Interview With Aidy Smith – The Three Drinkers

The wine world is full of so many different and wonderful personalities, with everyone offering something unique to the industry, in this feature, we speak with a celebrity in the wine world, Aidy Smith, most well known as a Managing Director and Presenter on The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime, let’s discover some more about his amazing life.

Tell Us About Yourself & How You Became Involved In The Wine Industry?

“I’m someone who accidentally fell in love with wine when I was 20 years old, and I’ve never looked back. Most of my education has come through traveling to regions and seeing things firsthand and just tasting as many wines as I possibly could from a young age. It all began when I was an intern in San Francisco and happened to meet two lovely people who owned the only urban winery in Silicon Valley. With so much in common we instantly became friends, in fact, they basically adopted me as their nephew, and the rest was history. Steve & Rose would kindly take me out to restaurants to try many different types of wine, take me to Napa and Sonoma to see the vineyards there, and on top of that show me every single process of wine making from grape to bottle at their winery.

Today, I’m a journalist, broadcaster and TV presenter working to allow everyone out there in the world to fall in love with what’s in their glass. In 2019 I launched a TV series on Amazon Prime called The Three Drinkers which is now in its 3rd season with this exact mission. It has picked up a couple of awards along the way and has a thriving website and social media entity connected to it, offering viewers further “drinkspiration” as I like to call it.

As the only TV presenter in the UK with Tourette Syndrome and being part of the LGBTQIA+ community I am committed to helping expand the pool of who gets to talk about wine and spirits and have been working hard on various initiatives to help those from underrepresented communities find their own passion and follow it. In January this year I launched DRINKLUSIVE, the UK’s only mentorship programme for aspiring drinks writers and content creators from LGBTQIA+, disability and underrepresented ethnicity communities. It’s taken a hell of a lot of work to get it off the ground but has been so rewarding. I urge any wineries who want to get involved to reach out and see how they can!”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When It Was And What Kind Of Wine It Was?

“People will probably laugh at this, but my first experience will have been a Bucks Fizz / Mimosa with Champagne. I won’t say how old I was, mostly because I don’t even remember! Let’s just say my tastes have changed over the years!”

For Any Fans Of Your ‘Three Drinkers’ Series, Can You Share With Us Any Behind The Scenes Moments That Particularly Made You Laugh?

“One of the most notable was when we managed to lose one of the £120,000+ Range Rovers we’d been loaned by Land Rover for the series on an island that had a population of just 3,000 people. I suppose it wasn’t funny at the time… but I still have a smile on my face every time I think about it. We did find the car in the end!

There are so many hilarious moments but in general that all boils down to the people. You really become a close-knit family with the crew, and everyone involved on a daily basis because you’re filming for months together. I’ve a particularly close relationship with our Executive Director, Chris, and one of our frequent Third Drinker stars, Eulanda. Both of which I have had countless epically hilarious moments with – not sure I’ll be writing them down though, ha!!”

You’re A Drinks Expert, TV Presenter and Executive Producer of The Three Drinkers, What Future Projects Can We Look Forward To Seeing You Involved With?

“For now, I am working closely on DRINKLUSIVE, my mentorship programme. Every 6 months I’ll be supporting a new cohort of 6 mentees across LGBTQIA+, disability and underrepresented ethnicity communities to help bring a richer roster of diverse talent into the drinks’ communication world. At the beginning of 2024, I took over The Three Drinkers as the Managing Director and have some epic plans in store across the board which I’ll be able to share in due course!

Personally, I’ll be getting a lot more involved with my neurodiversity roots. I’ve been working with the BBC and Virgin Radio to produce documentaries alongside the ADHD Foundation & Neurodiversity Charity as a patron and the Tourette Association of America as their Global Ambassador. I have no plans to slow down raising awareness in this arena as it’s something I’m so passionate about.”

What Sparkling Wine Producing Countries or Regions Hold A Special Place In Your Heart?

“I owe my love of Champagne to a lovely woman named Mami Kusano. Having worked with Vivino for 7 years as a Global Brand Ambassador I was fortunate enough to meet so many remarkable people within the Vivino user community. Those relationships have blossomed into fantastic friendships, and Mami, along with some of my other ‘original Vivino friends’ are responsible for getting me into vintage Champagne. I’ve never looked back since. Rich sticky brioche, apricot Danish pastry and a mouthfeel of lees complexity – that’s what gets me going!”

Where’s The Most Memorable Place You’ve Enjoyed A Glass of Bubbly?

“Honestly, a 1962 Cristal with two of my dearest friends in the middle of nowhere in Wales. You don’t need white tablecloths and sublime elegance to appreciate something, sometimes all it takes is having people you genuinely adore around you. Wine is about so many things – and who you share it with is arguably one of the most important.”

Thank you Aidy, for sharing your words, knowledge and experience with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Aidy Smith. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.