I cannot quite put my finger on the moment I fell in love with wine.

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Was it the first time that I splurged on a bottle of Cloudy Bay whilst at Uni? Perhaps it was when I visited my first vineyard?

 

Maybe it was working for a wine company when I was in my impressionable twenties?

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Regardless, of the start point, the joy I experience at every sip of wine has never waned and if anything I am more in love now than ever.

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I took my first wine trip in 2012. This was an epic trip taking in France, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Belgium.

 

It was months in the planning.

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I would look at the wine lists of Michelin star restaurants and research the vineyards.

 

Meticulously planning where we would visit and the routes between.

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What I did not plan for was the sheer number and variety of vineyards. Driving along the Alsace wine route was amazing, with signs everywhere for Degustation, open cellar doors and friendly wine growers keen to share their passion.

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We stopped at places on a whim, large wine producers and co-operatives who have a huge range of excellent wines. Often at great prices and of a quality far superior to a similarly priced bottle in a supermarket.

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When you follow the wine routes through a region it will take you through small villages with degustation signs on the pavement, an open door and a welcoming local. This is my version of paradise!

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We had some exciting discoveries, particularly in Slovakia and the Czech Republic where we found some excellent wines which you will never find here. I learnt to always be open to trying new things. I thought I knew what I liked, but there is so much more to the world of wine.

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Needless to say, we came home with far more wine than we intended to buy and also a much better understanding of the wine regions that we visited. It is the kind of knowledge that you cannot get from a book, or trying just one bottle from a producer.

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Going to an Alsatian vineyard and trying 5 different Riesling all from the same producer, one after the other. Learning about the terroir and hearing from the grower what impact the weather has had.

 

This is priceless.

 

For me, it is addictive.

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There is something very special about the cellar experience, quite often it is in a grand building and not in the cellar at all!

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Sometimes, and this is true of my favourite producer, you need to ring the bell and a family member will pop their head out the window and then pop down to the gate to let you in.

 

The cellar is dark and it takes a while for your eyes to adjust after the sunshine!

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It is expected that you can try their wines before you make any decisions about what you love today.

 

How many times have you opened a bottle of wine from the supermarket and been underwhelmed?

 

That’s the beauty of trying first, you know you love it.

 

You look forward to getting that bottle home.

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This first wine trip changed the way I feel about wine.

 

I already had WSET level 1 and 2, I already knew I enjoyed a good bottle but now I felt like the wine had gotten hold of me.

 

I became fascinated.

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Subsequent trips have always had us return to Champagne and Alsace but we have also visited and enjoyed the cellar experience in Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, Rhine, Mosel and Barolo.

 

Each time we revisit our favourite cellars and discover new ones.

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I love wine.

 

I am fascinated by the story of each wine.

 

How the same grape variety can result in such a different taste experience is pure wizardry.

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Every bottle you open should excite and delight.

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We would like to share this experience with you, bring a little bit of romance back to wine buying.

 

Let’s talk about the wines that you already love, what excites you about those wines?

 

You can try a little bit of something similar or go wild with something unknown.

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It seems entirely reasonable that I should celebrate my love of wine and my passion by opening Sarah’s Cellars.