Ortega and Auxerrois from Suffolk and East Sussex, UK

Bright straw gold • tropical stone fruit • lychee • textural.

A beautifully rounded white wine that balances soft acidity with a generous, waxy mouthfeel. The nose is expressive with warm notes of apricot and exotic lychee, leading to a palate that has been softened and enriched by a long, 14-month maturation on the fine lees. It is a still wine of real purity, fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration.

Ben Walgate’s approach to winemaking is deeply rooted in his upbringing on a farm in the Lincolnshire Wolds, blending rural tradition with modern, respectful practices. After a formative visit to a biodynamic vineyard in Burgundy at age 22, Ben committed to producing wines in England that express a true sense of place and integrity. Based in East Sussex, Walgate Wines sources fruit from the finest growers across the southeast, prioritising regenerative farming and a "slow" winemaking philosophy that has a positive environmental and social impact.