Chris White is CEO of Denbies Wine Estate in the pretty Surrey market town of Dorking

This week my guest is Chris White, CEO of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, right in the heart of the Surrey Hills.

The land Denbies sits on  was once a pig farm, before Chris’s father, Adrian, was advised by neighbour Professor Richard Selling that the bowl shape of the land was the same as countryside in Champagne and the unique characteristics of the North Downs landscape were perfect for winemaking.

Initially planting just 30 acres of vines in 1986, the vineyard has since grown to a sprawling wine estate of over 600 acres, including a visitors centre, three restaurants and a state of the art eco-hotel.

Making 700,000 plus bottles of wine in a good year, Denbies is one of the largest wine producers in the UK and consistently wins plaudits for its still, sparkling and dessert wines.

Denbies is now open for outdoor tours and al fresco dining. For more information and to book visit denbies.co.uk. You can follow Denbies on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.