19/11/2025
It was a privilege spending time with Tim Phillips this week. The man behind cult wine, super limited, hens teeth, Charlie Herring … you get the rarity vibe.
Tim enthused and educated on an array of fascinating topics from wine, farming, philosophy, ecosystems - life! It was a challenge editing to a bit sized post - my favourites snippets shown here.
Nestled on the western skirts of Lymington, 1 hour south of Salisbury, a hop and skip from the Isle of White. Technically predisposed with maritime climate, Tim’s unique vineyard has a micro-climate of its own, cushioned within a 1 acre Victorian walled garden planted with Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Enhanced by a brood of hens, each named after Italian pasta dishes (Linguini situated top of the pecking order) providing companionship, eggs and natural fertiliser. Bucolic - an ecosystem humming with life.
Ancient cider trees grow in an adjacent paddock, dating to the 1860’s yielding apples for Tim’s prized ciders. Pinot Noir skins are added for depth and structure - resulting in joyful, energetic, vibrant grapey apple fizz.
The ecosystem doesn’t stop at fruit. Oak, Yew and Monterey Pine trees all assist in feeding and balancing. A resident family of jay’s provide avian distribution and sowing of acorns dropped to seed the next generation of oaks - an enchanting symbiotic relationship dating back thousands of years.
Intensely rooted connected to the land, Tim plants, tends, tills and picks all on his own, by hand. A solitary, soulful, symbiotic relationship with the land. Revelling in a ‘peasant’ economic philosophy - all he needs is here.
So who’s ’Charlie Herring’?
The operation is named after a fictional character his father, a wine collecting vicar invented when Tim was a child. Playful and elementary informing the labels adorning Tim’s bottles.
The nature of this undertaking is limited. We wait in anticipation for Tim’s next release of liquid delights. Stay tuned…
(yes that is a Ducati resting in Tim’s winery doorway)
