As you may know by now, this series is designed to get to know a little better, the people who have chosen Rye as their home or place of work. So let’s kick off year two…
Oliver Kinsley runs The Grapevine, which he co-owns with his business partner Peter Ockenden. This is his fifth year in Rye.
Twitter or Instagram ?
Instagram. I find it’s always best to look at things, than to read things; it grips people’s attention a lot better.
Meat or fish?
Meat is my favourite food, but when I’m near the coast I always try and go for fish, so when I’m in Rye it’s a lot of fish.
Music or talk radio?
Music. I have music on constantly. I work in a music bar and when I’m not in a music bar, I’ve constantly got it on in the background.
Football or rugby?
Football. I’ve played football my whole life; l wanted to be a professional when I was younger, but chose playing it with my friends for fun, rather than probably taking it as seriously as I should have. I support Chelsea.
Sand or shingle?
Sand. I love the beach. I’m definitely happiest on the beach. When I think of beaches I think of Phuket, Thailand, at sunset.
Wine or spirits?
I was born in Singapore. When I was three we moved to Hong Kong and I spent my childhood there. In the summers I went to Burgundy. So there, I was surrounded by wine – all my neighbours either worked in a vineyard or a winery, so I do love wine. Recently I’ve been getting into spirits a lot more, since taking over this bar. Irish whiskey is probably my go-to now, after a busy night in the bar.
Dog or cat?
Dog. I don’t like my cats. My family has cats. I don’t get on with them, but it’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. I’m a dog man, I prefer the dog. They all live in the same house, it’s not an aggressive dog.
Book or film?
I’d be lying if I said book, as much as I’d want to. There’s definitely nothing easier than to lie in bed and stick on a good movie. Silence of the Lambs is a favourite which I’ve watched many times… I feel like I should have a happy example as well… Top Gun, the original is probably my favourite film of all times because it’s just iconic, that or The Wolf of Wall Street.
Walk or run?
I love running. Even just to get from A to B in Rye, it’s quicker.
Why Rye?
When I was a young teenager we moved to Tenterden. I started working at this bar because I wanted to know more about wine and jazz basically. Due to Covid the bar shut and I set up a marketing company. When the bar came up for sale I thought I have to have my old job back; I loved this bar, so here I am. The thing with Rye is that it’s full of fantastic people and small independent businesses. We’ve got all types of business owners and entrepreneurs. There are people in management positions everywhere, whether it’s a young, fast growing, highly ambitious business owner or one at the other end who’s looking to wind down, but full of wisdom and experience. They’re everywhere and you can always talk and have interesting conversations. That leads to a lot of opportunity around the town.
If you have enjoyed this interview and want to catch up with the 2022 interviewees, Marcus Crane, Martin Peacock, Wendy Bowker, Tabby Cole, Kt Bruce, David Roder, Bob Harper, Peter Farrow and Paul White, just search for Why Rye?
Image Credits: Natasha Robinson .