From wine apprentice to national wine buyer, Geoffrey Smallwood reflects on a remarkable 70-year journey through the wine trade, spanning from 1955 to 2025.

In this talk, he will share stories and insights from a lifetime working with prominent wine firms—both in the UK and abroad—as well as explore how our knowledge and enjoyment of wine have evolved over the decades.

Geoffrey welcomes questions at the end of the talk—but regrets there won’t be any samples!

Speaker Biography

Geoffrey Smallwood has spent seven decades in the wine industry, working with several major firms and traveling extensively as part of his role. He continues to enjoy sharing his deep knowledge of wine with friends through talks and tastings.

Since moving from Great Shelford to Histon in 2007, Geoffrey has been an active member of the local community and the Village Society. He contributed sound, music, and effects to the Son et Lumière Village Society production at Histon Church in 2010, which led to an invitation to chair the Society—a role he held for six years. He remains a valued member of the Village Society Committee.

Geoffrey also plays a key role in the Society’s portfolio of local publications. He is the author of the society’s book on Histon Station and compiled the expanded second edition of Cheers!, a history of pubs in Histon and Impington.

In addition, he continues to make live classical music recordings, including with Choir 2000, and supports the Histon & Impington Model Railway Group. He is also helping to complete the Society’s oral history project, Memories of Villagers, featuring around 40 recorded interviews.