EuroMillions jackpot winner plants vineyard to 'start wine business'

• Adrian Bayford won the EuroMillions with his now ex wife Gillian in 2012  

EuroMillions jackpot winner Adrian Bayford, who won £148 million with his then wife, has started his latest venture planting a vineyard to begin his own wine business.

Mr Bayford, who is one of the lottery’s biggest ever jackpot winners, has planed what appear to be Meunier grape vines on his sprawling country estate in Haverhill, on the Sussex border with Essex.

The grape spotted is reportedly one of the three main ingredients in the production of champagne, however, the millionaire’s fizz would not be able to take the name as it’s not from the area in France.

The decision to get stuck into the world of wine is said to have been influenced by his fiancée Tracey Biles, 45, who he became engaged to over Christmas – the fourth proposal he is carried out since his massive win in 2012.

The couple, who are set to get married this summer, had tried to sell the country pile for £12m last year but were forced to take it off the market.

Adrian Bayford became one of England’s biggest ever Euromillions jackpot winners when he landed £148 million

After winning the jackpot with his now ex-wife Gillian in 2012 when they were both living in Haverhill, Suffolk. They split 15 months later after nine years of marriage

Mr Bayford became engaged to Tracey Biles, 45, last year and the pair plan to marry in the summer

‘It’s fantastic to see Adrian using his fortune to explore new ventures. It shows what a fantastic influence Tracey is on him,’ a friend told The Sun.  ‘Hopefully we’ll all be able to buy Chateau Bayford soon.’

The former post-man had won his big prize with his ex-wife Gillian but the pair decided to split the next year.

READ HERE: The life and (many) loves of lotto millionaire Adrian Bayford: Jackpot winner who scooped £148million proposes to fourth woman since splitting with wife Gillian – and believes that this time ‘nothing could go wrong’ 

They divided the winnings with Mrs Bayford moving back to Scotland while Mr Bayford continued  living in the former mansion they had bought in Cambridgeshire.

The father-of-two’s vineyard could end up being a profitable venture, if the climate in the UK gets warmer.

Jane Clare, of wine blog One Foot in the Grapes, said: ‘If Mr Bayford is planting grapes to make fizz, he’ll be adding his own sparkle to our home-grown wines which are taking off.

‘As our climate gets warmer, it is easier to ripen these grapes to a quality which in turn can create quality sparkling wines.’

It is not the first time Mr Bayford has tried his hand in the world of business.

His ventures from a music festival to a record shop and even renting out one of his cottages on Airbnb led friends to previously question if he understands ‘how rich he really is’ and said it is ‘mad’ that he would chose to make money off a holiday home.

In 2017 and 2018 he attracted 2,000 revellers to his ‘mini Glastonbury’ festival held on his estate.

Last year Mr Bayford also decided to rent out a private cottage on his private estate in Sussex on Airbnb

Mr Bayford, 41, and his now ex-wife flew from  Down Hall Country House Hotel in a helicopter after they won the jackpot

The decision to start a vineyard is said to be down to his green-fingered fiancée Tracey

The Cambridge Rock Festival is a four day festival where tickets would start at £129, increasing up to £139, £149 and £159. The event usually features around 60 rock bands and sees music played until 11pm each night.

Last year, however, he was forced to cancel the event because the local council refused to provide him with a licence.

Making another savvy decision to earn yet more cash, Mr Bayford also decided to rent out a private cottage on his private estate on Airbnb.

The three-bed farmhouse is just 240 feet from the millionaire’s mansion and is listed for around £110 a night. Bayford’s earnings would reportedly earn him a similar figure to what he earns in interest from the £148million jackpot in just 13 minutes.

The Airbnb in Cambridgeshire is described by the host as ‘tastefully decorated’ with a modern kitchen/diner, cosy living room, downstairs WC, master bedroom, twin room, single room and a bathroom.

Guests can also enjoy a private garden with a patio and seating area.

Friends raised concerns about him allowing people to stay on the grounds with him, saying they were concerned for his safety and that he did not need strangers peering into his home.

In 2018, he decided to use some of his lump sum by reopening his old record shop.

The four-day festival, which has seen huge acts perform over the years, including Thunder, Uriah Heep and Hazel O’Connor, was set to take place from August 3 to 6

The lotto winner previously hosted The Cambridge Rock Festival on his 90-acre estate in Linton, Cambridgeshire in 2017 and 2018 attracting 2,000 revellers

The ‘mini Glastonbury’ on his £6.5 million estate will now be able to run in 2024 despite persistent noise complaints from his angry neighbours

Mr Bayford, who is a big rock music fan, began his second hand music career by selling old CDs on a market stall more than 20 years ago.

He later opened up his shop called the Suffolk Music Centre, selling music and memorabilia in Queen Street, Haverhill.

Mr Bayford was on his way to work when he bought his winning ticket from a nearby newsagents in August, 2012.

He took a short holiday with his wife and children after being presented with his cheque and was back behind the counter just two weeks later.

But he later decided to close down his shop after reportedly becoming fed up with abuse from people coming in and demanding money off him.

He held a closing down sale in the run up to Christmas 2012, charging customers £20 for up to 20 second hand CDs or film DVDs.

When he won he vowed to continue working at at his rented shop called the Suffolk Music Centre but he ended up shutting it down four months later.

The reopening of the shop six years ago was welcomed by locals in the community, however, they said the venture was a distraction for him after becoming unlucky in love.

It came after his stable girl fiancée Samantha Burbidge walked out on him the previous year.

A few years ago he also purchased The Rose and Crown pub in a nearby village for £375,000 but fell out with bar staff and locals, so while he still owns it, he rarely visits.

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