My winelife

22 June

Herbert Hall

Guest speaker: Nicholas Hall

Herbert Hall is a four-hectare gravel and clay vineyard at Marden in Kent. Described by owner Nick Hall as a ‘garagiste’ operation,

it produces between 15,000 and 20,000 bottles of traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.

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Nick along with lead winemaker Kirsty Smith make some outstanding boutique wine. When he’s not making his own wine, Nick is also the winemaker for HRH Prince Charles’ Highgrove fizz. When he’s not making his own wine, Nick is also the winemaker for HRH Prince Charles’ Highgrove fizz.

Nick used to be a journalist in London but decided to put away his typewriter and head back home to his grandfather's hop farm in Kent. Since hops had sadly more or less become a thing of the past, Nick decided to have a go at viticulture instead.

He took up training at Plumpton College. Peter Morgan (ex-lecturer Plumpton College) also helps out with the winemaking.

Zelda Molenaar

Host 

'' Wine is for everybody to enjoy''

- My Winelife

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The host of this webinar is Zelda Molenaar , creator of My Winelife,

an all-round wine community for wine lovers all over the world. On a daily basis Zelda writes articles for winemakers, wine stores and wine professionals. Every Monday she interviews wine professionals from across the globe.

Roberto Zanca

Guest

After working in London in the hospitality industry, Roberto decided to throw his lot in and take a hospitality degree, and his interest in wine blossomed. Returning to

London, he worked for a number of independent restaurants, where he cultivated his knowledge through completing wine courses, including both the WSET Diploma and the CMS Advanced Sommelier Certificate. He currently works for

Hotel du Vin, overseeing the group wine list.

Jess Kildetoft MS

Guest

Jess Kildetoft is wine director for international restaurant group Copenhagen Concepts.

 He has previously worked as a sommelier for some of the UK’s most respected fine dining establishments, including L’Ortolan in Berkshire, and Alyn Williams at the Westbury in Mayfair. After many hours of study, he became the 235th person to achieve the Master Sommelier Diploma in 2016.

29  June

Exton Park

Guest speaker: Corinne Seeley

Exton Park Vineyard is an award-winning English Sparkling Wine producer located in Hampshire’s South Downs National Park, just outside Winchester. The 60 acre single-vineyard is planted on pure chalk soils, producing vibrant, complex and mineral wines with a distinctive style and complexity. Their wines have been awarded multiple gold medals and are listed in some of the finest restaurants around the UK. As a true single-estate producer, with complete control over the entire production process, Exton Park’s focus is on quality, provenance, and terroir expression.

​Corinne Seely has been at the core of the Exton Park project from the beginning, and brings with her a wealth of winemaking knowledge across many different countries, regions and terroirs. Having designed the winery to cater specifically for the amount of fruit that the vineyard produces, she pioneered the Non-vintage philosophy; building up a library of Reserve Wines dating from 2011.’

David Burlton

Host 

David is a sommelier who is passionate about English and Welsh wine. During the lockdown he has built on his experience as a judge at WineGB Awards 2018 to

co-found Vinarchy In The UK. Though some might argue that he has expensive tastes, David’s interests also include Champagne, and he plans to move to the

idyllic town of Épernay to learn about these noble wines. David completed the WSET Diploma in 2019.

Coralie Strong

Guest

Coralie started her company Every Glass Matters to allow individuals to develop their knowledge at a pace that suits their own lifestyle.

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Her fascination and love of wine didn’t stem from one sole defining,

revelatory moment but rather a combination of events and people that made her who she is today.

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After studying at the University of Leeds, Coralie continued to explore

the science of wine with a masters in Viticulture and Oenology. She has also completed the WSET

Diploma, and is hoping to start the MW programme soon.

Michael Palij MW

Guest

Michael Palij is an adventurer, entrepreneur, and Master of Wine. A Canadian, Michael emigrated to the UK in 1989 after reading English and Philosophy at the University of Toronto and began his career in the British wine trade with legendary retailer, Oddbins. He was admitted to the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1995 at the age of 29. In 1992 Michael was appointed buyer for a chain of independent shops and made his first visit to Italy the same year. He promptly fell in love with both the country and its wines and established the import agency, Winetraders, which continues to import Italian wines from more than a dozen regions; its success has prompted expansion into both Spain and Germany.

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6 July

Henners

Guest speaker: Nigel Wilkinson MS

Based just 4 miles from the sea in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, the 7acre vineyard was created in 2007 by ex-Formula One engineer, Lawrence Warr. Boutinot were the sole distributor of Henners from this time and developed strong ties with the winery and its wines… so when the opportunity arose 10 years later to buy the estate, they jumped at the chance.

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All Henners wines are hand-crafted from start to finish; with separate fermenting of varietals and their vine clones to allow a broader range of wines for final blending; extended lees ageing for added complexity; and holding back of all bottles for at least 3 years prior to release to add depth and richness to every wine.

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Nigel Wilkinson MS DipWSET

is the Brand Ambassador & Senior Wine Educator for Boutinot. Nigel passed the WSET Diploma in 1996, he became a Master Sommelier in 2005, and now teaches and examines for both the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and the Court of Master Sommeliers. Before entering the wine trade, he was named ‘UK Young Wine Server of the Year’ and was also twice runner-up in the ‘UK Sommelier of the Year Competition’. Nigel has also worked during the harvest in wineries located in the Yarra Valley & Pipers River (Australia), Gevrey Chambertin (France) and East Sussex (England).

Zelda Molenaar

Host 

'' Wine is for everybody to enjoy''

- My Winelife

​

The host of this webinar is Zelda Molenaar , creator of My Winelife,

an all-round wine community for wine lovers all over the world. On a daily basis Zelda writes articles for winemakers, wine stores and wine professionals. Every Monday she interviews wine professionals from all across the globe.

Fred Dex MS

Guest

Fred Dex’s career as a wine and beverage professional spans nearly two decades. He is currently one of only 236 Master Sommeliers in the World. 

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Fred is one of the leading Wine & Beverage Consultants and Wine Education Experts in the US. Over the past decade, Fred has built an incredible array of diverse clients.

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He has offered his expertise and experience to many of the world’s leading wine publications as a taster, commentator, contributor and panellist. His credits include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Wine and Spirits, Wine Spectator, Beverage Media, Food Arts, Sommelier Journal and Wine Enthusiast.

Martynas Pravilonis

Guest

Martynas Pravilonis is a wine and spirits professional working in the field since 2007. He holds the WSET Diploma as well as the CMS Certified Sommelier Certificate, and is aiming for Advanced Sommelier certification in the near future.

Martynas successfully competes in both Lithuanian and international sommelier competitions, winning the Lithuanian Sommelier Championship three times and

Baltic Sommelier Championship twice.

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In 2019 he reached the semi-finals of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition, finishing in 4th place.

13 July

Laneberg Wine

Guest speaker: Elise Lane

The Winery by Laneberg Wine is the first on Tyneside, and the furthest north in

England. In 2019 the first vintage of The Winery Bacchus won medals at both the

International Wine and Spirits Competition and WineGB Awards.

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Winemaker and Co-Founder Elise Lane grew up in Newcastle and moved away in

1999 to study Chemistry at Oxford. She then moved to London and worked for a

big four accountancy firm in corporate finance (where she met husband Nick). There she undertook wine related qualifications at the WSET, but was always drawn to winemaking (and its chemistry!).

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After their first son Max was born, she

committed full time to winemaking and studied a PGDip at Plumpton College. It

was a bold move that has brought reward.

Kelvyn Guest

Host 

Kelvyn Guest is the owner and creator of Guest Wines, a North East based wine specialist bringing a range of exclusive and high-quality wines to both trade and private customers. He is adroitly assisted in this enterprise by his partner, Ruth.

Francesco Marzola

Guest

Francesco Marzola, already holder of the Best Sommelier of the Nordics 2018 title, has added another trophy to his collection: Best Sommelier of Norway 2020. 

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Marzola intends to use the competition in precisely the way the ASI’s Sommelier Contest Committee intends: as a springboard to greater skill and qualification as a working sommelier. Speaking of his future, Marzola noted: “since I already won the Best Sommelier of the Nordic competition, I can not compete there anymore, so my goal is to compete in the upcoming Best Sommelier of the World competition in France in 2022. I have also already applied for a slot in the Master Sommelier exam, probably in 2022 because of the waiting list. So that is my goal — to be the first MS of Norway.”

Oliver Lea

Guest

Oliver Lea is Managing Director and Co-Founder at The BIB Wine Company, a landmark wine business at the forefront of the bag-in-box format. Oliver and the BIB team have put together a range of wines from small independents that very much reflect taste and artisanship over status. These are sustainable wines for the modern bag-in-box consumer.