How I became a 'wine writer in residence’

And how to get tickets for my first gig!

Photo by Laurie Fletcher

Like many other writers, I suspect, I always longed to be a writer in residence.

The glamour of having your profession attached to a hotel.

In my imagination, a gorgeous, curtain-swagged suite with a desk overlooking the (perhaps Parisian) street. Someone bringing up breakfast on a tray while I pound my typewriter in my silk dressing gown ….

Well it’s not quite like that but by an amazing stroke of luck I’ve become the wine writer in residence at The Pilgrm (no, I haven’t missed out the second i), a fabulous little boutique hotel just by London’s Paddington station.

I’m already a bit of a fixture at the hotel which has become my home from home when I’m not staying with family or friends (which I won’t do unless I’m spending the evening with them. It just seems rude, don’t you agree, to dump your stuff, head out for the evening and come back in the small hours of the morning? Or maybe just 11pm these days by which time my hard-working hosts are generally already in bed.)

I’ve already taken part in a couple of events with The Pilgrm and their wine consultant Emily Harman of Vinalupa including a very successful one to celebrate International Women’s Day earlier this year.

So chatting with their general manager, Sylwia Kaczyca, we wondered what if we formalised it into an arrangement where I would occasionally host tastings for guests and other friends of the hotel, the idea being to boost their confidence about wine. No-one else, so far as I know, has had a wine writer in residence before so it seemed quite a cool thing to do.

With this in mind the first tasting on the evening of Wednesday October 16th will be all about how to taste wine and use my writerly skills to describe what’s in your glass. In my experience it’s the aspect of wine tasting that most troubles non-professionals.

What are you supposed to be looking for? Are you detecting the ‘right’ smells and flavours? How do you identify the kind of wines you’re going to like?

So it’s particularly for those of you who don’t feel overly confident about wine. We’ll be tasting about six familiar wines and diving into what makes them distinctive and how your perception of wine can change depending on factors such as the temperature you serve it and the sort of food you eat with it. Then there will be some relaxed chat, nibbles and a general Q & A.

There aren’t many spaces so if you’d like to come along I suggest you sign up pronto. Here’s the link you need to book. 

If you can’t make it and you’re a paid subscriber, do join me for my next online tasting on Monday October 21st  which will be all about Tuscan wine. (And food, obviously!)

Hope to catch up with you in person.

Fi x