Q&A

A

Laura Jewell MW Wine Australia

Do you have any sporting loyalties?

I have spent many a cold and rainy day on the sidelines watching Blackheath rugby union club play. I also love rugby at international level, supporting England of course, and was fortunate enough to see the British Lions on their last tour in Australia back in 2013. I’m looking forward to the next one there in 2025.

Who’s your favourite music artist?

If I need cheering up I go back to the golden oldies like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Nina Simone. I usually have something classical on in the background when working from home but would not call myself musical.

Any superstitions?

The usual not walking under ladders and touching wood for luck.

Who’s your favourite wine critic? That’s like asking me to name a favourite child! I would have to say Oz Clarke, because he is unfailingly enthusiastic, generous and supportive and has a turn of phrase (and song) like no other.

What’s your proudest moment?

Passing my MW back in 1997. It opened so many doors and has shaped my career since then. I can hardly believe that it’s over 25 years ago.

Born into a Navy family, Laura Jewell “moved around a lot” as a child but spent most of her school days in Plymouth. She graduated from Birmingham University with a degree in Classics before joining Waverley Vintners, passing her MW exams in 1997. She then joined the Sainsbury’s buying team, which was followed by stints with HwCg and Spar UK before she was appointed head of wine development at Tesco. In 2015, after five years in that role, she became regional general manager for Wine Australia.

What’s the first wine you remember drinking?

My dad was a member of a wine tasting group and would let me taste the wines as a teenager and ask me to describe the different flavours.

What job would you be doing if you weren’t in the wine trade?

I once had the ambition to become a helicopter pilot and applied to the Royal Navy, but realised a Classics degree was not scientific enough.

How do you relax?

Reading, usually with two or three books on the go at once. I can lose myself for hours in a good book.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

I’ve been reading the full series of Simenon’s Maigret. He has an extraordinary depth of understanding of human nature and what makes people do the things they do. His characterisation is precise and rarely sympathetic.

Give us a Netflix recommendation. Sorry, I don’t have Netflix, but I have been catching up on Strike (by Robert Galbraith) on BBC iplayer. Tom Burke is brilliant in the title role.

What’s your biggest regret? Gladly, too few to mention.

Who’s your hero?

My mum. She was one of the first women police officers in Plymouth in the 50s and she brought me up to believe that I could do anything I set my mind to. I miss her strength of mind.

Any hidden talents?

Not that I’ve discovered.

What’s your favourite place in the UK? The beach at St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. When I lived in Scotland it was my regular Sunday morning walk, in all weathers, from snow to blue skies to fog. It cleared the mind and blew the cobwebs of the week away.

If we could grant you one wish, what would it be?

Selfishly, to win the lottery and retire to the south of France.