“It has been an incredible decade. Greek wine has evolved faster than I could have imagined.” Yiannis Karakasis MW sets the scene for his Great Greek Wines tasting to be held in London on October 19. Here he explains what to expect at the event www.the-buyer.net/people/yiann...

The Buyer | Yiannis Karakasis MW on taking Great Greek Wines to another level

“It has been an incredible decade. Greek wine has evolved faster than I could have imagined.” It’s within that context that Greek wine expert,Yiannis Karakasis MW, proudly presents the latest set of w...

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The finalists have been named who will take part in the Copa Jerez UK 2026 on September 28 at The Orrery by Pierre Minotti where they will be tasked to make their sherry paired recipes in front of the jury pictured below who chose the final 3 chef & sommelier teams www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | UK jury picks the three finalists to compete in Copa Jerez UK 2026

The finalists have been announced in the prestigious Copa Jerez 2026 who will now go forward to the UK final to be held at Orrery by Pierre Minotti later this month. The three UK finalists were se...

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Sustainability in Drinks has become a must attend 1 day event for anyone focused on sustainability in their businesses.Judy Kendrick looks at the issues SID plans to cover at its October event and sets out the ways in which companies and individuals can get involved www.the-buyer.net/conference/w...

The Buyer | Why Sustainability in Drinks has become such a must attend event

“Come for what you need today, leave knowing what we all need for tomorrow.” That’s the central theme around which next month’s Sustainability in Drinks event hopes to help set the agenda for how the ...

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David Cartwright' new consultancy business - Cartwright.Wine - wants to help producers, suppliers & buyers do business with each other. He sets out the key services he can offer gleaned from 40 years in senior sales and development roles across top wine importers www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

Brothers Tom & Lawrence Baynham & cousin Harry Baynham have created a beer they believe has the quality to stand alongside a fine wine on a restaurant table. Here Harry Baynyham explains how they are using Chardonnay yeast to create a complex English sparkling beer www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How Chorus wants to create a new “wine lover’s beer” category

No matter how good quality a premium beer might be, it always plays second fiddle once the wine list comes out around a restaurant table. But why should that be the case? That was the question that br...

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Réza Nahaboo, head sommelier at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, explains in detail the level of effort and the sacrifices you need to make both in your professional and personal life if you want to reach the top and become a Master Sommelier on The Buyer www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Réza Nahaboo on the sacrifices needed to be a Master Sommelier

“When you see all that accumulation of effort come to fruition, it’s an indescribable joy. But it’s really the fact of pushing yourself that is the most striking and unforgettable part.” Réza Nahaboo,...

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@robertjoseph.bsky.social sets out why he believes a “blinkered” wine industry is increasingly in trouble and why he remains committed to try and find solutions to help it on The Buyer www.the-buyer.net/people/rober...

The Buyer | Robert Joseph on finding solutions for a “blinkered” wine industry

Robert Joseph’s status as one of the wine industry’s most in demand international wine consultants is thanks, in part, to his success with the French wine brand, Le Grand Noir , and his innovative mu...

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If you are going to a dinner party this weekend what is the ultimate wine to take with you that your hosts and fellow guests are going to enjoy? Is a South African Chardonnay a safer bet than an Argentinian Malbec? Corkable's Tom Planer has the answer. www.the-buyer.net/opinion/tom-...

Amanda Barnes MW is launching a Top 10 initiative where she picks out the best wines from South American countries. She's starting with a Top 10 Uruguay Wines report that she's launching at a tasting & masterclass in London on September 3. Here's what to expect www.the-buyer.net/people/amand...

Suvad Zlatic shares his story of how it has taken him 12 years to fulfil his ambition to become a Master Sommelier. He explains the level of training & dedication needed, but also how the whole process has made him a better person, and also hopefully can help other www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Suvad Zlatic on fulfilling his career ambition to be a Master Sommelier

Suvad Zlatic is a great example of how hospitality gives everyone the opportunity to start at the bottom and move your way through your career to the top. Here he shares his story of how it has taken ...

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No other UK wine distributor does more promote Californian wine than Roberson Wine. The Buyer talks to Guy Young and Rory Benham about its Californian portfolio, its partnership with California Wines & how it is working with Silver Oak to build its UK distribution www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

The Buyer | Why Roberson’s premium California wine strategy sets it apart

If you could twin wine importers with the region they are most well known for representing then Roberson Wine could very well have a “Welcome to California” sign over its front door. Over the last 2...

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Gemma Wills is a proven widely experienced commercial team leader in the wine industry who is now looking for a new role. She shares what skills she thinks she can bring to a business & why team building and bringing out the best in people is key to her success www.the-buyer.net/people/onwar...

The Buyer | Onwards & Upwards: Gem Wills on being part of a 'new success' story

“If someone is looking for a well experienced, knowledgeable senior leader who can take the rough with the smooth, who’s strategic, ambitious, caring and can get shit done, I’m in.” That in a sentence...

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Next month’s WineGB tasting on September 7 will be a chance to drill into the commercial opportunities and realities now dictating where the English & Welsh wine sector goes next. Here WineGB’s ceo Nicola Bates, sets out what you can expect at the tasting www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How WineGB tasting will showcase English wine’s commercial potential

Next month’s national WineGB trade and press tasting on September 7 will not only be a showcase that presents the best and latest award-winning still and sparkling wines from English and Welsh wine ...

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Being able to buy alcohol through major AI channels remains limited but that's likely to change. Jordan Brannon, co-founder of Coalition Technologies, sets out the steps companies should be taking to safeguard against how AI-driven e-commerce is managed & protected. www.the-buyer.net/opinion/how-...

As part of the IWSC Trusted Distributors initiative Lucy Shaw talks to Boutinot Wines' Alex Gittins, about its own extensive winemaking activities, promoting wines from lesser-known regions & what it is doing to tackle the challenges facing wine importers www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

The Buyer | IWSC Top Distributors: Boutinot on thriving in a challenging climate

As part of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s ‘Trusted Distributors’ initiative, which highlights UK importers whose portfolios contain multiple IWSC award-winning wines from around the w...

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The Buyer pays our respect to Matthew Jukes by sharing an article from 2018 about the impact his love for Australian wine has had that hopefully captures some of his talent, passion and expertise that has left the trade so saddened by the news of his passing. www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

The Buyer | Buyer Rewind: Why we have 100 reasons to thank Matthew Jukes

The world of wine was rocked with the news that Matthew Jukes has died whilst on holiday with his family last week in Portugal. The tributes and memories that have been shared on social media over the...

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With over 30 years of experience in the wine trade Mimi Avery has a new events, tastings, speaking, consultancy business, MimiAvery.com. She explains how she is as comfortable talking to NATO leaders as she is wines from classic Old World wine regions on The Buyer. www.the-buyer.net/people/mimi-...

Mimi Avery

Tailored experiences, with me. I bring knowledge and insight to audiences of all levels of wine interest.

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A successsful sommelier has to be in close contact with the chef to ensure the wines they list work in tandem with the dishes on a venue’s menu. That’s the approach Robert Patla takes in his head sommelier role at the The Pentonbridge Inn in Penton in Cumbria www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Robert Patla on combining wine & fine dining at Pentonbridge Inn

If a head sommelier is to create and run a successful wine operation they need to be in close contact with the chef to ensure the choices they make about which wines they list work in tandem with any ...

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When Isaac Cider lost most of its supply contracts during Covid it decided to create its craft cider brand built on authenticity & provenance. Rollo Wood explains how Isaac Cider taps into a growing demand for products with both story and substancefor the on-trade www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How Isaac Cider is flying the flag for authentic West Country craft cider

When Rollo Wood lost his family orchard’s long-standing supply contracts during Covid, it could have marked the end of a third generation farming legacy. Instead, it became the catalyst for something ...

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What makes California's Orin Swift’s wines so, well, iconic? Richard Siddle analyses and breaks down the story behind key wines in the Orin Swift range to determine what they each offer the premium on and off-trade, and why they might deserve a place on your list. www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | What gives Orin Swift’s individual wines their iconic status

“We’re always challenging ourselves. We don’t have competitors - we compete with ourselves.” That’s the business mantra that has driven Dave Phinney since he started the Californian Orin Swift Cellar...

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New #ProWein director Frank Schindler explains how he's reinventing the show based on how many buyers it can attract vs how many stands it can sell. A strategy that will see it restrict exhibitor numbers in a bid to become No 1 European wine & spirits trade show www.the-buyer.net/people/frank...

The Buyer | Frank Schindler on re-inventing ProWein as Europe’s No 1 show

You only had to spend a few hours at this year’s ProWein to see just how far and fast many in the global wine and spirits industry had voted with their feet and decided not to exhibit or visit the s...

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Christelle Guibert the new owner of #UKSommelierofTheYear explains the amount of work that happens before a sommelier enters the event & changes she's made to ensure it's both challenging and fair & still the highest accolade for any sommelier in UK hospitality www.the-buyer.net/awards/chris...

The Buyer | Christelle Guibert on taking UK Sommelier of the Year to a new level

"By the time competitors step onto the stage, months of planning, testing and collaboration have gone into creating an experience that is fair, relevant and worthy of the title of UK Sommelier of the...

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Freixenet Copestick & Bolney Wine Estate have ripped up its vines & replanted with Champagne varieties in a bid to become one of England’s top sparkling wine producers. Emma Hodges explains why this reflects the enormous changes taking place across English wine www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How Bolney has dug up its past to plant for the future of English wine

As business decisions go deciding to rip up all your vines and start again with different varieties capable of making completely different wines is amongst the bravest you can make. But that is exactl...

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After a day of intense competition Emma Denney, director of wine at Claridge's’s, was crowned #UKSommelieroftheYear 2026. Roger Jones was at St John’s Church, Waterloo to share his experiences on what it's like to watch a sommelier competition live on The Buyer. www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Roger Jones on what it’s like to see UK Sommelier of the Year live

After a day of intense competition Emma Denney, director of wine at Claridge’s , was crowned UK Sommelier of the Year 2026 earlier in the month in what turned out to be a record breaking contest wi...

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The new partnership between North South Wines & DGB has also brought two like-minded business leaders together - North South's Kim Wilson & DGB’s Tim Hutchinson. Here's how they hope to build DGB's UK sales & help drive the overall South African wine category www.the-buyer.net/people/why-n...

The Buyer | Why North South Wines & DGB are a formidable partnership

Over the last 10 years UK wine importer, North South Wines and major South African wine producer, DGB, have been on a similar growth trajectory - one that has eventually brought them together in a...

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The London Wine Competition 2027 has revealed its line up of judges for what will be the 10th anniversary of the awards with a panel of top wine professional judges that reflects the esteem the event is now held. We reveal the judges taking part on The Buyer. www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer talks to leading wine training and wine educational bodies about the impact the investment from Champagne Laurent-Perrier gives them in the work they are able to do and what specific initiatives it is able to support. www.the-buyer.net/people/part-...

The Buyer | Part 2: Training & educational bodies back Laurent-Perrier support

“Without the support of Laurent-Perrier , we simply would not be able to run this programme.” That’s how Romané Basset, co-founding trustee of the Gérard Basset Foundation , describes the importance...

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The Buyer's Richard Siddle was able to taste the new vintages anywhere in the world at a UK exclusive tasting with Penfolds’ chief winemaker, Peter Gago of Penfolds Collection 2026. Here he tries to put into words what tasting the new Penfolds Collection is like. www.the-buyer.net/tasting/wine...

The Buyer | Celebrating 75 years of Grange with Penfolds 2026 Collection

In wine terms the launch of the new Penfolds Collection is up with their latest film release of Christopher Nolan, or a new album from the Rolling Stones. This year we have had all three. What they ...

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Laurent-Perrier wants to invest in future generations of the wine industry by working with educational & training bodies & give them the support they need. LP's Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt explains how it wants advance the careers of future wine leaders www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How Laurent-Perrier is supporting the next generation of wine talent

As well as its outstanding commitment to producing the finest Champagnes, Laurent-Perrier also wants to use its position to help share its passion for excellence and authenticity by investing in the...

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Matilda Tsappis on moving into hospitality to co-own with her husband Tom Killiecrankie House in Perthshire, Scotland & turning it into a Michelin star restaurant and training to be a head sommelier for the first time and reaching 20 in the Top 100 Sommliers. www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Matilda Tsappis on what it takes to be a Top 100 Sommelier

Coming up with creative solutions that matched the needs of her clients in her former career in advertising has proved to be a good grounding for Matilda Tsappis as she moved into hospitality and, wit...

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