Gabriel Stone leaves db for British drinks co

Gabriel Stone (née Savage) is leaving the drinks business after seven years writing for the magazine to join a new company devoted to exporting British drinks.

Starting on Monday, Gabriel will become business development manager at The British Bottle Company, which was founded last year by Red Johnson – son of legendary wine writer Hugh Johnson – to find new markets for British drinks such as Chapel Down sparkling wine and Chilgrove Gin, the first English gin made from distilled grapes.

Gabriel started writing for db in October 2008, although she had previously done work experience for the magazine shortly after graduating from Oxford in 2007, where she had been president of the university’s highly-regarded Wine Circle.

During the seven years she has worked for db, Gabriel has posted over 2,000 stories on this website; contributed to 84 issues of the magazine, and picked up Emerging Wine Writer of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards.

Gabriel is liked and respected in equal measure among her colleagues at the drinks business and the UK wine trade, and leaves the magazine as editor, a position she took up in January this year.

The drinks business wishes Gabriel the very best of luck for her new role, and will miss her greatly, but hopes she will continue to contribute to the magazine in a freelance capacity.

Following her departure, db will be promoting deputy editor Lucy Shaw to the position of managing editor, while db news and website editor Lauren Eads will become deputy editor.

Neal Baker, who is staff writer and sub editor on the magazine will take charge of the website, and Darren Smith joins db as staff writer and sub editor.

Arabella Mileham, former reporter on The Grocer, is a further new recruit, and joins db part-time as retail editor.

Rupert Millar remains senior staff writer on The Drinks Business and managing editor of The Drinks Business Hong Kong.