by Whitefox, Watercress Willow and Wine is a beautifully illustrated celebration of recipes and wines from English vineyards and is available in all good bookshops RRP £25.

You can find out more about Cindy-Marie's wine tours at lovewinefood.com or by following @lovewinefood on Instagram.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

We're back with the sixth series of The English Wine Diaries!

On this week's episode, my guest is Tamara Roberts, CEO of Ridgeview Wine Estate in Ditchling, Sussex. 

Founded by Tamara’s parents, Mike and Chris Roberts in 1995, Ridgeview produces award-winning traditional method sparkling wines that are now sold across the globe, have been served at Buckingham Palace and are the official sparkling wine for all receptions at No. 10 Downing Street. 

Tamara took over as CEO of her family business when Mike sadly passed away in 2014 and has since overseen the growth of Ridgeview into a globally acclaimed business, producing around half a million bottles per annum. 

She is on the board of Wines GB, was awarded Sussex Businessperson of the Year in 2019 and was given the prestigious title of President of the International Wine and Spirit Association in 2020, the same year that Ridgeview celebrated its 25th anniversary. 

 2022 has been yet another busy year for Ridgeview with a new all-weather outdoor restaurant – The Rows and Vine – opening on the estate, a partnership with South Lodge hotel to plant and manage a new vineyard near Horsham and the business has recently achieved BCorp status.

We talk about how Tamara came to run the family business, what it's like working with her siblings and extended family and her hopes and futures for the next 25 years of Ridgeview.

To find out more, visit Ridgeview.co.uk, or follow @ridgeviewwineuk on Instagram and Facebook. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Dan Farrell-Wright from online wine merchant Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant and our sponsor for this series of the podcast. 

Dan started Wickham’s in November 2020, at the height of the pandemic and quickly caught the attention of the wine industry. Within a year, the Newton Abbot-based company had been shortlisted for two Decanter wine awards. 

The team at Wickhams are hugely passionate about knowing the story behind the wines they sell, a quarter of which come from England and Wales, so they can help encourage their customers to try new varieties from producers they might not have come across before. 

This year, Wickhams made the finals in two categories at the International Wine Challenge Merchant Awards against heavyweights including  Laithwaites and Waitrose and picked up the trophy for Specialist Merchant of the Year for their dedication to English wine.

We talk about how Dan first got into wine,  why he started the business  and why there was no question that Wickhams would specialise in English wine.

To keep up to date with all Wickhams' latest news, follow @wickhamwine on Instagram and Facebook and visit  wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest today on The English Wine Diaries is Alex Preston, head sommelier at Isaac At in Brighton – the first restaurant in the UK to have an exclusively English wine list. 

Alex caught the wine bug early at vocational college and, after joining the Isaac At team in the summer of 2016, he rebuilt the then limited English-only wine list into a library of unconventional pairings that champions English Wines, Beers, Ciders and Spirits.

Since the restaurant re-opened post-lockdown, Alex has won the Sussex Champion and Sussex Wine award at the 2021 Bite Sussex Rising Stars Awards and he was also recently chosen as one of the top 25 sommeliers in the UK by Harpers Wine and Spirits Magazine.

We talk about all things Sussex food and drink, how the Isaac At team decide what makes it onto their tasting menu and the secret behind a great food and wine pairing .

Keep up to  date with what's happening at Isaac At by following the team on Instagram, Facebook and twitter or by visiting isaac-at.com.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Joining me on today’s show is Phil Norman, who is head of production at The Uncommon, the UK’s number one producer of English wine in a can. 

With a French mother and family ties in Burgundy, Phil has never been far away from fine food and wine. He studied viticulture and enology in the mid noughties whilst completing an apprenticeship alongside Denis Bachelet in Gevrey Chambertin.

Since then he has worked at vineyards in France, New Zealand and the UK, including Nyetimber in Sussex and The Grange in Hampshire, where he had a hand in producing award winning English sparkling wine.

In 2016, Phil began helping Henry Connell and Alex Thraves set up pioneering sustainable English wine brand, The Uncommon, and joined the team full time earlier this year, just as the company achieved B Corporation status – the first winemaker in the UK to do so.

We talk about the importance of sustainability in the English wine industry, why creativity is so crucial to building a brand and the age-old argument of which sparkling is best – French or English?

You can keep up to date with The Uncommon by following @wearetheuncommon on Instragram, Facebook and Twitter or by visiting wearetheuncommon.co.uk.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is award-winning wine writer Susy Atkins.

Susy began her career in the early nineties at WINE magazine before heading to Australia to get her hands dirty working as a cellar hand at wineries in the Barossa Valley.

When she returned the UK, she began to edit Which? Wine Monthly, eventually becoming the co-editor of the Which? Wine Guide. She now writes a regular weekly column for The Telegraph and is the drinks editor of delicious. magazine.

She has won numerous awards for her work, which also includes writing 11 or so books about wine, and she has been a regular expert and presenter on popular TV shows such as Saturday Kitchen, as well as touring the country’s food festivals alongside celebrity chefs, such as James Martin, Michael Caines (who we recently had on the show) and Raymond Blanc to name a few.

We talk about the changing face of the English wine scene, how to shop smart in the supermarket when it comes to wine and why Devon, where Susy lives, has such a thriving wine scene.

You can catch Susy's column each Thursday at Telegraph.co.uk and keep up to date with her latest events, tours and tastings at Susyatkins.co.uk or by following her @susyatkinns on Instagram and twitter. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

On this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries, I am joined by Sam Linter, managing director and head winemaker at Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex.

Sam’s parents, Janet and Rodney Pratt, founded the vineyard in 1972, at which time Bolney Wine Estate was one of the first commercial vineyards in England and Sam spent her childhood living on the vineyard, joining the family business in 1995. 

Since then she has led the estate to win numerous awards including the IWSC UK Wine Producer of the Year’ and ‘Winery of the Year’ at the UK Wine Awards, plus numerous gold medals for both its wines and cellar door experience. 

 Sam has also been an integral influence in the success of the English wine industry through her involvement in both the South East and UK Vineyard Associations and last September she became chairman of Wine GB.

We talk about what it was like growing up on a vineyard, why she never thought she would be the one to take over the family business and her hopes for the future of the English wine industry.

To keep up to date with news from Bolney Wine Estate, follow @bolneyestate on Instagram and @bolneywineestate on facebook.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at thesouthernquarter.co.uk

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to series 5 of The English Wine Diaries!

Joining me on this week's episode of the show is one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs, Michael Caines MBE.

Michael held two Michelin stars for 18 consecutive years before he took the leap of faith to open his own country house hotel at Lympstone Manor in Exmouth in 2017. His restaurant there was awarded a Michelin star within just six months of opening but Michael’s vision for Lympstone was to offer far much more than a luxury hotel and fine dining experience – he also planted a vineyard. 

The first still wine from Lympstone Manor Vineyard has just been launched – a fabulous Pinot Noir – and an English sparkling is currently ageing in bottle ready for release in a year or so. 

We talk about how wine has helped shape Michael's culinary career, what it's been like to realise his dream of not only owning a vineyard but one so near his home town in Devon and his dreams for the future of Lympstone Manor.

To keep up to date with Michael's latest projects, visit michaelcaines.com and follow @macaines and @lympstone_manor on instagram.

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free deliver on orders over £40.

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest on The English Wine Diaries is Zam Baring, who joins me from The Grange in Hampshire – home to the famous Grange Opera Festival. 

Just over a decade ago Zam and his siblings Mark, Rose and Lucy, who are custodians of The Grange estate, decided to embark on a project to “make something great, together” and, noting their land was perfect for the cultivation of grapes for sparkling wine, planted Burge’s Field Vineyard. 

Having spent most of his childhood splashing about in the sparkling, clear tributaries of the upper Itchen, Zam is now enjoying discovering a similar crystalline clarity in the wine produced from this beautiful Hampshire downland.

We talk about Zam's move from TV to wine, what it's like running a business with your siblings and the new winery planned to open on site later this year. 

To find out more about The Grange and how to visit, see thegrangewine.co.uk or follow @thegrangewine on Instagram or Facebook. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week on The English Wine Diaries, my guest is Finn Dunlop, who is the senior purchasing manager for Macknade – a Kent based company that creates spaces and experiences to bring communities together around a shared love of food & drink.

Having started his career at The Savoy Group of Hotels in London, Finn has always had a strong interest, knowledge and love of Food and Wine which he uses to help bring producers, suppliers and consumers in the garden of England closer together via the Macknade brand.

We talk about the company's Italian and Kent roots, how the brand is expanding from East to West Kent and a new sustainable initiative with Borough Wines.

Find out more about Macknade by visiting macknade.com and follow @macknade on Instagram and Facebook. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week on The English Wine Diaries, I am joined by one of the most enthusiastic couples I have ever met when it comes to English Wine.

America and Nick Brewer bought Oastbrook, their picturesque vineyard near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, in 2013. Formerly a Guinness hop farm, the estate has now been transformed by the pair into a stunning venue, not only to visit but also to stay, with a quirky Hobbit House, glamping experience and their newest venture a waterside lodge. 

America, who is originally from Brazil, takes care of most of the vineyard work herself with Lora the vineyard dog by her side and her and Nick share their passion for winemaking in their on-site winery, producing award-winning wines year after year.

We talk about how the couple met, what brought them to settle in East Sussex and how their corner of the countryside is continually evolving to welcome more visitors to share in their passion for food, wine and great company.

You can find out more about their wine tours, experiences and overnight stays at Oastbrook.com and follow the couple @Oastbrook on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today on The English Wine Diaries, my guest is award-winning filmmaker and founder of Nania’s Vineyard, James Bayliss-Smith. 

James’ work as a filmmaker has taken him across the globe, making character-driven and presenter-led documentaries and current affairs programmes.  However, it was back here in the UK, in an allotment in Bristol, that his adventurous English wine journey began. 

After inheriting a 50-year-old grape vine in their garden, James and his wife, Shelley, caught the wine bug. Initially planting just 30 vines in their allotment back in 2017, they were soon embarking on plans to create craft wine in a can.

We talk about the challenges of creating a start-up craft wine business using crowdfunding as an investment tool, the changing face of the English wine industry and the new producers cropping up in the West of the country.

For more information about the allotment vineyard, visit Naniasvineyard.co.uk and to keep up to date with the new can releases, follow @naniasvineyard on Instagram. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest is Duncan Schwab, CEO and head-winemaker at Sandridge Barton in Devon. 

Duncan’s passion for growing grapes and making wine was first ignited when he helped plant his parent’s vineyard in Cornwall, in the early 1980s. 

 He joined Devon’s Sharpham Vineyard, which is also famed for its cheese, a decade later and has been involved with the award-winning estate for nearly 30 years, taking over the reins from Mark Sharman and overseeing the winery’s recent relocation further down the banks of the River Dart to Sandridge Barton in Stoke Gabriel. 

Sandridge Barton marks a new era for the Sharpham Wine brand with a state-of-the-art winery, visitor centre, café and accommodation due to open this spring.

We talk about the challenges of the move down river and what's in store for the next four decades.

For more about Sandridge Barton, visit Sandridgebarton.com and follow @sharpham_wine on instagram. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Welcome back to the fourth series of The English Wine Diaries!

My guest today is Alistair Morrell, who is the co-founder of Cider is Wine, the quality mark for ciders, perries and fruit wines fermented exclusively from the fruit and not from concentrate. 

Using their extensive experience in the wine industry, Alistair and his business partner, Roddy Kane, have defined a new sector in the market for quality ciders entrenched firmly in the belief that these artisan drinks, made from apples, pears and other fruits, deserve our appreciation just as much as grape wines. 

 Initially established in 2018, Cider is Wine now has 24 producer members, an online shop and wholesale business because, as Alistair and Roddy say, life is 'just too short to drink ordinary cider!'

We talk about the future of cider making in the UK, the best ciders to pair with food and the cider makers who have been scooping awards at international wine competitions. 

To find out more about Cider is Wine, visit cideriswine.co.uk or follow @cideriswine on Instagram and facebook. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

We're back for a special bonus episode before the year is out with the legend that is Oz Clarke.

Here in the UK there aren’t many names more synonymous with wine than Oz Clarke. He started his wine career some 40 years ago, back when only a small percentage of the UK population were drinking wine. 

Whilst he was at university, he started competing in wine tasting competitions and before long was on prime-time TV show Food & Drink together with his partner in crime Jilly Goolden, teaching the masses that wine was far from complicated and should be enjoyed by everyone. 

He has since written over one hundred books about wine, is a judge at The International Wine Competition and is, of course, a huge advocate for English wine.

We talk about how he fluked his way through his first live blind tasting on TV, what wines you should be drinking this Christmas and why he will forever be on the hunt for new flavours in wine.

"Predictability and homogeneity I find pretty tiresome in wine," he says. "I like unpredictability, I like to take a bottle of wine and think, 'I don't know what I'm going to get'."

You can follow Oz on Instagram @oz.clarke and on Twitter @ozclarke and, if you want to get your hands on a copy of his latest book with £5 off, visit acadamieduvinlibrary.com and enter EDIARIES5 at the checkout. 

Thank you for listening to this special episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who will be joining me in 2022 to reveal their English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today on The English Wine Diaries, my guest is Elisha Rai, one half of the couple who founded FOLC, a high quality English rosé wine brand with a modern mindset. 

Recognising the demand in the UK for an English version of the popular Provence-style rosés made in the south of France, Elisha and her finance, Tom Cannon launched their 2019 vintage of FOLC just as the world descended into lockdown.  

It was a challenging time to launch a new business but FOLC soon gained a huge fanbase and this year was ranked the highest scoring still English rosé in Britain at the International Wine Challenge.

We talk about what it's like starting a wine brand from scratch with no previous background in the industry, the moves (and mistakes) that have got FOLC to where is today and what drives Elisha and Tom to continue striving to produce the best still English rosé.

You can follow FOLC on Instagram @drink.folc and find out more at DrinkFOLC.com. 

This is the last episode in the current series of The English Wine Diaries but we'll be back in early 2022 with more stories from the world of English wine and beyond. 

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who’s joining in the next series of The English Wine Diaries, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit TheSouthernQuarter.co.uk. 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guests on The English Wine Diaries podcast are father and son Julian and Tom Barnes from Biddenden Vineyard in Kent.

Originally an apple orchard, Biddenden has been owned and run by the Barnes family since 1969. Today it remains very much a family affair with Tom and his brothers, Will and Sam dealing with the day to day management of the vineyard and winemaking process under the watchful eye of their father, who continues to walk the vines every day.

Recently, the vineyard reached another milestone with the release of its ground-breaking Ortega Late Harvest 2018, made from what is believed to be the sweetest grape must ever recorded in the UK.

"Each year we have to approach harvest with different ideas because we do not know what the weather is going to do," explains Julian. 'Who would have known when we started that harvest that the weather would have been so good that we could pick in August yet we had seven weeks until we had to pick so that made us think about what else could be achieved."

We talk about why their signature grape, Ortega, has stood the test of time, how the English wine industry has 'grown up' over the past 50 years and plans for yet more trailblazing at this pioneering vineyard.

Biddenden's shop is open year round while guided and self-guided tours of the vineyard are available from April to September and April to November respectively. You can follow Biddenden on Instagram @biddendenvineyard and facebook @BiddendenVineyard or visit Biddendenvineyards.com for more information. 

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who’s joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today on The English Wine Diaries, my guest is Nick Wenman, from Albury Vineyard in Surrey.

Running a vineyard was a very early dream from Nick. When he  was 17, he won the school economics prize, he chose the World Atlas of Wines and Spirits for the headmaster to present to him as a prize on speech day .

It wasn't until some time later, following a career in the IT industry, that Nick was able to fulfil his dream by planting his first vines on the southern slopes of the North Downs in the Surrey Hills, in 2009.

Albury is committed to producing organic fruit without the use of chemicals and is also one of only four or five vineyards in England to follow biodynamic principles. The wines have won numerous awards and are enjoyed by royalty. 

"We had a great start because we were lucky enough to have our very fist wine, our Silent Pool rose, served on the royal barge as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations."

We talk about the benefits of holistic winemaking and the growth of organic farming, the challenges of growing grapes in England and running a generational business.

To find out more about Albury's latest releases and events at the vineyard, follow @alburyvineyard on Instagram and Twitter or visit: alburyvineyard.com.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who’s joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today on The English Wine Diaries podcast, my guest is the multi-award-winning wine expert and broadcaster, Olly Smith.

Olly is the wine columnist for The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine, appears regularly on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and he also hosts his own drinks podcast 'A Glass With…’ where he speaks to celebrities and more about their favourite tipples.

He has been named International Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year, Drinks Writer of the Year at the Great British Food Awards and he’s also the UK’s Drinks Ambassador to China.

He’s also managed to find  time to write six books including FIZZ, a cocktail book dedicated to bubbles and the Home Cocktail Bible, which comes out this November.

We talk about living the good life in Sussex, his 15+ stint on Saturday Kitchen, having the Wine-Factor and... mushrooms!

"Fungi is this mysterious entity that's all around us and it does have such a big role in the work that I do with booze and wine and I'm just curious about how it all works!"

The Home Cocktail Bible by Olly Smith is out on November 11 and is available to pre-order now. Visit Ollysmith.com for more information. You can follow Olly on Instagram @Ollysmith and catch him regularly on Saturday Kitchen, 10am Saturdays on BBC One.

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who’s joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

My guest today is cricketing legend, sports pundit and former King of the Jungle, Phil Tufnell.

Now, you may well be thinking, 'what the hell is an ex-England cricketer and TV personality such as Phil doing on a wine podcast?'  But there is very good reason. Phil has recently launched his own collection of wines – aptly named Tuffers' Tipple, which are  available through Virgin Wines.

Over a glass of his own English Bacchus, we talk about his memories of going on tour as an England cricket international, touring vineyards with some of the world's sporting greats, treating his  new wines like his children and how, despite travelling the world tasting wines, his favourite wine memory is right here in England.

Tuffers' Tipple can be ordered for delivery direct to your door via virginwines.co.uk. To keep an eye on what else Phil is up to, follow him on Instagram @phil.tufnell and Twitter @Philtufnell. 

You can read more of Phil's anecdotes about travelling the world with fellow cricket legends in his new book How Not to Be A Cricketer, which is out on October 28th. 

Thank you for listening to today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who’s joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

"Of the 80,000 men and women in prison, 47% of those released each year go back to re-offending, mainly because they haven't got a bed, they haven't got a job nor support, so The Clink was set up to break that cycle of crime."
 
My guest today is Christopher Moore, the chief executive of The Clink Charity, which trains prisoners to gain City and Guilds qualifications in hospitality. When released from prison they are found employment, accommodation and are fully supported.

The scheme, which involves operating restaurants, that are open to the public, within some of the UK's prisons, has dramatically reduced re-offending rates of those who have taken part by 65%, which is absolutely staggering.

Prior to joining The Clink, Christopher worked for Fenwick as Head of Group Restaurants, where he created and operated 37 restaurants across 12 UK sites and prior to that he was restaurant general manager at Harrods where he developed the company’s in-store restaurants and food hall eateries.

We talk about the fabulous work The Clink has done over the last 10 years, its four restaurants in Surrey, Brixton, Cardiff and Manchester and how one arm of the charity is helping to facilitate a like-minded project in Italy, where prisoners are trained in viticulture.

To support The Clink or book to dine at one of  the charity's four restaurants in Surrey, Brixton, Cardiff and Manchester visit theclinkcharity.org.  You can also follow The Clink on Instagram @theclinkrestaurant, Facebook @clinkhighdown and on Twitter @Theclinkcharity.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest is Susannah Ricci, who has transformed Yotes Court, near Mereworth in Kent, from a tired house with an overgrown garden and fruit farm into a magnificent Manor House, vineyard and Cellar Door.

Susannah released her debut wines this year and they have already won a whole host of awards but you may recognise the name Ricci for other reasons as Susannah and her husband, Richard are successful racehorse owners.

The majority of their horses are trained by champion trainer Willie Mullins and their famous green and pink silks drive the Yotes Court branding, while racing terms have been used to name the wines.

We talk about the restoration of Yotes Court and how Susannah made the decision to turn some of the land into a vineyard; their new tasting room, which opened earlier this year and overlooks the vines; and what's next for this burgeoning wine brand.

To find out more about Yotes Court and to buy the wines, visit: Yotescourt.co.uk and to keep to date with the wine brand and its latest news and release, follow @yotescourt on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today we will be talking wine and wellness with Jackie Wilks from Terlingham Vineyard in Kent.

Jackie’s family originate from South Africa but came to the UK in 2007 and, a few years later, they stumbled upon Terlingham, a boutique vineyard in Folkestone that was up for sale.

They decided to take the plunge and have since grown the vineyard into a beautiful retreat where the focus is not only on the natural wines they produce but also on mindfulness. 

We talk about what it's like growing a family vineyard business,  how the wine tourism of South Africa has influenced their approach and why natural wine and wellness are such a perfect pairing.

To find out more about Terlingham and wellness stays at the vineyard visit terlinghamvineyard.co.uk and you can follow Terlingham on Instagram @terlingham_vineyard. For more information about Elham Valley Vineyard follow @thefifthtrust.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week, on the last episode of series two of The English Wine Diaries, I am joined by William Lowe, founder of the world's most innovative distillery – the Cambridge Distillery. 

William has worked within the drinks industry for 23 years and has taught over 10,000 individuals through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, which has led him to be awarded WSET Educator of the Year twice. 

In 2012, he set up the Cambridge Distillery and has since created a collection of ground-breaking gins, including a truffle gin and the world’s first insect-based gin. 

It’s not surprising the distillery has been named Most Innovative Distillery in the World three times! William is also the first Master Distiller to ever become a Master of Wine.

We talk about the science behind wine and gin making, what led him to push the boundaries with his gin recipes and his latest release Three Seasons Gin.

William and his team host Distillery Masterclasses at the Cambridge Distillery each Saturday and Sundays at 2pm. To find out more, or purchase one of the award-winning gins, visit cambridgedistillery.co.uk. You can also follow @cambridgegin on Instagram for updates. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week my guest is Master Sommelier Laura Rhys.

The early days of Laura’s wine career saw her working alongside some of the industry’s finest including World Sommelier Champion Gérard Basset, before she went to head up the wine team at Michelin-starred Chiswick restaurant La Trompette.

In 2009 Laura won the UK Sommelier of the Year award and the following year, became a Master Sommelier – one of only 267 (and only 34 female master sommeliers) in the world!

She became the Kent-based vineyard, Gusbourne’s global brand ambassador in 2015 and that is where she joins us from today.

We talk about what inspired her to following a career in wine, her early years at Hotel du Vin and her favourite wine memories.

You can book a tour and tasting at Gusbourne by visiting  Gusbourne.com and keep up to date with their latest news and releases by following @Gusbournewine on Instagram, @gusbournewines on facebook and @Gusbourne on Twitter. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

For this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries,  I have not one but two guests joining me.

Kit Ellen started his wine journey over 20 years ago when he joined the Majestic Wine graduate scheme, where he won the prestigious Gonzalez Be-ass Scholarship before moving to Free Run Wines, where he focussed on supplying grower Champagnes and sparkling wines to the UK market. It was a natural path into the world of English wine and today he is the Managing Director at Exton Park vineyard in Hampshire. 

My second guest is Charles Carron Brown, who is otherwise known as The Natural Sommelier. Charles is Head Sommelier of chef Simon Rogan’s Henrock restaurant, which sits in a beautiful location overlooking Lake Windermere and is one of only a handful of restaurants in that is serving Exton Park’s exciting new range of Reserve Blend wines.

We talk about the relaunch of Exton Park and its library of reserve wines, vintage versus non-vintage, sustainability in winemaking and the multiple different entries into the wine industry.

You can taste Exton Park's Reserve Blend wines by ordering at extonparkvineyard.com or visiting one of Simon Rogan's restaurants.

Keep up to date with the goings on at Exton Park by following @extonparkvineyard on Instagram and you can follow Charles @thenaturalsommelier.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today's guest is Simon Robinson, founder and owner of Hattingley Valley in Hampshire and current chairman of Wine GB, which is the national trade association for grape-growers and winemakers in the UK. Next month, he will hand over the Wine GB reigns to Sam Linter, from Bolney Wine Estate. 

Simon was previously a senior partner at city law firm Slaughter and May for 24 years, before he planted his first vines in 2008. The debut vintage was released in 2013 and since then Hattingley Valley has gone on to win multiple awards for its English Sparkling Wines and has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most successful wineries.

We talk about why Hampshire is such a great county for growing grapes, who's behind Hattingley's award winning wines and what made Simon change his mind about pink wine.

To find out more about Hattingley Valley, visit the website or follow on Instagram @Hattingleywines, on facebook @Hattingleyvalley and on Twitter @HattingleyWines.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest is wine business entrepreneur Lucy Dalwadi.

In 2020 Lucy founded Lucy’s Wine, an online wine delivery service which focuses on natural and organic wines from across the globe.

Lucy previously worked in the luxury fashion sector, but during lockdown decided to make the jump that she’d dreamt of since university – coupling her entrepreneurial spirit with her love of wine.

We talk about her first introduction to wine how that led to her writing her own wine blog and why she is now sharing her passion for organic produce to educate people about the world of natural wines. 

You can follow Lucy on instagram @Lucys.wine and shop her curated collections of natural and organic wine at Lucys-wine.com.

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest is wine writer Liz Sagues, whose latest book, Sussex by the Glass focuses on  two of the county's pioneering wine estates, Ridgeview and Bolney.

The book takes the reader through a journey of English wine, from the early formative years right through to the emergence of powerhouse producers like Nyetimber, before focusing on the Ridgeview and Bolney stories.

Both of these family-run vineyards have recently celebrated milestones – Ridgeview marked its 25th anniversary last year and Bolney is 50 this year – are are also led by female winemakers, Sam Linter and Tamara Roberts.

As well as talking about Liz's latest work, we discuss her 2018 title, A Celebration of English Wine,  which at the time was the first book in a decade for consumers on the subject, and her first taste (and what she thought) of English wine.

Sussex by the Glass is available online from Ridgeview (£14 including delivery) and Bolney (£12 + P&P)or by visiting either of the estates.   

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

We're back with a second series of The English Wine Diaries podcast. 

This week my guest is Steven Edwards, who in 2013 was crowned the sixth winner of BBC TV show Masterchef The Professionals. At the time, he was one of the youngest ever winners of the competition at 26 years old and his food was described by Michael Roux Junior as ‘faultless’. 

Following his win, Steven set up etch, initially as a pop-up concept touring venues across the country, including Nyetimber Vineyard in West Sussex, before he opened his permanent restaurant, etch. by Steven Edwards in Hove in 2017. 

Last year, he opened a second restaurant at the Bingham Riverhouse hotel in Richmond and this summer, he will be returning to his former workplace, South Lodge, near Horsham, for an eight-week summer residency.

We talk about how he feels about returning to his roots, his latest venture with The London Vermouth Company and how  English wine will continue to play a huge part in etch, which will be re-opening in September following a major refurb.

You can keep up to date with Steven by following him on Instagram @stevenxedwards and Twitter @stevenxedwards. Find out more about etch by Steven Edwards at etchfood.co.uk.  

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.

 

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest is Camilla Jennings from Jenkyn Place in Hampshire. Camilla's father, Simon Bladon, planted the first vines at their family home in 2004 and Camilla joined the business 10 years later.

We talk about her decision to join the family business following a career in property, how English wine got under her father's skin (and in turn hers) and the vineyard's other-worldly visitors which has given it a reputation as one of the spookiest places in England. 

"I've never seen any but my mum says she thinks she might have. We've certainly never had any bad experiences – they're happy ghosts!"

Jenkyn Place opens for tours at weekends - visit jenkynplace.com and follow @Jenkynplace on Instagram and @Jenkynplacewine on Twitter for more information. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week my guest is Ruth Simpson from Simpsons Wine Estate, in the village of Barham in Kent.  Ruth and her husband Charles have been making wine at their property in the South of France for almost two decades but in 2014 decided to bring their expertise back to the UK, establishing Simpsons, right in the heart of what is now known as the Wine Garden of England.

Ruth’s background is working in the charitable and humanitarian sector and she is a fifth-generation member of the Grant family, who are responsible for the Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Hendricks Gin brands so, some would say she has alcohol running through her blood!

We talk about what it's like working with your respective other, innovation in wine making and how Simpson's famous helter skelter came about!

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Today my guest in Neil Walker, who after 15 years working in banking, set up The English Vine in a bid to bring English Wine to a new generation of wine drinker via a no-nonsense approach. 

The company has already had an incredibly successful pop-up bar in Shorditch - the first in London to focus solely on English and Welsh wines - and Neil’s ‘Wine Revolution’ as he likes to call it, has continued with a series of immersive tastings throughout lockdown.

"Too many of us have been left with no choice but to judge the wine by the label. We intend to change that. We will make wine approachable, fun and most of all understandable. In fact we will be everything the wine industry isn’t."

We talk about making his own wine, how he and his team are trying to change the perception of English wine and his plans to grow The English Vine with some quirky ideas and experiments.

You can order  Number 1 Bacchus and The English Vine's curated collections of English Vine at  theenglishvine.co.uk.   

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week my guest is Kristin Syltevik, founder of Oxney Organic Estate, near Rye in East Sussex. Norway-born Kristin started the vineyard, now the largest single-estate producer of English organic wine, in 2012 after a long career in public relations and runs it with her partner, Paul Dobson.

Oxney's 35 acres of vines produce around 20% of all organic grapes grown in the UK, which are used to make an increasingly celebrated range of still and sparkling wines using low intervention methods.

The vineyard forms part of a wider organic farming estate,  near the River Rother and has a winery, cellar door and holiday accommodation in the shape of a self catering cottage, barn accommodation and shepherd huts.

Oxney is open for pre-bookable tours and tastings, picnics in the grounds and overnight stays. Visit: oxneyestate.com

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

This week my guest is Chris White, CEO of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, right in the heart of the Surrey Hills.

The land Denbies sits on  was once a pig farm, before Chris's father, Adrian, was advised by neighbour Professor Richard Selling that the bowl shape of the land was the same as countryside in Champagne and the unique characteristics of the North Downs landscape were perfect for winemaking.

Initially planting just 30 acres of vines in 1986, the vineyard has since grown to a sprawling wine estate of over 600 acres, including a visitors centre, three restaurants and a state of the art eco-hotel.

Making 700,000 plus bottles of wine in a good year, Denbies is one of the largest wine producers in the UK and consistently wins plaudits for its still, sparkling and dessert wines.

Denbies is now open for outdoor tours and al fresco dining. For more information and to book visit denbies.co.uk. You can follow Denbies on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Fergus Elias is one of the country’s youngest Head Winemakers.

He first joined the Balfour Hush Heath Winery in Kent as a cellarhand in 2014 and, after studying at Plumpton College, has worked up the ranks, quickly following in the footsteps of his father, Owen, who with 30 years’ experience is considered one of England’s top winemakers.

Recently Fergus has been involved in some exciting projects for the Hush Heath’s Balfour brand including The Winemakers Collection and their first sparkling wine in a can.

Listen to find out more about his English wine journey and what he thinks about the future of the industry.

You can keep up to date with what's going on at Balfour Hush Heath, as well as the latest wine releases by following @Balfourwinery on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Follow Fergus on Instgram @FergElias and Twitter @FergusElias. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Together with her husband Mark, Sarah Driver established Rathfinny Wine Estate in Alfriston, on the Sussex South Downs in 2010, initially planting 60,000 vines. 

A decade later and the estate now has over 380,000 vines, a RIBA-nominated winery, an award-winning  restaurant, stunning accommodation in the Flint Barns and is well on its way to being one of, if not the, largest vineyard in England. 

Mark and Sarah are also behind the campaign for Sussex wines to be the first in England to have a PDO and in 2018 produced the first official Sussex Sparkling.

We talk about: 

• How a UCAS application form became the catalyst for Mark and Sarah's English  wine journey
• Their vision to share Rathfinny with the wider community and building a local workforce
• Sussex as a mark of quality in sparkling wine
• The affect lockdown has had on the vineyard as a business

Rathfinny Wine Estate will be re-opening for alfresco dining on April 24th  and will launch its latest sparkling wines from the 2017 vintage (a Classic Cuvée and  Blanc de Blancs) in May. To keep up to date with events and happenings at the estate, follow @Rathfinnyestate on Instagram. 

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernuarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Robin Hutson is one of the most successful and influential hoteliers in the country. 

Robin started working in the hospitality industry at some of London’s top luxury hotels including Claridge’s and The Berkeley, before founding his own hotel chain, Hotel du Vin, together with renowned sommelier Gerard Bassay, in 1994. 

More recently Robin founded THE PIG hotel group, which this year will open its eighth hotel in the South Downs, complete with its very own vineyard. 

Robin joins me from his home in Hampshire, where he talks to me candidly about the huge struggles the hospitality industry has had to deal with over the past year,  how the idea for Hotel Du Vin – the business he sold for £66 million in 2004 – was drawn up on a napkin and realising his life-long dream of owning his own vineyard first in Devon and now Sussex. 

• The PIG in the South Downs opens this summer.  Keep up to date with new openings by following @the_pig_hotels on Instagram
• You can follow Robin on Twitter @robinhutson
• The Pig: Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen Garden and Beyond is out now priced at £25 and available from thepighotel.giftpro.co.uk

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review and to hear future episodes as they are released, hit subscribe on your podcast listening platform.

To find out who's joining me next week, follow @thesouthernquarter on Instagram and for more regular English wine news, visit thesouthernquarter.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter.  

Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.