Working in France sparked Ruth Spivey’s move from modelling into a career in food, then wine. Here, she explains how her palate has developed, and the importance of smell in getting the most out of a tasting
It was while I was working as a model in my 20s that I discovered a real love of wine, and realised how important the nose is in my ability to taste. But I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that wine would become my passion and career. Before that, if I’m honest, wine was not a big part of my life at all. Growing up, my parents would buy the odd cheap bottle if someone was coming for dinner but it’s not like they collected it or took us to vineyards in the summer holidays.
When I got older, I much preferred wine to beer or spirits, but I was totally unsophisticated and used to drink fortified wine flavoured with herbs, which I don’t remember ever sniffing. I thought I was drinking a cocktail. Now I know it was just a vermouth, which is trendy these days, but at the time it was just sweet and easy to drink. A bit later, I was in a bar with actual grownups and didn’t know what to drink. I asked for a martini, so they got me a real one and I was like: “Woah, that is so strong – that’s not what I remember.”
Going to France changed all that. I was about 22 and my career was going well and I was lucky to be able to travel and experience lots of different food and cultures. I remember working in France and being amazed that on shoots they would all stop for lunch. In London, nobody stopped for lunch and you’d be constantly starving and usually freezing cold.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
