I stumbled into the world of wine relatively late in life. I was always one of those people who enjoyed drinking it but would say ‘I know nothing about wine’. That was until we moved to London from Switzerland in 2013 and discovered an amazing wine shop and wine bar in Acton owned by a couple who would become great friends, Paola Tich and Mike Taylor. Not only was Paola determined to uncover great value, delicious wines, but her passion for introducing customers like me to what I considered ‘new things’ was an inspiration. As I started to experience and understand new aromas and flavours, I was fascinated by the subtle differences that could be made by a vine being planted on a slightly sunnier slope, or by a winemaker’s choice of ageing their wine in old French oak barrels vs. new American oak ones. The possibilities were endless and mind blowing.
Before their wine adventures, Paola and Mike had ‘proper jobs’, as I did at the time. For over 20 years I’d been a corporate investigator, including for Diageo and the International Federation of Spirits Producers, then I worked for a small company which created training for customers like Google. But I wanted to leave corporate life, so I started studying for my WSET wine exams, with a plan to eventually work in wine and maybe even own a wine bar & shop of my own.
When I moved back to Hove in 2021, I volunteered at 9 Vines to build on my wine knowledge, and to learn about the wine trade from Marc. In 2023 I left corporate life for good, and went to work for a fine wine company in Brighton. In 2024, Marc told me he was thinking of selling 9 Vines, and asked if I’d be interested in taking it on, and in October 2024 my dream became a reality!
I stumbled into the world of wine relatively late in life. I was always one of those people who enjoyed drinking it but would say ‘I know nothing about wine’. That was until we moved to London from Switzerland in 2013 and discovered an amazing wine shop and wine bar in Acton owned by a couple who would become great friends, Paola Tich and Mike Taylor. Not only was Paola determined to uncover great value, delicious wines, but her passion for introducing customers like me to what I considered ‘new things’ was an inspiration. As I started to experience and understand new aromas and flavours, I was fascinated by the subtle differences that could be made by a vine being planted on a slightly sunnier slope, or by a winemaker’s choice of ageing their wine in old French oak barrels vs. new American oak ones. The possibilities were endless and mind blowing.
Before their wine adventures, Paola and Mike had ‘proper jobs’, as I did at the time. For over 20 years I’d been a corporate investigator, including for Diageo and the International Federation of Spirits Producers, then I worked for a small company which created training for customers like Google. But I wanted to leave corporate life, so I started studying for my WSET wine exams, with a plan to eventually work in wine and maybe even own a wine bar & shop of my own.
When I moved back to Hove in 2021, I volunteered at 9 Vines to build on my wine knowledge, and to learn about the wine trade from Marc. In 2023 I left corporate life for good, and went to work for a fine wine company in Brighton. In 2024, Marc told me he was thinking of selling 9 Vines, and asked if I’d be interested in taking it on, and in October 2024 my dream became a reality!