Multi award-winning consultant, author, newspaper columnist, and one of the UK鈥檚 best-loved wine personalities Olly Smith really is as busy as a bee. We persuaded him to sit still for a few minutes to talk about the inspiration for his new podcast, what advice he would share for aspiring wine communicators and what he really thinks of the other Three Wine Men.
Your brand new podcast , produced with Richard Hemming MW, has been very well received (we loved it!) 鈥� what inspired you both to make it?
Wine inspired me to make it! I鈥檝e always believed that wine is a social beacon that draws us closer together; whether it鈥檚 over a meal or a chat, or in a particular place, wine has always made me feel more deeply connected with my surroundings and with the people I鈥檓 with.
One on one, it鈥檚 incredibly powerful and sets you on a conversational safari of shared imagining. It鈥檚 a duet, it鈥檚 intimate and it鈥檚 magic in its surreptitiously unifying power 鈥� with wine it鈥檚 easier to forget 鈥榶ou and me鈥� and just be there as us.
The inception of the show came about with Richard over a glass or two of wine. He鈥檚 remarkably attuned to the social power of wine and aside from our friendship I鈥檝e long admired his determination to bring people together with wine, especially when it鈥檚 for a good cause such as his stewardship of Skin C么ntact fund-raising for Comic Relief. He鈥檚 also an absolute hoot to get tiddly with!
Describing , you have said that 鈥渆veryone can dive into this podcast 鈥� it鈥檚 not just for wine lovers鈥�. Would you say this is reflective of your general attitude towards wine?
Absolutely. I see my role in wine as listening to what individuals actually love tasting and recommending them a top bottle at a budget that suits, to pair perfectly with a particular dish, and ideally enjoy in great company!
Where you buy is also key to enjoying and submersing yourself in the world of wine 鈥撎齀 encourage everyone听to build a solid relationship with their local independent wine merchant.
it鈥檚 magic in its surreptitiously unifying power 鈥� with wine it鈥檚 easier to forget 鈥榶ou and me鈥� and just be there as us
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As a multi award-winning wine communicator, having been named one of Debrett鈥檚 500 2015 and even served as the UK鈥檚 drinks ambassador to China, what do you think has been the secret of your success, and what advice would you offer others looking to share their passion?
Be a bee. Let me explain...
I may dress like a circus run by Flash Gordon but I feel about as comfortable in my own skin as it鈥檚 possible to be, although I couldn鈥檛 have done any of it alone. I feel very lucky to be married to the world鈥檚 greatest and warmest soul; Sophie is a huge part of the wiggle in my waltz, the spice in my sneeze and the glow in my heart.
I think if you鈥檙e lucky enough to do a job that makes the sun shine more often than not between your ears, at the very least you can share some of your luck, enthusiasm and good fortune. I love the immense creativity and risk-taking of every wine grower who dedicates their life to bottling liquid pleasure to send out into the world.
But people are what matters most. The goal has got to be for everyone to guide one another and themselves to deeper understanding of how we all fit together. It鈥檚 tantalising. We鈥檙e born and we die alone but along the way we do this giant conga. Some get left behind, it鈥檚 up to us to reach out and keep everyone together. Engage, take an interest in other people and be as authentic and invigorating as you can.
And keep bees, that鈥檚 a great thing to do. Bees are the best at living for one another, pollinating a wider world and creating more honey than they need to so they can share it around. Be a bee.
How important do you think the role of influencers, like you, is in shaping the national palate?
For me, it鈥檚 less about thinking about how important it is and more about thinking of new ways to engage people, whether they鈥檙e new to wine or established fans.
I鈥檝e been involved with Saturday Kitchen on BBC 1 for more than a decade 鈥� it鈥檚 an honour to be trusted with something like that for so long. The Mail on Sunday has a colossal reach and as for my work on Radio 2, it really is immense to be able to share the word on great food and drink on such a scale. I鈥檓 always touched by the response of people who stop me, engage me on social media or bellow from an open window that they鈥檝e followed a tip and loved it.
Olly Smith interviews P!nk in Season 1 of his new podcast, photo courtesy of听
How important do you think it is for wine authorities like yourself to embrace new platforms to reach and empower today鈥檚 consumer?
It鈥檚 vital. I鈥檝e got a really exciting project coming that I can鈥檛 say too much about, but every time I speak about it I feel like I鈥檓 living in the future. The tools of communication change, but building content that engages is all that really matters. Even if you start with a yoghurt pot and a piece of string, soon you鈥檒l find someone will pick up the other end.
But I also think it鈥檚 important to look back to learn and evolve. One of my favourite books about wine is 鈥�Horace & Me鈥� by Harry Eyres. I connect with his emotionally-charged translations of this great old Roman poet with radical depth and immediacy, especially this excerpt which deals with the soul of wine, the power and creativity of wine and the god of wine himself, mighty Bacchus:
鈥淢y words will soar, O Lord of the Wine Press
And they will not die; I am drinking deep,
Taking the risk, binding my bow with vine shoots鈥�.
That鈥檚 worthy of any wine lover鈥檚 headstone!
Drawing upon your experiences as a consultant for multiple venues and establishing your own bars, how important do you think wine and spirits education is to the hospitality industry?
Hugely important! Ultimately, it鈥檚 the people serving the wine who have the biggest chance of transforming a wine moment into something that may change the direction of an entire lifetime of enjoyment. Connecting the right choice with the right budget at the right moment is a massive skill and the hospitality industry undervalues it at their peril.
Learning to think on behalf of somebody else鈥檚 tastebuds is absolutely vital 鈥� and to do that you have to be up to speed with what鈥檚 new and delicious across the seven seas of wine.
I鈥檓 a big fan of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 work and I remember my Advanced Certificate (now the Level 3 Award in Wines) many moons ago with great fondness. Now with four of my own Glass House wine bars on board P&O cruise ships to keep up with, that鈥檚 a lot of trend-spotting, team-building and staff training to prioritise. Hats off to my team!
You鈥檙e one third of the instantly recognisable Three Wine Men 鈥� who would you pick听as your desert island companion if you had to choose between Tim and Oz?
I do love you, 黑料吃瓜网, but that鈥檚 an impossible question 鈥� if I took Tim, he鈥檇 get bored of my prattling and eat me, and if I took Oz he鈥檇 find a way to ferment me and drink my soul.
Can I not leave them both down the pub and run off to the island with my bees?
