Career

My first job in wine was with Majestic, the UK wine warehouse chain, back in 2001. Six years of retail management was quite enough for me, so I moved to Australia and became a cellar rat in McLaren Vale for the 2008 vintage. While I was there, I wrote a diary of my experiences, which was published on Jancis Robinson's website. After returning to London, I continued writing for Jancis and began developing some other freelance work within the wine trade.

The majority of my work is still published on JancisRobinson.com, comprising articles and tasting notes covering all corners of the wine world, and I now contribute to many other publications. You can also find me speaking at conferences, hosting tastings, and tweeting all about it as I go.

In 2009 I embarked on the Master of Wine course, which I passed in 2015. That was undoubtedly a career highlight, along with headlining the O2 Academy Islington for a Wine Relief fundraiser rock concert and becoming momentarily famous for singing the grape variety song.

I launched this (long overdue) website in autumn 2015. If you want to read the full, unexpurgated story, my CV is on LinkedIn.

Awards

Brag alert! Over the years, I've been awarded the following accolades:

  • Finalist, Louis Roederer Online Communicator Of The Year 2017
  • 1st Runner-up, Born Digital Best Editorial / Opinion Wine Writing 2016
  • Finalist, Wine Blog Awards Best New Blog 2016
  • Finalist, Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards Online Drink Writer 2016
  • Finalist, Louis Roederer International Feature Writer Of The Year 2015
  • Finalist, Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards Drink Writer 2015
  • Finalist, Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist Of The Year 2014
  • Finalist, Louis Roederer Online Wine Columnist Of The Year 2012
  • 1st Runner-up, Born Digital Best Wine-Themed Video 2012
  • Finalist, Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer Of The Year 2010
  • Runner-up, Young Wine Writer of the Year 2008
  • Runner-up, Young Wine Writer of the Year 2007

Beyond wine

Music is the other great preoccupation of my life. I've played the piano since I was seven and still practice regularly, much to the delight of my neighbours. I listen to everything from prog to pop and will enthuse about music incessantly to anyone who makes the mistake of asking. I also love comedy, and even performed some in my student days, taking shows to the Edinburgh Fringe and winning a BBC New Talent award in 2006. Thankfully there is absolutely no evidence of this online.

Otherwise, I love cooking, reading, cricket, technology, photography, wildlife and my wife, with whom I live in southwest London*.

(*well, Surbiton. Close enough.)