English sparkling winemaker Ridgeview Wine Estate has been sold to a consortium of investors after falling into administration last year.
The deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, would provide Ridgeview with “a strong capital base and strategic support to drive the long-term potential of the brand,” The Quantum Beverage Company (QBev), which led the consortium, said.
Ridgeview CEO Tamara Roberts has stepped down and exited the company after 21 years, following the sale. Her brother, Simon Roberts, Ridgeview’s head winemaker, will remain with the business.
Gregg Ainsworth, co-founder and chief marketing officer of QBev, has been appointed Ridgeview CEO, with Allan Beattie of QBev becoming its CFO.
“Ridgeview is a truly exceptional brand with an outstanding reputation for quality and innovation,” said Ainsworth. “We see enormous potential in the business, and this acquisition reflects our confidence in both the existing team and the long-term opportunity for English sparkling wine.”
Ridgeview Wine Estate filed for administration in September 2025 after falling into financial difficulty amid rising costs and working capital constraints.
In administration documents published at Companies House in November, joint administrators Philip Harris and Neville Side of FRP Advisory said Ridgeview had pursued “a high-growth, high-cost strategy” supported by its primary investor Sceptre Limited.
After Sceptre withdrew funds in January 2025, Ridgeview ran into severe cashflow difficulties. Meanwhile a “high-cost base and resultant losses” restricted the ability of the business to attract third-party investment, contributing to its eventual insolvency.
The administrators wrote that the pre-pack sale of the business had been delayed as two interested parties were both newly formed entities and therefore neither had an Alcoholic Products Producer Approval (APPA) licence.
Hence, the identities of the proposed purchasers were restricted to creditors “to avoid jeopardising the proposed sale”, they said.
‘Stable foundation’
The sale completion was “a significant step forward – preserving jobs, ensuring continuity for customers and suppliers, and providing a stable foundation for the future,” Harris said in a statement issued today (12 February).
“From the outset, our priority was to safeguard the business and its team while exploring options to bring in new investment,” he said. “We’re particularly thankful to the staff, suppliers and partners who showed considerable patience and commitment throughout the process. Their support was instrumental in enabling this positive outcome.”
Scant detail was made available about QBev, which describes itself as “a multimillion-pound platform that seeks to invest in a range of unique and compelling premium adult beverage brands”. Ridgeview was QBev’s first acquisition, the company confirmed to The Grocer.
Ainsworth had “30 years global experience in marketing, including senior roles in Diageo, LVMH & Allied Domecq,” a biography for Ridgeview’s new CEO on the QBev website read.
Ridgeview Wine Estate was founded in 1995 in Ditchling, Sussex. The company supplies branded and own-label wines to Waitrose, and is also stocked on Ocado.
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