/About us

1 small garden
13 vines
Pinot noir & Chardonnay & Pinot Meunier
& Bacchus & Phoenix

Forest Hill, South East London
Since 2022

Marek didn’t grow up sipping wine, walking through fields of vineyards, or any other cliched wine upbringing.
There’s no ‘the first time I sipped a burgundy pinot noir…’ nonsense.

Instead, in 2022 thoroughly burnt out from working through the COVID-19 pandemic as an Anaesthetist and Critical Care Doctor, he decided to plant some vines. In his and Milena’s small garden in SE London, what started as 3 vines became 7, then 9, and finally 13 (seeming like a lucky number after the preceding year or so).

With no idea what he was doing, he inadvertently grew some grapes in that first year.
Seeing that he rather enjoyed this process, he went on to press said grapes (phoenix and chardonnay).
A few months in bottle passed by, during which he and Milena took their opportunity to see some of the world whilst it still existed.
Whilst in New Zealand, visiting Framingham wines became the cliched moment of realisation.
Not everyone in the wine industry, was stuffy and pretentious. Here, in the land of Sauvignon Blanc, were a bunch of punk rock fans making Riesling.

On returning to the UK, they realised the ‘pico’ batch (yes it was that small), of wine Marek had made was not just drinkable, but actually had a fascinating varietal expression. You know, it actually tasted fruity, and not shit.

Whilst continuing to work in the NHS and applying for jobs in the world of clinical trials, WSET level 1 and 2 were duly ticked off.
Then, during a job interview in Harley Street where Marek’s mind was wandering away from the rambling CEO, the second realisation happened.
“What the fuck am I doing here?”

Queue inevitable crises of whether do something to get by and keep on as a hobby, or bring some of that punk attitude to the UK wine scene…

2023 saw Marek starting the MSc programme at Plumpton College in Sussex, whilst managing the 2023 harvest at Parkola Estate (yes we know it is just our backgarden). 2024 saw the estate increasing in size, with PIWI varietals being grown in North West England, whilst vinifera continued in SE23. We look forward to dropping our range of releases later in 2024