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Joining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Alasdair Warren, owner of Bride Valley Vineyard in Dorset. 

Born and raised in Dorset, Alasdair and his family have a long history of farming in the county, with his Great Grandfather establishing Warren's cider in the 1920s.

Educated at the University of Nottingham with a Batchelor of Science in Geology, Alasdair began his career in investment banking and currently heads up a Global Soda Ash business. 

He also runs Slapelands Farm, just outside Bridport, where he upholds his family's cider making tradition, using heritage variety apples grown in the orchard there. 

In September 2023, Alasdair purchased Bride Valley Vineyard, which was initially established by world renowned industry figure Steven Spurrier – the orchestrator of the famous 1976 blind tasting competition The Judgement of Paris. 

 Steven, who sadly died in 2021, planted vines on his wife’s family sheep farm in 2008 and Bride Valley has since become famous for its Dorset Crémant among other award-winning wines. 

 Alasdair says the acquisition of the vineyard reflects his motivation to honour and develop his family’s rural heritage while promoting the outstanding produce Dorset offers, adding that it is his aim is to "continue a deep-rooted family connection to agriculture in Dorset" by applying modern viticultural practices to preserve the unique chalk-soil terroir. 

To find out more about Bride Valley, visit bridevalleyvineyard.com and follow @Bridevalleywine on Instagram. 

This episode of The English Wine Diaries is sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons — trusted suppliers of corks, closures, and packaging solutions to the UK wine industry since 1774. To learn more about how Rankin is supporting the future of British wine, visit rankincork.co.uk.

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