Meet the Veraison Educators

I came to the wine industry late in my career, but what a great decision it was.

I’ve always liked wine, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I realised I had the opportunity to make it my career. I did my level 1 WSET in 2021 and it sparked a real thirst for as much wine knowledge as I could get, leading me to complete my levels 2-4 over the next couple of years.

I have found that the more you learn about wine, the more you realise how much there is to learn. I love being in a position to ignite a passion for wine in other people, and I think that is the most rewarding part of this role. Our primary mission is to increase wine knowledge and standards of service in the hospitality industry, but people are better at describing wine when they have a real enthusiasm for the product!

I am also a qualified WSET educator and teach the WSET levels 2 and 3 as well as our industry-leading Veraison training programmes.

The wine most likely to be purchased on your staff account?

 

My favourite wine region is (boringly) Burgundy…but the beauty of working for Berkmann is the opportunity to discover wines from almost every region on Earth. As such my basket looks very different every month (although you’ll almost certainly find a Chardonnay or Riesling in there somewhere.

 

I first got into wine by making homebrew kits with my Mother, then after moving away to University I discovered what real wine was.  Studying Philosophy meant there was plenty of time and opportunity to sample it, too.

As with many of us in the wine trade, my wine career started at Majestic, working there for around five years and being lucky enough to work in the flagship fine wine store for a time.  After graduating with the WSET Diploma, I then worked in fine wine sales at a Bordeaux specialist for a year or so, before finding something of a calling in wine events.  I organised first the London Wine Fair and then Imbibe Live, selling stands, designing content and working on the Masterclasses.

When COVID hit I went to work for The Drinks Trust, fundraising and helping the industry through an absurdly difficult time, then joined Veraison at the beginning of October 2022.  I have a real passion for spreading the love and understanding of wine, and what I love about my job involves looking at how we can constantly improve on passing that knowledge and passion on.

Currently I'm about half way through the gruelling Master of Wine programme, so for me every day is a school day.  Literally.

The wine most likely to be purchased on your staff account?  

Whatever I need for the next study day...