My passion for wine was sparked at University where running the student Wine Circle went glass in hand with my studies in English Literature. Launching into the wine trade on graduation I've shared my infectious enthusiasm for wine with customers, colleagues and friends through many and varied roles, including buying and blending wine for major retailers, managing a fine wine merchant, leading the wine courses at Leith's School of Food & Wine, writing blogs and articles, judging at international wine competitions, presenting at corporate and consumer events and being actively involved in wine education. In 1991 I became a Master of Wine and enjoyed a varied freelance career before joining Asda in 2006. After a decade of creating award-winning wines for Asda and accepting the accolade of Decanter Wine Supermarket of the Year 2015 on their behalf I left the company in early 2016 to combine two career passions: retail consultant, building wine ranges and creating bespoke blends for clients; and mentoring and coaching, having qualified in 2024 as a Time To Think coach.

I am married to Peter, a fellow Master of Wine.

Primary area(s) of work: Trade

Industry sector(s): Consultant, Off trade, Wine business strategy

Wine styles: Champagne, Prosecco, Still wines

Market expertise: United Kingdom