Wine Not?
Words/ Lou Andrews, Natalie Davids Images/ Natalie Davids
A chance newspaper ad and a journey of discovery turned Natalie Davids’ passion for wine into a business...
Wine is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world. According to an article on thedrinksbusiness. com, us Brits drank through a staggering 1.7 billion bottles a week in 2020. Yes, a week! It’s therefore likely many of you reading this will be wine drinkers, but how much do you really know about this fruity beverage?! If you are anything like me, it won’t be much! Well, don’t worry because we caught up with Natalie Davids, the Founder of Sippers and Spitters Wine and she spilled the grapes on the nations favourite!
Natalie, thanks for talking to us. So, tell me a little bit about you. How did you get into the wine business?
I worked in the wine industry in South Africa, and I was there for about four years before I came over here.
Originally, I had a degree in politics, philosophy, and economics, but I couldn’t get a job in the government for various reasons. Then I was looking in the newspaper one day and I found a job in the wine industry as an Information Officer. Turns out, I was good at it, so I got promoted after two years to Information Manager. And that’s where my love of wine and the industry started!
I was looking in the newspaper one day and I found a job in the wine industry as an Information Officer. Turns out, I was good at it...
What made you take your love of wine further?
I think when I first came to this country, a lot of the jobs were sales driven. You know, because a lot of wine is imported into the UK because of the climate here. So, I thought to myself, okay, I don’t really want to do a sales job, what else can I do in the wine industry because it’s something that I love. So, I thought of hosting wine tasting parties.
I love entertaining people and wine, so why not combine the two? And I think I’m really good with people or, so I’ve been told <laughs>
<Laughs> So, it started with the hosting?
Yeah. I did Sippers & Spitters wine tasting parties and then I thought, okay, instead of using other people’s wine, um, I love South African wine. South Africa’s got some amazing wine and it’s not on the radar as much as other wines like French or Italian. I researched the different producers that were not currently in the UK. I believe in boutique producers anyway; I don’t like mass produced wines because I feel like it loses its quality when it gets mass produced.
I did a four-day business trip to South Africa and just visited loads of producers and tasted the wines. It was good to meet the producers because I didn’t want to import wines when I don’t know who’s been making them! I really wanted to have that personal connection.
Are you qualified as a wine taster? Is that a thing? Do you have to be qualified?
There is this qualification called the WSET (Wine Spirits Education Trust) and it goes in levels. I’ve got my level three, which is advanced. It goes all the way up to level eight, which is a wine master like Jancis Robinson.
I felt like a level three was enough of a qualification to run my business and be able to work in the sector of the industry I wanted to. The higher levels are where you learn about soil types and how you train the vines etc, which at the time I didn’t need as I don’t want to be a wine maker. Wine makers in general will have an Oenology degree, which all the producers Sippers and Spitters work with have.
Wow! Who knew it was that complex! <laughs> So where did the name come from because I love the name?
Funnily enough, me and my friend were sitting at a dinner party waiting for our friends to arrive and we were just bantering different ideas for names of my business. And uh, she actually came up with it! <laughs>
It’s too good! I want to talk a little bit about the benefits of wine. It seems to be a common belief that red wine has good health properties, more so than white wine. Is that true?
It is true, red wine does have certain health properties. It’s to do with the antioxidants in the grape skin. Basically, in red wine the skin is used in the fermentation process whereas for white wine the skin is removed. So yeah, it’s good for heart health and cholesterol and things like that. Obviously in moderation though!
It is true, red wine does have certain health properties. It’s to do with the antioxidants in the grape skin.
Also, let’s talk intolerances cause I have an intolerance to anything that’s wine! <laugh> Are there certain things that could cause intolerances?
Definitely. A common misconception is that it’s the sulphites that cause issues like headaches, but when I was doing research, I found that it’s more likely to be the Tannins (which are found in the skin of the grapes) and there’s actually one way that you can test it! The same Tannins are found in black tea so make a strong brew and if you get reactions to that, then you know it’s the Tannins!
White wine has a far lower amount, so if you are getting an intolerance, maybe try white and see how that affects you or drink lighter reds like a Pinot Noir. You can also try different brands. The cheaper wines are mass produced and brought over in massive quantities. I’m not saying the more expensive wine is better, but certainly the three-pound brand that you get down the local shop will likely be more acidic.
So, what makes a good wine?
Well, wine is a very personal preference. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s any one particular good wine, it’s what you personally like to drink. Normally, if I go out to a restaurant, even though I know my wine, I will ask the waiter what they recommend? And then I’ll look on the wine menu and see what compares to what they have recommended and what I’m eating.
Hang on, so we also need to think about what we are eating?!
Yes! I’m very much of a food/wine matcher. It makes a difference! I know what wine goes with what food, but I would say if you don’t know, then ask the waiter as they should be able to tell you.
So if you went out to eat pizza, what would you drink?
I’d probably go for an Italian red ‘cause that goes really well with pizza. I do love a curry, so if I’m having that I would choose a Riesling because it’s got more residual sugar in it to balance out the spice of the curry.
I’m learning <laughs> So, if you had a pudding, would you go for a dessert wine?
I mean I love dessert wine. You get some amazing dessert wines. There’s a dessert wine from Hungary called Tokaji Aszu. In South Africa we have Napoleon Bonaparte’s favourite dessert wine. He requested it on his death bed – it’s called ‘Vin de Constance’ from Klein Constantia wine farm in Cape Town. When I do tastings, I would pair dessert wine with blue cheese, because the saltiness of the cheese balances well with the sweetness of the wine. Blue cheese and dessert wine is a match made in heaven! I’m not even joking. It’s so good! That’s normally something I cover in my tastings.
I am 100% going to try that combo! <laughs> Do you have vegan wines and what makes it vegan?
Yes, I do have a vegan wine range and it’s all to do with the filtering of the wine, the ‘Fining’ process. In general wine production, they use fining agents like egg albumin (from egg whites) or gelatine from fish bladder or animal parts, which is obviously not vegan. It should always say vegan on the label, so check if you are ever unsure.
Who knew?! This is good stuff. I would not have thought there were bits of animal in my Pinot! <laughs> Now, let’s talk moderation. REFRAME isn’t about telling anyone what to do, but we’re all about providing people with tools to help them do it properly! How much wine is too much?
I think the NHS recommends no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which is around six medium glasses (175ml) of wine a week. I don’t drink in the week, unless I go for a meal out. Also, it’s worth noting that if you’re going to open a bottle to drink a glass of wine, that wine is not going to last the whole week. The minute you pour, air gets in the bottle and, over time, will taint the wine.
So, I would say to get one of those vacuum pumps, which will suck all the air out of the bottle and preserve the wine longer. When I don’t drink the whole bottle and it does turn, I just use it in my cooking. It’ll be perfectly fine in cooking because you’re gonna cook out the alcohol anyway. It’s more just for the flavour aspect.
When I don’t drink the whole bottle and it does turn, I just use it in my cooking. It’ll be perfectly fine in cooking because you’re gonna cook out the alcohol anyway.
What makes Sippers and spitters wine better than others?
Well firstly I think it’s because you can’t find our wines anywhere else but from us. Unless you jump on a plane. <laughs>
And that’s a lot more expensive! <laughs>
<laughs> I’ve had customers like go on the website and be like, ‘oh my God, I had this wine at my wedding, and I didn’t know I could get it in the UK!’. That is definitely my unique selling point. I try and look for interesting wines.
That’s really interesting. The last question I’ve got is what’s next for Sippers and Spitters? Apart from working with the REFRAME team of course! <laughs> World Domination?
I would say I would love to get into some independent restaurants in Surrey. I’ve got some great wines and there’s such a market for South African wine. I feel like the next step for us is to just rock up to some restaurants with some samples just before their lunch service or something and say ‘taste this!’. <laughs>
I’d also like to expand our portfolio. I’m really hoping to import from a Spanish producer next year. And again, his wines are not in the UK so we will going to be the only one selling it!
Nice! You’re a real pioneer for the wine underdogs Nat! <laughs> Thanks for talking to me, I will be off to visit your website...
So, there you have it! I know I have learnt a lot and I hope you have too. Natalie is very passionate, and she really cares about the products she sells, which is what you want if you are buying anything that you put in your body! She’s sassy and bubbly, but not like prosecco, no, this woman is top end Champers! Who else would you want to buy wine from? For the perfect gift this Christmas, head on over to Sippers and Spitters because as Natalie said, ‘it’s about quality and not quantity’. Like her mantra, ‘life’s too short to drink cheap wine’.
Lou x