Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Lessons from the road with Tim Syrad
After 20 years guiding in Europe’s finest vineyards, Tim Syrad Wine Tours’ Tim Syrad is regarded as one of the best in the biz. Here, 2019’s Specialist Tour Guide of the Year gives us his top tips…
I fell into guiding by chance.
Back in 1997, I was running wine education classes and was approached by a travel company to manage a group going to Champagne – and that was the start. I enjoyed conveying my knowledge of wine to people, and the tours were full of genuine enthusiasts, so it’s easy to get on the right wavelength. Plus, the joy of travelling around the world – what’s not to like? After four years of working for other people, I set up my own travel company that specialised in wine tours.
You have to love what you do.
Clients feed off your enthusiasm, so be knowledgeable about it and enjoy communicating it. Thankfully, the wine world is filled with creative, passionate winemakers who love what they do, as well as very picturesque scenery. The joy is that you can be driving along a flat motorway for miles, and a couple of turns later you are in gorgeous rolling vineyards. Tuscany has beautiful natural amphitheatres of vines, as does Brda in Slovenia, Piedmont and many other places.
The best guiding experiences...
are the ones where people come away excited by the whole experience. For me, that was the Marenco estate in Strevi in Piemonte. A delightful family, generous hosts with wine, food and time…
Double-check arrangements.
And then triple-check them. I once arrived at a winery to discover that the agent I used had doublebooked so we couldn’t visit. Reconnaissance is important too, to avoid poor experiences.
Be tolerant and patient.
Some people like to ask lots of questions and others want to keep a pace going. In Spain, one client seemed to have a mental ticklist to ask in every winery – ad nauseam. I managed to diplomatically intervene without upsetting them while also keeping the rest of the group onside.
There’s always more to learn.
Wherever you meet the people who’re involved in the success of the wine, you get a deeper insight into their philosophy. The family-owned Valduero estate in Ribera del Duero, Spain, makes you feel like royalty. They’re exceptionally generous hosts, the wine and food flows constantly and you come away feeling elated – and that’s not just because of the wine!
Sometimes you have to roll with it.
A guide needs to be knowledgeable, adaptable, patient and empathetic. But nothing beats a good sense of humour. In Barossa Valley last year we arrived for lunch – and there was no lunch! Fortunately, we had snacked well earlier so I was able to laugh it off. The winery rustled up some cheese and meats and everyone was happy.
The family-owned Valduero estate in Ribera del Duero makes you feel like royalty