Kent / England

Sophie Evans: Regenerating English Wine.

Sophie Evans is a rising force in the UK’s natural wine scene, cultivating just one hectare of vines outside Ashford in Kent. With a focus on regenerative viticulture, she’s redefining what English wine can be.

• She farms a single hectare of 10-year-old vines (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Bacchus, Reichensteiner, and hybrid varieties) using biodynamic practices, herbal tinctures, teas, and essential oils for disease control. Her wines are unfiltered, fermented with native yeasts, and bottled in second-use bottles to reduce waste.

• Production Scale: With only ~180–298 bottles per wine, her output is extremely limited, primarily distributed in the UK through niche natural wine retailers.

Trained at Plumpton College, Evans’s unconventional path began with a dissertation on essential oils as natural treatments for vine disease—an early sign of her commitment to low-intervention practices. Her interest in herbal medicine shaped her desire to move away from chemical inputs in the vineyard.

This vision led her abroad. In Vermont, she worked with Deirdre Heekin of La Garagista, learning how medicinal herbs could support vine health. There, she also encountered hybrid grape varieties—disease-resistant, climate-adapted alternatives to traditional Vitis vinifera. Further experience with 2Naturkinder in Germany deepened her conviction that hybrids are key to sustainable winemaking.

A chance opportunity brought her back to Kent to farm a small plot of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Bacchus, and Reichensteiner. Her first vintage in 2022 included a blend called Electric Field, a nod to the unpredictable joys of vineyard life.

Evans’s approach is hands-on and deeply ecological. She uses teas, ferments, and biodynamic sprays made from herbs like sage and fennel to reduce mildew pressure and boost soil vitality. Her vines grow among wild plants, and the vineyard’s topsoil now teems with life.

Recently, she began farming an additional half-hectare planted with hybrids Phoenix and Schönburger. While she plans to expand slowly, her focus remains on resilience, biodiversity, and working in harmony with the land.

Sophie Evans is quietly but powerfully shifting the narrative around English wine—rooted in regeneration, guided by nature, and never too far from a good local pub.