Gutter & Stars Winery: Cambridge's Urban Winery in a Windmill
Cambridge's Urban Winery in a Windmill
Tucked into the cool, octagonal basement of a Grade II-listed smock mill on French's Road in Cambridge, Gutter & Stars is one of the most distinctive small wineries in England. Founded in 2020 by journalist-turned-winemaker Chris Wilson, it is Cambridge's first and only winery - an "urban" producer that follows in the footsteps of city-based wineries in London, Cape Town, New York and Paris. From this unlikely setting, less than a mile from the city centre, Gutter & Stars turns hand-picked grapes from Essex, Oxfordshire and Kent into some of the most exciting English still wines being made today.
The wines have attracted an extraordinary chorus of critical praise. Joe Wadsack has called Gutter & Stars "the Ferrari of English wine," World of Fine Wine wrote that "wine is a performance art, and this is a one-man show, albeit with a good backing group," Tamlyn Currin of JancisRobinson.com declared herself "smitten! This Chris Wilson knows how to make wine," and Henry Jeffreys wrote that the Chardonnay is "perhaps the best English Chardonnay I've ever had." The winery's Bacchus was named "Bacchus of the Year" in Tim Atkin MW's England 2022 Special Report.
Chesterton Mill: A Brief History
At the heart of every community are buildings and businesses that bring people together. Chesterton Mill - known locally as French's Mill after William French, who began milling here in 1850 - thrived for over 100 years from the late 1840s, producing grain and flour for Cambridge bakeries delivered by horse and cart. The sails and milling stones of this imposing smock mill turned grain into flour until 1955, when the French family business closed. The family left a lasting mark on the area: the road leading to the mill is still called French's Road.
The mill itself still stands proudly some 178 years after it was built, albeit without its sails, which were removed in 1912. Since the mid-1980s the site has housed various local businesses, and in 2020 it was transformed again to meet Cambridge's need for stylish working space for its creative and tech-led businesses. With a nod to the heritage of the site, Gutter & Stars is proud to run the city's first winery in the basement of this landmark building - bringing a production facility back to Chesterton Mill for the first time in more than 60 years. As the producer notes, "you can't get more local than that."
The Winery
Gutter & Stars occupies just 33 square metres in the mill's basement. Despite the bijou footprint, the space accommodates a rack of ex-Burgundy barrels, a handful of tanks - including a distinctive egg-shaped fermenter imported from Germany - and all the equipment needed to make quality wine. Temperatures are naturally cool, ideal for slow, steady fermentation and barrel ageing.
The winery is open for wine sales and tastings by appointment only, and visitors are encouraged to book a tasting to experience the cellar first-hand. Private tastings can be arranged by emailing Chris directly.
The Winemaker: Chris Wilson
Winemaker Chris Wilson began his professional life as a music and newspaper journalist before discovering the unending joys of wine. After a writing career at titles including the Daily Mirror, The Observer and Jockey Slut magazine, he returned to study in 2010 and undertook a winemaking degree at Plumpton College in Sussex - the UK's leading centre for viticulture and oenology education.
During his time at Plumpton and since graduating, Chris has made wine in Napa Valley, California, Germany and East Sussex. He has worked in the UK wine trade for more than 15 years as a trade and consumer wine journalist, visiting countless cellars around the world, getting to know winemakers, philosophies and techniques along the way. All of this helps shape the Gutter & Stars wines he now makes in Cambridge.
He continues to write - mainly about wine - for titles including Decanter, The Buyer and Harpers Wine & Spirit, and consults on communications and marketing for a handful of UK-based wine importers. Away from the cellar, Chris enjoys hanging out with his family, playing and watching cricket, and listening to loud music - although, he insists, not at the same time.
The music connection is no marketing gimmick. Each Gutter & Stars cuvée carries the title of a song or album close to Chris's heart, and the labels are produced from photographs taken at gigs. The result is a portfolio that reads like a personal playlist: I Wanna Be Adored, Strange News From Another Star, Shadowplay, Daylight Upon Magic, Sparklife, Rip It Up, Star Guitar, All Hype, Age of Anxiety, Avalon and There Goes the Fear.
Sourcing the Grapes
Gutter & Stars does not own a vineyard or grow its own grapes. Instead, Chris works with grape growers close to Cambridge and sources the fruit from them. This négociant approach is popular in Burgundy and Champagne, and Chris argues it works just as well in East Anglia. With a desire to source grapes as close to Cambridge as possible - for environmental and logistical reasons - he is fortunate that East Anglia is fast becoming the grape-growing breadbasket of the UK. Essex, with its big skies and below-average rainfall, is, in the producer's words, "England's very own Napa Valley," and the grapes grown there - especially in the famed Crouch Valley - can be exceptional.
The Growers
- Missing Gate Vineyard, Essex - Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- Yew Tree Vineyard, Oxfordshire - Bacchus and Ortega
- Bromley Brook Vineyard, Essex - Bacchus and Pinot Gris
- Creeksea Place, Essex - Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
- Jojos Vineyard, Oxfordshire - Pinot Blanc
- WhiteWolfe, Kent - Chardonnay
- Brenley Farm, Kent - Pinot Noir
- Lion's Walk Vineyard, Essex - Bacchus
- Crouch Ridge, Essex - Pinot Noir
As the producer puts it: "Still wines from north Cambridge - the San Francisco of The Fens."
The Wines
At Gutter & Stars, the focus is on quality, purity and difference. Every wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, making them vegan friendly, and many are released in tiny allocations of just 140 to 860 bottles. Each current and recent release is accompanied by a downloadable technical sheet PDF.
Current Releases (2025 Vintage)
Star Guitar // Sauvignon Blanc 2025 - £27.00
Sauvignon Blanc grown at Creeksea Place Barns on the bank of the River Crouch in Essex, fermented and aged in old French oak. Ripe tropical fruit, citrus-spiked acidity and jalapeño-flecked spice. Hand-picked, gently whole-bunch pressed and fermented slowly over 34 days, then aged on the fine lees for six months in neutral ex-Burgundy barrels with no bâtonnage. Bottled on 20 May 2026. Joe Wadsack described the previous vintage as "an explosion of ripeness … a game-changer." Buy Star Guitar Sauvignon Blanc 2025.
All Hype // Bacchus 2025 - £25.00
Elegant and abundant, this Essex-grown Bacchus from Lion's Walk Vineyard carries aromatic notes of lime, matcha and cut grass. Racy and rounded, it's the perfect spring/summer serve. Fermented in neutral oak in a fumé style and matured on the fine lees for five months. Bottled on 18 March 2026. Buy All Hype Bacchus 2025.
Age of Anxiety // Ortega 2025 - £26.00
Waxy and floral Ortega from Yew Tree Vineyard in Oxfordshire, with delicate characters of peach tea, candied fruit and umami. A savoury, sumptuous white that pairs beautifully with food. Fermented in old French oak and aged on the fine lees for almost six months. Bottled on 23 March 2026; just 560 bottles produced. Buy Age of Anxiety Ortega 2025.
2023 Vintage Whites
Avalon // 2023 - £32.00
This premium white blend sees Chardonnay (clones 76, 121, 96 and FR155) from Whitewolfe Vineyard in Kent lifted with a dash of spicy Pinot Gris from Bromley Brook Vineyard in Essex. Bright and glowing with ripe tree fruit, honeyed richness and precise acidity, the Chardonnay spent 24 months in barrel, adding notes of butterscotch to a backbone of red apple and nectarine. The wine is dedicated to Kevin Wilson, Chris's father, who passed away in 2025 and whose passion for wine - and for Château Musar in particular - inspired his son to enter the trade. Buy Avalon 2023.
There Goes the Fear // Chardonnay 2023 - £34.00
Bright and precise with ripe orchard fruits, delicate spice and focused, citrus-flecked acidity. Made with grapes from Missing Gate Vineyard in Essex's Crouch Valley (aromatic clone FR155), whole-bunch pressed and fermented in ex-Burgundy barrels with simultaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation over 43 days. The Chardonnay spent 20 months in oak and a further 8 months in bottle. Will age beautifully for five years or more. Buy There Goes the Fear Chardonnay 2023.
2024 Vintage Whites and Rosés
The 2024 releases - many of which sold out quickly - included Haters Gonna Hate Sauvignon-Bacchus (Wine Club exclusive), Welcome to Paradise Bacchus, Corridor of Uncertainty Ortega, Drink the Sunshine Sauvignon Blanc ("the first sexy Sauvignon Blanc in England," according to one wine writer), Sparklife Col Fondo (a celebratory sparkling Chardonnay from Missing Gate Vineyard), Punka MVB Rosé and Four Stars Out of Five Pinot Gris. Most are now sold out, but technical sheets remain available for those interested in the winemaking detail.
The Pinots
Pinot Noir has become a cornerstone of the Gutter & Stars portfolio. The recent releases include Fade Into You Pinot Noir 2024 ("translucent and spicy … wonderfully fragrant," Anne Krebiehl MW), The Dark End of the Street Pinot Noir 2023 from Missing Gate Vineyard, Shadowplay Pinot Noir 2021 ("a liquid Cath Riley artwork," Tamlyn Currin), A Handful of Dust Pinot Noir 2022 from Great Wheatley Vineyard, and The Automatic Earth Pinot Noir 2022 from Brenley Farm in Kent. Earlier cuvées, including the debut Hope is a Good Swimmer Pinot Noir 2020, helped establish Chris's reputation for delicate, perfumed English Pinot. Wines are sold out at the winery but can sometimes be found in restaurants and wine merchants.
Rosés, Blends and Skin-Contact Wines
Gutter & Stars has explored rosés, blends and skin-contact wines with characteristic boldness. Rage Against the Dying of the Light Rosé 2022 blends Bacchus and Pinot Noir into a vibrant, gastronomic pink that Olive Magazine called "stunning." The award-winning Rip It Up Orange Bacchus 2021 spent 28 days on skins in a plastic egg, producing a cloudy, spiky, deeply aromatic orange wine that JancisRobinson.com described as "haunting." Honey Bear White Blend 2023, A Shiver in the Dark White Blend 2022, The Good Mixer Blonde on Blonde Blend 2021 and Punka MVB Rosé round out a portfolio that refuses to play it safe.
The Sparkling Wines
Two sparkling wines deserve a special mention. Sparklife Col Fondo 2023 is a limited-edition (300 bottles) sparkling Chardonnay made using the Col Fondo method, with secondary fermentation in bottle. "Clean and bold, like a Liam Gallagher vocal," reads the back label, and Kate Hawkings agreed: "Every bottle they produce is so interesting, intelligent and distinctive." Fizzee Rascal Col Fondo 2023, a Wine Club exclusive of just 100 bottles, blends Bacchus, Chardonnay, Ortega and Pinot Blanc into a delicate, cloudy, palate-awakening fizz.
Tastings & Events
Gutter & Stars runs a busy programme of public tastings and special events throughout the year. The twice-monthly wine tastings are held on Thursday evenings in the Gutter & Stars cellar, right in central Cambridge. Each tasting is a stand-up, perch-on-barrel experience among the tanks and barrels, limited to just 12 places, hosted by winemaker Chris Wilson.
Each event listing includes full details and Google Calendar / ICS links. The standard tasting format covers five wines from the range, including new releases from the latest vintage plus long-aged back-catalogue bottles, with Chris explaining how each wine was made and what inspired the unique artwork on the bottle.
Upcoming Public Wine Tastings (August - September 2026)
- Thursday 27 August 2026, 18:30 - 19:30 - Wine Tasting (only 4 places left)
- Thursday 10 September 2026, 18:30 - 19:30 - Wine Tasting (only 4 places left)
- Thursday 24 September 2026, 18:30 - 19:30 - Wine Tasting (12 places left)
Tickets are £25.00 per person and can be booked via the individual event pages above.
Special Events
Beyond the regular cellar tastings, Gutter & Stars hosts a number of one-off events through the year. Recent highlights have included the New Wines Showcase open day (free entry, wines by the glass at £7), a Winery Open Day on the Bank Holiday Monday in early May, and the annual Christmas Open Day in mid-December, which features cheese pairings with Cambridge Cheese Company. In October 2025, the winery partnered with Cambridge restaurant Fin Boys for a Five-Year Retrospective Tasting that paired back-catalogue wines with a bespoke tasting menu of Cornish bluefin tuna, smoked mackerel with celeriac custard, and pan-fried gurnard with mushroom emulsion.
Private wine tastings can also be arranged on request by emailing chris@gutterandstars.co.uk.
Tastings & Events T&Cs
If you book a ticket and need to cancel 48 hours or more ahead of the tasting, you will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to move your ticket to a future tasting. Within 48 hours of the start time, unfortunately no refund is possible.
Wine Club
Membership of the Gutter & Stars Wine Club is strictly limited to 100 members and runs annually from 1 April to 31 March. Membership costs £225 per year and is open for the 2026 cycle.
What Members Receive
- Nine bottles of Gutter & Stars wine per year, delivered in three three-bottle allocations in April, July and November
- New release wines plus special one-off cuvées made exclusively for the Wine Club (previous exclusives have included the debut sparkling wine and rare Chardonnays)
- Two free tasting places at the Chesterton Mill winery cellar
- A limited-edition G&S print or item of merchandise in time for Christmas
- Priority access to new wines ahead of general release
- Free UK mainland delivery on all Wine Club wines (or collection from the Cambridge winery)
- Invitations to members' only events at the winery
- A regular Wine Club newsletter
New members can join at any point in the cycle up to 30 November to receive that year's wines. Joinings after 30 November are enrolled into the following year's cycle. If all 100 places are taken, a waiting list operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Memberships can be purchased via the Wine Club page.
Gift Cards
For the wine lover in your life, Gutter & Stars Gift Cards are available in denominations of £25, £30, £50, £60, £75, £90, £100 and £120. The recipient can use the card in the online shop to purchase wine or experiences, such as a wine tasting or private tour. Gift cards are delivered as codes by email unless a postal delivery is specifically requested.
Visiting Gutter & Stars
Address & How to Find the Winery
Gutter & Stars is at Mill Basement, Chesterton Mill, French's Road, Cambridge, CB4 3NP. The what3words reference is ///rise.useful.farmer. The winery is open for wine sales and tastings by appointment only - please email Chris if you would like to visit.
Delivery
The winery offers FREE local delivery within Cambridge postcodes CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4 and CB5 (use code CAM at checkout). Standard nationwide delivery to UK Mainland addresses by APC Couriers costs £9 for 1 - 5 bottles and is free for orders of 6 bottles or more (use code 666). Deliveries are usually made within 2 - 6 working days. FREE collection from the Chesterton Mill winery is also available - email chris@gutterandstars.co.uk to arrange a collection slot. Customers and recipients must be over 18 to order or receive wine.
Contact
For general enquiries, tastings, private events, gift card tours or collection arrangements, email chris@gutterandstars.co.uk. Gutter & Stars Limited is registered in England (Company No. 15610669) with its registered office at 9 Kerry Street, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 4AW, and its trading address at Unit 11, Mill Basement, Chesterton Mill, French's Road, Cambridge, CB4 3NP.
Press and Recognition
Gutter & Stars has been widely covered by the UK and international wine press, with a comprehensive press archive including a feature in World of Fine Wine, interviews on the Second Press and Wine Blast podcasts, an appearance on BBC 6Music's Lauren Laverne show, and a visit by ITV1's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh in January 2026. Critics including Anne Krebiehl MW, Tamlyn Currin, Jamie Goode, Kate Hawkings, Henry Jeffreys, Joe Wadsack, Roger Jones, Tom Hewson (Wine Advocate) and Helen McGinn have all reviewed individual cuvées, with standout scores including 93/100 from Anne Krebiehl MW for the Star 69 Longplayer Chardonnay 2022. The winery has also been profiled in Decanter, The Drinks Business, Harpers, The Buyer, Wine Anorak, Imbibe, Drinks Retailing News, The Cambridge Independent and The Guardian.
Final Thoughts
Gutter & Stars is a small producer with an outsized voice. From a 33-square-metre cellar in a 178-year-old Cambridge windmill, Chris Wilson is making some of the most compelling English still wines on the market - wines that are precise, singular and unmistakably the product of one person's taste and storytelling. Whether you taste them at one of the twice-monthly cellar events, sip them at Fin Boys in Cambridge, or order a case via the online shop, Gutter & Stars wines are an essential addition to any serious exploration of contemporary English wine. Follow the journey on Twitter and Instagram.