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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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*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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.