RAD Custom Winery - A New London Hub for English Winemakers
A New Home for English Winemaking in London
English wine has, over the past two decades, transformed from a curiosity into one of the most exciting categories in the global fine-wine conversation. Sparkling wines from the South Downs and the Cradle of Stour have repeatedly seen off established names from Champagne, and a quiet revolution is now underway with premium still wines. At the centre of that still-wine movement sits a comparatively young company with a clear, focused proposition. RAD Custom Winery is a high-quality custom crush facility dedicated to the production of premium and super-premium English wines, and it is one of the first facilities of its kind set up specifically to help independent producers release the very best fruit that the UK can grow.
What "custom crush" means in practice is simple but powerful. A grower or winemaker who has access to outstanding vineyard fruit - or has bought in grapes from a top-performing English site - but who does not have, or does not yet want to invest in, a full winery, can bring that fruit to RAD and have it made into wine under their own label, using equipment and expertise that would otherwise be out of reach. RAD positions itself as a partner rather than a producer: the winemaker keeps the identity and creative direction of the wine, while the RAD team provides the tanks, the barrels, the presses, the technology and, crucially, the human expertise that turns exceptional grapes into exceptional bottles.
A Prime Location at the Gateway to English Wine Country
RAD Custom Winery's home in London gives it an unusual logistical advantage. The facility is situated in a prime location with easy access to London and London City Airport, placing it at the gateway to one of the largest wine markets in Europe. That proximity matters on three levels.
- For growers in the South East. The great majority of the UK's finest still-wine vineyards lie within an hour or two of the capital. A London-based crush facility dramatically reduces the time between harvesting and pressing, which is one of the most important variables in the production of high-quality still wine.
- For international winemakers. London City Airport offers rapid connections across Europe, making it straightforward for overseas consultants and winemakers to come in, oversee their own programme at RAD, and return home without the logistical headaches of travelling deep into the countryside.
- For the wider English wine category. Being based in the capital also keeps RAD close to the importers, distributors, retailers and restaurateurs who are ultimately going to pour and sell the wines that come out of the facility.
This combination - outstanding fruit on the doorstep, international connectivity on the doorstep, and a critical mass of buyers on the doorstep - is a deliberate part of the RAD proposition, and it is one of the reasons the business is well placed to serve as a hub for English still winemaking.
Made for the Winemakers
The strapline "Made for the Winemakers" captures the philosophy at the heart of the business. RAD Custom Winery exists to facilitate winemakers in the pursuit of world-class wines, not to dictate a single house style. From the moment fruit arrives at the facility, the aim is to preserve the choices the winemaker has already made in the vineyard and to give them the equipment they need to express those choices in the cellar.
This ethos shapes every element of the operation. There is a range of stainless steel tanks including variable-capacity models, allowing different batch sizes to be fermented separately. There is a wide selection of French oak fermenters for those who want the structure and texture that oak can bring to a white or a red. There is a broad library of oak barrels drawn from the best cooperages, so that the winemaker can dial in exactly the level of oak influence they want. And, because good winemaking is about gentle handling, the latest pumps and rousers have been selected to ensure the gentlest possible fruit handling from intake to press.
State-of-the-Art Equipment, Carefully Chosen
The phrase "state-of-the-art" is easy to say and hard to deliver, so it is worth looking at exactly what RAD has invested in. The facility is built around four core process steps: destemming, sorting, pressing and fermentation, with ageing and technological monitoring sitting alongside.
Destemming
RAD has selected the latest equipment to provide the gentlest destemming possible. For premium and super-premium English still wines - particularly Pinot Noir, where bunch integrity is everything - a soft destemmer that keeps whole berries intact is the foundation of a clean, expressive final wine. Anything rougher risks liberating harsh tannins and unwanted phenolics from stems and skins before fermentation has even started.
Sorting
Once the bunches have been destemmed, the berries pass over a vibrating sorting table. The table is tuned to let through only the cleanest, ripest, undamaged fruit, removing leaves, jacks, unripe berries and any other material that does not belong in a top-flight fermentation. The result is that only the best quality fruit reaches the fermenter.
Pressing
Pressing is where English still winemaking really opens up, and RAD has invested accordingly. The facility offers a choice of open or closed pneumatic pressing, as well as basket pressing, and supports a wide range of press cycles to suit different styles. A winemaker working with delicate white varieties might favour a gentle, low-pressure cycle to extract a clean free-run and first-press juice. A winemaker making a more textural orange or skin-contact wine can extend the cycle. A red winemaker producing a top-end Pinot Noir can choose basket pressing for the smallest, most carefully selected parcels. The point is choice, not constraint.
Fermentation and Ageing
Fermentation is where the personality of a wine is really made, and RAD's tank room has been designed with that in mind. Alongside the variable-capacity stainless steel tanks sits a suite of the finest French oak fermenters, allowing winemakers to choose stainless precision, oak complexity or a combination of the two. The barrel library - drawn from the best cooperages - supports ageing programmes that range from the neutral to the deeply toasty.
Technology and Remote Monitoring
Beyond the physical equipment, RAD has invested in the latest monitoring and tracking technology. Clients benefit from remote access and immediate feedback on key data points including ferment temperature and tracking. For a winemaker who is not physically present during fermentation - and many custom-crush clients live elsewhere or travel frequently - this kind of real-time visibility is invaluable. Decisions about punch-downs, pump-overs, cooling and nutrient additions can be made on the basis of live data rather than guesswork.
The Team Behind the Winery
Equipment is only one half of the custom-crush equation. The other half is the people who run it, and RAD has brought together a small, deeply experienced team.
Sam Kemp - Winemaker and Winery Manager
Sam Kemp leads winemaking at RAD. His career began at Waitrose, where he managed the wine department and developed a strong interest in how wine is actually made. That curiosity took him to Plumpton College, where he graduated top of his class with a first-class honours degree in Wine Business, working at Hidden Spring as Sales Manager while he studied and gaining his first real exposure to cellar work during harvest and bottling. The experience convinced him that production, not just commerce, was where he wanted to focus, and he went on to complete a Master's in Viticulture and Enology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, again finishing at the top of his cohort.
Since returning to England, Sam has worked at some of the leading wineries in the country. He spent time at Danbury Ridge under acclaimed winemaker Liam Idzikowski, before becoming Head Winemaker at the boutique producer Tickerage Wine, where he oversaw viticulture, enology and commercial operations. He also spent time at Defined Wine, building direct experience of the contract-winemaking world. In 2024, Sam joined RAD Custom Winery as Winemaker and Winery Manager. He was involved in the planning and development of the facility and now leads winemaking operations from the 2024 harvest onwards. His focus is on crafting high-quality wines, particularly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, using exceptional English fruit - exactly the two varieties that define the premium end of the English still-wine category.
Gary Trott DipWSET - Commercial Director
Gary Trott co-founded RAD in 2024 and serves as Commercial Director. He came to the wine industry later in his career, bringing extensive commercial experience as a qualified accountant and a long track record of setting up, financing and managing businesses. His personal interest in wine led him to pursue the WSET courses and a short programme at Plumpton College, culminating in completion of the WSET Diploma in Wine in May 2024.
As Commercial Director, Gary plays a pivotal role in the day-to-day operations of the business and in the broader strategy of supporting winemakers with access to world-class equipment and expertise. He is passionate about fostering innovation in English winemaking and about creating an environment that prioritises quality, collaboration and opportunity - values that are reflected in the facility's design and in the way the team works with its clients.
The Gallery: Harvest 2024 and Harvest 2025
Although the winery is a B2B operation rather than a visitor destination, a Gallery of images from Harvest 2024 and Harvest 2025 offers a window into the rhythm of the facility through the busiest and most important weeks of the wine year. The visual story underscores the scale of the operation and the care that goes into every parcel of fruit that passes through the crush pad.
A Commitment to English and International Winemakers
RAD Custom Winery is built on a clear belief: that with the right equipment, the right expertise and the right fruit, England can produce still wines that stand alongside the best in the world. The facility is dedicated to supporting both English and international winemakers in crafting exceptional still wines of the highest quality. Access to world-class equipment and a passionate team helps ensure that every bottle reflects the dedication and craft of the winemaker behind it - and showcases just what the UK is capable of.
For winemakers who want to make their wine their way, with the support of an experienced cellar team and a facility designed from the ground up for premium and super-premium English still wine, RAD offers a focused, modern, London-based platform. The team, the equipment and the location combine to make a compelling proposition for anyone serious about the future of English still wine.