Wine Writer & Consultant to brands, businesses and individuals.
Ruth is an award winning wine expert, writer and consultant, specialising in marketing, PR, content and brand strategy. She is the founder Wine Car Boot, the innovative nomadic farmers market for independent wine shops and growers, encouraging everyday drinkers to ‘taste their way out of the supermarket’.
In 2020 Ruth set off on a two year road trip around English & Welsh vineyards and is currently writing a travel memoir of that period, along with other proposals.
Driven by a natural entrepreneurial spirit, Ruth creates and hosts tastings, events and festivals for the trade, public and corporate clients, to inspire and introduce wine lovers to the most authentic and interesting bottles around.
She also enjoys public speaking to both consumer and trade audiences, regularly appearing on panel talks from the London Wine Fair to the Padstow Food Festival.
Over the last 15 years, Ruth has worked with dozens of clients as a freelance consultant and as part of the creative media team of The Wine Show, spanning marketing bodies and ad agencies to wine growers and global brands. She has built wine lists and devised training for numerous bars and restaurants and helped independent wine shops launch.
The breadth and depth of her experience is unique and her network invaluable.
Bylines: FT Weekend, The New World, Waitrose Magazine, The Wine Society, Noble Rot, Star Wine List, Foodism, Root & Vine, ES, Elle Wedding, INstyle, Town & Country, Esquire, GQ, The Sourcing Table and Hudin.
Before carving out a career in wine Ruth spent 12 years working internationally as a fashion and beauty model, represented by the world’s best agencies including Models1, Ford and Beatrice.
Today she is repped by literary agent Hardman & Swainson.
Past & Present Client List
ANM Communications - Berry Brothers & Rudd - Bloomberg - BWP - Canopy Market - Carte Blanche Wines - Chablis AOC - Craft London - Crown Estate - Decanter Wine Awards - Fraser Communications - Govino - Grenson - Honest Grapes - I Greppi - Inter Rhone - IWSC - Kings Cross Estates - Leithaberg DAC - Libeau - Liberty Allen - Malgiacca - MullenLowe Group - Padstow Food Festival - Quinta Da Boa Esperança - See Research - Sherlock & Mouche - Slow Food Barbados - Star Wine List - Studio Meraki - Swig - Taylor’s Port - The Royal Oak - The Wine Circuit - Tillingham - TWS Creative - Vinterest - Westwell - Wilderness - Wines of Hungary
“human whirlwind”
— Jancis Robinson on Ruth
“I have never experienced such a cool friendly atmosphere at a public wine tasting.”
— Jancis Robinson on Wine Car Boot
“Spivey is an oenophile with a previous career in fashion, a knack for branding, an amazing ability to chat at about 3,000 words per minute and an even more amazing constitution that seems to allow her to stay up later than anyone else yet also dash out to run a half-marathon.”
— Victoria Moore, The Telegraph
'Ruth is a gem in the wine world and my go to expert when I have more complex wine questions or need an eye to look over a wine list. She has extensive knowledge, that she effortlessly imparts without pretension & is a absolute pleasure to work with.’
— Sophie Michell, Chef Patron, Author & Presenter
“Ruth is a blue jay among the trade’s fat cock pheasants. Unassuming, with a flash of guile and determination which mark her as a woman - and a wino - to watch.”
— Swirl Wine Group