December saw Pippa celebrating 10 years with the Good Wine Shop! For the occasion, we surprised her at our Kew shop to congratulate her and ask her a few questions…
Do you remember your first day at TGWS?
Pippa: I don’t, but I remember the interview - early December and I went straight into work at the Kew shop.
What wine or wine regions were fashionable then?
Pre-new wave South Africa, pre-younger growers, before natural yeasts and in a low intervention way.
What was the first wine you bought?
I bought a single varietal Manseng from Gascogne. Lovely interesting wine.
What has been your favourite thing?
Probably having Pieter Walser doing the Friday pour by glass in the Kew shop.
What’s been the worst thing?
Having the fire at Kew in 2018. Shut the shop for 3 months and it was just awful.
Tell us something nobody knows about you?
My first wine list got a wine glass in the Good Food Guide in 1987. In one year, I got promoted to a bottle.
Did you think you would work with the company this long?
I never thought I would have worked here this long. I emailed Mark as he was advertising for AM/Manager at Kew. A wine shop advertising so close to Christmas I knew they needed help. I said I’m not after a permanent position but happy to help over the Christmas period. 10 years later I’m still here.
Favourite wine, if there can be?
White and Galician
Favourite region, if there can be?
North West Spain
What makes you get up in the morning?
Work! I am lucky I work in what I love. I get to present tasting, teach, write and take group of people abroad to visit vineyards.
What annoys you?
People bullshitting about my favourite subject.
What is the best thing about the wine trade?
Product and People.
What’s the worst thing about the wine trade?
The share of fraudsters – En Primeur fake wines really annoy me.
Did you choose your profession, or did it choose you?
It chose me as I married to a chef and it was apparent that we would have restaurant and I would be front of house/sommelier.
What’s on your bucket list?
Ideally, I would love to take more holidays too far away countries or live in Spain.
What the best thing about working at TGWS?
The people, product and customers.
What’s your prediction for future wine trends?
I suspect but very obvious that we will see the new wave South African wines doing really well.
