My name is Luke Darracott. I am a writer, wine expert, translator, amateur photographer, traveler, food-lover, hispanophile, japanophile, presenter, linguist and adventurer based in Madrid. I'm never without my notebook, my camera and my phone and I can usually be found walking up a mountain or sitting and scribbling in a corner of a Spanish bar with a bottle of sherry. If I’m not there I’m in my wine shop Madrid & Darracott. 

@thegastrotraveler @madriddarracott

My Story

I was born in the horse-powered race town of Ascot but spent all my life living by the Thames in Maidenhead. I went to school in Hurst and then Sonning, never straying far from the river. I am a Berkshire boy, born and bred. My father and his family hail from the West Country and my mother from Liverpool. They met, worked and fell in love in Africa - Tanzania. I was brought up in a household of science and wanderlust. It shaped who I am today.

After studying Spanish and Russian at the University of Bath I spent three years living in Madrid and another one year in Moscow. In their respective countries I traveled extensively, integrated myself with the locals and wrote constantly. In 2010 I published my first book - The Sun Struck Upwards, about the many regions of Spain and in 2015 I published a second - a book about the Camino de Santiago, El Camino. At the same time I present a television project called Finding Little Italy with my business partner Roque Madrid. My third book, a novel entitled Hikikomori: Journey From Darkness, is available now.

I am also the owner of the Madrid & Darracott wine shop and tasting space in Madrid. I’m a WSET level 3 distinction wine expert, a Kikisake-shi sake master and the principal passion is teaching about wine, sake, and all kinds of alcohols in a fun and boozy way. www.madriddarracott.com