It's only recently that I've got into wine. I don't like it to be pretentious. I'm also less interested in the way "it's meant to be done".

I find myself leaning towards wines which are slightly different; alternative grapes, made somewhere you wouldn't expect, or using alternative techniques. You might not love every bottle, but that's the fun part. It's like trying new food, or going to an exhibition.

I recently caught up with Ben Walgate, winemaker and all-round grape whisperer, to chat about English wine, the rollercoaster that led him here, and why he’s still so obsessed with getting it right. From natural farming to tiny yields and big ideas, Ben’s approach is thoughtful, hands-on, and totally unpretentious.

Below are a few questions i threw at him when I visited The Winery in Rye where Walgate Wines is based.

So, what is Walgate Wine?

I started Walgate Wine because I genuinely believe England can make brilliant still wines — not just sparkling. Sparkling is what we’re known for, and I love drinking it, so I do make a bit. But my focus is really on farming well, making good decisions all the way through, and producing still whites and reds that can stand up to anything else out there.

It’s about growing something with real intention, with a bit of soul.

What’s the general perception around English wine these days?

I think most people, if you stopped them on the street, would just say ‘English sparkling’. And fair enough — it’s won awards, it’s on loads of wine lists, it’s legit.

But the whole scene’s moved on a lot. We’re not just hobbyists anymore. There are people doing serious stuff with still wines, with natural methods, with proper farming. It’s a really exciting moment for English wine.

How did you get into all this?

Bit of a roundabout route. I worked in wine during uni, kind of fell into it. After I graduated, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do - did a few internships, travelled a bit, ended up doing work experience in Burgundy.

And that was it - one of those ‘everything clicks’ moments. The farming side felt natural - I grew up around it - but the creativity and the physical graft of making wine just really got me. From there I worked around the industry, then got into English production in 2009.

Eventually I set up Tillingham, which was a huge undertaking. There were highs, there were mistakes, there was burnout - the full package. I left that behind in 2022, but I took the wines with me. Those are what I now put my name on, here in Rye.

Have people’s attitudes towards English wine changed since you started?

Yeah, massively. There’s more appreciation now - more curiosity too. But price is still a big challenge. It’s expensive to grow grapes in England. Yields are low, weather’s tricky, tax is high. And we’re competing with cheap imports, which makes it hard.

But when the wine’s done right - when it’s grown and made with real care - it’s finding its audience. You’re seeing English natural wines in proper restaurants now, places where people really care about what they’re drinking. That’s new, and it’s growing.

What makes or breaks a wine in your eyes?

So many things. Where you plant is huge - site selection. 2024 was brutal for some vineyards, didn’t even harvest. But 2022? Amazing.

It’s about consistency, not one-off vintages. How you farm, how you pick, how much you intervene - every tiny decision adds up. I try to make sure nothing is taken for granted at any point. It’s a thousand little things that shape what ends up in the bottle.

Why do you do what you do?

Because I genuinely love it. The farming, the physical stuff, the winemaking, even the branding — it all means something to me. I like designing the labels, talking about the wines, being hands-on. It’s meditative, grounding.

That said, when your name’s on the label, it’s hard not to take things personally. You have to learn that if someone doesn’t like the wine, it’s not a rejection of you. But yeah, I’ll keep doing it as long as I can. I don’t really have a plan B - and I’m okay with that.

Ben's wine is available to buy online at various retailers. Buy it here.

Check out his Instagram here