Born into a family of Methodists, half of whom were teetotal, Sarah Abbott ‘s wine journey began when got a job with specialist Burgundy merchant, Domaine Direct. Since 2008, she’s run her own company, Swirl, specialising in advising what she calls “emerging regions” like Georgia, Japan and Turkey. In 2021, she set up the Old Vine Conference with some friends during lockdown and has turned it into a tour de force.

To read more about Sarah have a look at Swirl website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @sarahabbottmw.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.