Christopher Morrison
Speaker Profile
Christopher Morrison is the National Wine Ambassador for Pernod Ricard. He has spent nearly his entire adult life cultivating a deep love of food and wine. With over 12 years at the pinnacle of his profession he has become one of the industries leading authorities on food and wine matching, cellar development and wine list design.
After a stint with Wolf Blass’s right hand man and Leading Coonawarra winemaker Gavin Hogg in the early nineties, Chris returned to Sydney with a chronic case of wine addiction. Realizing he had discovered his vocation in life he then moved to London to open his eyes and palette to the greater wine world. After working for Sir Terrance Conran as Head Sommelier for his square mile eatery ‘Coq D’Argent’ Chris returned home to develop his growing passion for wine. With stints at nearly all of Sydney Finest Restaurants including Quay, est and Bel Mondo Chris finally planted roots in 2002 with Chef Guillaume Brahimi at the now legendary Guillaume at Bennelong Restaurant (Sydney Opera House). During his three year tenure as Head Sommelier at Bennelong he was the creator of one of the countries most respected and authorative wine programs.
Recognized as one of our leading Sommeliers, in 2005 Chris won the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award, regarded as one of his professions highest accolades.
At this time Christopher decided to step away from the role of Sommelier and focus his talents and energies on his growing consultancy business. Christopher is highly regarded and well known within the industry for his refreshingly commonsense and down to earth approach to the appreciation of wine. His desire to help wine drinkers escape the confusion of ‘wine speak’ brings a unique perspective to the sometimes daunting prospect of understanding wine.
Christopher Morrison is experienced as a keynote speaker, Educator and Wine Writer featuring in various publications. He consults to individuals and organizations wishing to increase their knowledge of wine and personal or corporate cellars creating a contemporary and refreshing way to enjoy wine.
Travels from New South Wales
Client Comments
Client Comments
- Christopher was perfect for the event and was willing to sit with the client for dinner and mingle which was very exciting for the delegates. He was captivating and informative, giving the delegates the tools to understand and appreciate wine. His passion for wine was contagious and he was well received at this function.
AMP - Chris Morrison from Vindependent put together a really attractive wine tasting competition that was a hit with the delegates and drew people to the Reuters stand. Chris was engaging, knowledgeable, and entertaining. He gave a really good -and memorable- explanation of the wines and their charactersitics which made everyone feel like an expert. I would highly recommend Chris Morrison and the Vindependent.
Reuters Tade and Risk Management Division - The ease with which Chris informs and educates through personal anecdotes and experience makes the event casual yet captivating. The depth of his knowledge and love of wine is further brought out through interaction with the entire audience. Chris' demeanour and delivery encourages questions from the most opinionated wine critic through to the absolute novice making the event the most entertaining and informative sessions we have ever been a part of.
BT Financial - Wine tasting has never been more creative, we have used Chris a number of times, each its own unique experience. His enthusiasm for wine appeals to people of all socio-economic backgrounds and his depth of knowledge of the topic is beyond compare. Chris combines wit and charm and engages everyone in the room. One of the best corporate entertainment experiences we have had. Chris's penchant for Leo Sayer tunes adds colour and variety to the wine experience!
BT Financial - Very relaxed, not intimidating
Lomax - Christopher Morrison knows how to work a room! His natural persona combined with his exhaustive knowledge of wine make for an informative, educational and fun event. From wine buffs to non-drinkers, he was full of interesting information and fascinating anecdotes about his experiences in the local and international wine industry. A great party opener, lunch time speaker or lead-in to post-conference drinks.
Westpac - The wine programme Chris Morrison developed for Bennelong is a 'showstopper'.
Lonely Planet - The cellar Chris Morrison developed at Bennelong is the most lusted after cellar in Sydney.
Sydney Morning Herald - Chris is very laid back and without pretension, helping the taster to identify what they like in the wines but also allowing them their individual opinions without question. We thought Chris was great, he spoke on a level which all people could understand, whether you are a wine connoisseur or just love your wines. He wasn't like the usual wine experts sprouting off a load of information that people like us can never understand! He kept the crowd interested and also picked some very nice wines for everyone to try. I would definitely use him for a dinner talk
Ci Events - Chris was great. Very informative of the wines we tasted and the regions they were from. Chris would be great for either a staff social function or a delegate program.
Chris was knowledgeable about his subject and dealt with questions from the floor effectively. He's younger than you'd expect a wine critic to be which was a point of interest, and I got the impression he was from a rural background (refreshing again as I think it's always nice to come across "differences" which can be half the attraction in engaging speakers). He had a time limit which he adapted to and communicated gently to us, and after his session he mingled well with us.
Ci Events
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