Raise a TOAST

Meet three women who are helping to transform the British wine scene

- SALLY ROBINSON

TIP Beaujolais is fantastic with turkey – anything from a reasonably priced Beaujolais Villages upwards.

The winemaker

Emma Rice, 47, is head winemaker at Hattingley Valley in Hampshire. She was the first woman to win the UK Winemaker of the Year award in 2014 – and she won it again in 2016.

I started working in wine totally by accident. When I was at school, I worked in the local pub and, one evening, I was lucky enough to taste a Krug 1979 Champagne. From that moment on, I was hooked!

When I was 29, I took a BSc in Viticulture and Oenology (the study of wines) at Plumpton College in East Sussex. Then I joined Hattingley in 2008, helping the owner, Simon Robinson, build the winery from scratch. We are now a major producer of award-winning sparkling wine.

I love the variety of my job: one day I could be driving around looking at vineyards and the next I am in the lab, running analyses on our wines. Nothing beats the exhilaration of harvest, though – it’s hard work but great fun.

Emma gets involved in all aspects of the winery, producing sparkling wines

TIP

Our 1581 port-style wine makes a lovely finish to Christmas lunch served with Welsh cheese. There is no need to decant port, but pour a glass and leave to breathe for 10-15 minutes before drinking.