From making your own gin with one of the world’s most innovative distilleries, to trying the best of the Cambridge food scene – here are some uniquely Cambridge experiences to seek out during your stay
Gutter&Stars is proud to be Cambridge’s first winery. From the basement of the Grade II-listed Chesterton Mill winemaker Chris Wilson makes award-winning English wines from grapes grown locally. "Gutter & Stars should be on every wine lover's radar," says Olive Magazine.
Gutter&Stars was established by journalist and winemaker Chris Wilson in 2020.
Wilson had wanted to start his own winemaking business for some time, and in 2017 he began the search for the perfect site for a small-scale urban winery in Cambridge, the city he’s lived in with his family since 2013.
In 2020 a golden opportunity came up to house the winery in the basement of a Grade II-listed windmill less than a mile from the city centre, and work began turning this octagonal cave into the city’s first winemaking facility.
The winery is housed in the mill’s basement. The space itself is bijou (just 33m2) but it is big enough for a rack of ex-Burgundy barrels, a handful of tanks – including a natty egg-shaped fermenter from Germany – and all the equipment and fittings needed to make quality wine.
You can find Gutter&Stars wines in restaurants and wine merchants across Cambridge and beyond, but to get a true sense of the winemaking process a visit to the winery is a must. Gutter&Stars runs regular wine tastings and events hosted by winemaker Chris Wilson.
The wines have won a number of accolades and each wine produced sells out quickly. Here’s what a handful of well-known wine writers have to say about the winery and its wines:
“I’m smitten! This Chris Wilson knows how to make wine” – Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com
“Perhaps the best English Chardonnay I’ve ever had” – Henry Jeffreys
“If there is a better Bacchus made in the UK we have yet to try it… this is a wine with attitude” – Peter Dean
Facilities
Assistance dogs welcome
Bar
Car Parking
On site parking
Accessibility Facilities
Assistance dogs welcome
Blue Badge Parking
Staff available to assist
Did you know?
Legendary rock band Pink Floyd has its roots in Cambridge, with members Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour born and raised in the city.