Greg was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and as the son of a career diplomat, spent his first 21 years travelling the globe with his family. All the related wining and dining, in the line of duty, is where he first realised his passion for fine wine. With a Business Management and Marketing degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Greg began his working career as a commodity trader. During this time, he rediscovered his passion for the wine trade and passed his Diploma wine degree at the Cape Wine Academy in Johannesburg in 2000. A move back to Europe in mid-2000 to pursue a wine career in London, "the centre of the world fine wine trade" according to Greg, allowed him to work with and amongst some of the great wine personalities of the modern era.

As Marketing Manager for fine wines from 2000 to 2006, and Senior Wine Buyer for fine wines at Handford Wines in South Kensington from 2006 to 2022, London, Greg has had the opportunity to buy, sell and taste some of the most finely crafted and sought after wines in the world on a daily basis. Since August 2022, Greg has been operating through his own consulting company, A Fine Wine Safari, working with multiple fine wine merchants and importers to help them grow their private client bases, fine tune their purchasing strategies, and build stronger, more sought after wine brands.

An extensive tasting exposure enabled Greg to pass his Master of Wine tasting papers in his first sitting in 2004. Greg completed his Theory examination in 2006 and the MW dissertation process in 2007 with a topic entitled "Method Cap Classique Production in Constantia Valley, South Africa." While Greg personally expresses no firm wine drinking preferences other than for "well made wines", his knowledge and expertise in the field of South African wines in particular is considerable.

Greg is proud to be counted as only one of five South Africans ever to pass the prestigious Master of Wine examinations, and looks forward to helping and encouraging more of his fellow countrymen through the rigours of the MW process.

Greg is also a family man, and enjoys the wonders of family life with his English wife Nicky, and his pride and joy in life, his two sons Sam and Louis. Greg coaches rugby at his local club, London Welsh RFC in Richmond and is also a keen runner and general outdoorsman. Follow Greg and his fine wine adventures at his website: www.gregsherwoodmw.com

Current employer: A Fine Wine Safari

Primary area(s) of work: Trade

Industry sector(s): Buying, Consultant, Events, Journalism, Market access, Marketing, Off trade, Sales, Wine business strategy, Wine buying, Wine judge, Wine tourism

Wine styles: Fine and rare wines

Wine region expertise: Australia, Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Maremma, Oregon, South Africa, USA, Washington, Western Australia, Western Cape

Market expertise: Africa, Europe, France, United Kingdom

Specialisms: Economics of wine production, Production of sparkling wines, Wine styling, Blending, Packing and labelling, Quality assurance and control, Sensory evaluation , Supply chain efficiency, Branding, Events, Identifying and meeting consumer demand, Independent retail, Investment strategies, Marketing wine, New business development, Routes to market, Supplier/customer relationships, Wine tourism, Wine judging