…Soneva Fushi!

Isabelle has been appointed wine consultant for the exclusive Soneva resorts in the Maldives, famed for their ecology, intelligent luxury and slow life approach to holidays. And she’s totally thrilled.

Sonu and Eva are a visionary couple who invented the concept of barefoot luxury through their creation of a series of small, exquisite resorts under their brand name Soneva, which embraces simple sophistication and a genuine care for the environment. Sonu and Eva are all about sustainable tourism and were smitten by Isabelle’s quest to get people to go natural with their wine choices, so they’ve taken her on to work with resident Head Sommelier Jasper Kok to build on his recent push to turn their lists organic and biodynamic.

As Isabelle puts it, “Jasper and I are going to pioneer lists that promote boutique producers who cherish biodiversity and the natural world. We’re going to showcase wines that are truly sustainable in their vineyard practices and their respect for life, while also delivering something that is extraordinary, unforgettable and anything but bog-standard. This is intelligent wine luxury. They are wines that engage and give you a real tasting experience. They’re about real quality, not brand illusions”.

As THAT CRAZY FRENCH WOMAN says, today, thanks to a lack of transparency in the wine world, the so-called ‘luxurious’ brands roll off conveyor belts by the millions having been heavily manipulated to speed up production, generate a predictable result and maximise turnover. Instead, real luxury lies with artisan producers who do not compromise on time or quality and so can make proper wine naturally. For such producers, their vines are family and the results are truly irreproducible. Natural wines are produced in minute quantities that reflect true terroir rather than being about generic marketing spiel. They are unique wines for a unique experience. And that’s certainly what Soneva properties are all about.

We’re so proud that Isabelle could be part of the team.