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Tell us about your background? Professional & personal
People ask me how I got into wine, the long answer involves me following my heart and an ex boyfriend to Australia and discovering the wine regions and wine world over there.
The short answer involves me following my nose as I was born with a nose on the wrong side of dainty, the perfect shape and size for sticking into a wine glass and absorbing the bouquet!
I’ve worked with wine since I graduated 12 years ago and have travelled a lot, tasting my way through some of the worlds’ best known wine regions from Burgundy to Mendoza and some lesser known countries like Moldova. I’ve taken all my wine exams (they’re harder than they might sound!) and I’m also a Chartered Marketer.
I love everything about wine, wine is my profession and my hobby, I live, breath, talk and drink wine!
I also write about wine under the pen name of Miss Bouquet, I have a website you can visit where you can find out what wines I’m recommending and what events I’m involved in. You can sometimes hear me on the radio talking about wine and you can learn more about the wines you’re drinking and enjoying by download my wine app from the itunes which is called My Wine Friend and is designed to help you become your own wine expert!
What is your proudest achievement?
Probably launching my wine app on the itunes store. The moment it actually went live and people around the world could download it and start on their wine journey was one worthy of opening a fabulous bottle of champagne!
Who is your female inspiration?
The ladies at the More to Life Than Shoes meetings are a huge inspiration to me. They’re all so different but all so similar. They have a vision, they’re committed and they work hard and they’re generous in their sharing of experiences so we can all learn from each other.
Tell us a bit about your business:
I created the Miss Bouquet wine blog in July 2009 and developed the character at the heart of the brand very much as a girl-about-town; young, female and friendly and visually representing the opposite of the current stereotype of a wine enthusiast in the UK. MissBouquet.com is the home of Miss Bouquet wine communications which ultimately aims to help bridge the gap between the growth in wine consumption, the preconceived idea that wine is a specialist subject reserved for older people or those with money, and a genuine interest that people have to learn more about what they’re drinking.
How did you become a Wine Expert and what initially inspired you to do so?
The great thing about wine is that it’s such a sociable industry to work in, so even when I’m out with friends I can still be learning about and trying new wines. But becoming a trusted expert ultimately came down to working hard, both in the practical sense at wine importers to get inside industry experience as well as hitting the books to get all my wine qualifications.
What is your ultimate top tip for choosing wine?
Always chose a wine that you want to drink, not what you think you should be drinking.
And stick to your guns, decide how much you want to spend on a bottle and stick to it. Don’t let a shop assistant or sommelier bully you into spending more than you can afford, there are some fantastic affordable wines out there.
What would you like to achieve over the next 12 months?
I’d like to really get my Thinking Girls Wine Nights off the ground. For more info visit: missbouquet.com/events
Website: www.missbouquet.com
Twitter: @MissBouquet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Bouquet/115778518484336
Email address: [email protected]
