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Where philosophy meets the wine bar. Eliot has created a space where the locals can experience something that blurs the lines between the dreaming world and the living world. Expect a wine list, it doesn't exist. Go in with an open mind.

Collected Fictions is a natural wine bar that is doing things a little differently. The wines are carefully selected and offered to the locals to engage with the liquid in the glass. Is it a Sauvignon blanc? A Semillon? Or a mind bending Macabeo? And, does it matter? Is the taste of it on your tongue or the feel of it in your mouth the point?

Collected Fictions exists in London Road, St Leonards-on-sea. The place I was born and grew up. This architecturally beautiful seaside town is raw, gritty and equisitely elegant. It's full of quirky spots to eat, taste and experience the eccentric.

Eliot shares his passion for philosophy, flavour and stripped back honesty. He reveals his relationship with performance and how his philosophical readings led him to understand the world with a more structured lens.

What if the living consciousness that appears to be reality is just the dream and the dream is the reality? Confused- Maybe.......but grab yourself a glass of something natural, relax and let's get into the Wild Vines.

https://www.instagram.com/collected.fictions/

The wine is Marius Long, Allo Allo, Region: Padern, Hautes Corbières, Aude, Languedoc, France.

The Quote:

“The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.”
― Jorge Luis Borges

Collected Fiction. London Road. St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex.

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I heard Rachel Lee on The Wine Blast Podcast, talking about how pleasurable it is to share a glass of wine with friends. I got in touch and voila, we made this episode together. Her journey began high up in the Pyrenees on a family holiday with clouds and a goat for company.

This is a story about how the world of wine could offer an exciting opportunity for the next generation (Generation Alpha). We explore what a typical day looks like and the fun along the way.

If you love to travel, share soul stories, enjoy tasting great food and wine, then this is the episode for you.

In the midst of chatting with Rachel over the last few weeks, Cobble Hill Wine, where Rachel is the Head Winemaker there, won the IEWA 2026 Best Still White Wine award for their 2025 Bacchus. Huge congratulations to Rachel, Emma Rice (Consultant Wine Maker) and the whole team at Cobble Hill. I'm looking forward to trying this. I'm a huge fan of Bacchus!!

I'm launching this episode as the Norwich Wine Week begins. There's an app to download and lots of events to attend.

So, sit back, grab yourself a glass of something delicious and let's get amongst The Wild Vines.

Thanks to Cobble Hill Wine and to Rachel Lee: Head Winemaker at Cobble Hill Wine.

Music by Moby Gratis. https://mobygratis.com/

Links to more information:

https://www.cobblehillnorfolk.com/our-story

https://www.wsetglobal.com/

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We meet Parissa, a nomad female winemaker. She is based in Frome in Somerset where she runs the Rye Wine Bar with her partner, Jack Lewens. You'll find them at The Station in Frome in the South West of England. if you find yourself there, go and say hi and try her delicious wine made under the label 'From Paris' and distributed by the marvellous team at Wines under The Bonnet.

Parissa shares with us the challenges of being a winemaker in the UK with the changing climate and her journey into working in the wine industry. It's a fascinating story and one to be enjoyed with a glass of something cool and delicious, hopefully a glass of Parissa's Pinot Noir, 'From Paris'.

A head's up- she shares about her own personal health diagnosis of BRCA 1 (26 minutes in). I give a reminder just before it comes in. If this is a personal issue for you, please take care and feel free to skip ahead to 28 minutes 45 seconds in where she shares something that is so uplifting and inspiring.

Parissa is my very first guest on this podcast which is all about wine, the people behind the scenes who work with passion and tenacity or sheer madness, to bring us the most delicious drink in the world (sorry beer and cider lovers out there!) and how the changing climate is impacting the wine industry. I also have a background in Occupational Psychology and weave in elements of this fascinating topic to diver deeper into the complexities surrounding the grief people are experiencing right now with climate change.

Parissa touches on her own dyslexia and I share a bit about my own AuDHD (Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Not liking that word- disorder; we both individually share how it's actually a strength and not a deficit. This is a personal story and represents our individual opinions only. Everyone is different and if this topic is personal to you, please take care and refer to the links in the show notes below.

I've added links for you to find out more; especially if you have been affected by any of the sensitive topics that we touch upon in this episode.

You can follow and find me on;

Victoria Vine Secrets on instagram or leave a comment on the episode.

Thanks to Soundyard for the podcast tech support and hand holding.

https://www.soundyard.org/

Music by MobyGratis www.mobygratis.com

https://www.winesutb.com/blog/2026/3/17/introducing-paris-barghchi

https://www.rye-bakery.com/new-page

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/brca-fact-sheet

https://ovarian.org.uk/hereditary-cancer-and-risk/i-have-a-genetic-mutation/what-are-my-options-cancer-prevention/genetic-mutation-options/

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

https://autisticgirlsnetwork.org/knowledge_base/audhd/