Our Authors

Originally a sommelier – and a journalist in a previous life – Gergely joined Bibendum after years spent at Gordon Ramsay group and a year detour at Sager and Wilde. He is now part of the Bibendum Fine Wine Sales team and a Business Development Executive. As a side project G makes wine in his native Hungary, a dry Furmint from Tokaj to be precise. Follow him @gergelywine.

Born into the world of wine, Elona grew up on a wine farm in South Africa. After graduating from the University of Stellenbosch with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology, she completed a couple of harvests before joining South Africa’s producer-focused magazine WineLand as journalist. A move to London meant a new adventure and Elona joined Bibendum’s marketing team to head up brand communications.

Douglas Blyde is a drinks consultant, party planner and presenter to brands, banks and a media mogul, as well as columnist for ES magazine. He has been recognised by The Spear’s 500 as one of the most influential wine personalities in the UK. Follow him @douglasblyde

Richard is an award-winning business journalist. Former editor of Harpers Wine & Spirit he now runs his own website (The-Buyer.net), looking at trends and analysis of the premium On Trade. He also produces a fortnightly insights newsletter on the global wine industry called Grapevine for the London Wine Fair. You can follow him at @richardsiddle.

From her uni wine 'tasting' society to studying for her WSET, Sophia has long had a fondness for all things vinous. So after a few years developing her marketing skills in the financial services industry, she decided to mix business with pleasure by moving into the wine trade. Now she writes, instagrams and podcasts about Bibendum’s portfolio of wines and the fascinating people who make them.

Born where the Rhine and Mosel meets, Christina is a proper wine and spirits geek, with a particular love of Riesling (perhaps unsurprisingly). While starting out as a professional horse trainer – and taking a detour while studying maths – she’s spent the last 18 years working in hospitality, running both bars and restaurants in Berlin, Paris and London, notably at Happiness Forgets and Som Saa.

Jess cut her teeth in the drinks industry throwing muddlers around behind the bar at Be At One. After a brief stint as an education journalist she found her way back to booze in the rather more sophisticated arena of wine, and was shown the ropes by the very best wine educators at Bibendum.

After graduating with a degree in Music from the University of Cambridge, Robert felt suitably qualified to join the world of wine. Working with Bibendum for over four years now, Robert looks after the buying for France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Eastern Europe, Lebanon, China and Sake. He is currently studying for his Master of Wine qualification.

A gastronomic love affair began young, when this caviar adoring child ended up chasing Michelin stars as an adolescent. Many meals later, a wine obsession grew. Now she’s learning fast and delving into the wine world with ambition and a great passion, writing, taking pictures and tasting where she can. @lottiejlevy

Christina is a wine writer and consultant based in London. She travels the world looking for winemakers that champion unique vineyard sites and produce authentic, minimal intervention wines, conveying their stories to various publications, predominantly The Buyer and Sprudge Wine. She has a particular interest in lesser-known grape varieties and ampelography.

Coralie is a wine blogger who writes for a number of online wine sites including Every Glass Matters and Drinks Retailer News. Currently studying for an MSc in Viticulture and Oenology, her goal is to make wine easy for everyone to understand and to keep it fun, especially for millennials. You can find her work on a number of sites or via her Instagram @everyglassmatters.

Growing up in a family restaurant, wine and food were always bound to be a passion for Tori. She found her love for wine while living in South Africa, making days trips to the plush wine farms of Stellenbosch for tastings. So after moving up the ladder in a leading London communications agency, she made the move to Bibendum to head up PR.

Michael opened Bibendum's first On Trade account way back in 1985. Fast forward 30 odd years and today he's our CEO. Keep up with his latest industry thoughts in his monthly blog on topics from English wine to Mindful winemaking.

Growing up between the Prosecco hills and the Soave region, Lara has always been fascinated by the world of wine and the happiness it can bring when sitting around a table. So, after coming to London for her studies, she has joined the marketing team and is now growing her knowledge every day by creating content, meeting producers and taking part in masterclasses.

After studying Classics at university, Jess discovered wine while working for an Italian restaurant and developed a particular passion for Barolo. Now you’ll find her organising Bibendum events from suppers clubs to tastings. Her favourite wines in our portfolio at the moment are German Rieslings.

Willie has been in the wine trade for a very long time. When he started in the late 70s, nobody had heard of New World wine, let alone 'natural' wine! He is entirely self-taught and has pretty strong views on everything, particularly where taste is concerned. Willie has spent the last 30 years with Bibendum where he has effectively worked in buying, sales, marketing, PR, and lots more.

Having spent childhood summers trekking through Italian vineyards, Elisa’s love of wine started at a young age. After a few stints working in pubs across the UK, she realised she could try far more samples working in a wine company, and landed at Bibendum two years ago. Now, she spends her days looking after digital marketing: writing, posting on social media, and everything in between.

With a degree in Journalism under her belt, Julia joined Bibendum over nine years ago, working as a wine educator for several year before taking the reins and heading up our customer training department in 2015. She completed her WSET Diploma in 2013, and splits her time between managing the team, alongside sharing her knowledge and passion for wine (particularly anything from Italy).

After completing a degree in Theatre Design, Jamie decided to put down his pencils and paintbrushes to spend three years teaching in Japan. Upon his return, he decided to pursue his love for wine by embarking on his WSET qualifications. Having recently completed his WSET Diploma, he has joined Bibendum as a Wine Educator to share his passion for all things vinous.

With a BA in International Politics, Emily moved into hospitality management where she gained great experience across a number of iconic pub and bar groups. She joined Bibendum over six years ago. At the weekend, you'll find her drinking a crisp glass of Albarino while cheering on her local rugby team, Blackheath.

Gab found a love for wine (and winery dogs) during her years on the hospitality scene around Australia. The desire to dip her toes into a bigger wine and hospitality industry drove her to London and today she writes, reads and talks non-stop about wine for Bibendum's website and social channels.

Adriana grew up in the winelands of Robertson and studied at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Being surrounded by vineyards her whole life inspired her to complete two courses with Cape Wine Academy, while completing an MA degree. Having realised that wine is much more fun than Political Science, she moved into marketing in the wine industry, and has never looked back!

Having just graduated from university, studying Film and Creative Writing, Yasmin's just beginning her career journey, but an internship at Bibendum seems like a great way to start! Here, she's enjoying a thorough and exciting introduction to the world of wine and the hospitality sector, as well as gaining marketing experience to utilise in her future.

Monica has worked with wine for as long as she can remember, both personally and professionally - with an Applied Science and Public Health Masters, she can attest working on the wine side is much more fun! When Monica is not talking about wine, ideally wines of Australia, the Rhone, and Germany, she loves drinking wine and pairing it with food, running, and spending time with her family.

Originally from Bordeaux in France, Marjorie came to the UK in 2003 to improve her English and ended up staying ever since! Marjorie completed her WSET Diploma in 2017, and when not running after her kids, she will be enjoying the simple pleasures of life: good food, and wine to match!

Joana’s first memory with wine was at a very young age, when she first tasted the sweetness of Madeira during a family trip to the Portuguese archipelago. After graduating with a degree in Economics in Lisbon, and a stint in the Fashion industry in Amsterdam, Joana delved into the world of Wine, a passion that had never left her. She has a particular interest in low-intervention, artisanal wines.

Ellie fell into the world of wine while studying her Masters in International Business Management. The opportunity of working with Scotland’s most iconic lager also fired up her passion for all things wine. Originally from a science background, where she obtained her BSc in Prosthetics and Orthotics, Ellie is now expanding her knowledge by writing informative articles and tasting some great wines!

Rose first became interested in wine during a year spent working at a family run Champagne House as a part of her French degree. From there she joined the trade working in sales at a London fine wine merchant for several years, before coming to Bibendum where she is now our go-to person for everything fine wine.

Sara worked in hospitality management for many years before embarking on a career change in 2015. She re-trained in the wine industry and achieved a BSc in Viticulture and Oenology before establishing a small winery in Hampshire and now produces her own low intervention wine and cider.

A hospitality girl at heart, Nina fell in love with wines from behind the bar. After finishing a degree in classical singing, it was the world of food & wine that really caught her interest. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia a wine region was never too far away. While enjoying wines from across the world, a Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir will always taste deliciously of home.