The English Wine Diaries

• Episode 99: Alasdair Warren, Owner Bride Valley Vineyard

  Send us a textJoining 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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• Episode 98 - Brad Lomas, Co-founder and owner, Boys Hall

  Send us a textJoining 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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• Episode 97: Jim Rankin, Commercial and Managing Director Rankin Bros. & Sons

  Send us a textWelcome 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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• Episode 96 – The Baxter sisters AKA Four Daughters

  Send us a textJoining 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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• Episode 95 – Patrick McGrath MW, CEO Hatch Mansfield and co-founder Domaine Evremond

  Send us a textOn 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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