Q) Tell us a bit about you and your role at Corney & Barrow?

I joined Corney & Barrow right at the end of 2023, just before Christmas. I work in the Broking Team, part of the Fine Wine Department, based in our London office. Day to day, I spend a lot of time analysing prices, valuing cellars and selected parcels, and advising customers based on what we’re seeing across the market. The role itself is incredibly varied and gives me a very central perspective of the business. We’re liaising with almost every department on a daily basis and so one day can be very different from the next. I’ve always had quite an analytical mindset, and I also produce a monthly broking insights report, weaving market commentary together with some lighter written content to keep colleagues informed and engaged. For around two and a half months of the year, I also act as one of Corney & Barrow’s Bordeaux Open Market En Primeur buyers, helping to coordinate that campaign during the busy spring period.

Q) How did you end up working in wine? Did you always have a passion for wine?

I studied Biomedicine at university, so a career in wine or drinks probably wasn’t the obvious destination at that point. Looking back though, I think the curiosity had always been there in some form. My grandfather was a tea taster by profession, which took him around the world, and growing up I was often appointed the unofficial “wine waiter” for my parents at the dinner table. After university, I jokingly say I applied for the most popular graduate scheme in the country — bar work. I’d already been exposed to hospitality through evening and weekend jobs, as well as working behind the bar at my students’ union, so it was an industry I naturally gravitated towards.

I eventually moved into a high-volume cocktail bar environment and worked my way up to running venues, where I became fascinated by cocktails, spirits and wine alike. What I enjoyed most were the interactions with guests — understanding their tastes, recommending wines they may never have discovered otherwise, introducing them to a forgotten classic cocktail — and perhaps a little upselling too.

Alongside that, I was writing drinks menus and wine lists. From there it became a gradual rabbit hole into the wider drinks world through tastings, supplier training sessions and conversations with producers, importers and brand ambassadors. Meeting so many people across beer, spirits and wine made me realise it was a world I could genuinely see myself being part of.

In 2019, I decided to move away from hospitality and take the plunge into my first role within the wine trade, joining a family-run independent importer and merchant. Over five years there, I studied my WSETs and enjoyed a broad exposure to the workings of a wine business — from buying, logistics and operations through to e-commerce, fine wine trading and customer tastings.

Q) Can you tell us more about the Broking operation at C&B and the services you offer?

Broking is first and foremost a service for customers looking to resell their wines. Tastes evolve, collections change direction, cellars become too full, or customers may simply want to refresh their holdings with newer vintages or different regions.

Of course, some wines do appreciate over time — that is an undeniable part of the fine wine world — and broking operates within that secondary market, where pricing is paramount. For many of the fine wines we broker, Corney & Barrow has been the longstanding UK agent or importer, and we believe there is real value in offering those wines back through a merchant so closely associated with them. Provenance matters enormously in fine wine, and customers rightly expect fair and accurate market pricing. There is also a commercial balancing act involved in deciding what to bring to market. The team has huge depth of experience and understands which wines are likely to resonate with buyers and achieve the best results for customers.

We are always happy to appraise home cellars or collections stored with other merchants as well. These wines help us build a broad and diverse list, giving customers access to an exciting range of mature and often hard-to-find bottles.

One thing I’ve noticed, which reflects the wider culture at Corney & Barrow, is the importance placed on relationships. Whether working with buyers or sellers, there is a genuine emphasis on building long-term relationships and offering a personal service.

Q) What has been your favourite wine experience so far and why?

Wine trips are always special and perhaps slightly too obvious an answer, although I did have an absolute blast on our Verona trip last year!
More generally though, I think my favourite experiences are always centred around the conviviality that wine creates — long lunches, dinners, Paulee-style evenings or generous BYO occasions where great bottles are shared among friends and colleagues. Over the past few years there have been some truly special wines opened that will stay with me for a long time. Another standout moment was earlier this year, when many of us had the opportunity to taste a very special Grand Cru Monopole from a recent release. It felt like one of those core wine memories that stays with you. Safe to say the spittoons were not seeing much use that afternoon.

Q) When you are not selling or tasting wine, what might we find you doing?

Probably wandering around a French, Italian or Spanish supermarket — genuinely one of my favourite places to be. I could easily lose hours in one.
Alongside wine, food is a huge passion of mine. I love cooking and trying different cuisines, and holidays with my young family are always something we look forward to. We’re usually planning the next trip not long after the previous one has ended. Writing is also something I keep telling myself I want to dedicate more time to, and recently I’ve been making a conscious effort to read more as well. I like mixing genres, so I’m always happy to take recommendations!