A Derry-born winemaker has returned to the city to launch his own label, Jack Francis, with bottles now available at the Bishop's Gate Hotel and Gee's Wine Shop.

Jack, who grew up in Derry, said he was pleased to be home and had missed Ireland, including Donegal. He described the homecoming as a chance to show people what he has been working on and to share his wines.

He said making wine under his own name had been a long-term ambition. The process involved extensive travel and learning, with stints in France, Germany, Australia and Argentina, as well as a master's degree in viticulture. He said finally having a brand he was willing to stand behind was a significant achievement.

Jack is based roughly 40 minutes outside Vienna in Austria's Wagram wine region. He works alongside winemaker Martin Diwald at a winery that was among the first organic vineyards in Austria. Diwald allows him to produce his own wines at the facility.

He said his path into winemaking was unplanned. After finishing an environmental sciences degree in London, he asked a friend from Argentina if he could visit her father's winery. He ended up working there for just under a year in tasting rooms, the winery and the vineyards.

His wines are made using organic methods, with spontaneous fermentation and no added chemicals or sulfur. He said he does not always stop to consider the scale of his progress, but he is fully proud of what he has achieved, noting that the industry is an unusual one for someone from Ireland and that it is pleasing to bring the results home.