A Winemaker's Guide to Drinking the World

In this unique and evocative blend of food, drink and travel writing, Bert Blaize and Victoria Brzezinski give winemakers the floor to take us on a journey around the landscapes, cultures, cuisines, best places to eat and drink, and of course, wines, that they know and love better than anyone on earth.

Wine producing regions are some of the most beautiful and fascinating parts of the planet.

Where there’s good wine, there’s almost always good food, beautiful landscapes, a rich history, and fascinating characters who can speak to our complex and evolving relationship with our planet – because few people have a closer relationship with the earth than those who make wine from it.

Those characters – including recovering rockstars, former engineers making wine in nuclear shelters, and daughters who have reclaimed their family’s land from defunct communist dictatorships – will be the ones whose perspectives, recommendations and stories we hear as we travel through the world’s wine producing regions both old and new.

Each chapter will cover a region that could easily be explored within a 2–3 day trip – including Italy, France, USA, Australia, Spain, Argentina, China, South Africa, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Israel and the UK – as Bert and Victoria shed new light on the world of wine for those who enjoy the end product, reminding us all that what is in the bottle is a product of the land, its history… and a whole lot of fascinating human beings.

About the author

Bert Blaize is an award-winning sommelier and wine consultant. He learned his craft at La Belle Epoque in Manchester; Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, and the Clove Club in Shoreditch, going on to open the Mandrake Hotel as Head of Wine. In 2017, Bert was named the UK’s Top Young Sommelier by Flint Wines and was nominated by GQ, Drinks Business and Imbibe as sommelier of the year. He co-authored Which Wine When with Claire Strickett in 2020.

Victoria Brzezinski is a multi-award-winning feature writer, columnist and restaurant critic. Named lifestyle and interiors journalist of the year at the Property Press Awards 2022, she has written for The Times and The Sunday Times since 2018 on topics from design to food and farming. She has worked for some of London’s liveliest restaurants including Som Saa and the Ricker Group, where wine tastings were always the best part of the job.