Brenna Hughes

I came to loving wine in my mid thirties.
I’d always been a beer or spirits kind of a girl, favouring a Southern Comfort and lemonade or an ale over a glass of wine.
Wine for me was just something you drank because you wanted to fall over - not something to be appreciated.
I’m ashamed to say, I was more about the colour of a wine than the flavour - you know - the paler the rose? The more see through the white? The better the wine - right? Also, red - a hard nope!
Yet as I got older, my tastebuds changed (it’s medical apparently), and I found myself actively trying, enjoying and looking for more wines to broaden my horizons.
I went to a few local wine tastings and joined a wine subscription, before realising that yes - a dark rosé can be enjoyable and a big bold red is actually like a warm hug.
This, combined with finding friends who were also on the journey of grape exploration, meant I was willing to learn more and try more.
I was even known to (shock horror) pour a bottle away if it didn’t mean my discerning standards.
Studying the WSET and being involved in the Wine School has allowed me to learn, evolve my palate and try new and exciting wines.
Working with Liz and leading the tastings in Leigh has also given me a way of combining my best skills sets - teaching (that’s my day job) and drinking.
I look forward to trying more and learning more, as we all know - every day is a school day (and the best school days are surely those involving fermented grapes)!