About Giles

Growing up in an Anglo-Indian family, food, culture, and travel have figured prominently in my life and shaped my outlook of the world.

In my early teens we lived in India and I used to hang out in the kitchen with my grandmother learning her secrets, and loved the way she would build flavour and spice into her cooking. Back at school in the hill town of Ooty in The Nilgiri Hills, I often wondered how they could get food so wrong, when it seemed such a traditional and honoured part of their culture!

It was my Indian Father who introduced me to wine and my treat as a youngster was to taste the red wine we’d have for Sunday lunch. He’d get me to smell, hold the wine in my mouth and truly taste it. Admittedly I found it overpowering and tannic, but I savoured the ritual, and still do.

In the 90’s I gave up a job in finance, moved to Oxford and took a job in a restaurant. Once again my passion for food, wine and people found a new home and I spent hours pouring over Larousse Gastronomique and taking my WSET exams.

It was during this time I was approached by a newly opened restaurant, run by a friend of mine, to see if I could give them a hand. The restaurant was The Fat Duck in Bray, and it was here that my true passion for wine was sparked by an unforgettable glass of 1995 Terre Brune. That moment ignited a curiosity that still drives me today — a desire to explore wine through its people, stories, and place in the world.

After a stint in Australia and NZ, learning more about their wine industries, I thought I better head back to the UK and get a proper job. I knew who I wanted to work for and was lucky to land a job as a temp in 2001 at Bibendum Wine. This led to a full time role and since then I’ve worked across the industry as a sales manager, buyer, trainer, and export manager for a number of wineries in the UK and NZ. Along the way I have met and collaborated with all manner of interesting people from many different countries, tasted hundreds of wines, eaten inspiring dishes, been a proud judge for Wine GB and awarded a scholarship to Australia for my contribution to Lion Nathan Wines.

Today I balance my work with a yoga practice and free diving, which has led to me developing the mindfulness of wine where we work with our senses to understand why we like what we like, and be able to communicate it more effectively.

With an eye on sustainability, and as part of my evolution, I am exploring how innovation can improve the wine ecosystem through the use of different formats and packaging.

‘We brought on Giles as our wine buyer and staff trainer in 2019. His primary goals were to make the wine list more profitable, produce a list in line with our members’ needs and train the staff to be knowledgeable and confident. He brought a wealth of experience, know-how and contacts to our operation and his relatable, personable style was a huge success with both staff and members alike, not to mention our bottom line!’

Jeff Connon, Managing Director The Groucho Club