When people think of Batemans, they think of beer! They think of the windmill on the Wainfleet skyline, of five generations of family brewing, of Good Honest Ales crafted since 1874. And rightly so, but there is a big chapter of our story that doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves and it begins not in the Brewhouse, but in a wine merchant’s shop in Boston, over a hundred years ago.
How the Batemans Came to Know Their Wine
It was 1918, the First World War was drawing to a close, and Harry Bateman, George’s son, and the man who would grow Batemans from a small local brewery into a Lincolnshire institution, spotted an opportunity. He purchased J.E. Ridlington & Sons, a long-established Wine and Spirit merchant in Boston, with the intention of running it as a separate, but complementary, arm of the family business.
In a letter to his accountants at the time, Harry wrote “I have purchased a small Wine and Spirit business in Boston which has for many years been carried on by J.E. Ridlington & Sons. I intend to carry on under the same name and to keep it quite separate from my Wainfleet business.”
More than a century later, Ridlingtons remains part of the Batemans family and remains something we’re immensely proud of.
A Heritage of Wine Knowledge
The Bateman family didn’t just buy a wine business and hope for the best. They invested in it properly. John Bateman, George’s brother and Harry’s son, took personal responsibility for Ridlingtons, leaving for London to formally learn the wine and spirits trade before taking his place on the board. That dedication to expertise has been a thread running through Ridlingtons ever since.
Today, that tradition of knowledge is very much alive. A significant number of our team hold qualifications from the WSET – the Wine & Spirit Education Trust – the globally recognised standard for wine expertise. It’s not just a badge, it means that when our people talk to you about a wine, they know what they’re talking about. From grape to glass, from terroir to table.
At their peak, Ridlingtons offered over 43 varieties of malt whisky, an extensive range of clarets, burgundies, hocks, and vintage ports – a true specialist merchant in a part of the country that deserved one. That spirit of curation and expertise is something we continue to carry forward.
Part of Something Bigger
What makes Ridlingtons special isn’t just its age – it’s what it represents. Batemans has always believed that looking after people properly means giving them the best, whether that’s a pint of XB pulled in one of our pubs, or a bottle of something wonderful chosen by someone who genuinely understands wine.
We’re proud to be more than a brewery. We’re a family business with over 150 years of history, and Ridlingtons is woven into that history, a reminder that the Bateman family has always known that good food and good drink, properly understood and properly shared, are one of life’s great pleasures.
You can explore the Ridlingtons wine portfolio, including our French-produced sparkling wines, in our latest brochure, or speak to one of our knowledgeable team who will be happy to help you find exactly the right bottle for any occasion. You can also purchase our wine online.
