A new podcast has launched to champion English wine and those who make and promote it.
Each week, The English Wine Diaries features interviews with sommeliers, vineyard owners, hoteliers and some rather familiar faces too, who talk about how a love of wine – particularly that made on British soil – has helped shape their lives and careers.
The first series includes guests such as influential hotelier Robin Hutson, founder of Hotel du Vin and the Pig Hotel group; Fergus Elias, head winemaker at Balfour Hush Heath in Kent; and Kristin Syltevik from England’s largest organic vineyard, Oxney Estate in Sussex.
The English Wine Diaries podcast is presented by Rebecca Pitcairn, journalist and founder of online English wine and lifestyle magazine, The Southern Quarter, which exists to promote wine made in the South East of England.
There are now more than 700 vineyards in Great Britain and with increasingly similar growing conditions to those in the Champagne region of France, the vineyards of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire are leading the way when it comes to English still and sparkling wine production.
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“Having worked as a journalist predominantly on regional newspapers and magazines, I’ve developed a huge passion for all things local and uncovering hidden gems right on the doorstep,” Rebecca said.
“Our vineyards are some of the most beautiful places to visit and the people behind them have some fascinating stories, many of which I delve into on The English Wine Diaries.
“I also speak with others in the world of wine, and beyond, about how the fruit of the vine has helped to shape their lives and careers.”
Other guests on the first series include Sarah Driver from Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex, Neil Walker from Essex-based The English Vine, Chris White from Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey, Camilla Jennings from Jenkyn Place in Hampshire and Ruth Simpson, one half of the husband and wife team who founded Simpson’s Wine Estate in Kent.
New episodes of The English Wine Diaries are available each week on most podcast directories, including iTunes, Spotify and Google.
Take a sneak peek here.