Ginny Malan

Ginny Malan
After graduating in Spanish and Italian from Exeter University in 2003, I realised that the most exciting way to use my languages would be to enter into the wine trade. After working in several Majestic stores, I spent 3 years as an on trade sales manager in London for Freixenet and then HBJ Wines. I soon realised that my strengths and passion lie in passing on my knowledge to others, and in “de-mystifying” the world of wine to others. Wine is such a pleasure to drink, and a fascinating product. It never ceases to amaze me that the style of drink produced from these grapes is dependent on so many different factors: topography, soil type, climate, legal restrictions, grape varieties used, social and perhaps political situations, consumer demands ... the list goes on. In the UK we have the advantage of having easy access to almost every style of wine produced in all parts of the world. This also means that it is very tricky for the average consumer to know about even a small percentage of these wines. This leads to a lack of confidence when choosing a wine in a restaurant, or a wine shop, and the eventual resorting to brands, or recognisable grape varieties. Imparting even a little information and knowledge to others gives them so much more confidence in social situations, when there is a perceived expectation of choosing the correct wine to match with a certain type of cuisine. It gives others the opportunity to experiment with other styles and grape varieties without worrying unnecessarily about making a terrible mistake in their choice of wine. Drinking wine should be all about pleasure and fun, not embarrassment or feeling uncomfortable.
	Areas of speciality: WSET Intermediate WSET Advanced Corporate Entertainment Lectures Tastings