Digby Fine English – Interview With Gabby Mears

English Sparkling Wine is becoming an undeniable contender to Traditional Method Sparkling Wines around the world, with an English Winery recently winning the World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly for 2024. To the English, it’s becoming a fan favourite and a go-to Glass of Bubbly. Its quality is improving year on year and thanks to innovators and those willing to follow their dreams, the choice of English Sparkling Wine is expanding.

In this exclusive feature, we speak with Gabby Mears, the star in Digby’s production team. The English Sparkling Wine producer, Digby Fine English, is located in Arundel, West Sussex. Let’s find out a little about Gabby’s life in the English wine industry…

It’s Great To Speak With You, Gabby. Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & How Your Journey Into The Wine Industry Began?

“Hello! I’m 25 and have been living in Sussex for about 4 years. I love living near the coast and tend to spend most of my free time outdoors, either on a beach, in the woodland, or in the gorgeous South Downs.

I am someone who found the wine industry as a second career. I previously worked in the NHS and about a year ago, I took a leap and changed my career. My interest in wine started growing when I moved to Sussex and was pleasantly surprised to find there were English vineyards everywhere making some exceptional wines. After visiting a few vineyards and learning about the evolving industry, I was compelled to see if I could build a career in wine to learn even more. It would be a big change from my previous work, so I did all the research I could, volunteered at a local vineyard’s harvest, and even undertook a training course at Plumpton College to help me land a job in the industry.

My first job in wine was an amazing opportunity at Nutbourne Vineyards, where I got to assist with every part of the process, from the vineyard to the winery to hospitality. This really helped me narrow down where my interests with wine are and has led me to find my current role at Digby, working in sparkling wine production where I get to do really hands-on work.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When It Was And What Kind Of Label It Was?

“I’m not sure if I can remember my first experience with Sparkling Wine. But when I got to an age where I started to appreciate Sparkling Wine, one Champagne that I really remember is a bottle of Bollinger that I shared with my housemates to celebrate having handed in my University dissertation during the pandemic. It was a perfect celebratory glass of fizz and brought a little bit of luxury into lockdown.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Working In The Production Team Of An English Winery?

“I find working in the production team of an English winery really rewarding. I love that I get to play a role in the crafting of a luxury product that needs great care taken to ensure quality. Getting to see the tangible results at the end of a day of disgorging or labelling for me is really rewarding and feels like I have achieved a lot. Additionally, when you finally get to taste the wine after having taken such time and care, it really feels special. This also really puts into perspective how amazing it is that we are able to make such incredible Sparkling Wine in England that matches, and can even surpass, the quality from places such as Champagne.

The more challenging part of this job is probably the organisation. You need to be constantly looking months and years ahead because each stage of the process for making Sparkling Wine takes time and can’t be rushed, so there is a lot of planning ahead needed. Luckily, I love to make plans and lists to keep myself organised, so this helps a lot with production planning!”

When It Comes To Pairing Sparkling Wine With Food, Do You Have Any Favourite Combinations That You Would Personally Recommend?

“I have to say, I often happily drink Sparkling Wine on its own! But a couple of food pairings that have stood out for me include a Blanc de Blancs with fish and chips or a Classic Cuvee blend with salted caramel shortbread biscuits.”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Bubbly?

“For me, one of my most memorable experiences with a glass of bubbly was on a tour and tasting at Wiston Estate when I first moved to Sussex. This is because that tour was where it all started for me in learning about the English wine industry and sparked my initial interest in a possible alternative career path. Tasting their Blanc de Noirs 2014 was so memorable for me because it illustrated such freshness, but also a beautiful sourdough bread complexity that made me realise we can really make some incredible wines right here in England and I want to be a part of it!”

Thank you Gabby, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Gabby Mears. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.