Our winemaker

With experience of New World winemaking, and a broad background training in the traditional winemaking areas, Will Davenport has the skills, knowledge and resources to set a standard in English winemaking.

After completing a B.Sc. in Chemistry, he passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma with Honours and then gained a postgraduate diploma in winemaking at Australia's Roseworthy College. He has worked for wineries in Australia, California and Alsace. He is also a regular wine judge for one of the world's leading international wine competitions.

On returning to England from Australia, he decided to study the possibilities of winemaking in this country, having never considered the English Vineyards as an option before. He worked for a 35 acre vineyard in Hampshire for two years, making wines from 13 different grape varieties. This experience formed the base knowledge for planting his own vineyard.

The first vines were planted in 1991, and the development of the winery began in 1993. Will now makes wines for 19 vineyards around the south of England, and has won numerous awards for his wines at both national and international level. He is one of the few winemakers operating in the UK who has proved his ability to make top quality sparkling wines (winner of a Silver award at the 2001 UKVA wine of the year competition).

Will is a keen supporter of the organic movement and tries to live a sustainable lifestyle. Currently has written a series of articles on organic vineyard management for the UKVA quarterly magazine, The Grape Press. He is also conducts talks and tastings on the subject for various businesses and conservation bodies.