Interview With Colin Hampden-White – 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, Colin Hampden-White, most well known as a Presenter on The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime and Non Executive Director at Cask Trade Ltd, let’s discover some more about his amazing life.

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

“I was a photographer when I came to London in 2003, working for most of the national newspapers including a good stint exclusively at the FT. Vogue Italia followed and then Gallery representation with Rebecca Hossack culminating in winning the Roederer Award for Artistry and exhibiting in the National Portrait Gallery. In 2010, as a photographer, I started travelling with Farr Vintners to en primeur in Bordeaux. I had been an avid wine fan for a while, and it presented me with an opportunity to taste some of the great Bordeaux wines. After that trip, with the help of Henry Matson, who was working for Farr Vintners and a great friend, I organised to take the portraits of the top 20 winemakers in Bordeaux, both left and right banks. In 2011 I followed this up with the best from Burgundy and Champagne. With such great access to these wineries and having written in newspapers previously whilst also being a photographer, I started to write about wine with Condé Nast and LUXX magazine.”

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

“My first experiences with sparkling wine were fairly traditional. At about 12 years old, living in Edinburgh, I would be allowed to drink Champagne at Christmas and other special occasions. Although I don’t remember the brands specifically, I do remember my mother particularly liked Taittinger, so I imagine there was a fair bit of that consumed.”

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

“On the last day of filming on Islay, we had wrapped for the day and the crew parked the Range Rovers in Port Ellen, and we all went out for a good knees up. The next day when we came to pack the vehicles, one of them couldn’t be found. We searched for what seemed like ages, we knew the likelihood of it being stolen on Islay (especially being an island) was non-existent, but still, our producer called the police. In the middle of that call the car was spotted. It was parked towards the edge of town in the middle of the street! Nobody had any recollection of who had tried to drive the 200M from the bar to the hotel. Thankfully everything was fine.”

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

“I’ve always liked Champagne, especially some of the grower Champagnes. My wife and I have become friendly with Jean Paul Morel in Verzenay. We first met him shortly after we were married in 2008 and every year would drive there to pick up our Champagne for the year. Sadly, with the personal restrictions on importing wine to the UK as they stand, we haven’t been able to do that for a while.”

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

“This is a difficult question. There have been so many great situations where fizz has been involved. These range from the early morning after a balloon flight in the Masai Mara, having a Champagne breakfast on the plains as rhinos watched from a distance, to celebrating the launch of The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime at the Dorchester in London with over 700 of our industry friends and family, and having bought our house in Sussex is also right up there. But the most memorable was having just been married by the Dean in Westminster Abbey, sitting as a newly married couple in a cloister with a few minutes to spare before our reception in the House of Lords.”

Thank you Colin, 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 Colin Hampden-White & The Three Drinkers. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.