Henry Sugden: 'Looking Back, Forging Ahead'

By Harpers Editorial team

Published: 07 August, 2026

Henry Sugden, CEO of leading English contract-only winemaker Defined Wine, continues our Summer Q&A series with a bird’s eye view on the latest in the homegrown wine world.

How has business been for you in the first half of 2026 and how do things compare to where you were last year?

Our year is very much dictated by the past harvest. This time last year we were coming out of a small 2024 vintage. Some of our vineyards struggled with the incessant rain and subsequent disease pressure, although it was great to see how many still managed to produce clean, ripe fruit. 2025 was a different story altogether, with great natural ripeness and we have made some fantastic wines which we are now busy bottling before the next harvest – which is looking even earlier than last year.

What are you most proud of achieving this year in terms of driving the business forward?

Coping with the additional challenge of bottling more wines across two sites – we now have a bottling line in our East Anglian winery. There is so much interest in the region and we have lots of new vineyards there starting to come to market. We have also been the first English winery to invest in de-alcoholisation and have been trialling what is possible.

What have been the biggest challenges so far this year and how have you sought to circumvent those?

Cost rises and the ongoing challenge of persuading people that English wine is a ‘thing’. However, one of the pub groups we make wine for (they have their own vineyard and only launched their first wines last year) are now reporting that English wine accounts for 55% by volume of all wine sales across their 12 sites with one pub up to 75%, proving that people want local wine to drink alongside other local produce.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, what do you have in the pipeline?

We are launching the ‘Vineyards of England Cellar’, a collaboration with some of our growers to deliver English wine, especially still wine, to the on-trade at an affordable price point. We hope this will encourage more people to try English wine and realise how good it is!

What significant or emerging trends are you seeing in the drinks’ world that are likely to have an impact on the future nature of trade?

Chillable red – especially exciting as many of our English reds suit this style. It is interesting that the two categories that have been bucking the downward sales trend have been sparkling and rosé, both of which England produces great examples of and here could be another one. The other trend that plays into our styles is that for lower ABV.

From government, consumers, or the trade itself, what change(s) would you most like to see to help your business and others to thrive?

I think everyone was taken by surprise on the NI increase but sadly I don’t see that changing, nor a reduction in excise rates. We are supporting the Wine GB campaign for a Wine Tourism Relief scheme, so that duty is exempt from cellar door sales, which would help boost DTC sales, wine tourism and therefore the rural economy.

What fills you with joy and optimism about the drinks world?

That, as Mary Portas pointed out at the WSTA summer gathering, it gives our consumers “joy!”. I love that English wine means lower food miles (many wines we make travel only five miles in their life from vineyard to winery to point of sale) and how the sector is growing, creating rural jobs and career opportunities for young people. We are doing what we can to make the winery more sustainable and I see great support for sustainable products from the trade.

Quick fire questions…

Burgundy or Bordeaux? Burgundy

Germany or Greece? Germany, my first introduction to wine as a teenager

Pet Nat or prosecco? Pet Nat. Great style, lots of innovation – check out our English Pet Nat for M&S!

A bottle or by the glass? By the glass. I always want to try as many things as possible

Whisky, rum, gin or tequila/mezcal (for sipping)? Whisky late evening. Though nothing beats a G&T early evening

Go to cocktail? Anything sour

Sharing plates or structured meal? Sharing; only beaten by a tasting menu with wine pairing

Perfect wine and music pairing? Anything with friends

Desert island treat? It would have been vintage Champagne, now long lees-aged English sparkling wine

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