The Winemaker’s Flight: Find Your Winemaking Style
If you’ve ever stood in front of the taps wondering what to try next, the Winemaker’s Flight is your new favourite button on the Vagabond app. It’s a self guided tasting that lets you pour four samples straight from the wall, explore how each wine was made, dive into the techniques behind them and discover which winemaking style matches you best. All for £15. And at the end you get a full glass of your favourite.
Here’s how it works.
Open the Vagabond app, tap the Winemaker’s Flight, and your phone becomes your tasting guide. Each wine unlocks as you go. You pour a sample, read the story, explore José’s philosophy and can jump into deep dive blogs if you want to go further. By the final wine you’ll know exactly which style fits you — and get suggestions for what else to drink next time.
The Four Winemaking Styles
The Purist
"Do I intervene, or let the fruit speak for itself"
Some wines are at their best when you do almost nothing at all. José picks clean fruit, ferments wild, filters gently and bottles early when he wants absolute clarity. Purist wines taste like the vineyard without make up — crisp, bright and honest.
Flight wine: Bacchus
Why it represents the style: It’s clean, precise and unadorned. The grape upfront, everything else in the background.
If this is you: You like wines with nothing to hide and winemaking with restraint.
"Sometimes the hardest thing is doing less. These wines are about trust — in the fruit, in the site, in the process."
The Tinkerer
"What happens if I give it time"
Some grapes want more space to grow into themselves. Here José experiments with vessels, lees, texture and time. Stainless steel, old oak, skin contact, slow ageing — all adding layers without losing focus. These wines are built, not just bottled.
Flight wine: Dios Mío
Why it represents the style: Skin contact plus old barrel ageing. A wine shaped by choices, not shortcuts.
If this is you: You love detail and patience.
"These wines take patience. But they reward it. Every choice adds another layer."
The Explorer
"Should I follow tradition — or twist it"
Sometimes the best ideas come from great regions around the world — Burgundy, Rioja, the Loire — but adapted for English fruit rather than copied. The Explorer is José leaning on structure, balance and classical winemaking, without losing the freshness that makes these wines ours.
Flight wine: Chardonnay
Why it represents the style: Barrel fermented, beautifully balanced and a nod to the classics without pretending it’s something else.
If this is you: You like elegance, shape and purpose.
"I like to build structure without overworking the wine. Oak and texture should support, not shout."
The Maverick
"Can I treat white grapes like red ones"
Wild ferments, skin contact, co fermentations, old oak and zero filtration. The Maverick is José at his most instinctive. These wines are textural, grippy, aromatic and proudly unpolished. Big personality. No safety net.
Flight wine: Night Tripper
Why it represents the style: A true boundary pusher — co fermented on skins then aged in old barrels for nine months.
If this is you: You like texture, grip and the unexpected.
"There’s no safety net here. It’s winemaking with your instincts. But that’s when magic happens."
At the End of the Flight
Once you’ve explored all four styles the app matches you to your winemaking personality. You’ll get:
- wines you’re most likely to love
- more blog dives into the techniques behind your style
- recommendations for what to try next
- plus a full glass of your favourite wine from the flight
The Winemaker’s Flight is easy, fun and genuinely eye opening. Whether you’re a Purist, Tinkerer, Explorer or Maverick, there’s a winemaker in you — and this is the quickest way to meet them.
Ready to find your style
Open the app, tap the Winemaker’s Flight and pour your first sample.
Not got our App yet? You can download the it here.
