Meet our Tasting Technician – Elliot Awin

What we believe places Pull The Cork head and shoulders above any other low intervention wine company in the UK, is the super-strong team working tirelessly behind the scenes introducing consumers to little known grape varieties and wines from lesser-known wine-producing countries such as Hungary or Slovenia and recommending interesting Slovakian wines.

So, first off, meet Elliot! 

Elliot Awin – The Tasting Technician

Lockdown measures are slowly lifting – hurray! We’re all emerging from the darkness back into the light, rubbing our eyes and wondering what the hell just happened. We don’t know about you, but we’re extremely glad to be getting social again, one bubble at a time. 

So we thought why not introduce you (officially) to the people who have been ensuring your steady supply of organic wine delivery in London, and nationwide, throughout lockdown. 

A business is only as good as the team behind it after all – they are the beating heart of any organisation. And our heart beats strong. 

Elliot has been the face of our #isowinetasting series. We’ve been hosting a series of virtual wine tasting experiences over on Instagram. These have been running weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, throughout lockdown, enjoyed in the safety of your home, held through the medium of social media, giving thousands of you a sniff of socialising from the comfort of your own sofa. 

And as Elliot is Pull The Cork’s resident tasting technician, he’s the one you see on Instagram talking about all things wine and viticulture (he also fronts the Tatler Wine Club.)

So how does Elliot fit into the PTC picture, and more importantly, what made him want to hop on this particular wine wagon?

Hi Elliot, tell us, what does a normal day look like for you?

I’d love to know what normal is meant to look like at the moment. As things are currently a little different, there is no set routine, which I certainly find exciting but exhausting.

How did you get into the wine business?

I was born into the wine trade, my Dad started an importing agency (ABS wine agencies*) in the early ‘80s – all my family holidays were to vineyards and wineries, meeting the people behind the vines, wines and stories that go into a bottle; I grew up idolising winemakers!

I went to university to study Mechanical Engineering, but after graduating I realised that whilst building trains, planes and automobiles were fun, wine just somehow seemed to have a greater allure.

How did you come to work with Pull The Cork?

One of my first official jobs in wine was in 2010 at London Wine Shippers. Here, James Nathan and I worked together ensuring the smooth operation of a company that sold wine to restaurants, art galleries, caterers and individuals. 

Nine years later, James and I found ourselves back working in the same warehouse in Battersea, myself as a supplier and James as a wine merchant.

Why represent the low-intervention, organic, sustainable wine market?

I believe strongly in mindfulness, be that conscious consumption, or well-measured action. 

What’s your favourite grape? 

I used to duck out of this question, but it has to be Riesling – no other grape variety offers a variety of styles I currently enjoy drinking. This would be closely followed by Gamay. 

If you could choose, what would your last drink be?

Dr Loosen wines, that is Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2015. I also suggest tasting Dr Loosen mixed wine cases if you are new to Dr Loosen wines. You can start with Rieslings to be Cheerful mixed case 🙂

Rieslings To Be Cheerful

What was the last wine to blow your mind?

BOTT FRIGYES Juhfark Vinculum 2015 – I enjoyed this at a restaurant in Budapest.

Favourite sparkling wine?

Mature NV Champagne, something that’s acidity has flattened, and the autolysis characteristics have heightened. Imagine rich tea croissants.

Red or white? 

White.

If you could change one thing about the wine industry, what would it be? 

Its complexity and cliques. 

What’s the one thing the world needs most right now?

Free-flowing communication.

How has lockdown affected Pull The Cork?

With the world sitting at home, we have all loved this opportunity to chat to customers in the comfort of their living rooms and kitchen. Hopefully, this has led to vinous discoveries that may not have been made elsewhere. Like many other providers of ‘necessities’, I believe we have benefitted from the increased propensity to shop small, for which we are all eternally grateful!

The first time you had a hangover?

I think it was probably at school… I went to a boarding school; in my last year, I was given the task of running the Friday night school bar! 

Stay up to date with virtual wine tasting and corporate wine tasting events by following Elliot Awin on Instagram.

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*ABS wine agencies is one of PTC’s primary wine suppliers. A family run business importing wine for the independent wine trade for 30 years, ABS wine is a perfect partner for PTC and their sister company, London Wine Shippers.