Fran Bridgewater

Biography

Fran Bridgewater is a food, drinks and travel writer specialising in gastronomy, wine tourism and immersive storytelling shaped by place, people and provenance. She contributes to The Buyer, Liquid Magazine, Fine Wine and Champagne India, Eat North Media, The New Blackmore Vale Magazine, The West Dorset Magazine and The Bite, and serves as European Editor for Andes Wines. She is also a contributor to Bradt Guides, featuring a chapter on Steven Spurrier’s Bride Valley Vineyard legacy in Around the World in 65 Years. Her writing focuses on heritage vineyards, artisan food and drink history, sustainable viticulture, terroir and culinary culture across the UK and internationally.

With more than three decades in the food, drinks and hospitality sector, Fran works across editorial storytelling, sensory communication and live industry engagement. She is a Consultant Flying Sommelière and after-dinner speaker, delivering masterclasses, keynote talks and international presentations across food and wine events. Fluent in French and Spanish, she also works across television, podcast and radio broadcasting, with a focus on making complex food and beverage narratives accessible, engaging and audience-led.

Based in Dorset, Fran is part of the organising team for the volunteer-powered annual Shaftesbury Food Festival, where she focuses on communications strategy, press storytelling and producer engagement, helping to position the event as a celebration of the town’s historic market heritage and contemporary regional food culture. She is active in judging and sensory analysis across major global competitions including the International Wine Challenge, Winelovers Wine Awards, People’s Choice Drinks Awards, Bellavita London, Glass of Bubbly Awards and the Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards, where she also contributes to judging training and she continues to transcribe tasting notes annually for the International Wine and Spirit Competition. Alongside this, she is developing a book on the artisan food and drink heritage of North Dorset, and her recent work also extends into documentary and film, including a project on the Gold Hill Cheese Race and travel storytelling projects with Geoff Moore of The Travel Trunk and Odd Duck Films.

Recent & Upcoming Trips

Dorset (Home), London, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Chile, Argentina, Greece, Sri Lanka

Destination Expertise

United Kingdom (UK), England, Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, South America, Argentina, Chile, Sri Lanka

Specialisms

Adventure Travel, Camping, Conservation, Culture & History, Ecotourism, Festivals & Events, Food & Drink, Hotel Reviews, Luxury Travel, Photography, Sustainable Travel, Wine