Episode 75: Mary Bridges, head winemaker at Gusbourne

Send us Fan MailJoining me on today’s episode of The English Wine Diaries is Mary Bridges, head winemaker and vineyard visionary at Gusbourne.Mary grew up near Inverness in Scotland in a farming family, where her love of the land developed from an early age, along with an instinct for the flavour alchemy created by good wine.She started her career in hospitality and quickly became enthused with the wine aspect, so sought to further her passion and knowledge at Plumpton College, all the way down south in Sussex. Before joining Gusbourne, Mary spent time abroad working with renowned wine producers in the South of France and California but returned to the UK to explore the fast-growing opportunities on this side of the Atlantic. She joined the winemaking team at Gusbourne in 2018 and has spent the last six years working closely with former Head Winemaker and previous guest on this podcast, Charlie Holland, to create some of the brand’s most exceptional vintages.Mary was promoted to oenologist in 2020, before being appointed Head Winemaker in September 2023, when she was somewhat thrown into the deep-end overseeing what has been Gusbourne’s largest harvest to date. We talk about the new generation of English winemakers coming through the ranks, what Mary has learned during her eight years at Gusbourne and what the future has in store for one of England's most renowned wine brands. You can follow Mary on Instagram @maero_b and Gusbourne @Gusbourne_wine.With thanks to our series sponsor, Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant. Visit wickhamwine.co.uk to see their award-winning range of English wine with free delivery on orders over £40. The English Wine Diaries listeners can also get 10% discount on their first purchase by entering the code TEWD10. Please drink responsibly.Thanks for listening to The English Wine Diaries. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave a rating or review, it helps boost our ratings and makes it easier for other people to find us. To find out who will be joining me next on the English Wine Diaries, follow @theenglishwinediaries on Instagram and for more regular English wine news and reviews, sign up to our newsletter at englishwinediaries.com.