In each episode The Sunday Times wine guru guides household-name guests such as former England cricketer turned commentator Isa Guha, musician Gregory Porter and comedian Ed Gamble on a half-hour tasting experience. So, what is it about wine that makes it appealing in the media? Wine, says Will, can be anything to anyone, whether one is a wine connoisseur or a first- time taster.
“On one level it can be a gustatory pleasure, stimulating the senses with complex layers of flavour, each changing within the glass. On another it can represent knowledge and stimulate the intellect. Like admiring a beautiful piece of art or tackling a well-written piece of literature.”
With wine now made all over the world, Will posits it can be language and culture, or it can be chemistry, biology and even economics as you enter the world of fine wine. Wine makers, sellers and buyers all love this product and are part of a convivial global community eager to share knowledge and stories, many of which are shared on the podcast.
There’s another aspect which happens to be our OB wine critic’s favourite; it’s agricultural, a product of mud, tractors and farmers. This love is borne of his upbringing on a farm and his education amidst beautiful Berkshire countryside, here at Bradfield. It was in this very school that Will received an introduction to the story behind wine.
I gained a rounded education which helped me to navigate the world.
In the early 1990s the College SCR contained a serious wine tasting crowd, one of whom brought along a bottle to a post-GCSE exam class and, without opening it, led an erudite discussion about French wine. As a self-professed curious teenager, Will’s interest in beyond the curriculum education was piqued and he signed up for no less than eight societies. His many passions outside the classroom included: philosophy, jazz, fives and religion, all of which he states gave him a good foundation in life and earned him the moniker ‘The Society Baron.’ But it was Bradfield’s sophisticated wine society La Confrérie which set him on his future career path.
“It was a surprisingly serious and intellectual approach to wine. We had to pass an exam to attend; name the grape varieties of Bordeaux or know where Chardonnay is produced. It sounds a bit pretentious but it was thought provoking and engaging. When I was there you could never describe Bradfield as pretentious – quite the opposite. It was a real privilege to attend and I gained a rounded education which helped me navigate the world outside. The American author John Irving says you have to learn how to be happy. At Bradfield I learned that and for me it was a very happy time.”
