By: Libby Brodie

Wine Consultant - Bacchus & Brodie Recently named in the top 20 of the Top 100 Most Influential People In Drink list by Drinks Retailing, Libby Brodie is the founder of Bacchus & Brodie Wine Consultancy and City AM’s dedicated wine columnist, with her regular “Wine Without The Snobbery” pages. Published in Condé Nast Traveller, The Independent, the i Paper, Cosmopolitan, Club Oenologique, Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine, The Buyer, Assemblage, Country Life magazine and the Daily Mail, Libby has presented online, on radio, podcasts and TV including teaching England Rugby Legend Joe Marler how to taste wine and as a regular wine expert on Bottom’s Up with Alan Carr and Lee Peart.

All 228 Articles

Why The Ivy is a bastion of hope and quality during a bleak month

January 19, 2026

The start of the year is an especially tough time for hospitality as people watch the pounds when it comes to both their wallets and weight. This kind of abstinence is even more of a travesty in London, a city packed with the most incredible restaurants, with a rich history of social eating and drinking. [...]
From Elton John to Kylie: 10 best alcohol free wines for Dry January

January 12, 2026

The best alcohol free wines to try this month Put down that sad glass of tap water. If you are taking a break from alcohol, I have some of the very best options out there, none of which involve pretending you enjoy drinking London’s chalky, limestone-heavy water. Spoil YourselfEven in the driest of months, there [...]
The Traitors winner Alan Carr on his new approach to drinking

January 5, 2026

On Christmas Eve I was on The Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr and Lee Peart’s new podcast Bottom’s Up!, a hilarious series all about friendship and wine, which, as you are reading this ‘Wine Without the Snobbery’ column, may be right up your decanter. Carr clearly has celebrations in mind. “As I approach a milestone [...]
Who made the naughty list in the wine world in 2025?

December 23, 2025

This was another fascinating year in the world of wine, with some great initiatives and events celebrating the people who make this vital and brilliant industry tick. But there were also some things on my naughty list… read on to find out who made the cut. Nice List – Aldi Aldi’s wine department is fantastic, [...]
The Old Course Hotel is bringing a modern twist to a classic

December 8, 2025

St Andrews is known for three things: being the third oldest university in the English-speaking world; sparking the love affair between Prince William and Kate; and being the home of golf. If you’re thinking of checking it out, the famous The Old Course Hotel has teamed up with some impressive experts to create a variety [...]
Where to drink wine in London with a touch of old-fashioned glamour

December 8, 2025

It is a pattern we see repeatedly. At times of austerity and economic hardship: people crave luxury, colour and escapism. During the Great Depression we saw the rise of jazz, dancehalls and art deco glamour, while the World War II ushered in an era of escapist, technicolour movies filled with flights of fancy. Now in the [...]
Why Sicily’s wine is some of Italy’s best – and which bottles to buy

November 18, 2025

A sun soaked tour of Sicily’s vibrant reds, zesty whites and a wine-making culture shaped by centuries of shifting influences Sicily is known for its dazzling coastlines, romantic ruins and for Europe’s tallest and most active volcano, Mount Etna. The largest island in the Mediterranean, it has been ruled by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and [...]
Inside the French festival serving incredible wine in a beautiful setting

November 4, 2025

Typing this up on Eurostar, I am having to completely rethink what I had planned to include in this week’s column. Rather than writing from my London home and grimacing at the grey outdoors, I had been invited by Alex Watson, part of the Domaine Watson family and co-founder of Renais gin, to escape the [...]
Sexism is still rife in the wine industry – problematic men are the real ghouls this Halloween

October 31, 2025

Forget the ghosts and apparitions, the real terrors this Halloween season are the wine industry’s bigots and sexists Halloween may be on the way, but the scariest thing in wine is that snobbery and bigotry still exists. Recently, after a very good lunch in London Bridge, some friends and I popped into a nearby wine [...]
Fabulous! Pop these bottles this World Champagne Day

October 20, 2025

A day worth celebrating, 24th October is World Champagne Day, as if anyone needs an excuse to pop a bottle! Hundreds of years ago the wine in Champagne was still and pinky-red – a world away from what we associate with the region now. Bubbles were considered a fault, exploding the weaker bottles made for [...]

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By: Libby Brodie

All 228 Articles