Swyrll - Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Consulting

About

Advisory Services

Guided Wine Tastings

Most organisations approach sustainability as a reporting exercise. The leaders who succeed treat it as an innovation challenge.I work with organisations to move beyond frameworks and compliance, and instead use sustainability as a driver of new value - through innovation in products, services, business models and partnerships. With experience spanning government, consulting, start-ups and international programmes, I bring a practical understanding of how innovation actually happens in complex, real-world environments.As a former faculty member at Ashridge Business School and an experienced facilitator, I design and lead workshops that challenge assumptions, sharpen thinking and drive action. My approach combines systems thinking, action learning and frontline experience - helping teams move from discussion to decisions, and from ambition to implementation.I’ve worked extensively with start-ups, corporates and public sector organisations, including through roles at Innovate UK and involvement in international initiatives with Nesta. This gives me a grounded perspective on the barriers to innovation - and what it takes to overcome them.

Challenging you to challenge yourselves

My wine journey started in 1998, when I was a Civil Servant at the Ministry of Defence. I was invited to have lunch with the Finnish Ambassador at his residence in Kensington. When the meal was served, they also brought out some wine. I was so impressed with it, I made a mental note of the bottle, and resolved to find out more*. That lead to an evening class on wine appreciation, which lead to another, which lead to me taking the Wine and Spirit Education Trust's Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits.When I moved to Woking in 2007, I set up a wine tasting club as a way to meet local people and to taste more wines than I could possibly manage alone. That club is still going strong:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://niraj9.wixsite.com/horsellwineclub">https://niraj9.wixsite.com/horsellwineclub</a>I also work as a wine tour leader at Britain's largest single estate vineyard, Denbies, in Surrey, where I've enjoyed educating hundreds of people about wine. Hopefully I can do that for you too.Apart from wine, most of my time is spent providing strategic support to start-ups, and I'm very happy to chat about that separately if it's of use.*That bottle at the lunch with the ambassador? It was a Pouilly-Fumé.

Niraj Saraf

Your wine guide

A lot of people find the subject of wine intimidating and confusing, which means they tend to stick to what they know. Does that sound like you?It's a pity because there's so much to discover, and it doesn't have to cost a lot. Understand a few simple principles and your palate will be ready for some fascinating adventures.Swyrll offers fun, expertly guided wine tastings in your home. An experienced wine guide leads you through a carefully chosen selection, explaining flavours, styles and stories in clear, accessible terms to help you understand what you like, why you like it, and how to enjoy wine more. It's also a fun alternative to the hassle and cost of a night out.Available in Woking, Surrey, and anywhere within one hour's travel from there.

Four Shades of Vine.  

More photos to buy: http://bit.ly/2mfsD15

Experience Wine Differently

Explore the art of pairing wines with a variety of cheeses, enhancing your tasting experience with expert guidance.

Wine & Cheese Masterclass

Travel through the vineyards of a specific wine region with tastings that highlight its unique terroir and varietals.

Regional Wine Journey

Discover the flavors and stories behind organic and natural wines, perfect for the conscious wine enthusiast.

Organic & Natural Wines

Travel through one of the world's many wine regions, take a deep dive into your favourite grape variety, or see if Champagne is really the best sparkling that the world has to offer.Previous themes include:<ul><li>Cremants from around France: are they as good as Champagne?</li><li>Moving on from Liebfraumilch: an introduction to the real Germany</li><li>The many styles of Port</li><li>What you can do to a grape: comparing old world and new world wines made from the same grape varieties</li></ul>

Themes

Have your eyes opened to the difference that wine can make to your food, and the

Wine and Food Pairing

Test your wine knowledge with a fun and interactive blind tasting session.

Blind Tasting Challenge

Tasting Experiences

Gallery

It was our friend’s birthday, and we celebrated with a few bottles of wine from Longshadow Ranch in Temecula, CA.

Foto feita no evento MONDOVINO WINE FESTIVAL em João Pessoa - Paraíba - Brasil

A very educational (and tasty) weekend can be had if you explore the wine region of the Okanagen Valley in Canada.

Holidaying with my friend Anita in France

Champagne's  spinning in a Lehmann glasses "Soufflé bouche" collection 🥂

Chateau Gigonan as a producer in Chateauneuf du Pape is a relatively new property in the Southern Rhone Valley. We had a wine tasting and tour of the winery. 

Italien vineyard landscape during sunset. In Tuscany

You don't have to go out to have a new experience - book your tasting now!

Tastings start from just £40pp for a minimum of 6 people. For that, you'll get to taste 8 carefully selected wines and 2 hours with your wine guide.

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