Having graduated in Classics (Literae Humaniores) from Oxford University, where he was a member of the OU Blind Wine Tasting team, Tim entered the wine industry in 1997.

During four years with Oddbins Ltd. - at that time the leading multiple specialist wine merchant in the UK - Tim completed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) examinations, passing the Diploma with Honours in 2000, winning both the Worshipful Company of Distillers Scholarship and the Rhone Prize. Tim then moved into the independent specialist retail sector, working for some of the leading small wine merchants in London, initially as a store manager and later as a buyer.

Winning both the Davies-Langton Award and Marne & Champagne Diffusion Scholarship he embarked upon the study program of the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2001. Tim passed all three practical (tasting) papers at the first attempt in 2003 and passed the four theory papers the following year. After moving briefly from retail into trade sales, Tim became Buyer at London-based Bibendum Wine Ltd., one of the UK’s largest and fastest-growing independent importers and distributors, where he was responsible for the sourcing of their northern hemisphere portfolio. In 2009 Tim passed the final, dissertation component of the Master of Wine examination with a paper on the sub-appellations of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He is one of only 415 Masters of Wine (MWs) in the world, of whom 57 currently reside in the USA.

Tim relocated from his native England to Napa, California in 2011 to become Vice-President of Procurement at a direct-to-consumer online retailer. He was then appointed Senior Buyer at Global Wine Co. (based in San Rafael, CA) where he was responsible for sourcing both domestic and international wines for several high-profile partner wine clubs including Williams- Sonoma and The New York Times. Since 2016 he has worked at Wine.com, the USA’s leading national online wine retailer, where he is a Director of Category Management, responsible for purchasing over 6,000 wines from France and Italy.

Tim is in regular demand as a wine judge and has participated (often as a panel chair) at many local and international wine competitions including the International Wine Challenge, Decanter World Wine Awards, the International Wine & Spirit Competition, and the San Francisco International Wine Competition & World Spirits Competition. As a speaker or panel moderator he has presented on a wide range of topics encompassing the major wine regions of Europe and the New World.