Masterclasses

Friday 4 December

  • 14:30 – 15:15: Sustainable farming practises in light of Climate Change

    Regenerative practises Vs biodynamics

  • 16:00 – 16:45: Organics Vs Biodynamic Vs Regen

    Regional pros and cons with low intervention farming

  • 18:30 – 19:15: Wine 101

    The difference between organic and natural and how to tell from the label

Saturday 5 December

  • 13:00 – 13:45: Wine 101

    The difference between organic and natural

  • 15:00 – 15:45: Organics Vs Biodynamic Vs Regen

    Regional pros and cons with low intervention farming

  • 17:00 – 17:45: The "terroir" debate - is natural wine a true reflection of terroir?

    Soil science and conventional farming practises - how does that affect our wine?

All Masterclasses will be hosted by Sunny Hodge, sole founder and owner of wine bars, Diogenes the Dog and aspen & meursault; two multi award-winning wine bars associated with challenging the status quo of wine. Further to his wine bars he also operates Diogenes the Dog Trade, a wholesale arm of his business that distributes wine to select venues across the UK.

He is also an international wine judge for the prestigious IWSC awards and Decanter World Wine Awards and serves as a mentor for the Drinklusive drink diversity initiative and The Circle of Wine Writers. He took two awards at the London Wine Fair Buyers Awards 2025 for both 'On-Trade Multiple Venue Wine Buyer' and 'Overall Wine Buyer of the Year 2025'.

Hodge is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from UCL with a keen eye for detail, love of science and hospitality; finding the “Why?” behind food and wine is what he has specialised in since he began his career in Hospitality. Hodge is now spearheading the research in new ways of looking at wine education based on science and functionality.

His book 'The Cynic’s Guide to Wine' delves into the science behind wine from soil upwards into our perception of taste and flavour to dispel wine myths using science as a platform. Hodge is a commentator and wine writer for the likes of Waitrose Food Magazine, Ocado, Evening Standard, The Times, and The Guardian. Also performing as a literary judge for the Fortnum and Mason Awards.

His wine know-how and ability to present this to a wider audience has also gotten him centre stage on ITV for Alan Titchmarsh’s morning show Love Your Weekend, Made in Chelsea, Times Radio, Food FM, Monocle Radio, and drinks podcasts such as Tristan Stephenson’s The Curious Bartender Mr Lyan's Studio Lates Podcast and Alan Carr's Bottoms Up! Podcast

@sunnyhodgewine

Photo credit: Daniel Ogulewicz