Making sparkling wine is an old craft that’s found a new home. The French (and other European nations) may have been producing it for 300 years, but since the start of the 21st century, the UK has become an increasingly significant player.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to Kent to meet the team making some of our most internationally celebrated wines.

Number 26 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Sparkling Wine by Gusbourne.

Chief Vineyard Manager Jon Pollard explains why the number of hectares under vine in England and Wales has quadrupled in the past 25 years, talks about managing the changing climate, getting back to traditional farming methods, and hanging out with sheep.

Also on the show, Gusbourne’s head winemaker Mary Bridges chats about the ‘salt’ and ‘pepper’ of winemaking, the joy of harvesting, and reveals she occasionally wants someone else to pick the wine when out with friends.

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Cars are made by robots – often articulated robots that resemble giant human arms… except, there’s a tiny percentage of cars that are still made using real human arms. On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to the Malvern Hills to meet the team still using their hands to craft cars.

Number 25 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Coachbuilt Car by the Morgan Car Company.

Chief designer Jonathan Wells chats about the challenges of evolving a car without changing its silhouette, revels in the joy of mixing metal, wood, and leather, and reveals the 115-year-old company still knows where 90% of the cars it’s built are in the world.

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More than three billion pairs of denim jeans are made every year. But not all jeans are made the same. Just 10% are produced using selvedge denim - a denim that takes more time to weave and is significantly longer lasting.

The UK may account for only a tiny percentage of global jean production, but we have some of the finest makers.

Number 24 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Selvedge Jeans.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door we visit one of our finest jeans makers - Blackhorse Lane Ateliers in east London. Founder Han Ates tells us why jeans are the new craft beer, the importance of connections, and gives thanks to those who dig old clothes out of disused mines.

We also chat about families, our planet’s future, and what it takes to change your direction of travel when you’re not happy with the path you have followed.

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