Educate your palate in the world of wine
RIcHaRD Smith has a wealth of wine knowledge after working in the industry for 25 years.
The 42-year-old has advised celebrities, politicians and members of the Royal Family on the world’s best wines.
after graduating from Norwich Hotel School, he trained at london’s lanesborough Hotel and worked for the Savoy Group and Four Seasons-Regent hotels.
In april 2013, Mr Smith launched The Wine School of cheshire, in a bid to pass on his love of wine and expertise to others.
The school has gone from strength to strength, welcoming 1,971 guests in 2015, including 912 at Marks & Spencer stores throughout the region.
Mr Smith, who also has a wine column in The Taster Magazine, says: ‘I recognised there was a big space for something different here in cheshire.
‘I’ve always been a big foodie and I wanted to reflect that, along with my interest in wine.
‘Great wine works well with great food, so if you combine the two you’ve got an interesting project.’
The school runs events at Restaurant 1539 at chester Racecourse and Dutton’s chester, as well as in alderley Edge, Bramhall and Mobberley.
Mid-week wine tastings offer an introduction to tasting wine and start from £25 a person with light bites. Themes include wine from australia and New Zealand, South africa and Italy. Mid-week champagne and Sparkling wine tasting evenings cost £35 a head. The school also offers Saturday wine tasting sessions, which include a glass of fizz, a four-course lunch and at least eight other wines to try for £75 per head.
Mr Smith says: ‘at every wine tasting there’s an emphasis on food and wine pairing and at our premium venues such as Restaurant 1539 at chester Racecourse there’s a mouth-watering selection of dishes paired with my wine selection.
‘all our events are held in private dining rooms or reserved areas at premium venues so guests can be themselves and ask any questions they wish in a fun and relaxed environment.’
He adds: ‘Our wine tasting events and classes are open to all. You can be a complete novice or an expert.
‘They offer a balance of education, entertainment and information. More importantly, they are fun. Our aim is to remove the snobbery and pretentiousness from the world of wine.
‘It’s important to me that people feel comfortable.
‘We do not sell wine, so guests can rest assured that we are providing the best advice without any pressure to buy afterwards.
‘We always choose wines that you can find locally and at prices that won’t break the bank.’