Meet One of the Students Behind Winestock

We are now a few days out from Bristol’s biggest event. You may have noticed scaffolding on the Downs, girls frantically buying dresses, or just the familiar air of excitement. Set to be bigger and better than ever, I wanted to find out more about the festival and there was no better way to do so than going straight to the heart of the team behind it. 

Izzy Henderson first became involved with Winestock when she helped set up the festival in the summer of 2024. A mere two years later, she is now Head of Partnerships and an integral part of the team. From a first-year student who fancied earning a bit of extra cash, to an almost-final-year student working to make Winestock bigger and better, I had the pleasure of speaking to her about finding the right balance between work and study, her passion for the annual festival, and, of course, wine.

Having spent the last year in South America on her year abroad, Izzy has worked for Winestock remotely, navigating different time zones and having to wholly trust team members on their verdicts on this year’s new wines. Izzy’s main duties include liaising with different food and wine vendors, ensuring Winestock gets good press, and capitalising on opportunities to scale up the festival. This year, JUBEL will be on site with their alpine-inspired fruit beers, The Ice Co are keeping the whole festival running cold, and Love Corn will be on hand for anyone needing a salty snack between glasses. Two years ago, she did not imagine she would be working for her favourite Bristol occasion, and she reiterated to me that she very much stumbled into the job.

Izzy was known and recognised by Winestock for saving the day in 2024 by offering to run back to her halls of residence to grab a hairdryer to prevent paint transferring from food tokens to the poshest frocks in Bristol. She joked that the team remembered her “as the girl who went to get the hairdryer” when she emailed inquiring about more work. She is proof that the festival really is “by students for students”, and when I asked why it is so important that students remain behind the venture, she simply replied that “students know what students want… they know what is in and what is not in, they know what the students are drinking, and they know what will impress the student body.” She also reiterated how much Winestock gives back to the student economy as opposed to using “a random events company.” Last year, Winestock put £115,720 back into the student economy through hiring 463 students to manage and serve the festival.

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Winestock was founded by Jasper Williamson, who studied philosophy at Bristol. A keen member of the Bristol Uni Wine Society, Jasper wanted to make events focused on wine less “exclusive”; he had a keen eye for fun. Izzy spoke of how this founding ambition still runs through the Winestock team, which she described as “super close-knit” and more “like a family.”

When I asked how Izzy manages balancing working for Winestock with her studies, she admitted that this year she had found adjusting to the timezone “chaos” and “tiring work”, but she claimed it was “really exciting to work for, even from the other side of the world!” She accepted that working for Winestock and the general pressures of final year will mean she will “have fewer nights out”, a fate she didn’t seem that upset by. Izzy expressed deep luck that whilst “most people can get a bit of work experience, I have had three years in the job” and she looks forward to working for Winestock post-graduation, most likely Winestock London, telling me she has wanted to work for a festival since she was “really little” and the job is “perfect for me.”

I of course pried about the year’s event, and she said she was most excited about the “new tents and stages”, including the “Cupid Jazz Club” – think Ronnie Scott’s, and the fact that this is the first year Winestock have hired a décor team to deck out our favourite corner of the Downs.

I tasked Izzy with summing up Winestock in three words. Her response? Hedonstic, Genenous and Celebratory. I, for one, cannot wait for the event, and knowing students genuinely do sit at the heart of the festival makes it all the sweeter.

See you, and Izzy, there. X