Welcome to the ALotToWineAbout website! A site in which my passion for wine, travel, people and creativity combine!
Thank you for stopping by.
I’m a wine and travel enthusiast, who is exploring this beautiful planet we live on one glass at a time! In short, I love wine, travel, meeting new people, creating and learning. And in terms of wine…I do know what I’m talking about…at least some of the time!
It is a huge privilege to have you stop by and share my journey. I hope it inspires you to begin your own adventures one glass at a time!
I love wine!
Tasting wine is my mindfulness. We appreciate wine through multiple senses. Its vibrant colours, the aromas it gives off, the viscosity in the mouth, the effervescence of the bubbles, the layers of flavour on the pallette. In engaging these senses, we slow down to appreciate the beauty of the humble grape.
I love how wine tells a story. The location it came from, the history of wine making methods in that area, the quirks of geography which shape the weather, the local food which it complements.
Something about the connection to nature, to beauty, to simplicity allows me to appreciate the moment. Those who have seen me taste really good wine, may well have observed that even before a drop has passed my lips, I’ve closed my eyes, drawn in the scents into my nose, and a beaming smile has occupied my face.
I love travel!
It is almost impossible to love wine, without also loving travel! I’ve travelled extensively in Europe, parts of Africa, Asia, and North America. I’m a big believer that travel feeds the soul.
Whether it is snorkelling with octopi in the red sea, viewing Niagara Falls in Canada, or negotiating the price of a hand carved chess set in a Marrakech souk, travel is a gift that never stops giving.
We live on an amazing planet, with many different cultures, people, and places we can barely imagine existed. Travel pushes us out of our comfort zones and challenges us with new perspectives and ideas.
Over time, I’ve really appreciated trying to live like a local when I travel. I want to go to the local markets, see a concert in a local theatre, and eat the food that locals are eating. And of course, combine that with exploring local wines!
I love meeting people!
While the answer to the question, “What makes people happy?” is undoubtedly complex, probably the single biggest predictor of life satisfaction and longevity is having meaningful connections with others.
Meaningful connections can come in a variety of forms. Close relationships with friends, family, a significant other, or a conversation with a complete stranger in a foreign country with a different culture to our own.
I’m a big believer in chance encounters, and that life often conspires to bring people the right people to us at the right point in time.
I have amazing friends from all over the world who came out of chance encounters. So, there is every possibility that the reason you are reading this is we met somewhere. And probably gave you my contact details and asked if you wanted to stay in touch!
I love creating and learning!
From age 3 I was begging my parents to let me learn to play the piano. Over the years my creativity has involved everything from being involved in directing and musically directing musicals, producing documentary and marketing films, website design, voice-over work and photography.
I also have a passion for writing. I’ve written for publications, ghost written for others and created content for a number of organisations.
I’m a naturally very curious person, and that curiosity means I love to learn. I’ve studied a diverse range of subjects from Business Leadership to Education, and Positive Psychology to Video Editing.
This site is my opportunity to combine my passions of wine, travel, people and creating in one place, and I’m excited about the almost endless material which is there to inspire me to continually create new content.
And yes, I do know what I am talking about….
…at least some of the time!
…at least some of the time!
Technically I’m qualified with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) to Level 3. I’ve professionally tasted countless wines all over the world, but I by no means consider myself to be an expert in wine. I tend to believe with wine, the more you learn the less you realise you actually know!
Unfortunately, parts of the wine industry have a bad rep for being quite snobby, which puts a lot of people off learning more about wine. As far as possible, I steer clear of this. There are plenty of experts out there if you want to talk about residual sugar levels and semi-carbonic maceration, I’m much more about promoting the idea of drinking good wine. And what is good wine? Well, in my view the best wine is the wine you like!
I’d love to get to know you, the people reading this, and to grow a community of people who want to know more about wine and travel, so feel free to drop me a line or follow me on Instagram @ALotToWineAbout