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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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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