Lisa was born and raised in rural Maine, USA. She attended Colby College in Maine and after graduating with a degree in English Literature in 1989, moved to London, England with designs on becoming a playwright. Still broke after having a few of her plays performed on the London “fringe”, and with the nagging necessity of college loan repayments not to mention the rent, Lisa decided to seek alternative employment. A friend offered her a job in a wine bar and before long she found herself managing the place.

Wine soon became more than just a very small pay cheque. A growing passion for wine experiences enticed Lisa to pursue wine studies at London’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust where she went on to achieve her Diploma. She progressed to an on-trade sales position at one of London’s oldest wine merchants and subsequently worked in various sales and marketing roles in the London wine trade for a total of more than twelve years.

In 2002 Lisa moved to Tokyo, Japan where she worked as a wine buyer for one of Japan’s top fine wine importers and a part-time wine educator for Tokyo’s Academie du Vin. She toured Japan’s wine producing regions and became involved in various viticulture and winemaking projects to improve the quality of wines made from local grapes. And from her base in Tokyo she took the opportunity to travel throughout Asia discovering the many cultures and opportunities for the unconventional enjoyment of wine.

Lisa has since relocated to Singapore, her new base for pursuing her exploration of wine in Asia. In September 2008, after more than five years of rigorous study, palate work-outs and examinations, Lisa achieved her Master of Wine qualification.

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