Contributors
While we try to publish features by a rotating and wide-ranging selection of authors – both from in-house at Berry Bros. & Rudd and beyond, you’ll notice many of the same names cropping up. Find out more about our “regulars” here, listed alphabetically below.
Olivia Bodle, Senior Experiences Executive
After a back-breaking stint in our cellars at Christmas, Olivia joined our wholesale arm Fields, Morris & Verdin, moving to her current role in 2016. Today Olivia is part of a crack team that organises specialist wine tastings, lunches and dinners at No.3 St James’s Street. Olivia has a particular passion for Antipodean wines, having spent a couple of years working for winemakers in New Zealand and Australia. Read posts by Olivia Bodle
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
A linguist by training, Adam’s eyes were opened to the vinous wonders of the Languedoc-Roussillon in 2005, while on his year abroad in Perpignan. A seed had been sown, even if the palate was not yet able to fully appreciate the nuances. After a couple of years spent with Majestic and completing the WSET Diploma, Adam moved to the little-known but highly-regarded importer Richards Walford, where he began a love affair with the Loire and Burgundy. Two years later, in 2012, the company was subsumed into Berry Bros. & Rudd and Adam joined our wholesale arm, Fields, Morris & Verdin. Today he is responsible for purchasing Burgundy (including Chablis and Beaujolais), Loire, Jura and Savoie wines across the business. In his spare time he can mostly be found on a bicycle. Read posts by Adam Bruntlett
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager
With more than a quarter of a century’s experience at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Tom has nurtured our Cellar Plan since its infancy. There could be no better man for the job, as he has a true appreciation of aged and fortified wines: “It is their texture, longevity, sheer intensity, and yet – in old age – their capacity to be so beguiling and sensual which is the real appeal,” he says. Tom also has an acute sense of when a wine – be it great or humble – might be approaching its perfect drinking window. Read posts by Tom Cave
Ronnie Cox, Brands Heritage Director (Spirits)
Ronnie, our spirits specialist, has whisky in his bloodline: six generations of his family have been involved in producing and selling the famed Scottish export. He began his formal involvement with the industry working for The Distillers Company Ltd in 1974, later joining Berry Bros. & Rudd. Ronnie is a Master of the Quaich, Member of the Committee of the Keepers of the Quaich and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. He calls an aeroplane “home” but lives in England. Read posts by Ronnie Cox
Barbara Drew MW, Events Manager
Barbara joined Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2011. Today she organises and hosts many of the dinners, lunches, tastings, Wine Schools and courses held in our St James’s Street cellars. She is particularly passionate about unusual, obscure or just plain unloved wine regions, and loves experimenting with food and wine matching. Having recently completed her Master of Wine studies, Barbara believes wine to be one of the most rewarding subjects to study, as there is always something new and exciting to discover. Read posts by Barbara Drew MW
Edwin Dublin, Shop Manager (London)
Edwin left a 20-year medical sciences career, during which time he organised staff wine tastings, to enter the world of wine full-time. Having “graduated” from Oddbins and via a short spell with Laithwaites, he arrived at Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2005. Since then he has developed a passion for the wines of Alsace, Burgundy and especially Champagne – an area in which he is undoubtedly one of the company’s leading experts. Today, he is Manager of our London Shop at 63 Pall Mall, ensuring it always has an extensive selection of fine fizz. Read posts by Edwin Dublin
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer
Catriona graduated from the University of St Andrews with a degree in French and Spanish and spent the first years of her working life at a Spanish petrochemical company. Having rapidly discovered a love for wine, she undertook the WSET Intermediate course and moved her career to the wine trade. After gaining a thorough grounding in the trade as an Oddbins Shop Manager, she joined Berry Bros. & Rudd’s marketing team in 2007, taking up her current role as a Buyer in 2013, purchasing wines from Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, South America and fortified wine. Catriona passed the Master of Wine examinations in 2012 and was awarded The Robert Mondavi Winery Award for her exceptional performance across all Theory papers. Read posts by Catriona Felstead MW
Max Lalondrelle, Managing Director (Fine Wine Buying)
Max Lalondrelle was born in the southwest of France, where his parents made Armagnac. After a degree in Wine Sales and Marketing in Bordeaux, he came to England in 1993, joining Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2000. Today, Max is responsible for sourcing all the fine wine and Bordeaux sold by Berry Bros. & Rudd, both in the UK and abroad. Read posts by Max Lalondrelle
Emily Miles, Content Editor
Emily joined Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2013, in something of a career sidestep. Having previously worked as a copy editor and writer for magazines such as Esquire and Men’s Health, as well as a freelance drinks writer, she elected to swap the bright lights of Soho for more stately streets of St James’s in a bid to immerse herself more fully in all things wine and spirits. In her role, Emily heads up our Content team which produces a multitude of literature and communications for the company. Read posts by Emily Miles
Philip Moulin, Fine Wine Quality and Authentication Manager
After his formative years at Majestic Wines, Philip joined Berry Bros. & Rudd in 1997 as Assistant Manager in the Warehouse Shop. He joined the old “broking department” in 2000 and for five years was responsible for sourcing and broking rare wines for Asia. Today, however, he works within our Buying team, valuing and authenticating the finest and rarest of wines; and, every now and again, he finds himself in the dark and damp, rummaging through capacious cellars in search of the exceptional and the extraordinary. While Philip will drink wine from all over the world, it is to the Médoc that he inevitably returns. From his first “proper” Bordeaux purchase in 1994 (1990 Carruades de Lafite, purchased at £4.99/bottle in Safeways), to today, it remains the region that pleases him most. Read posts by Philip Moulin
Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Director
Mark started his career in the wine trade in 1978, running his own business until it was acquired by Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2003. Since then he has worked in Fine Wine, Buying and Wholesale – but today acts as our Wine Director. A Master of Wine since 1989, and also the first UK winner of the Madame Bollinger Award as the top MW taster of his year, Mark spent many years behind the scenes with the Institute of Masters of Wine. Mark is a consultant to H.M. Government as a member of the Committee to advise on the purchase and selection its wines, and also fulfils a similar role with other London institutions. When not striding miles across the glorious Hampshire hangers towards a suitable hostelry, Mark can be found in the concert hall, enjoying an eclectic range of music, ranging from the Shetland fiddle to Wagner and most points in between. Read posts by Mark Pardoe MW
Chris Pollington, Account Manager
Originally joining Berry Bros. & Rudd in 1997 working in the Heathrow Airport shop, Chris also worked in our internet and telesales departments before joining the Fine Wine team in 2007. Chris’s great passion is for the wines of Italy, hosting dinners and Wine Schools on the subject, but he also admits to a soft spot for the great wines of Burgundy. Read posts by Chris Pollington
Martyn Rolph, Fine Wine Sales Manager
A nose for a good story and a way with words are essential tools of the trade not only in journalism, the profession for which Martyn trained, but also in the wine trade (his true vocation). Martyn joined us in 2011 with almost a decade’s wine experience under his belt and a committed enthusiasm for the classic French regions and Spain. At home, Martyn selects wines that can stand up to his penchant for outdoor cooking. Read posts by Martyn Rolph
Stewart Turner, Head Chef
Those of you who have had the pleasure of a lunch or dinner at our St James’s HQ will know the calibre of Head Chef Stewart’s cooking. In his many years at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Stewart has steadily built up the kitchen, drawing on his background in world-class and Michelin-starred restaurants such as Michel Roux’s Waterside Inn. Though his childhood ambition was to be an airline pilot, it wasn’t long before Stewart’s culinary vocation became clear: at school while his peers were trying to bake fairy cakes, he could be found putting the finishing touches to a sole bonne femme. These days, Stewart feeds his love of food by taking in as many restaurant visits as possible. In his recipes for the blog, Stewart aims to show just how good simple ingredients can be – especially when served with the right bottle of wine. Read posts by Stewart Turner
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer
Rob started with Berry Bros. & Rudd in March 2006, initially working at our Heathrow shop. After moving to our London shop, his passion for spirits (which first blossomed during his university days in Oxford) came to the fore. Rob’s Yorkshire roots reveal a keen eye for value, and he enjoys exploring some of the more obscure spirits and wines of the world. That being said, he keeps returning to red Burgundies, the whites of Alsace and Germany, Jamaican and Demerara rums and, of course, Scotch whiskies. Read posts by Rob Whitehead
