Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection. [...] It offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.
Education and Work Experience relating to Specialising in Fine Wine & Spirits
Important Milestones
Already at a young age, I got the opportunity to visit many Old World wine regions. I became intrigued by the industry and especially by how much fine wine makers believe in their products.
As postgraduate, I spent an exchange semester at Kedge BS in Bordeaux. I studied Global Wine Business, became involved in the school’s wine association – allowing me to weekly visit a château and attend wine tastings – and wrote an individual project on “Bordeaux Wine Producers and a Changing Global Market – Special Focus on the Chinese Market”.
2013 I Château Giscours
2014 I CHâteau Pape clément
To capitalise on what I had learnt, I ended up writing my master’s thesis on fine wine distribution. I was awarded a Master Thesis Research Scholarship by my home university, enabling me to spend more time in Bordeaux.
My field research on the En Primeur system includes interviews with châteaux, courtiers and négociants in the Bordeaux region as well as fine wine merchants in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and Estonia. I attended the UGC Primeur 2013 tastings as well as private château visits, tastings and dinners. Despite the peculiarity and confidentiality of the fine wine industry, I received insightful answers to my research questions.
The thesis resulted in an offer to join Cordier Mestrezat Grands Crus’ marketing department – a bicentenary fine wine trading house owned by TAG Heuer at the time. Among other things, I managed marketing programmes, developed key presentations to improve company performance among a new consumer (VIP) target and a business plan for granting a licence in Macau, organised CMGC’s bicentenary event, in collaboration with McLaren Automotive, and represented the company at Masterpiece London.
Having attended many auctions growing up, it felt like a natural next step to spend the late summer at Christie’s Wine & Spirits department in London when the opportunity arose. I gained hands-on experience in how to offer unparalleled service and value fine wine. Later the same year, I was invited to partake in the 155th Hospices de Beaune charity auction in Burgundy together with the team at Christie’s.
2014 I Cordier Mestrezat grands crus
2017 I ISLAY
In my previous and current role, I have managed complex projects and initiatives, from concept design to successful completion, with some of the main players in the sector and had a client-facing role at trade shows, such as TFWA, Vinexpo and Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair. I have found it stimulating to work closely with brand managers and internal design teams on how to better position Wine & Spirits brands.
I keep pursuing my interest by completing WSET courses in Wines, Spirits and Sake at Berry Bros. & Rudd and the WSET School in London. I also take every opportunity I get to travel to regions where wine is made or spirits distilled, and have recently visited Bordeaux, Champagne, Cognac, Cotswolds, Islay, Porto, Madeira and Åhus (Absolut Vodka).