Speakers

Metro Drinks Editor, author of The Alcorithm, presenter, Top 100 most influential in Drinks and two-time IWSC Wine Communicator of the Year shortlistee Rob Buckhaven began working in the wine trade soon after graduating with a BA Hons in Spanish from Leeds University. The lure of using his languages to float around the globe tasting wine was a compelling one for such a wine-enthused graduate.  

Soon Rob had worked for Adnams Wines and had even made wine in South Australia living in a caravan on the winery site. From there, Rob worked as Senior Brand Manager for Torres, as a Wine Buyer for Boisdale Restaurant Group, the Brand Ambassador for a major English Sparkling Wine. Rob now consults for a number of wine brands including an English Sparkling wine, a South African MCC Sparkling and a range of French wines with vines planted in an asteroid crater.  

In 2006, Rob received distinction in his MBA in Wine Marketing and Management from the prestigious INSEEC Business School in Bordeaux, where he wrote his thesis on Spanish wine in the UK market. Seeing an important gap in the market on his return to the UK he set up award-winning wine website lovethatwine.co.uk in conjunction with Thierry’s Wine Services, offering everyday wine drinkers the chance to write their own reviews on the wines they are quaffing. 

Rob then went on to do an eight-year stint as Senior Brand Manager of Torres’ portfolio of wines and spirits at John Fells, which gave Rob a passion for wine in the On-Trade sector. He then went on to be the Group Head of Wine for Boisdale Restaurants in London. Rob is currently Drinks Editor and Columnist for the Metro and also writes about drinks for the Evening Standard and Independent. He is also a professional judge for the People’s Choice Wine Awards.  

In November 2021, Rob had his debut drinks book, The Alcorithm – a revolutionary flavour guide to find the drinks you’ll love’ published by Penguin Michael Joseph, which was shortlisted for Best Drinks Book at the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2022. Rob writes regularly on the subject of wine, as the former Wine Columnist for Fabulous Magazine in the News of the World and the Sun on Sunday, and in his role as Drinks Columnist for the Metro newspaper and The Evening Standard. Rob’s passion lies in communicating wine both in print, and on TV where he has appeared regularly as a Wine Expert on The Market Kitchen, Something for the Weekend and the Michael Ball Show. Most recently, he has been selected as the latest drinks presenter on ITV Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh.  

Rob can also be found hosting theatres at major shows across the country, at the Ideal Home Show, BBC Good Food Show, Taste, Foodies and The Big Feastival. He performed at the Ideal Home Show and Grand Designs Live this March and hosted wine theatres at Taste of London in June. Rob also performed at The Guernsey Literary Festival 2022, hosting a sold-out evening based around his book. He is a regular panellist at MadFest with Grace Dent and Jimi Famurewa.  

Rob is currently also UK Brand Ambassador for Champagne Pommery and Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey. He has recently been offered a second drinks book proposal, from Little Brown Publishers, due for publication in September 2026.