Simon has a lifelong passion for wine and travel, stemming from a visit to the Barossa Valley when he lived and worked in Australia as a teenager. Since then he has visited most of the top wine regions of the world. He studied at Queen’s University Belfast and had a career in IT and professional rugby management before joining Iberian Wine Tours. After successfully completing the Level 3 WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits he has worked closely with Jeremy Shaw in overseeing the growth of the company.
As a keen golfer, cyclist and hiker he combines his interest in sport with his love of wine, gastronomy and culture. He knows that the diverse regions of Spain, Portugal and South America offer all of these pleasures in abundance. Simon particularly enjoys the red wines of the Douro, Uco Valley and the Ribeira Sacra, his white preferences being the aged whites from Rioja and the Albarinos and Godellos of Galicia.
Simon loves to meet people from around the globe and takes great pleasure in sharing his knowledge of the regions and their personalities with his groups.
