Our Tutors

Clive Barlow MW

After having spent 10 years in the wine trade Clive Barlow passed the Master of WIne Exam in 1999. He now runs an independent wine consultancy and training business, Press Wine Services, in Kent. His clients have included Waitrose, Sotheby's, Whitbread, London Wine Academy and Adnams as well as a number of private and business clients for whom he sources wines and advises on the cellaring. He is a senior judge for the internationally prestigious and independant Decanter World Wine Awards and Wine International. He has worked with TV Chef Tony Tobbin for a cable TV show called Meat and Drink on food and wine matching.

Martine Bounet

Martine Bounet is a buyer for the wholesale division of Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd. A French native she has been in the wine trade for over a decade and started her career in Bordeaux for the then negoce activity of well known Château Lynch Bages. She received the distinctive 'Commandeur des Vins de Bordeaux' title in 2003. Her passion for wines brought her to all the major wine regions not only in France but across the globe.

With a wish to quench her thirst for wine knowledge she is studying for the Master of Wines program which is considered the highest wine education in the trade. She is a recommended Wine Tutor and Assessor for the WSET (www.wset.org) and has also obtained the City & Guild Certificate 7302 teaching qualification.

Matt Day

Matt was Young Wine Writer of the Year in 2002 and was recently one of the wine presenters on Taste – a new fifty part Sky One food and drink series. He cut his taste buds working with Oz Clarke on WineToday.com (New York Times on the Web) and has since contributed to various publications including Wine Magazine and Harpers. In 2005 he embarked on the Master of Wine program.

Richard Hemming

Richard started in the wine business in 2002, doing his time in retail then taking a year in 2007/08 to travel through Australia where he did vintage in McLaren Vale. He has also travelled extensively to visit wine regions around the world, including France, Italy, South Africa, California, Brazil, Portugal and Spain.

He now writes freelance, mainly for Jancis Robinson MW and works on a vineyard in Kent as well as teaching for the LWA.

Victoria Daskal

Victoria has just completed her OIV MSc in International Wine Management from the University of Paris X. During the program she traveled to over 45 wine regions around the world.

An internship with Jancis Robinson MW brought her over to the UK, where she worked on various wine projects and covered many wine tastings in London for www.jancisrobinson.com.

Currently she is a Wine Sales Advisor for Laithwaites and occasionally writes freelance for Decanter Magazine.