Speaker and Presenter
Graham Mitchell is to wine what Michael Palin is to travel, a sort of “Indiana Jones with a corkscrew.” He is almost certainly in a glass of his own! He managed to make it to the roof of Africa and enjoy a glass of Malbec at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. He also broke a bottle and nearly killed himself one dark night illegally climbing one of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt. He eventually made it to the top and slept the night opposite the Sphinx. While lost up the Amazon in South America, he went alligator hunting in the moonlight and swam with Piranha fish. He swam with Great White Sharks in Hermanus in South Africa and discovered some great white wines too. He was nearly stabbed on Copacabana beach in Rio and he was caught in an army coup in Caracas in Venezuela.
He has been buying wine for far too long as a professional wine merchant. Known as The Wine Explorer, he noses his way around copious vineyards off the beaten track.
His nose normally arrives about 3 minutes before the rest of him. He relentlessly travels the world searching for the finest wines displaying attitude and soul. Graham is the 4th generation in his family to toil in wine, his Great Grandfather, Sir Alfred Bower founded a wine business in the City of London in 1879 so you could say that wine is in his blood! Sir Alfred, a bit of a Dick Whittington character, the 6th son of an East End publican, subsequently became Lord Mayor of London in 1924.
A Director of El Vino for 6 years, Graham subsequently followed his Great Grandfather’s example and set up his own wine business The Wine Explorer Limited in 2002. His passion for wine and wit led to a regular live wine slot on BBC radio for 8 years, and much presenting and writing about wine in the press, including features in The Daily Telegraph and Spectator magazine. He has also built a reputation as one of the better after dinner speakers in the UK, blending information with humour in an entertaining, exhilarating and intoxicating style. He has taken all the wine trade exams including the Master of Wine and even passed some of them. He started at the bottom making the tea aged 8 in the family business in Fleet Street above the wine bar for 1p an hour. As his father later declared, he was overpaid even then. Graham subsequently packed cases in the cellar at Berry Brothers and Rudd and spent 6 back-breaking weeks picking grapes at Chateau Angludet in Bordeaux. He has also worked in the Mosel Valley in Germany analysing the chemical constituents of wine. An arduous task as you can imagine. Today in 2019 Graham has recently returned from buying visits to France, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and Australia.
Graham is also the son of a former Member of Parliament and Government Minister Sir David Mitchell MP and he is the brother of Andrew Mitchell the current MP for Sutton Coldfield, so he knows a few stories about Parliamentary life too and would love to share his entertaining insights into this extraordinary world.
Graham came close to death in November 2015, was informed by the doctor that his heart was finished and that he needed a new one. 3 and a half years later he is back working full time running his own wine business with more excitement than ever. He has hung on to his heart.
Life has been a precarious adventure for Graham - he has one or two tales from the vineyards, illuminating and humorous stories from inside politics and an extraordinarily inspiring life story.
Ask Graham Mitchell to speak at your next event, taking your audience on a light-hearted journey, sharing his adventures and even tasting some remarkably fine wines.
Graham’s first book The Wine Explorer, Stories and Discoveries is published by The University of Buckingham Press.
At the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with a glass of Malbec
Vintners Hall Wine Tasting
Speaking at Queen’s Club London
Exploring off the beaten track
Videos from the Wine Explorer
Let the wine explorer, who has entertaining stories to tell, lead you on a light-hearted journey through the vineyards of the world, discovering and revealing the mysteries of wine.
For more information or to book Graham please click here.
Testimonials
We booked Graham for a wine tasting at our London offices for prospective clients and new contacts. The event went really well – a fabulous selection of wines, a lovely contrast between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ world, and the ‘mystery wine’ competition was a real conversation starter! Graham gave an illuminating and fun talk about wine and his journeys. The balance was just right, and we received great feedback from guests and staff alike. Highly recommended.
I asked Graham to speak recently at a Commercial Property Club Dinner at Boodles and he was brilliant, mixing his two worlds of wine and politics in a highly amusing and entertaining way – the consensus in the bar afterwards was that he was one of the best and most amusing speakers the Club had ever had.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you again for a super wine tasting last night. We were delighted with how the evening went and our clients were also very pleased. I will make sure I recommend you widely.
Graham runs a tight ship and is always in a celebratory mood. When the time comes for you to impress your clients you need look no further than Graham Mitchell – The Wine Explorer. He will set up an amazing event. Booking The Wine Explorer is ALWAYS an excuse for a celebration!
We have worked with Graham on several occasions, as an after dinner speaker and for wine tastings and always have terrific feedback. He is both extremely knowledgeable and witty and always engages his audience.
The Wine Explorer presented a memorable evening of fine wine at a private dinner at Vintners’ Hall. Graham gave us a blend of witty insights into this fascinating world, we sampled humorous stories and some magnificent wines. It was a terrific evening which was much enjoyed by all of us and I would recommend Graham wholeheartedly as a lively and entertaining speaker who is good value.
Graham certainly lived up to expectations. His speech hit exactly the right notes. Very, very good… excellent actually.
Graham Mitchell is to wine what Michael Palin is to travel – a sort of Indiana Jones with a corkscrew! Graham has an easy going style where wit, serious comment on wine and charming anecdotes are easily mingled. However, for all the charm the audience is left in no doubt as to his passion and expertise when it comes to the wines. With Graham you learn about wine in a matter-of-fact, direct and accessible way. He was excellent.
As a small wine society we always look forward to being treated to something special with Graham’s presentations. We not only know to expect some fantastic wines, but also that we will be entertained as well. Graham has loads of amusing stories to tell about wine, and his fun and engaging presentation style means we always learn something new.
The selection of wines and Graham’s knowledge and love of them was obvious, but also his presentation and informal fun approach to enjoying wine made the evening a great success.
Graham is an excellent presenter and fine speaker. His knowledge of wines is incomparable and he provides a complete entertainment package for all occasions.
A witty speaker and engaging personality, Graham brings a real sense of fun and a touch of danger to wines with that certain different quality.
Graham Mitchell is an engaging, civilised after dinner speaker brimming with wit and good humour. He is both amusing and stimulating about a subject which everybody enjoys. The world of wine has a fund of good stories and Graham Mitchell seems to know some of the best.
We invited Graham to speak and to run a blind tasting competition at our annual customer summer bash, and he was by general acclaim the star of the show. Even for those whose alcoholic intake was normally lager, Graham’s talk was a great combination of fascinating facts about wine and a wicked sense of political humour that had us all in stitches. His fluent and engaging style bettered Boris by a mile! He also made the wine tasting competition great fun, for participants and spectators alike. He was well worth the money!
If you want a speaker to blend entertainment with expertise then Graham will give you what you want. He spoke to a mixed audience of teachers and business leaders, comparing new world with French wines and did an excellent job. They often ask me about him.
Graham Mitchell is a brilliant speaker and presenter. He brings wine to life in his presentations and offers a wonderfully eclectic array of wines. I found him easy to work with to discuss the project at hand. There was good communication and the project was completed without a hitch. I would work with him again.
I would recommend Graham unreservedly to any organisation seeking a humorous, interesting and informative speaker for any event with a political or wine-related theme.
Graham is a natural. His speech was spectacular. He is an accomplished and entertaining speaker, both hilarious and informative. I knew the evening had been a huge success by the appreciative reaction of the audience
Graham Mitchell is one of the best speakers that our society has enjoyed for years. He is an engaging guide who shares his knowledge of the mysteries of wine with such a light touch that his audience little realise how much they are learning. Graham’s stories of his adventures in the vineyards are both amusing and entertaining.