We caught up with the founder of Oxford Wine Festival to find out more about this year's event - plus how he turned a love of wine into a career, and why this festival has something for all wine drinkers (no knowledge required!).
Daily Info: What is special about this year's Oxford Wine Festival?
CB: After having to cancel last year's festival, and the general turmoil and anxiety of the last 18 months, it feels incredibly special just to be able to hold the festival again this year! Our exhibitors and attendees are all super keen too, so we're looking forward to a really fun event, and hopefully something that signals that normality is returning to our lives. Obviously we have had to make a few changes to this year's festival - increased cleaning and ventilation, the encouraging of face masks where possible, etc - but we don't think these will impact on the festival enjoyment too much. Because lots of winemakers and merchants haven't been able to get out and meet customers much recently we've got a fantastic list of exhibitors this year too - over 400 wines from 23 countries, including many top global vineyards. It's a really nice spread of different wines and wine styles, so people will be able to find something they love no matter what their taste.
Daily Info: Being the director of a wine festival sounds like a brilliant but unusual job - how did you turn wine into a career?
CB: Like a lot of people in the wine world, I sort of entered it sideways. I've always been a bit of a foodie, but while at University I worked for a charity in the country of Georgia in the Caucasus, and fell in love with their food and wine culture. When I left university I set up a small company importing Georgian wines, which I ran alongside a day job running events for a publishing company in Oxford. Gradually I learnt more and more about wine, and starting visiting wine festivals myself. I remember that the Budapest Wine Festival was particularly fun, and after returning from that one year I decided that I would try to set up my own version. I live around Oxford, and the city seemed perfect for this sort of event. I knew about how to run an event, and a bit about wine, so I just decided to give it a try! That was in 2014, and the event has now grown a lot bigger, and I have a much better idea of what I'm doing!
Daily Info: Many people love wine, but feel a bit out of depth once they've decided between Pinot and Prosecco - what can non wine-buffs gain by coming to Oxford Wine Festival?
CB: There's no escaping the fact that wine can be very confusing, and sometimes it seems like this is done on purpose! That's a real shame, because wine is one of the great joys in life (at least as far as I'm concerned!), and it shouldn't be so hard to track down wines and wine styles you love. Fortunately the trend in the wine world these days is very much towards demystifying wine, and making it more approachable and accessible, so I think a lot of the pomposity and exclusivity is receding fast. The great thing about a wine festival is that it cuts out all the guesswork from finding those wines you like, and it lets you find out more about wine in an environment that is as fun and relaxed as possible. You can chat to the wine merchants and winemakers, sample the wines, find out what you like, and why, and this all helps you navigate wine better in the future. No-one needs an encyclopaedic knowledge of wine, but a little bit of knowledge and confidence about wine can go a very long way to helping you find a lot more enjoyment in it.