Meet the Producers
Tamara & Simon Roberts
Ridgeview, Sussex
Mike and Christine Roberts founded the Roberts dynasty at Ridgeview when they planted their first vineyards 1995, and soon established Ridgeview as one of the leading brands of English sparkling wine – a reputation that is still very much the case today. Mike in many ways occupied a paternal role within the industry itself, with many then new vineyards coming to him for advice and guidance. His legacy lives on not only with the strong family ethic at Ridgeview but in the ever burgeoning sparkling wine industry in Britain today. Mike sadly died in 2014 but passed his passion and dedication for Ridgeview and the wine industry, to his daughter Tamara who is now Ridgeview’s CEO and son Simon their Head Winemaker. Daughter-in-law Mardi runs their sales and Marketing and son-in-law Simon their operations director. Tamara and Simon’s sons are already seen helping out at the estate, so a third generation at Ridgeview maybe in the making in their family footsteps.
What’s it like working together
TAM: We are a strong team, each of us bring own skills and experience into the business. We are friends as much as family and are brought even closer together by the shared vision and values of our business.
What have you learnt from your Dad – how did he inspire you?
TAM: Dad was a true family man, an entrepreneur with a passion for people and ethics in business, I learnt most of what I value today from him.
Simon, what are you passing on to your children?
SIMON: I have passed on a love of cooking and appreciation flavours to our boys which will hopefully be transferable to winemaking one day. We also try to lead with example that hard work, passion, respect, striving for excellence and having pride in everything that you do, will always deliver the best results.
Photo includes Mike with the family – his grandsons are all a bit bigger now!
