Bonus Episode 112: WineGB English Wine Week at Heathow Airport with Head of Category Stephanie Pears

Bonus Episode 112: WineGB English Wine Week at Heathow Airport with Head of Category Stephanie Pears

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1748219/fan_mail/new] This very special episode of the English Wine Diaries is brought to you in partnership with WineGB and Heathrow Airport, supported by Coravin and Uncorked Magazine. The UK wine sector is one of the fastest growing agricultural industries, with rising vineyard numbers (there are now over 1,100 would you believe?!) expanding wineries, and record harvests – a staggering 16.4 million bottles were produced in 2025 alone. But it’s not just about quantity, UK wines are gaining global recognition for their exceptional quality and innovation and are winning major international awards. For an increasing number of travellers, their first taste of this bourgeoning industry is at Heathrow Airport – the international gateway to the UK.  And that is why this year WineGB is launching English Wine Week right here at Heathrow – the most connected airport in the world, welcoming almost 250,000 passengers each day.  Joining me on today’s episode is Stephanie Pears, Head of Category at Heathrow, leading Food & Beverage, Essentials, Technology and Bureaux across one of the world’s busiest airports.  Stephanie is known for driving innovation in travel retail, whether it’s rethinking essential shopping through blended concepts or introducing new formats and brands to Heathrow, she is passionate about using retail to elevate the passenger journey and showcase the best of British products on a global stage. We talk about the staggering rise in sales of UK wine at Heathrow – up 69% from 2024 to 2025 – which international travellers have shown the greatest appetite for the category and its future potential within travel retail.  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 [https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/]on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Bonus Episode 111: Discovering English Pinot Noir & Precoce with London Wine Fair's Host Nation

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1748219/fan_mail/new] Welcome to this special episode of the English Wine Diaries, in partnership with London Wine Fair. The 2026 London Wine Fair – taking place at Olympia London on 18th to 20th May – will, for the first time, showcase a specific country or region as the centrepiece, and this year it’s Great Britain! There will be the largest presence of British producers in the show’s 45-year history and, of course, that includes plenty of English wine. Visitors will be able to taste hundreds of wines from produces across the UK, attend panel discussions, such as How to Make English wine mainstream, and in an exclusive partnership with Tiny Wine, there are 84 free tasting kits showcasing a selection of standout British still red wines. Indeed, some of you listening may have already picked up a pack and scanned the QR code, but if you’re tuning in pre-show make sure you have secured your entry ticket to the show at LondonWineFair.com [http://londonwinefair.com/] so that you can snap up one of the complimentary packs from stand B60. I spoke to the producers behind those six wines – 1276 Wines [https://www.1276wines.co.uk/] in Herefordshire, Flint Vineyard [https://flintvineyard.com/] in Norfolk, Bolney Wine Estate [https://bolneywineestate.com/] in West Sussex, Sandridge Barton [https://sandridgebarton.com/] in Devon, Williams Family Wines [https://www.williamsfamilywines.com/] in Cambridgeshire and Lyme Bay [https://lymebaywinery.co.uk/], which makes wines from grapes grown in Essex – to deep dive into how two red wine grapes – Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Precoce grow and develop in different parts of the country. 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 [https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/]on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Episode 110 - Emily Lambert, Co-founder Loxwood Meadworks

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1748219/fan_mail/new] Joining me on this week's episode of The English Wine Diaries is British sommelier and entrepreneur Emily Lambert.  Emily was the first female sommelier at The Ritz in London when she was just 19 years old and was affectionately known as the Belle of English bubbles.  She rose to wider prominence after winning BBC Two’s Million Pound Menu in 2018, with chef Ruth Hansom, after pitching their British-only restaurant concept to investor Atul Kochhar.  A year later she met her partner, Danny, at Loxwood Joust – a medieval festival in the heart of Sussex – where they bonded over a shared passion for honey wine.  Together they founded Loxwood Meadworks, a company that is redefining honey wine for a contemporary audience, bringing together heritage craft with modern hospitality. We talk about what it was like managing old school and outdated expectations as a young female in hospitality, quitting her dream job to go on TV and her hopes that honey wine will soon be seen as mainstream.  You can find out more at loxwoodmeadworks.com [https://loxwoodmeadworks.com/] and by following @loxmead [https://www.instagram.com/loxmead/] 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. [https://www.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 [https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/]on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Episode 109 - Ashley and Tom Fahey, The Terrace Ventnor

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1748219/fan_mail/new] Joining me on today’s episode of the English Wine Diaries are Ashley and Tom Fahey, owners of The Terrace Rooms & Wine in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.  Tom was working as an independent restaurant inspector, when in 2020 he and wife Ashley – an ex-superyacht chef and cookery school manager – opened their first Terrace property with Ashley’s family in Yarmouth.   Deciding they didn’t have enough to manage during what was one of the most stressful times in history for hospitality, the couple decided to embark on a second project and in 2021 purchased St Augustine Villa at the edge of Ventnor Bay.  Originally built as a home for the local rector in the 1840s, the iconic property has been a guesthouse, lodge and hotel for over 150 years and is most famous for the visits and sketches of revolutionary Russian writer Aleksandr Herzen. Since opening its doors as The Terrace Ventnor in 2022, the six-bed guest house, which has an emphasis on destination wine with a 1200-bottle cellar, has won numerous awards including Best UK Rosé List by Star Wine List for the past two years, Best UK B&B from the Good Hotel Guide and Best UK Wine Hotel by Decanter Magazine.  We talk about the challenges of running – and living – in a hotel – what the wine scene is like on the somewhat sleepy Isle of Wight and how the couple are trying to shift the way people perceive and drink rosé.  Keep up to date with Ashley and Tom and events at The Terrace by following them on Insatgram @the_terrace_ventnor [https://www.instagram.com/the_terrace_ventnor/] or visit theterraceventnor.co.uk [https://www.theterraceventnor.co.uk/].  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. [https://www.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 [https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/]on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.

Episode 108 - Nathanial McConnell, Bluestone Vineyards

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1748219/fan_mail/new] Joining me on today’s episode of the English wine diaries is Nathaniel McConnell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-mcconnell-20497499/], co-founder and winemaker at Bluestone Vineyards.  With a large part of his childhood spent on the family’s Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm, Nat’s boots are firmly rooted in the countryside.  However, he followed a different career path before returning to Wiltshire to establish Bluestone – one helping to fight cancer. Following a degree in Biochemistry at Birmingham University, Nat worked with a company who developed a new technique to better diagnose and provide more accurate prognosis for myeloma patients.  His entrepreneurial spirit led him back to the family farm however where, together with his brother, Toby, he established Bluestone Vineyards.  With the land prepared and the vines on order, Nat began studying an MSc in Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College. He met the then head winemaker of Hattingley Valley Jacob Leadley, and assistant winemaker Zoe Driver, with whom he worked two harvests and learned about quality sparkling wine production. Named Bluestone as a nod to the nearby World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, the 10-acre site comprises Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The south and south-west-facing vineyards sit on the edge of Salisbury Plain and are made of sandy, clay loam soils.  Nat’s first wine from 2015, was a classic blend made with grapes purchased from Hambledon and since he has produced a number of award-winning sparkling wines from the estate.  We talk about what it was like growing up on a petting farm, winning Platinum at Decanter World Wine Awards and the dynamics or running two very different family businesses side by side.  Keep up to date with the goings on at Bluestone by following @bluestonevineyards [https://www.instagram.com/bluestonevineyards/] on Instagram or at bluestonevineyards.co.uk [https://bluestonevineyards.co.uk/]. 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. [https://www.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 [https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/]on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.