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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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