New book by wine writer Liz Sagues delves into the stories of two pioneering winemaking families

What is the significance of Sussex in England’s fastest-growing agriculture sector? Award-winning wine writer Liz Sagues attempts to answer this question in her latest book, Sussex by the Glass: Wines, Vines and Two Pioneering Families.

The county is the first UK wine region in line for protected designation of origin status, and it is also home to Plumpton College, a world-respected teaching and research resource for viticulture.

In this guide, Liz – whose previous book, A Celebration of English Wine, brought to consumers a story neglected for a decade – offers insights from her privileged access to two of the county’s pioneering wine estates, Ridgeview in East Sussex and Bolney in West Sussex.  

Published as Bolney approaches its 50th birthday, in 2022, and Ridgeview having toasted 25 years in 2020, the book features interviews with the people behind both wineries.

Focusing predominantly on their leading female CEOs, Tamara Roberts (Ridgeview) and Sam Linter (Bolney) it captures and beautifully illustrates through imagery, the wonderful stories which celebrate the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the past few decades in English winemaking.

As well as delving into the heart of these multi-generational businesses (both vineyards are now headed by the daughters of their founders), Liz stretches beyond those individual stories to explain the past and present significance of Sussex in the wine-making sector.

Sussex by the Glass is out now, available from bolneywineestate.com and ridgeview.co.uk, RRP £12.