I was delighted to be invited to an immersive day hosted by Digby Fine English at Minterne House & Gardens in Dorset. The experience was designed to do more than showcase wine. It was an exploration of heritage, craft, and the story behind the brand itself.
Minterne House holds particular significance for Digby. It’s the ancestral home of Sir Kenelm Digby, the 17th-century polymath widely credited as the father of the modern wine bottle and the very inspiration behind the brand’s name. It was a deliberate connection between historical innovation and contemporary English winemaking.
The day unfolded across several activities that combined teambuilding fun with education. A private blending workshop took place in the Old Kitchens, offering hands-on insight into the craft of creating balanced, complex sparkling wines. The Minterne Maze provided a playful counterpoint to the more serious winemaking focus. The evening culminated in black-tie dining in the Tapestry Room, where Digby’s wines were paired with a menu reflecting the brand’s gastronomic ambitions.
Digby Fine English operates as a terroir-focused blending house, sourcing fruit from outstanding vineyard sites across England rather than being bound by a single estate. This approach allows them to craft wines defined by precision, balance and character rather than geography alone. The classic traditional method varieties are used: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, blended across chalk, greensand and clay soils. Each soil type plays a distinct role. Greensand brings energy and vibrancy, clay adds depth and complexity, and chalk contributes minerality and elegance.
Central to Digby’s philosophy is patience. Wines are given extended lees ageing of five years or more, softening acidity and allowing for greater depth of flavour and longevity. They’re released when they’re ready, not according to a commercial schedule. This is winemaking with conviction, designed to demonstrate that England is not an emerging category but a serious global fine-wine region capable of producing exceptional sparkling wines with identity and ageing potential.
The brand new MV range showcased at Minterne exemplifies this approach. The MV Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay blended across four vintages: 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Sourced predominantly from Kent with contributions from Hampshire and West Sussex, it’s a wine built for the table as much as celebration. The MV Rosé, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with still Pinot Noir, demonstrates similar gastronomic intent. The aim for these wines is to bring Digby into more high-end hospitality venues and restaurants, further pushing the brand into the wider consumer realm through gastronomy.
Digby’s recognition continues to build. British Airways serves their wines in Club World, making them the only producer with two wines on rotation. They’re poured at the historic Leander Club and within the House of Commons. These placements signal institutional confidence in English sparkling wine as a luxury category, not just a novelty.
Founders Trevor Clough and Jason Humphries set out with a clear ambition: to demonstrate that England can produce sparkling wines equal to the finest in the world. Rather than replicating Champagne, Digby seeks to express England’s unique climate, character and potential. The result is a refined, gastronomic style that appeals to discerning consumers seeking provenance, craftsmanship and originality.
Digby combines intellectual curiosity with a confident, understated tone, celebrating English wine without pretension or apology. This event was a statement of intent from a brand that understands the importance of storytelling, heritage and placing English wine within a broader cultural context. Minterne House provided the perfect backdrop for that conversation, and the wines more than held their own.
Digby Fine English
Photos: Robin Goodlad
