Somebody thinks Im inspirational.

I came into work today to find a free copy of the new look Harpers wine and spirits on my desk. We used to subscribe to it a while ago, but I tended to find its value to me was quite limited really. So we never bothered to renew the subscription. Anyway, while flicking through it I can to an article about the ten most inspirational people in the drinks industry. It was broken down into several categories and one of them was sommeliers. Joelle Marti-Baron was selected as the sommelier and quite appropriately too. I met her once when she came here to host a gourmet evening for LVHM in her capacity as a brand ambassador for Moet. She was charming, immensely knowledgable and positively enthusiastic for the subject, and most importantly of all, she put everyone at ease with her knowledge in her willingness to share it without being patronising. I noted that Matt Skinner had been selected as the personality of the industry for the way he has appealed to a younger generation of wine drinkers and has helped to banish some of the stuffiness that unfortunately many sommeliers persist in maintaining. Then I was utterly gobsmacked to see my name come up as a nominee for the sommelier category. Alongside such industry legends as Gerrard Basset, Gearoid Devaney, and Hamish Anderson. Me, little old me. I dont know who has nominated me, but if they are reading this, then I give you my most sincere thanks. To even be considered amongst my peers as such is a great honour. It has certainly put a spring in my step and given me an immense morale boost. I will be sure to continue in my role in a way that I certainly hope inspires people to further explore the many joys of wine.