Mike Bennie
When Mike Bennie isn’t wandering vineyards on the four corners of the globe, he is a respected and high profile freelance wine and drinks writer, journalist and presenter. A lot of his work appears in the highly-regarded publication Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, he is wine/drinks editor for delicious. magazine, and he is Editor-At-Large and contributor/writer to Australia’s most interactive wine commentary website, WineFront.com.au. His work is also regularly found in Voyeur Virgin Airlines Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald Good Food section, Men’s Style magazine, Wine Business Magazine and various other publications.
Mike is a former lawyer who decided the lure of the wine world was more promising. His first forays into wine were at Best Cellars, a corporate and fine wine merchant in inner city Sydney. Mike worked as shop manager for several years, before taking on the General Manager role for seven more years, a position that saw him servicing a diverse array of corporate and high end clients including Deutsche Bank, Telstra, Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull, Russell Crowe, Commonwealth Bank, Freehills law firm, De La Soul, amongst others. Mike has gone full circle and is a co-founder and co-director of the landmark bottle shop, education resource and cultural hub, P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants.
Mike has also acted as consultant to various high profile businesses, including working as a local consultant for internationally famed restaurant Noma for their relocation to Sydney, Australia in 2016 – here Mike worked alongside the Noma team as an educator and helping to source Australian natural wine together with artisan beer and spirits.
Mike is an active wine judge in Australia and overseas, and a graduate of the prestigious Len Evans Tutorial. He is proudly a co-founder and co-director of the artisan and sustainability-focused Rootstock Sydney food and wine festival. He is prolific with his wine work, is a regular presenter at corporate and industry events, and between travels to exotic vineyards around the world, enjoys long walks on the beach with a bottle of wine (or sour beer) in his hand.
