Aug 23, 2023 3 min read Vinjoyment Diary

Why we’re here - when we could just be drinking wine

Photo by Johanna Birch

As our first newsletter article, we’d like to share more about our story and why it is Vinjoyment’s mission to bring more joy into your wine

They say life’s too short to drink bad wine. We also believe that life’s too short to not try to develop hobbies, passions and sources of joy. The combination of these philosophies is how Vinjoyment started.

Jean-Philippe and I found each other thanks to our desire to see the world and live a life less ordinary; and we continue to feed our insatiable curiosity for the little (and big) things that drive our inspiration, whether it is art, music, history, geography or languages. Our love for travel and adventure inevitably brought us to the world of wine over a decade ago. Although it all began as a ‘holiday’ activity, we very quickly realised that wine encompasses many of those life-enriching elements and decided to integrate this more firmly into our lives.

London is a wonderful playground and there’s a community for basically any activity you choose to embark on, whether it is wine or playing the octobass. So, we started going to local wine tastings, meeting people in the wine industry, visiting new wine bars, subscribing to wine magazines (shout out to Noble Rot’s Dan Keeling for speaking straight to my soul), and planning our travels according to the next wine regions we wanted to visit. From Sicily to Croatia, to Australia’s Hunter Valley and back to Jean-Philippe’s family roots in Burgundy, we realised we were on a one-way wine journey.

It wasn’t until 2018 that we decided to make things official and complete our WSET Level 2 at Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire. This engrained our commitment to the wine community. We’ve been hosting wine tastings since then, and there hasn’t been a week when one of us hasn’t been asked for wine recommendations by friends, family and colleagues - a.k.a. the route to our hearts ;).

Fast forward to 2022, and after a long time of chickening out and a covid lockdown wait, we finally signed up to our WSET Level 3. We both have demanding full-time jobs which we’re lucky to also love, so this took a mammoth level of discipline and commitment. As challenging as it felt at the start, it was an incredibly enjoyable experience and it increased our appetite to share this joy with others.

Since then, we've also realised there are many approaches to wine growing and winemaking: from more conventional and regulated styles, to more experimental philosophies, as well as those seeking to revive ancient traditions. We personally lean towards those who make wine in harmony with nature. We believe that by working in collaboration with the earth, rather than trying to control it, wine becomes an expression of its unique environment. This is why we keep educating ourselves on the principles of biodynamics and organic wine growing.

…so here we are now! Vinjoyment is the result of our mission to share what wine growers, winemakers - and drinkers! - can teach us, in a fun, accessible and creative way.

We know the world of wine can feel intimidating and has been erroneously portrayed as a ‘snobby’ activity. We’re here to help other people feel the excitement we feel whenever we listen to a winemaker’s story of passion, hard work and experimentation; we’re here to continue learning and opening our minds to new developments; and we’re here to toast to joy, curiosity and the fascinations that keep us human.

We look forward to sharing this journey with you!