I’ve known Reggie (aka @winecasual) for YEARS. First of all virtually on Twitter and then last year at the Copa de Jerez this charming young man came up to me and said “are you Sevilla Tapas?”. At some point I asked if he’d also be going to the next Vinoble and… he’d never heard of it! So now I can honestly say that I have changed someone’s life.

Reggie had a great time at Vinoble and, being young and mobile, went to both the morning and evening sessions and also managed to attend a couple of tastings. We also had a memorable lunch together after he recommended a new place he’d tried called La Gloria Taberna, which is now on my top five list of favourite restaurants in the city. Then, on his way to another wine event in Galicia, he stopped over in Sevilla and we met up again for a glass (or three, maybe four?) of cava/corpinnat at a little bar near me.

Such a lovely guy and I’m so happy to have him as a friend now. Although wine is his “hobby” (or at least, not his main job) he also writes for Wine Enthusiast and travels extensively, mostly on sponsored trips to further his wine knowledge (which is already impressive, even intimidating). He was truly a bright spot in these past few days and I hope he’ll be back soon.