Richard Siddle

Mags Jango on Coulure & creating a neighbourhood London wine bar

“I love the challenge of making great wine with as little intervention as possible…At Kosta Browne we put so much time energy and resources into growing the partnering with the best vineyard sites that I think it’s important to showcase that purity and quality in the glass without alterations.” That’s how Julien Howsepian explains his winemaking philosophy and approach to making wine at multi-award-winning Californian producer Kosta Browne , with a growing number of prestige wines being made in multiple regions across the state. The estate, which is part of the Duckhorn Portfolio , is now working in the UK with Top Selection , to widen its distribution in the premium on and off-trade.

As the clock ticks down for the November 30 deadline for drinks producers, importers and retailers to take advantage of early bird pricing to enter the London Competitions for wines and spirits we take a look at what makes these events a true test of which brands and products are leading the way in the drinks industry. These are still the only international drinks awards that judge wines and spirits in the same way consumers buy them: by quality; value for money; and what they look like on shelf and on a back bar.

"Consistency is everything. Stay disciplined, never lose focus, and always listen carefully to the feedback of Master Sommeliers.” Those are the key steps you need to take if you have a chance of joining the select few that can call themselves a Master Sommelier, according to Sotiris Neofytidis, who can also lay claim to being the first sommelier from Cyprus to get the accreditation. Here he shares his story of why he wanted to be a sommelier and what he thinks it takes to be one of the best in the world.

“We’re not traditional winemakers. We’re not picnic kind of people, visits to the opera don’t really float our boat and we avoid the mainstream. We love festivals, clubs, independent businesses and always banging wine.” Welcome to The Heretics , a new English wine company set up by two friends, UK wine professional Gareth Maxwell and advertising executive, Jimmy Hunter that want to, in their words, “amp” things up, do things differently and shake up the English wine scene. Here they explain how.

“We are genuinely grain to glass, and that bloody-minded commitment to doing everything ourselves has been expensive and exhausting, but it defines us.” That’s how founder and owner Phil Simpson describes the dedication he and his team take to producing a range of award-winning English whiskies, gins, vodkas and beers at both the Lancaster Spirits Company and Lancaster Brewery. “Quality,” he adds, “comes from patience, consistency and care” and that’s what it looks to deliver in every product it makes.

What have Amazon, Guinness, Apple, Facebook, Red Bull and KFC got in common? They have all used extensive behavioural science techniques to get consumers to buy an awful lot of their products and services. Techniques that behavioural science expert Richard Shotton uses every day working with major brands that he has summarised in his new book, Hacking the Human Mind , that he has written in conjunction with leading US entrepreneur MichaelAaron Flicker. Here Shotton explains how the book can act as a guide to all brands and businesses on how behavioural science works and how some of the world’s biggest brands would not have succeeded without them.

It seems every online wine business has some version of a subscription club you can sign up to. You are probably part of one. Or two. But how effective are they? How loyal and interested are their club members? Here Justin Howard-Sneyd MW explains how his DTC model and “Wine Club” for his Domaine of the Bee wine business in France has become fundamental to its success and why working with Marzipan , the dedicated drinks subscription platform, has been crucial in taking what it can do with, and for, its club members to another level. 

Even with 21 harvests under his belt the highly respected Australian winemaker, Mac Forbes , still believes “we need a few more years to really become resilient as a business”. That’s just how hard it is and how committed you need to be to your beliefs, vision and dedication as a winemaker to really make your mark as Mac Forbes and his wines have in helping promote the Yarra Valley and Victoria wine region. Here he explains his winemaking philosophy and why he still looking for the next perfect plot to plant vines and make wine.

It takes a lot of hard work, grit and determination to pass the strenuous streneous Master Sommelier exams. It's why it's such a honour and major accolade for every new Master Sommelier to achieve. It also takes a lot of perseverance as Stephen Towler explains in the latest in our series profiling this year's sommeliers who have achieved MS status. It was not until his eighth attempt - spread over a number of years - that he finally passed all three elements of the MS exam. He shares his story and offers his advice on how to get over the MS finishing line.