What was your first experience with wine?
The first wine tasting I went to was on holiday with my mum and dad in Tuscany – I would have been about 16 at the time. I have a distinct recollection of a long table outside, and I remember my dad commenting that Italian wine tastings were much more generous than French wine tastings! They weren’t tasting pours, they were whole glass pours! I remember the conviviality of being around the table sharing wine and bread, amid the olive groves and vines.
The first time I drank something serious and interesting was when I was studying for my Masters in English Literature at Cambridge. The post-graduate dinners were preceded by delicious dry sherry and followed by Port. This was my introduction to proper fortified wines. I had little idea what I was drinking but knew it was delicious!
And how did your career in wine begin?
I joined the Waitrose retail management graduate trainee scheme, and I was on the shop floor for three years, and that was when I started to connect the wines I’d tasted with actual bottles. My first store was Marylebone High Street in London, and I would talk to the wine specialist there, getting recommendations, reading the back labels. But it was only when I moved to Waitrose’s head office as a trainee buyer that I did a six-week introduction to wine course at Berry Bros. & Rudd, taught by the amazing Rebecca Lamont. That was the start of my formal education in wine and led to me jumping onto a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) course.
And did you go straight into Waitrose’s wine department?
No, I was a trainee buyer for a year in the grocery department – I was buying world cuisines, rice and noodles, and olives, but I was sitting next to the wine team, so sometimes I was invited to join their tastings, which I loved. Then there was a vacancy in the horticulture team that I went for. My boss was the horticultural equivalent of a Master of Wine – she was a Master of Plants! I was sourcing fresh produce for the first time and spent a lot of time visiting British growers, and this growing interest in plant biology, soil, and agriculture was happening at the same time as my wine studies. I realise, in retrospect, that her complete passion for and incredible knowledge in her field (horticulture) was a great inspiration to me to pursue my fascination with wine.
And then you moved into wine?
The Waitrose wine buying team is not dissimilar to The Wine Society’s in the sense that people don’t really ever seem to leave, so vacancies are a rare thing! But in 2016 there were two vacancies, and although I had no specific experience in wine buying, I had more than three years’ of buying experience on top of my retail background, and I was very enthusiastic and keen to learn. I started studying for my WSET Diploma and didn’t look back! My first regions were South Africa, the Loire and England, and in 2019 I took on Italy.
What was your next career step?
After six-and-a-half years as a Waitrose wine buyer, I was ready for a new challenge. I wanted to learn about another side of the industry, so I moved to the opposite end of the retail spectrum and joined fine wine trader and merchant Bordeaux Index in London. I went from working with an average bottle price at Waitrose of £8.50 to an average bottle price at Bordeaux Index of £250 – in bond! A big part of what they were doing was trading classed-growth Bordeaux, prestige cuvée Champagne and top Burgundy, so it was a completely different world.
What was your perception of The Wine Society before you came here?
I had always said very clearly that the one retailer I wanted to work for, outside of Waitrose, was The Wine Society. I knew a number of the buyers quite well, and my view was that it was a dream job for a wine buyer who is passionate not only about where the wines come from, but how they are grown and who grows them, and being able to tell the stories behind them. I had a perception that it was a business that put wine, producers and members first – and it has proven exactly that.
You’re covering Sarah Knowles MW’s regions. Which of them had you not bought before?
I’ve never bought USA before. It’s been a fascinating area to learn about and Sarah’s done an amazing job. You could argue we are zinfandel specialists now, because she’s built a range that showcases the regional diversity of zinfandel. And the pinots and chardonnays we’ve got, there are some stunning, world-class wines there that compete with the best of Burgundy.
Your love of Italy is very clear. What is it about the country that makes it so special?
My godmother is Italian; she’s from Calabria in the south, although grew up in the UK. She was instrumental in my upbringing, and I spent a lot of time with her as a child. Her mother was a proper old-school nonna with a very thick southern Italian accent, and I grew up eating pastina, and red wine and lemonade was what she gave me when I was little! Also, when I was starting out, it seemed that Italy was this misunderstood country. Everyone loved France and talked about Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône, but with Italy, people didn’t know the names of the grape varieties, they had no idea that certain words were regions not grapes, and so on. It felt unexplored and it felt exciting and something I could get stuck into.
One of the things I love about Italian wines is that typically they have really high, vibrant acidity, whether red or white, and I love acidity, freshness, and that tang that runs through them. I just love that. Also, when we’re talking about the likes of nebbiolo, sangiovese and aglianico, I love the tannins, too! They’re prominent, but the structure and framework they bring to the wine makes them wonderful food wines.
If you’re new to Italian wine, where do you recommend people should start?
I would start in the south, with wines like The Society’s Sicilian Red, which has that Italian signature acidity but also has lots of sunny ripe fruit. It’s a great introduction to the freshness and structure of Italian wines. For whites, you’d probably anchor yourself in the north-east with Soave Classico, and in the north-west with Gavi and start to build the exploration from there. But there’s so much more to Italian whites than its crisp, dry wines. There are so many textural examples, whether Falanghina, or Verdicchio; these wines offer more of that Italian grip and pithiness that makes them delicious with food.
Favourite grape varieties?
Nebbiolo, syrah and chenin blanc. You have to remember that I started my wine career buying South Africa and the Loire – I was the chenin queen! In both origins, some of the best chenins are as good as top white Burgundy, but they still fly under the radar of many traditional fine wine lovers.
And outside of wine, what do you love doing?
I love to run and I love to hike. Being outdoors is my favourite thing. I grew up running in the Peak District, and I also love yoga. That all sounds very virtuous! But I also love to dine out as much as I can.