I grew up in a family of wine lovers, so my introduction to wine came unusually early in life. Watered down glasses of Bordeaux and Pinot Noir were a Sunday lunch-time treat in the Redcliffe household, and I spent my teenage years living in Burgundy, surrounded by vineyards and perusing dusty cellars.
At university I discovered the only ‘sport’ at which I could excel; blind wine tasting. This fascinating but often humiliating pursuit was a baptism by fire into the wine world, and I spent two years competing with the Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Team while also teaching novices how to taste, appreciate and understand wine.
Realising I couldn’t leave wine behind, I decided to make it my career, going on to work at the Cambridge Wine Merchants before becoming a wine PR at a specialist agency in London. I spend my days organising tastings and events and promoting exciting wine regions and brands. I am also a wine blogger and self-confessed wine geek – I recently won the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Viño Scholarship for my WSET wine exam results.
This is a hugely exciting time to be writing about wine, as the UK has perhaps the most diverse wine offer in the world, with bottles from Georgia, Uruguay, India and even from our own doorsteps now rubbing shoulders with classics from France, Italy and Australia. I’m passionate about people getting the very best of the wine aisles, discovering new gems, and learning about what goes into making wine, from grape to glass.