“I find the entire winemaking process so satisfying, from picking grapes to seeing fruit loaded into presses.” Kat

Little did Kat know, being introduced to wine via a grape harvest in southern France would ultimately shape her 11 year career. Since this erasmus trip abroad, Katrina has spent time working in several areas of the wine industry, from education and tourism to shipping and retail.

We’re grateful that Kat’s experience led her to us, with her joining Penn Croft as our Operations Manager earlier in 2022. Having already implemented systems that streamline our production process, Kat is very much part of the glue that binds us.

Like many of us here, Kat holds sustainable values and sees the importance in being a better business, not just for our customers and culture, but for the wider world too.

“I believe that all wine businesses have a social and environmental responsibility. From the production process to the work we do outside of winemaking, it’s important that we leave a positive imprint on the planet, and limit our impact. We do this through simple means such as solar power and wetlands projects, to more philosophical concepts such as our ‘no till’ approach.”

Kat is proud to be a part of these ‘extra touches’, which don’t just make us a better business today, but ensure that we’re fit for the future too. Our wetlands programme sees the winery’s wastewater filtered through a series of ponds before being safely deposited back into the soil, whilst our cultivation efforts prioritise low carbon output. Word on the field is that the bees, birds, bats and butterflies love this.

We’re pleased to have Kat as part of our family, bringing knowledge, smiles and her favourite wine and food to the table – a glass of English sparkling wine or champagne, served in a wine glass to help open up the rich, autolytic characters, and a slice or two of Chaource cheese.