At Breaky Bottom, the vines are sacrosanct. Peter would rise at 5am and spend virtually all his waking hours tending the vineyards, sheep in tow. As a vigneron, his unwavering attention to detail was legendary, and also necessary — a self-professed risk-taker, Peter would push harvest dates to the wire, seeking levels of ripeness to match Breaky Bottom’s naturally high acids. This is also why he sought to keep the grapes in peak condition well into autumn, sometimes picking into November.

Peter would not be hurried; he believed in letting time work its magic. Unlike most English sparkling winemakers, he eschewed malolactic fermentation — in fact, the low pH of his wines, linked no doubt to Breaky Bottom’s extraordinary chalk soils and location - made the process almost unfeasible anyway. Instead, the wines are allowed to age gracefully on their lees, sometimes for up to seven years, to develop their renowned textural finesse and myriad complex flavours.