Sugrue South Downs welcomes three new investors

By James Bayley

Published: 03 October, 2023

Boutique English sparkling producer, Sugrue South Down, has announced three new investors to the business.

Founded by award-winning winemaker Dermot Sugrue and his wife Ana Sugrue in 2006, Sugrue was recently crowned Wine GB Boutique Producer of the Year for the third time and Finalist BBC Drinks Producer of the Year 2022.

The three new investors include Robin Hutson, chairman of The Pigs and now chairman of Sugrue South Downs and Peter Chittick, previous director of Hotel du Vin, The Pig and owner of Hotel Crillon Le Brave in Provence, France. Making up the trio is patron of the South Downs National Park Trust and well-known actor, Hugh Bonneville.

Read more: Nyetimber announces biggest ever harvest

Of Sugrue South Downs, Huston said: “It's very exciting to be involved in Dermot and Ana's world of English wine and to help them develop their business. The demand for excellent English wines is only going to increase and now the Sugrues are in a very strong position to build on their considerable reputation for producing some of the very best and satisfy the growing demand from Sugrue collectors and enthusiasts.”

Chittick continued: “People are the key to any successful business. Dermot and Ana have built a loyal and talented team at Sugrue South Downs and through their years of experience in the exciting world of English wines, they know just what it takes to be a winner.”

Bonneville added: “Robin introduced me to Sugrue South Downs a few years ago and The Trouble With Dreams instantly became my favourite sparkling wine. It's thrilling to have wines of such superb quality being made in the South Downs by experts like Dermot and Ana. I'm delighted to be involved in this award-winning company, which is going from strength to strength.”

Recent investment in the business has enabled Sugrue South Downs to fast-track its winery vision at Bee Tree Vineyard, located between Haywards Heath and Lewes in East Sussex. The winery includes steel fermentation tanks and a fleet of over 50 large old oak barrels – extremely rare 600-litre ‘Demi-Muids’ that are unique to Sugrue.

Printer friendly version