Rachel Fellows joins Star Wine List as Editor
British journalist and sommelier Rachel Fellows has joined the Star Wine List team as Editor, taking responsibility for news, features and partner content across our website and newsletters.
Based in Sussex, Rachel is a food and wine writer who's worked in publishing for over 10 years, with experience as a sommelier and in wine brand management also. Meet Star Wine List's new Editor.
Welcome onboard!
"Thank you. It’s very exciting to be here after using the site for so long."
What's your wine story?
"Well, I’m a wine, food and restaurant writer with additional experience as a sommelier. I was a drinks editor at UK Esquire for a number of years, which gave me the chance to visit wineries and distilleries, and interview the people behind them. At the same time, I produced weekly restaurant reviews and so got to know the London dining scene pretty well.
"I started taking my WSETs (perhaps the only time in my life I’ve enjoyed revising for exams) but soon realised that, however much I knew already, I was woefully behind all the great wine writers I aspired to and, indeed, the wine professionals that I was interviewing. To turbo-charge my studying, I joined the team at Noble Rot in Bloomsbury, in London. They put me through my WSET Level 3 but it was the experience of being on the restaurant floor, and the insight into the kinds of producers they champion, that proved most valuable.
"There’s nothing like the pressure of being in front of paying customers and having to a) remember your wine list and b) use that knowledge effectively, to shock your brain into learning – fast. And, of course, you get to try some of the maddest, rarest, more prestigious wines out there."
It's the stories surrounding wine that first got me hooked
Where were you most recently?
"I've been working for an English sparkling wine producer, but was hankering to return to editorial – it's the stories surrounding wine that first got me hooked, from all the different producers and their myriad philosophies and methods, to how those wines get translated in restaurant settings, what drinkers around the world are leaning towards, and more. Star Wine List combines all of those things eerily well for me!"
What are you looking forward to in your new job with Star Wine List?
"I can’t wait to get insights from this wide-reaching network of sommeliers – they are all people who love wine, love eating and drinking wherever they go, and have both respect and yet a critical eye for what restaurants (and their fellow somms) are doing.
"In my first few weeks, I’ve learnt about the wine culture of places all over the world, from Kazakhstan to Las Vegas, and more updates just keep coming in. It’s a lot of fun. I'm getting seriously itchy feet though – my list of places to visit just keeps getting longer."
What's your idea of a good wine list?
"One that gives me a good idea of that sommelier or institution’s ethos, with new wines, producers or regions to explore if I want but a few comfortingly familiar names on there too. It never feels good to have a point laboured too hard or to be made to feel nervous about ordering, so how somms interact with their guests is perhaps of equal importance to the list itself."
What can Star Wine List readers look forward to, now that you're here?
"Lots and lots of new venue profiles and ambassador updates, of course (because if it ain't broke...) but also some more in-depth interviews, and features examining evolving trends and ideas across Star Wine List's global locations. Simple, really!"
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