ABOUT FIRST PRESS
ABOUT FIRST PRESS
Hi there, hey, hello. I’m Sophie Thorpe, a London-based freelance wine writer – and the author behind First Press.
Wine geek.
Grammar fiend.
Lover of all things delicious.
I own more books than I can read, obsessively buy wine beyond my means and spend a worrying proportion of my salary on food.
I’ve spent over a decade writing in-house for fine wine merchants (in particular FINE+RARE and Berry Bros. & Rudd), helping them harness the power of content to build their brand and – most importantly – sell.
But alongside a 9-to-5, I’ve also been diving into the world of wine as a journalist. My work has been published in Decanter (where I have a monthly slot reviewing the latest wine books), Club Oenologique and jancisrobinson.com, as well as being featured in two books by Académie du Vin Library (On Burgundy and On Tuscany).
I’ve been shortlisted twice for the Emerging category at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writing Awards (2017 and '18), was awarded the Guild of Food Writers Drinks Writing Award (2021) and, most recently, shortlisted for the 67 Pall Mall Award for Best Global Wine Communicator in Short-Form Writing (2024).
Having ticked off my WSET Diploma, in 2019 I started working towards the Master of Wine, hoping to continue to uncork bottles under the premise of “studying”. I’m now on Stage Three of the programme (the final hurdle – the Research Paper).
Beyond that, I box competitively and have a serious penchant for pastries.
But what is First Press?
This site is a combination of things, all of which are rather selfish. It’s an excuse for me to tell more stories, visit more producers, open a few more bottles, and tick restaurants off my wish-list – essentially, to write about the things I like. But I also hope that you’ll like them too, or at least like reading about them.
If you want tips on weekday wines, recommendations under £5 a bottle and supermarket selections: you’re in the wrong place. I’m interested in the stories behind a wine, the character of a place, the nerdy detail, and the personalities involved. I’m hoping to capture just a little of that here.
It also acts as an online portfolio, pointing to everything I’ve written.
Of course, any and all opinions expressed here are wholly my own.
Are you a brand or business looking for help with your content?
I do that too.
What do you think?
If you like what I’m doing, think I’m missing a trick or you’d like to commission me to write something elsewhere, please drop me a line