Sergio Verrillo

The Path

Sergio Verrillo trained at Plumpton College before beginning his career as junior sommelier at Maze (Gordon Ramsay restaurant) in London. That early experience, shaped by the pace and discipline of hospitality, laid the groundwork for a career that would move steadily from the front of house into the deeper mechanics of winemaking. In the restaurant world, wine is often something to be explained, matched and delivered in a single service moment; in the cellar, it becomes something slower, more cumulative, built season by season. Today, Sergio is co-founder and winemaker of Blackbook Winery (since 2017), where his path from cellar-floor training to hands-on winemaking has found its most distinctive expression. The move to Blackbook gave form to a career that is as much about place and intention as it is about technique: a working life dedicated to shaping still wines with confidence, character and a clear sense of purpose.

The Work Today

At Blackbook Winery, Sergio’s role is built around restraint, site and control. The stated aim is to bring the work of vineyard owners to the forefront, which means the winemaking has to support the fruit rather than override it. That is a practical skill: knowing when to step in, when to hold back, and how to keep a wine legible. The emphasis on single vineyard wines puts the method under a different kind of pressure. Clarity matters. So does consistency of judgment. In Sergio’s case, the work reads as a steady application of cellar craft to English still wine, with enough confidence to let each site carry its own weight.

Signature

Sergio's signature wines include I’d rather be a rebel. The name carries a spark of attitude, hinting at a cellar mentality that does not simply follow convention but is willing to push at its edges. In a field often defined by precision and patience, a signature like this suggests personality alongside craft.

In Their Words “We endeavour to bring the hard work of our vineyard owners to the forefront by creating a range of single vineyard wines that showcase the quality and potential for making world-leading still wine here in England.” “Our ethos embraces a single fundamental goal: to make bloody good wine.”

Acclaim

Blackbook Winery describes its approach as one that brings the work of vineyard owners to the forefront by creating a range of single vineyard wines that showcase the quality and potential for making world-leading still wine here in England. In that framing, Sergio’s work is presented not as a solo flourish but as part of a broader commitment to site, craftsmanship and ambition: wines that are intended to reflect where they come from, and to do so with conviction.