Phil planted his first vines aged seven! His Italian-born mother acquired a rundown, 10-acre apple-and-pear orchard in the Chiltern Hills of South Oxfordshire, and set about creating a vineyard.

She was working full time and was bringing up two children and needed any help she could get with the vineyard.

By the time he was 16 year old, Phil was already working in Waitrose Henley's wine department. After GCSEs, he spent a year in Tasmania where he studied viticulture.

Yet, initially, Phil didn't want to run the vineyard full time. Upon his return, he resolved to go on to study business at university.

In 2004 he decided to put all of his skills to work and set about transforming his mother's venture into a more commercial operation.

By 2005 Oaken Grove Vineyard produced its first significant quantity of a dry white wine.

Getting more confident in his craft, Phil then went on to create a rosé, Benham Blush, and entered both wines in the English & Welsh Wine of the Year competition.

To his astonishment, Benham Blush 2010 was awarded a gold medal and a trophy and the 2009 vintage got the bronze.

Phil has managed to achieve all this while at the same time working for John Lewis.

He says that the support of his John Lewis and Waitrose colleagues has been invaluable.

The Partners who come every year to help with summer pruning and the October harvest and the teams he has worked with over the years have all been incremental to his success.