Alison: And you’re estimating around 70% of the crop are in jeopardy at the moment?

Sam: Certainly in our bottom fields, definitely we’re down. Luckily, in the top field here it’s not so bad. It’s further forward.

Alison: The English wine industry has been really flourishing over the past few years. What kind of impact do you think that this one bad season could have on it, because it’s in a fragile state at the moment isn’t it?

Sam: Yes it is. That’s a really very good question. It’s going to affect us in that we’ll lose quantity of volume. But the quality – as long as we have a good rest of the summer we’ll have good quality, so we can still produce good wine. It’s the quantity we’re worried about .... and letting our customers down.

Alison: So you have some very good customers. You supply wine to a top end supermarket. You’re getting yourself a name across England. What kind of damage will this have to your reputation?

Sam: Well, it’s always important to give consistency of supply. The great thing about the wine industry around the world is actually it happens to everybody, it’s not just us in England, so buyers and people do understand. Let’s just hope the general public does as well and that, if our wines are limited in supply, that they will still support us and go out and buy it.