Libby Brodie

Interview with a wine expert

Libby Brodie is a qualified wine consultant, founder of Bacchus & Brodie Wine Consultancy and City AM’s wine columnist with her regular ‘Wine Down Wednesday: Wine Without the Snobbery’ page.

Shortlisted as Emerging Wine Communicator of the Year, Libby writes for many publications, including Club Oenologique and Cosmopolitan, and has presented on TV, radio, and various podcasts. Before entering the wine industry, Libby has also been involved theatre productions such as Dreamworks’ Madagascar, The Mouse Trap and Little Shop of Horrors.

In this interview, Libby shares how she made the move from being a theatre producer to a qualified wine expert, founded her consultancy, and started her work making the wine world more inclusive.  

Chief Wine Officer: Tell us how you first fell in love with wine?

Libby Brodie: “At university, a boyfriend took me to a fancy wine tasting in London. I remember sipping Billecart-Salmon rosé champagne and thinking, “Wow, this is way better than Smirnoff Ice!” From there, I started reading more about wine and questioning sommeliers in restaurants… and of course drinking quite a lot of wine!”

What would you be doing for a living if you weren’t involved in wine?

“I was a theatre producer for many years, until lockdown froze all live shows. I had three productions running or about to open at the time, and I love theatre. So, probably back to showbiz… ”

But more than the places, wine has taken me into the company of fascinating, eccentric, welcoming, witty people – the human aspect of the culture of wine is the more interesting part.

– Libby Brodie

What made you decide to found Bacchus & Brodie?

“Necessity and a friend. Necessity, because the pandemic effectively closed my production company, so I had to turn to drink (professionally speaking) as my other passion. It started as a hobby with the extra time I had on my hands. I studied and passed my WSET levels 1-3 with distinction in 7 months. I was casually advising friends on wine for their events when a friend at Corney & Barrow told me I was essentially a wine consultant. I didn’t even know such a job existed! So, I researched it and launched my consultancy in January 2021.”

What drove you to get involved in using social media?

“Visibility is key. For a long time, the wine world has been dominated by white, middle-aged men – and it shows. There’s nothing wrong with that demographic, but it doesn’t reflect society or the wine drinking public. Social media is a fantastic, democratic way of getting the wine-curious to take their next steps.

“It’s about community, hence the ‘social’ and relies on engagement and conversation. It’s accessible for most, and you can be a part of it as much or as little as you choose. I founded The Wine Collective with three other female wine professionals to improve the visibility of women in wine and to appeal to a younger, more diverse audience. Brands and regions have absolutely loved it and we haven’t stopped working since.”

Where’s the most interesting place your wine journey has taken you?

“A wonderful thing about wine is that it is never made in an ugly place, so I get to travel to all these beautiful destinations from prestigious Burgundy to the blue and white bliss of Santorini.
“I have eaten oysters while dancing to a punk brass band playing ABBA in Beaujolais, filmed in the vampiric cellars of Romania, boated around Rias Baixas at sunset with friends, and travelled miles by train, deep underground in the tunnels below Codorniu. But more than the places, wine has taken me into the company of fascinating, eccentric, welcoming, witty people – the human aspect of the culture of wine is the more interesting part.”

Visibility is key. For a long time, the wine world has been dominated by white, middle-aged men – and it shows. [...] Social media is a fantastic, democratic way of getting the wine-curious to take their next steps.  

– Libby Brodie

What’s one of your favourite wines?

“Oh that’s too hard!  Off the top of my head, I tried Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Millesime de Collection Vielles Vignes de Chardonnay 2008 over a marvellous champagne lunch. I had never tried this grower before but it was exquisite. Generous depth, beautifully balanced. And it only comes in magnum!”

What are you excited about in the wine industry right now?

“Wine is so exciting. It crosses cultures and countries; it is rooted in history but forever innovative. I am excited about new regions, fresh voices, the way winemakers are adapting to the issues of climate change and drive for creating wine in an environmentally friendly way. And I am most excited about my own part in it – and watching those around me create, promote, educate on and celebrate this endlessly fascinating and enjoyable drink.”