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Spotlight On: Wine Buying Across The Industry

  • Liberty Wines SW4 6LY UK (map)

We hope you will joins us for a spotlight on buying wine across the different sectors that make up the market in the UK. Our panellists are industry leaders and  bring a wealth of knowledge to the group. Post-Brexit, it will be an interesting discussion and we would love for you to join us. 

Victoria Stephens-Clarkson MW, Atlas Fine Wines

Victoria began her career in the wine trade in 2000 working for a Grande Marque Champagne house in Epernay. From there she progressed to a major UK merchant and, after a further six years making wine and buying for a leading importer and retailer, she joined the team at Atlas in October 2012. In March of 2015, Vicki passed her Master of Wine examinations. She speaks several languages, of which French is the most useful, and has fostered excellent relationships with négoçiants and growers in the key regions of France. She also speaks Spanish and has spent time sourcing wine from Spain and South America, amongst other wine regions. Vicki spends a significant amount of her time out of the office visiting wine regions to meet with producers and to taste both en primeur and mature vintages.

Emma Dawson, Marks and Spencer

Emma joined Marks and Spencer in 2010 having previously worked at Sainsbury’s in various roles focused on category management and marketing. She had a prior career in film but became disillusioned about making copious cups of tea for the vaguely famous and began to study wine because it had been a long time fascination. Emma has sourced wine from far and wide countries like Japan, Georgia and Bolivia, passed her WSET Level 4 Diploma in 2010 and is now studying for a Master of Wine. She studied Modern European History at Emma the University of Warwick and also completed a CIM professional Diploma in Marketing.

Beth Brickenden, London Union

Bringing incredible wine and street food together, Beth is Assistant Director of the wine programme for London Union, a role which includes: Street Feast, Dinerama, Street Vin, Winerama, Milk & Honey and Danger of Death. Growing up on a farm in the West of Ireland set the stage for a love of great produce and provenance. Beth holds a BA in Theatre and Performance from the Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, and during her studies worked with the Slow Food movement and was involved in many aspects of fine dining. Her passion for food and wine brought her to London where she embarked on her WSET studies, now holding Level 3 Wines and Spirits.

Jennifer Docherty MW, Liberty Wines

Jennifer was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. She left Vancouver at eighteen to study fashion design in New York City but has called London home since 2005. Her love of gastronomy led her to pursue part-time WSET wine courses which inspired her to change careers and embark on the MW programme, which she completed in 2015. She is currently a wine buyer for Liberty Wines and has worked in education, sales and fine wine buying in her previous roles.

Earlier Event: August 23
Q&A with Winemaker Kathy Jordan