Meet the winemaker: Simon Roberts, the family winemaker in the South Downs

As the man behind the first English sparkling wine to beat champagne in the Decanter World Wine Awards, Simon Roberts knows good wine

The chardonnay vineyard at Ridgeview

Simon Roberts is the maker behind award-winning Ridgeview wines. Based near the village of Ditchling in the South Downs, this small, family-run estate produces 169,000 bottles of the finest traditional method sparkling wine each year.

Founded in 1994 by Simon’s parents Mike and Chris, Ridgeview is the first English wine – and the first ever sparkler – to beat champagne in the Decanter World Wine Awards, taking the prize for best sparkling wine in 2010.

“Our family wines are fresh and full-driven, harmonising the land of the South Downs and the climate to produce complex and sophisticated wines, enjoyed for every occasion from lazy summer afternoons to state banquets and everything in between”, says Simon.

Winemaker Simon Roberts inside Ridgeview

One of the UK’s leading winemakers, Simon is renowned for his skilled palate and his emphasis on natural production methods, preferring minimal intervention in the winery to allow the grapes to speak for themselves. Starting out in marine engineering, he soon discovered he most enjoyed the farming aspect, eventually progressing into wine production. He gained experience at the Brown Brothers winery in Victoria, Australia, returning to the family business in 1999, where, as production manager and director, his daily role takes him from bottling, blending and fermenting to analysing current wine trends.

Here, he chooses his top five drinks of the week:

Ridgeview Bloomsbury 2013

£24.95, Ridgeview. Buy it now

“This is Ridgeview’s signature wine that reflects our style and philosophy. It’s perfect for celebrations as it showcases our unique English characteristics. This is a Chardonnay-dominant blend with a third Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It has a fresh palate that’s fruit-driven, with notes of bread straight from the oven. Bloomsbury is the first blend we make each year which reflects our house style: young, fresh and elegant. As a family, we were very proud when a previous vintage was served for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Try it with smoked salmon canapés.”

Some Young Punks, The Squid’s Fist, 2013

£13.79, All About Wine. Buy it now

“This is a really unique wine from exciting Australian wine makers. All their wines are distinctive, as is the artwork on their labels. The Squid’s Fist is a blend of Sangiovese and Shiraz which makes for quite a complex layered combination. The artwork is by graphic novel illustrator Asaf Hanuka, and his work reflects the wine perfectly – big, bold and full of character. This would be fantastic served alongside roasted duck breast and beetroot.”

The Balvenie Doublewood 12-Year-Old Single Malt

£37, Waitrose. Buy it now

“An excellent handcrafted single malt whisky, full of complex flavours and textures. Balvenie Distillery always adheres to a high level of quality. Corners are not cut and this is reflected in the whisky. A smooth, sweet, almost fruitful drink which oozes of the consideration and time the master blenders have taken. An excellent example of a fine crafted whisky.”

Brown Brothers Patricia Victoria Cabernet, 2006

£22, The Wine Society. Buy it now

“Brown Brothers is another great family winery and the Patricia range shows what excellent quality wines they make. As I have previously worked in the winery I know that no attention to detail is spared. The Patricia range only uses the best fruit that comes through the winery door; each range perfectly epitomises both the variety and the region of the fruit. The wine shows dark red berries and liquorice, making a complex and fascinating wine. This would be lovely with a summer barbie. I met my wife while working at Brown Brothers, which also makes this wine extra special.”

Inniskillin Sparkling Vidal Icewine 2012

£48.95, Drinks Direct. Buy it now

“My favourite dessert wine. This is truly incredible and technically very interesting, while being something a bit different. The wine uses Vidal grapes frozen on the vine in Niagara, Canada, and is made in the traditional bottle-fermented method. It has excellent richness and a velvety texture like classic sweet icewine, with the acidity and freshness of a Chardonnay-dominant brut – a real juxtaposition of a wine. Serve with desserts such as crème brûlée. We have special memories of drinking this with my father to celebrate his 60th birthday a few years ago.”