Simon Robinson, owner of Hattingley Valley, was looking for a farm diversification in the late 1990s.

Passionate about wine, Simon investigated the idea of planting a vineyard and developing a winery.

In the early days, Simon's wife Nicola helped develop the brand and this summer is spear-heading local and specialist sales of Hattingley Valley products.

Nicola always seems to have a pair of secateurs to hand and likes to assist up at the vineyard especially pruning the vineyard roses.

The vines were planted by the German planting team, headed by Ernst Weiss, using laser guided technology, Ernst mentioned that he thought he might have problems with a big dip in the field that nobody had previously noticed.

Simon told him that as Ernst's Dad might have put it there, he would have to deal with it – and when Ernst realised he was being told it was an old bomb crater, he roared with laughter and saw it as a matter of honour to overcome the problem (which he very successfully did).

The Winery Team is made up of Emma Rice, Jacob Leadley and Will Perkins.

Emma and Jacob make up a fabulous team of English winemakers, both trained at Plumpton and both excited about the English wine industry explosion.

A great example of this is the experiment of initial fermentation in oak barrels; it was so successful that it has become an integral part of the Hattingley house style.

This distinct style won Emma, UKVA Winemaker of the year 2014.