Hello, I’m Luke.

Since you’ve made it here, let’s start from the top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it).

I’m lucky – I had a brilliant upbringing in the North East of England with two older brothers. We lived in the countryside, where we had to create our own adventures and entertainment.

It was when I managed, at the age of eight, to write my homework upside down and back to front that I knew things were never going to be standard.

I loved school – even if I underperformed on the academic side of things. The classic line, “Has the intelligence; needs to try harder,” often found its way onto my school report.

Fresh out of school, I stuck a pin in the map and jetted off to Kenya – an experience I’ll never forget and a lesson in doing proper research before booking a trip of that scale.

In my early twenties I travelled a decent amount, visiting South Africa, Australia and New Zealand – places that flipped my perspective and lit the spark for my love of wine.

After a few interesting jobs, such as a door-to-door salesman, a Western Union agent (a story for another time) and as a journalist for four newspapers in north London, I had a game-changing stint in Canada, working at the Winter Olympics, which ended up with me losing a rather large poker hand in Vegas that brought me back home.

Upon my return I decided it was time to get my shit together. I joined Majestic Wines, dove headfirst into the industry and learned everything I could. Things went well – suddenly, “trying harder” wasn’t the issue.

I decided to leave London, take my learnings and my entrepreneurial spirit, and set up my own business supplying wines to retailers and venues all over Suffolk.

Then came the digital explosion. To promote my business, I saw a gap – no one was talking about wine differently in video content – so I started posting in my no-BS style, and it blew up.

Millions of views later, across multiple platforms, I found myself on stages, hosting talks, being invited to top wine regions, judging wine awards and hosting some rather sizeable tasting events.

This all led to the launch of Luke Flunder’s Wine World on Substack – my HQ where I primarily share great recommendations, insights, and a fresh take on the world of wine.

This isn’t just a newsletter; it’s an invitation to join me on the next wild chapter of my adventure. If you’re ready for raw stories, unapologetic passion and a journey that defies expectations, then come along for the ride.

Cheers,
Luke 🍷