Julian Brind Award nominee: Ruth Spivey

Sommelier and wine expert Ruth Spivey is the founder of Wine Car Boot – London’s Independent Wine Market – an alternative consumer tasting that promotes independent wine and wine shops. Each car boot is an independent wine retailer with a selection of wines to taste, buy, drink in or take out.

Wine Car Boot encourages people to ‘taste their way out of the supermarket’, and is hugely popular among both consumers and trade. In 2007, Spivey ran the eighth Wine Car Boot, which was the biggest edition yet with 1,500 attendees each day.

Alongside Wine Car Boot, Spivey also runs a speed tasting night called ‘Flight Club’, and hosts tastings, parties and dinners for private and corporate clients. She writes on wine for a wide range of national titles, and judges at international competitions including the IWSC. 

Spivey said: “All of my ventures have had the common thread of getting more people drinking better wine from better sources. I fly the flag for fun yet responsible drinking (wine that’s better for the planet and palate), independent businesses, and open, clear and inclusive conversations on wine, enabling anyone from any background to feel confident, excited and enthusiastic about the wonderful thing that is wine”.

Judges said that Spivey is “a tremendous spirit within the industry” and “a trailblazer in all that she does”. “She created a brilliant and original concept and saw it through with drive, determination and imagination. A risk taker with radical vision”, they added.

@legslonglength
www.winecarboot.com 

The winner of the Julian Brind Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in the Wine Industry will be announced at the IWSC Awards Banquet on 14 November.