We started working with Naked Wines in 2012 and they were with us from the outset, helping us through our first vintage in 2016. An amazing 1,200 Angels pre-purchased a case of our first English Sparkling Wine, before the grapes had even been picked! These Angels then decided on the blend of the final wine, provided suggestions and then voted for the name of the wine and the label design. We were driven by a desire to create a family business.
Our desire to invest in an emerging wine-producing area, rather than somewhere already well established, led us to Languedoc Roussillon and Domaine de Sainte Rose. In 2012, attracted by the quality of the terroir and the opportunity to become part of one of the most dynamic wine producing regions of the world, we established Simpsons Wine Estate in the sheltered slopes of the North Downs of Kent. Our Tasting Room has the world’s first winery helter-skelter! Our sites create Estate grown wines and have been accredited with the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB) Scheme and Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) accreditation system, respectively.
Our first challenge was to transform what was an old and run-down site into a state-of-the-art winery in time for our first harvest. We were a young couple with no background in wine, starting our own business in rural France, with rusty, school-level French and a new-born baby! In England, the biggest challenge is the weather, which is hugely different from the hot, dry climate of the Lang.