In the early 1980s Sally qualified as a professional chef, but within a few years moved to London and entered the wine trade. While working with a small French wine importer, Sally completed the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Diploma and was awarded the Portuguese Wine Scholarship.
From London, Sally moved to central Italy, working in wine retail and public relations until her return to Australia in the early 1990s. In 1994 Sally joined the Joval Wine Group t/a red+white and Mezzanine The Fine Wine Specialist, to manage the imported wine portfolio. As such, Sally has been representing a number of iconic European wineries for 20+ years, including the Louis Roederer Family Group and Louis Jadot from France; and Vietti and Comm G.B. Burlotto from Italy. At the same time, Sally has been instrumental in building the Joval Wine Group’s imported portfolios to their current breadth, focussed on the best from both traditional and emerging wine regions of Europe.
In 2010, Sally completed a course on Piedmontese wines (in Italian language) at the Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche.
Sally travels to Europe annually to meet with existing and new winery partners, to sample new releases and to stay abreast of developments in the world of wine.