Freedom of the Press: A Cotswold Micro-Winery Crafting Modern English Still Wines from Essex Fruit
Set on a working arable farm above the picture-perfect Cotswold village of Minster Lovell, about fifteen miles west of Oxford, Freedom of the Press is one of the most distinctive small producers in the modern English wine story. Run single-handedly by founder and winemaker Gavin Carver, the project deliberately has no vineyards of its own. Instead, it operates as an urban winery in the country - buying the finest cool-climate fruit from a handful of meticulous growers in Essex and transforming it, in tiny quantities, into wines of remarkable precision, structure and elegance.
The wines themselves - a Pink Pinot Noir, a red Pinot Noir, an unusual white "Paradox" Pinot Noir, a barrel-aged Chardonnay, a stoneware "Pithos" Pinot Gris and a limited-release English Vermouth made in collaboration with a distillery - have earned praise from leading critics including Jancis Robinson and Jamie Goode. They are sold direct from the cellar, online, and through a carefully chosen network of merchants and restaurants that spans Oxford, the Cotswolds, London and beyond.
An Urban Winery on a Cotswold Hill
"Freedom of the Press" sounds like a newspaper, and the name is doing a lot of work. There is indeed a press in the winery - a small, gentle pneumatic press from Italian maker Enoveneta - but the "freedom" refers to the liberty that comes from not owning any vines. Carver can choose fruit from whichever site best suits the wine he wants to make in any given year, and shape each vintage in the vessels that will let that fruit speak most clearly. It is, in Carver's words, "a slightly illusory freedom", but one that has produced wines of considerable character from day one.
The model is rare but not new. Across Europe, so-called négociants in Burgundy and cooperatives elsewhere have always separated the two halves of wine production: farming the fruit and turning it into wine. In California and Oregon the "urban winery" - a city-based maker buying in grapes - is common. What makes Freedom of the Press unusual is its rural location. "That makes no sense," Carver cheerfully admits. "An urban winery in the Cotswolds?" The answer, he argues, is that the principle is what matters - a focus on winemaking rather than viticulture - not the postcode.
From Oxford to Minster Lovell: The Birth of Freedom of the Press
The project began in late 2019, when Carver - then a university lecturer in theatre design - decided to leave academia and spend his 25% tax-free pension lump sum on a new career in wine. His original plan was a very different one: an urban winery in Oxford itself, ideally with a bit of kerb appeal, footfall and a view of the river. He even found a small timber-framed barn on a water meadow next to a food pub in a part of town where Lewis Carroll had first read Alice's Adventures Underground aloud. It was, in his words, "the country in the city".
Then Covid arrived. The Oxford venue fell through, and the planned refit became impossible inside a single, panic-stricken spring. Rather than shelve the idea for a year - which may well have shelved it forever - Carver widened his search. On 23 March 2020, the first day of lockdown, he found his current home: a unit on a beautiful arable farm above Minster Lovell in the Cotswolds. It had space, good road access, three-phase electricity and the kind of view that makes winemaking feel slightly less like hard labour: rolling fields, distant woodland and the ancient Wychwood beyond.
It is, in Carver's words, "peaceful, with the most beautiful meadow in front (hares through summer) with a view to die for, nestling just above a quintessential Cotswold village - it is the very quintessence of bucolic." Within months he had installed his press, destemmer, concrete egg, earthenware amphorae, French oak barrels and a small fleet of stainless-steel tanks - and was ready to make his first vintage.
The Vineyards: Sourcing Fruit from Essex
Although the winery sits in Oxfordshire, every grape that goes into a Freedom of the Press bottle is grown in Essex - and not by accident. When Carver asked one of England's foremost vineyard consultants where, as a fool with a head full of Pinot Noir dreams, he ought to plant, the kindly answer was: "You're an idiot. Go east." Essex, and the wider east of England, is dry, sunny, frost-free and underlain by London clay - a combination that ripens cool-climate varieties better than almost anywhere else in the country.
Carver took that advice so literally that he doesn't even own his own vineyard. Instead he buys fruit by the tonne from three growers he describes, with affection, as "maestros of the soil".
Martin's Lane, Crouch Valley
Martin's Lane is the winery's main source of fruit. The vineyard is some thirty acres of south- and west-facing hillside in the Crouch Valley, sloping down towards the Blackwater estuary - which both reduces the risk of spring frosts and reflects light back into the canopy. The soil is London clay over a warm, dry microclimate, and the consultant overseeing the site is Duncan McNeill, the legendary viticulturist credited with helping to bring in some of the ripest fruit ever harvested in England. Owned by Roy Martin, the vineyard supplied the Bacchus, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris for the winery's first vintage in 2020, with Pinot Noir added from 2021 onwards.
Clayhill, Crouch Valley
Just a few miles from Martin's Lane, Clayhill is another south-facing clay slope, this one overseen by Dale Symons. It is planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Bacchus and a few experimental rows of other varieties, and sells fruit to a number of major UK wineries. Freedom of the Press's first red - the elegant 2020 Pinot Noir from Dijon clones - came from this lovely spot, which also has a popular on-site café.
Bromley Brook, near Colchester
The newest partner vineyard, Bromley Brook, is run by Matt Kempson, a former engineer with a fastidious eye for detail and a mission to grow the finest grapes with as little chemical intervention as possible. Around six acres in its first phase, with further plantings planned from 2021, it sits on prime fruit-growing land near Colchester, where the soil is more loam than pure clay. From 2021 the winery took Kempson's entire crop of Pinots Noir and Gris, with a little Bacchus when conditions allow - the different soil profile bringing an extra layer of complexity to the finished blends.
The Winery: Vessels, Equipment and Philosophy
The Freedom of the Press winery itself is tiny. Around 150 square metres of flat-floor space handles roughly thirteen tonnes of fruit a year - about 9,000 litres, or 12,000 bottles. Carver describes it as sitting "somewhere between a hobbyist with grand ideas and a commercial winery", and the equipment list reflects a balance between curiosity, gentleness and an unwillingness to over-spend.
Press and destemmer
The single most expensive piece of equipment - used only a handful of times a year - is a small Enoveneta PPA9 pneumatic press. It is an open-press design with a perforated steel drum into which an inflated diaphragm gently pushes the grapes, with the cylinder able to rotate to mix the mass and even act as a simple drain for free-run juice before any pressure is applied. Beside it sits an Enoveneta TOP5 destemmer fitted with a polypropylene (rather than steel) cylinder, variable speed and silicone-tipped beaters. The two are linked by a custom gravity-fed steel chute - fruit slides rather than being pumped, in keeping with the winery's softly-softly philosophy.
Whole berries (and occasionally whole bunches) are pressed, never crushed, which yields less juice per tonne - typically 500 - 600 litres rather than the more usual 650 - 700 litres - but juice of noticeably higher quality.
Vessels
A small winery's biggest asset is its range of fermentation and maturation vessels, and Freedom of the Press has made some distinctive choices:
- French oak barrels from leading Burgundian tonneliers Cavin and Louis Latour - barrels that have already been used once or twice in Burgundy, softening the oak and letting the fruit dominate.
- A concrete egg - three tonnes of curved concrete that allows gentle, natural convection of the wine during maturation.
- Earthenware stoneware amphorae ("jars") - porous clay vessels in the old Georgian tradition, allowing a tiny, controlled micro-oxygenation.
- A handful of stainless-steel tanks for cool, reductive whites.
This range lets Carver choose the vessel that best suits the fruit and the wine he wants to make - oak for the bigger Chardonnay, stoneware and old oak for the Pink Pinot Noir, concrete egg and old oak for the Pinot Gris "Pithos", and so on.
Pumping
Where most small wineries either accept the harshness of a centrifugal pump or splash out on multiple specialised units, Freedom of the Press runs a single Albin ALP30 peristaltic pump, supplied with an inverter (variable speed) and a remote control. A peristaltic works by squeezing a continuous hose with two rollers; the wine never touches any moving parts and can be moved at speeds from around 3,000 litres per hour down to a barely measurable trickle - perfect for filling barrels without spillage.
Winemaking philosophy
The overarching aim at Freedom of the Press is to "let the fruit speak for itself" - to develop and accentuate the taut structure, evocative perfume and mineral linearity that define cool-climate English still wine, while making the most of the power, texture and persistence that ripe Essex fruit can also bring. Intervention is kept to a minimum: gentle handling by hand or gravity, low sulphur additions, light fining, ageing on fine lees for body, and partial malolactic conversion for a softer acid profile in the bigger whites. Whites are closed with technical corks - a mix of Diam 5 and other high-tech natural corks - promising consistent oxygen transfer and no cork taint.
The Wines
All the wines are made in very small quantities - most under 1,500 bottles per vintage - and the exact range and style shift slightly from year to year as the fruit dictates. The current and recent releases are:
Pink Pinot Noir 2023 - £22.00
A 100% Pinot Noir rosé from the Crouch Valley. Mid salmon in colour, with a lovely creamy mouthfeel, this is more substantial than a typical pink: redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit matched to the winery's benchmark mineral structure and refreshing, but not high, acidity. It is treated to many of the same premium processes as the red and white wines - gentle handling, fermentation and a six-month maturation in stoneware and old French oak. Buy Pink Pinot Noir 2023.
Pinot Noir (red) 2022 - sold out
Medium ruby in colour, with astonishing aromas of cherries, wild strawberries, rose and a hint of savoury smoke and leather. The palate is concentrated and elegant with great focus, light-to-medium body, silky texture and light tannins, finishing long. Made from Essex fruit and matured in old French oak, this is a very young wine that will reward cellaring but is also lovely now. JancisRobinson.com awarded it 17 points. The 2022 vintage is currently sold out, though stockists often hold a few bottles.
Paradox - white Pinot Noir 2021 - £30.00 (sold out)
An unusual and rather rare still white wine made by pressing red Pinot Noir grapes so gently that no colour is extracted - the juice of the flesh is, after all, greenish-white. Fermented and aged for ten months in old, mellow oak, it ends up a lovely light copper colour, with notes of baked apple and pear, red fruit, rose, spice and something more earthy. The palate is fairly full, with a hint of creaminess and balancing acidity. A little over a thousand bottles were made from fruit at Martin's Lane and Bromley Brook. 12.5% abv, 75cl. View Paradox 2021.
Chardonnay 2022 - sold out
A pale yellow-gold Chardonnay with an open bouquet of jasmine, lemon curd, tangerine, stone and a hint of honey; gentle oak ageing for eleven months in mellow old barrels adds a light buttery quality. Great texture on the palate with bags of fruit and a firm core - enough weight to match roast chicken or fish in a buttery sauce. The fruit came from Martin's Lane and was picked very ripe (around 90° Oechsle) in late October 2021, blended from four clones for complexity, fermented in old oak with a variety of yeasts, and matured on its lees for thirteen months with bâtonnage. About 1,000 bottles were made; 13.5% abv; closed with a Diam 5 cork. View Chardonnay 2022.
Pinot Gris "Pithos" 2023 - £22.00 (sold out)
A dry white of 12.5% abv, with notes of white stone fruit and pear threaded with a touch of spice. The palate is elegant and taut, with a mineral core, fine citrus acidity and a long finish. It drinks well now and will keep for a year or two as mid-palate complexity develops. The fruit - mostly from Bromley Brook, with a smaller parcel from Martin's Lane - was destemmed, not crushed, and gravity-fed to the press before a gentle cycle. Fermentation was in a combination of old Burgundian oak (30%) and concrete egg (70%), followed by six months on lees in the egg and a further three months in old oak. About a third of the wine underwent malolactic conversion. Low sulphur, light fining only, closed with a technical cork. View Pinot Gris "Pithos" 2023.
English Vermouth - £25.00 (sold out)
Made in collaboration with the Wood Brothers Distillery, this is an aromatic, citrus-rich, slightly off-dry aperitif the colour of gold. The base is a blend of Freedom of the Press Chardonnay and a splash of Bacchus 2020, combined with English grain spirit and aromatised with herbs - many grown at the distillery itself. Watch out for rosemary, wormwood and juniper among the secret blend. Very limited production; 75cl bottle, 20% abv. View English Vermouth.
Discounts are available for buying in quantity: 5% off when you buy 6 - 11 bottles (code Freedom6 at checkout) and 8% off 12 bottles or more (code Freedom12). Orders can also be collected from the winery with free local delivery by arrangement - just choose Local Pick-up at checkout.
Where to Buy: Stockists
Because production is so small, most wines are sold direct from the cellar or via a hand-picked network of merchants, restaurants, pubs and bars. The regular stockists include:
Merchants
- Oxford Wine Company (Oxford and Standlake)
- Eynsham Cellars (Eynsham)
- The Market Cellar Door (Oxford)
- Chadlington Quality Foods
- Café de la Post (Chadlington)
- Charlbury Deli and Café
- Chloe's (Charlbury)
- Daylesford Organic (Daylesford, near Kingham)
- Upton Smokery (Upton, near Burford)
- Grape Britannia (Cambridge)
- Corkk (Canterbury)
- Sheldon's Wine Cellars (Shipston on Stour)
- Whitchurch Wines
- Fortnum & Mason
- Halo Wines
- Tipsy Palace
- Wine Freedom
Restaurants, pubs and bars
- The Pig Hotels (Harlyn Bay, near Bath, Barnsley in the Cotswolds, Bridge, and the New Forest)
- The Lamb (Crawley, near Witney)
- The Lamb (Shipton under Wychwood)
- Thyme (Southrop)
- Fire & Wine (Milton under Wychwood)
- Rebel (Heaton, Newcastle)
- Chloe's (Charlbury)
- The Double Red Duke (Clanfield)
- The White Hart (Fyfield)
- The Magdalen Arms (Oxford)
- The Bull (Burford)
- Pied à Terre (London)
Visiting and Contact
An update for anyone planning a trip: although the original plan always involved hosting visitors, the winery has since moved to a smaller building on the same farm and is no longer open for public tours or tastings. Carver is, however, very happy to host trade tastings by arrangement, to attend occasional markets (promoted on Instagram) and to visit private functions with a tutored tasting and talk. Private events such as weddings, corporate dinners and parties can include a built-in tutored tasting.
Contact details:
- Email: gavin@freedomofthepress.co.uk
- Phone / text: 07881 955215
- Post: Freedom, of the Press, Ringwood Farm, Minster Lovell, OX29 0ND
Events and What's On
Tastings, markets and open days are promoted on Instagram and through the mailing list. At present, no public events are scheduled beyond occasional market appearances and trade tastings by arrangement.
Work, Volunteering and Internships
The winery is run almost single-handedly by Gavin, with regular input from a consultant and occasional help from assistant winemaker Tam. That changes a little at the busy points in the year, when extra hands are welcome. There are three routes in.
Part-time paid work
Uncommon, but worth keeping an eye out for any future winery or sales and marketing posts. A CV and a covering email can be sent and will be kept on file.
Volunteering
Friends and curious drinkers are invited to help during harvest (September to November) and at bottling days throughout the year. Tasks might be undertaken on a part-time paid basis, as a volunteer or as an internship. In exchange for two hours of help, volunteers receive two bottles of wine; for every further three hours they get one more. Tea, coffee, sandwiches and cake are standard, with a proper induction into what's being done and why, plus 10% off purchases for six months from the date of volunteering.
Internships and placements
Typically aimed at students of viticulture, oenology, the WSET levels, hospitality, events or wine business, placements usually run for at least two weeks (and ideally longer) during the autumn for technical disciplines or the summer for wine business and hospitality. Placements come with an agreed profile of work, training in every aspect of the role, insurance, risk assessment, PPE, written protocols and a learning contract - as well as plenty of tea, coffee, sandwiches, cake and, of course, wine.
In Summary
Freedom of the Press is a small, opinionated and very personal project. There is no vineyard to walk through and no cellar door to wander into, but there is a serious, slow, gentle winemaking philosophy at work, a meticulous choice of fruit from some of the best cool-climate sites in England, a striking set of vessels and equipment, and a tiny but beguiling range of wines and a vermouth. It is a winery that does what too few modern producers do: it explains itself, in print and in person, and argues that English still wine, grown in Essex, made in the Cotswolds, and sold from Oxford to London and beyond, deserves a permanent place on the table.