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The English Wine Diaries is a weekly interview series with Rebecca Pitcairn, writer, editor and English wine expert. Each week Rebecca is joined by a special guest from the world of wine (and beyond) to talk all about their English wine journey. From sommeliers to vineyard owners, hoteliers and some rather familiar faces too, discover how a love of wine – particularly that made on British soil – has helped shape their lives and careers. www.englishwinediaries.co.uk.
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Send a text Joining me on today’s episode of the English wine Diaries is Ceri Phipps, co-founder of Two Beacons, a family-owned vineyard on the border of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the Malvern Hills National Landscape. Ceri founded the vineyard in 2018, along with school friend Tim Dutton, on part of Ceri’s family estate, with a focus on growing Bacchus, Pinot Précoce and Pinot Noir. The team initially planted around 4,000 vines but has since planted a further 12,000, add...
Send a text Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Scott Gebbie, Managing Director and head of production Mereworth Wines in Kent. Scott graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Food and Nutrition before discovering an interest in viticulture and winemaking. This led him to explore and work in vineyards and wineries in both the southern and northern hemispheres, vintage hopping between Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, England, Portugal and Italy.&nbs...
Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the 15th series of The English Wine Diaries!! Joining me on today’s episode is Collette O’Leary, head winemaker and estate manager at Henners Vineyard in Herstmonceaux, East Sussex. Collette began her career in PR & Marketing in London, specialising in behaviour change campaigns including promoting the HPV vaccine to young women and girls and developing education initiatives to encourage young people to consider vocational education. &nbs...
Send us Fan Mail Ending the 14th series of The English Wine Diaries on a high with one of the most well known winemakers in the UK, Emma Rice. Emma developed a fascination with fine wine while working as a waitress in The White Horse Inn, Chilgrove as a teenager in the 1990s. It was a chance taste of the 1979 vintage of Krug that was the lightbulb moment that began her career in wine. She got a job at Oddbins – a rite of passage for anyone going into the wine trade in the nineties...
Send us Fan Mail Joining me on today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries is Tom Barratt-Jones – head winemaker at Squerryes Wine Estate in Kent. Born in New Zealand, Tom has gained experience in the wine industry around the world – upon finishing a degree in Viticulture and Oenology in 2012, he went to work for New Zealand producer Villa Maria, one of perhaps the best known brands responsible for the rise in popularity of Sauvignon Blanc here in the UK. After travelling to...
Send us Fan Mail 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 win...
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Send us Fan Mail 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 forme...
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Send us Fan Mail 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 conti...
Send us Fan Mail 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, be...
Send us Fan Mail Joining me on this week’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Jessica Summer, founder of Mouse & Grape an award-winning cheese and wine business specialising in curated hampers and immersive tasting events focused on this delicious food and wine combo. Jessica, who last year opened her first deli and wine bar in London, was one of Harpers 30 Under 30 in 2023 and this year was named winner of the IWSC Emerging Talent in Wine Award, as well as winner of Retail Buye...
Send us Fan Mail Joining me this week's episode of the English Wine Diaries is Billy Sengupta, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Cobham House, a new English wine brand based in Kent. After working at Diageo for over seven years, Billy left his position as Global Director of Luxury Tequila to help realise a 32-year-old family dream of owning a vineyard. In 2022, three generations of his family came together to launch Cobham House Vineyard and earlier this year they launched...
Send us Fan Mail Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Sam Weatherill, wine director at etch. by Steven Edwards, an award-winning restaurant based in Hove, East Sussex founded by 2013 Master Chef the Professionals winner, Steven Edwards. Since the restaurant opened in 2017, etch has gained a cult following and global reputation for its wine offering – particularly that made in Great Britain; it is said to have the second largest selection of English sparkling wine...
Send us Fan Mail This episode of The English Wine Diaries is brought to you in partnership with Knight Frank’s Viticulture department – the leading vineyard broker in the UK and the exclusive property partner of WineGB and the Wine Garden of England. As the only dedicated viticulture team in property consultancy, they support both the largest and most exciting emerging wineries - not just through brokerage, but also through consultancy that helps vineyard owners scale their businesses. Their ...
Send us Fan Mail 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 ...
Send us Fan Mail 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. Thi...
Send us Fan Mail 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 po...
Send us Fan Mail 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 Sou...
Send us Fan Mail 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, pa...
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An excellent listen 🥂