The English Wine Diaries – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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