Lyme Bay Winery - Shute, Axminster, Devon
In 1993. Nigel Howard (aka ‘Nadge’) set up Lyme Bay Winery as a producer of high-quality ciders. By 2006, ‘Nadge’ decided to bring in James Lambert to prepare the way for Lyme Bay to become a serious wine producer and in 2009, the first vineyards were planted near Axminster, in Devon. Then followed the highly successful release of a small range of English still and sparkling wines. In 2015 ‘Nadge’ sold the company to F. Ball and Co. and James Lambert took over as Managing Director. Over the past ten years, F. Ball has heavily invested in the winery and in 2025 Lyme Bay becoming the first English producer to win the IWC National Trophies for both best English White Wine and best English Red Wine in the same year.
At the beginning of 2025, a new chapter began at Lyme Bay with the departure of James Lambert and the appointment of Clem Yates (MW) as head winemaker, working alongside new Operations Director, Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg. Clem, with a masters in oenology from Roseworthy, in Australia, is a highly experienced winemaker, having held positions in California, Chile, France and Italy. She also has a broad knowledge of the overall wine market and this understanding is crucial to Lyme Bay’s current success and future strategy.
Today, rather than restricting production solely to its own estate, Lyme Bay works with an exclusive network of growers throughout southern England (see below), ensuring only the highest-quality grapes are selected from the best viticultural regions each season. Vineyards supplying Lyme Bay Winery:
ESSEX: Riverview, Crouch Valley, Martin’s Lane, Crow’s Lane, New Hall, Tudwick Hall, Old Mill House, Crouch Valley Vineyards, Great Whitmans.
HEREFORDSHIRE: Haygrove
KENT: Sandhurst
DEVON: Castlewood, Ashcott
DORSET: Wodetone, d’Urberville
HAMPSHIRE: Hoplands
