Real People - Real Wine

From my first gig as a glassy at the legendary Crown and Anchor here in Adelaide to my current wine-obsessed life at winedirect.com.au, I’ve always been hooked on the hospo world. Long gone are the days of inhaling lunch on a milk crate next to the bins mid 14 hour shift (glamorous, right?). Now, I’m living the dream—talking about wine all day and enjoy the glorious Monday-to-Friday life—a true "holy grail" for ex-hospo heads like me.

My journey into wine wasn’t so much a leap as a tipsy stumble. I’ve been fascinated by the magic of wine since day one—how it can bring people together and make everything just a bit more fun (or dramatic, depending on the glass count). These days, I’m all about helping others find their perfect bottle and nerding out on the endless wonders of the wine world.

When I’m not spreading wine joy at work, I’m usually stirring up trouble with wild wine pairings. My current favourite? A bold, textural orange wine with steak (yep, I said it—thems are fighting words).

My love of a good drop began some 25 years ago whilst working in and subsequently managing retail liquor stores.

My journey with wine began with a trip to the Barossa with my olds when I was a poor uni student.

I likes most things wine, from dusting an ancient bottle of Blue Nun with a feather tickler to drinking expensive booze that my mates have bought.

To aerate or decant - that is the question! I have been asked by a number of people recently, so here's my take on it.

I'm a six foot two ex-Rugby player of Irish extraction with a deep love of northern European aromatic whites. I may look like I should be necking hearty reds from a bladder yet I have a cellar full of Riesling. I stopped playing rugby and swapped probing front rowers bottoms with my proboscis, finding much more pleasurable olfaction by pointing said proboscis at a glass of wine instead.

A well-constructed cheeseboard can become the eye candy of any event.

I was always bound for the wine industry. My father had a healthy supply of D'Arenberg reds from the mid-70s to ween me on and I lived a short walk down the road from three wine shops, I had no hope!

Phil's career in wine has been a mix of independent retail in the early 90s, to working and studying in the UK knocking over the first two hurdles to the Master of Wine. After returning to to Australia, he worked for Baily and Baily and then began a lengthy stint in wholesale championing a long list of small, independently owned wineries. He has also worked as cellar hand, picker, pruner and a bunch of other inglorious roles, all to keep his feet firmly on the ground and convey a greater appreciation of what happens before wine makes it to your glass.

As a young girl I used to sit with my Dad when he opened up a bottle of wine, trying to pick up on the flavours, textures and aromas.

Growing up in a wine-drinking European family, I have worked hard to turn a family hobby into a viable profession. My informal wine education started young, with my first glass of Chablis being poured for me on my 11th birthday.