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Saela Vineyard

East Sussex, South East, England

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Email

jenni@thewinequeen.co.uk

Location

East Sussex · South East

Grape Varieties (3)

Gamay Pinot Gris Pinot Meunier

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Saela Vineyard: The Micro-Vineyard Behind The Wine Queen (Jen Davis)

Saela Vineyard is the micro-vineyard project of Jen Davis, a WSET Diploma-qualified communicator, wine judge and founder of Grape Nights, better known online as The Wine Queen. What started as a single transformative sip of Pinot Noir in a Napa Valley log cabin has evolved into a career spanning South African cellars, a Masters in Viticulture & Oenology at Plumpton College, and her own fledgling micro-vineyard planted in May 2023 with Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier and Gamay.

Meet the Founder: Jen Davis

Jen Davis, better known online as The Wine Queen, describes herself as a wine communicator, judge, founder and vineyard owner. Her stated mission is simple: to help people appreciate wine and find wines they love, delivered with honesty, enthusiasm and a touch of humour. The brand exists to build wine confidence, expand palates and, most importantly, help visitors choose wines they will actually enjoy.

She is active on Instagram @thewinequeen_ and TikTok @thewinequeen_, where she shares vineyard visits, supermarket picks and tasting notes with a loyal wine-loving audience.

From Microbiology to Micro-Vineyard: A Wine Journey

Jen's story begins not in a cellar but in a lab. With a background in microbiology, she spent years in banking before a chance tasting of a Pinot Noir called "Lola" in Napa Valley, made by a winemaker who used concrete in fermentation, sparked a complete career change. The scientific elegance of fermentation met the artistry of winemaking, and a vocation was born.

She threw herself into structured study:

  • WSET Levels 2 and 3
  • French Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar certifications
  • A WSET Diploma
  • A Masters in Viticulture & Oenology at Plumpton College (enrolled September 2020)

In 2020, amid the upheaval of the pandemic, she left banking. Practical training followed at Groot Constantia in Cape Town, where for two months she sampled grapes under the African sun and analysed fermentations in the cool darkness of the cellar. A formative trip to Perinet winery in Priorat, Catalonia, watching a winemaker coax character from ancient vines clinging to slate slopes, sealed her ambition to become a maker, not just an observer.

By May 2023, that ambition became physical and Saela Vineyard was born: Jen planted her own micro-vineyard, putting each Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier and Gamay vine into the soil by hand.

The Micro-Vineyard Project

Saela Vineyard is still in its infancy. The young vines have not yet produced commercial wine, and no tastings or tours at the site are advertised. The varietal mix tells its own story, however: Pinot Gris for textural whites, Pinot Meunier for sparkling and rosé possibilities, and Gamay for light, fragrant reds.

Jen has documented her own path from classroom to vineyard, including hands-on harvest work and cellar experience at English wineries, experience she draws on when reviewing other producers. There is currently no cellar door, no online wine shop selling her own labels, and no published release date for the first vintage.

Services for Brands and Private Clients

The Work With Me page sets out the commercial side of the brand. All services are bespoke and tailored; no fixed prices are published.

Private Wine Tastings

Jen's tastings are bespoke events held in a home or venue of choice, designed around the occasion, from intimate gatherings and celebrations to relaxed evenings of learning more about wine in a fun and engaging way. Sessions combine storytelling, sensory analysis and approachable explanation rather than stuffy formal tutelage.

Corporate Wine Events

Curated tastings can be tailored to impress clients, reward employees or enhance networking occasions. Events range from educational sessions and team-building to relaxed social evenings, all built around the host's brief.

Wine Travel and Brand Collaborations

Jen partners with wineries, regions and travel brands to create content, showcase destinations and bring audiences closer to the world of wine. Past collaborations have included trips to Porto, Sicily and the Prosecco hills, all documented in long-form travel features.

Wine Education and Speaking Engagements

Speaking engagements, masterclasses and education sessions are offered for both consumer audiences and industry professionals, drawing on her WSET Diploma and Plumpton Masters credentials.

Content Creation and Brand Partnerships

With a loyal audience across Instagram, TikTok and the blog, Jen helps brands bring their wines to life through social media collaborations, sponsored content and creative campaigns.

Enquiries are taken via DM at @thewinequeen_ on Instagram or by email at jenni@thewinequeen.co.uk.

Wine Education, Cheese and Travel Content

The associated blog demonstrates the breadth of Jen's editorial work. Recent posts span supermarket wine recommendations, cheese pairing masterclasses, mindfulness travel diaries and wine region deep dives.

The Tesco Wine Edit: 36 Bottles Worth Buying

One of the most-read recent posts, dated 4 May 2026, walks readers through 36 Tesco wines worth buying. They are organised by style, with prices captured at the time of writing.

  • Sparkling: Wind & Waves Vinho Verde NV £9; Gratien & Meyer Crémant de Loire £13.50; Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne £15; Graham Beck Vintner's Selection £14; Alegro Sparkling Rioja 2022 £12; Tesco Finest English Sparkling Brut £22; Balfour Blanc de Blancs £26; Nyetimber Classic Cuvée £42; Tesco Finest Grand Cru Vintage Champagne 2019 £32; Tesco Finest English Sparkling Rosé Brut £22.
  • White: 2 Banks Assyrtiko & Malagouzia £8.50; Tesco Finest Viognier £9; Tesco Finest Chablis Premier Cru £25; Tesco Finest Pecorino £8.25; Piccozza Pinot Bianco £12.75; Tesco Finest Sicilian Grillo £8.25; Tesco Finest Viñas del Rey Albariño £12; El Enemigo Semillón £18.50; Argento Single Vineyard Chardonnay £16; Nepenthe Grüner Veltliner £16.
  • Rosé: Dianthos Xinomavro Rosé £10.50; Studio by Miraval £12.
  • Alcohol-free: Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs £10; Real Blush Alcohol-Free Sparkling Rosé £9.50; Mother Root £27.95.
  • Red: Tesco Finest Ribera del Duero Ebeia £12; Esporão Reserva £20.50; Maruxa Mencía £12.50; Famille Lafont Organic Lirac £14; Aiosa Frappato £8; Tesco Finest Primitivo Terre d'Abruzzo £8.50; Terre di Faiano Primitivo £10.50; El Enemigo Cabernet Franc £18.50; Catena Cabernet Sauvignon £16; Zuccardi Malbec £10; Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz £12.

Jen picks out bottles for specific occasions: Dianthos Xinomavro Rosé for a summer picnic, the Ebeia Ribera del Duero for a dinner party, Alegro Sparkling Rioja for sparkling moments without Champagne spend, El Enemigo Semillón for the wine geek white, and Real Blush for alcohol-free entertaining.

Cheese 101 and Winter Pairing Guides

Two complementary guides, dated October 2025, form the backbone of the cheese content. Cheese 101 is a beginner-friendly deep dive into milk types (cow, goat, sheep), terroir and PDO/AOP labels, textures, rinds and ageing. The Ultimate Winter Guide to Wine & Cheese Pairing 2025 applies that knowledge to festive boards.

Pairing principles she stresses:

  • Balance is everything - match richness with freshness, salt with sweetness, structure with nuttiness.
  • Match intensity - gentle cheeses need lighter wines; bold reds need firmer, aged cheeses.
  • Acidity is your secret weapon - sparkling and zippy whites are the universal peacekeepers on a cheeseboard.
  • Sweet meets salty - blue cheese plus Sauternes or Tawny Port remains classic Christmas alchemy.

Suggested swaps include Délice de Bourgogne or Chaource for Brie, Comté or Manchego for Cheddar, and Roquefort or Gorgonzola for Stilton. Supporting accompaniments, from neutral crackers, seeded breads, grapes, figs, pears, walnuts, cornichons, olives, chutney, quince paste, honey and dark chocolate, are encouraged, though she warns against overloading the board.

Wine Travel Diaries

Long-form travel features are a recurring theme:

  • Porto Wine Travel Guide (8 April 2025), a long-weekend itinerary covering port houses (Taylor's, Fonseca, Graham's, Cockburn's), Douro Valley day trips to Quinta da Roeda, food stops (T and C, The Yeatman's afternoon tea) and the WOW museum complex.
  • A Wine Lover's Journey Through Sicily's Cerasuolo di Vittoria Region (19 October 2024), three days visiting Terre di Giurfo, Horus, Gulfi, Santa Tresa and Cortese, with reflections on Nero d'Avola/Frappato blends and the region's relaxed food-friendly style.
  • A Journey Through Prosecco's Enchanting Hills (19 October 2024), four days in Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG visiting Ca' Vittoria, Le Volpere, Colesel, Ruggeri, Merotto and L'Antica Quercia, with a dedicated section on the Sui Lieviti style of Prosecco (bottle-aged on lees, undisgorged).
  • Finding My Centre: How a Bali Wine & Wellness Retreat Transformed My Life (2 October 2024), a personal essay on silent meditation, sunrise yoga above Batur Volcano and a wine meditation practice that continues to shape her approach today.

Spotlight on English Vineyards

The 19 August 2024 post "4 English Vineyards Accessible via Public Transport from London" offers both a travel guide and a showcase of other English producers Jen admires. Each entry includes transport links, prices and first-person tasting notes:

  • Balfour Winery in Staplehurst, Kent (nearest station Marden, with a free weekend shuttle). Tours and tastings from £50pp; self-guided walk free.
  • Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey (50 minutes from London Waterloo). Vineyard Train Tour £12.95, indoor tasting £16.95, two-hour guided walking tour £35.
  • Wildwood Vineyard in Eridge, East Sussex (London Bridge to Eridge, around 1 hour 3 minutes). Tour and guided tasting £20pp.
  • Artelium in Streat, East Sussex (Victoria to Plumpton, then a 30-minute walk). Tours and tastings from £30pp.

A free downloadable UK Vineyard Google Map listing over 250 vineyards nationwide accompanies the feature.

Grape Nights: Building a Community

Jen also founded Grape Nights, a brand for in-person tastings and educational evenings that complement her private and corporate services.

Resources and Newsletter

A free newsletter delivers monthly wine edits, tasting tips and behind-the-scenes updates from Saela Vineyard. Free guides include a Spring Wine Guide, a Summer Wine Guide and the downloadable UK Vineyard Map.

Plan Your Visit

Saela Vineyard does not yet have a cellar door, set opening hours or a ticketed tour programme, and visits to the site are not open to the public. Engagement with the brand runs through:

  • Booking a private or corporate tasting via the Work With Me page.
  • The blog and newsletter for tasting recommendations, pairing guides and travel inspiration.
  • Instagram and TikTok for daily wine content.

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