Hello - I'm Paola and I've swapped running a busy west London wine shop and bar for life on the Kent coast. And I am loving it.
I also love talking, presenting and writing about wine. You'll currently find me at Oxney Organic Vineyards near Rye doing weekend tours and tastings, serving wine at John Dory in Sandgate a few evenings a month, and running my own tasting evenings
Before wine took over my professional life, I worked as a presenter, reporter and producer on national radio and TV, then moved into global corporate communications in IT and banking. look me up on LinkedIn.
I'd like to say my love for wine came from my Italian father. But, while there was always a bottle on the dinner table, it was never anything fancy. I discovered the latter all by myself - and wanted to know more.
In 2010, WSET beckoned and - sitting in a nearby Pret - I came up with the name sipswooshspit for my burgeoning wine blog. I thought it catchy and quite funny. Not an opinion I cherished for long. Try saying it aloud, as I should've done (but you can read old posts in the archive of this website).
In April 2013, I got serious and opened a tiny neighbourhood wine shop in Acton's Churchfield Road, called Park+Bridge. In February 2015, due to popular demand for somewhere to sit down and drink good wine, I opened Vindinista, just a bit further up the road.
The two merged on 2019, when the lease ended on the wine shop, and in January 2024, I sold Vindinista as a going concern so I could fulfil a dream move to the sea.