Local wine connoisseur launches wine school

A local wine specialist is pouring years of experience into launching an independent wine school in Bath, to cater for fans of the popular tipple.

Ruth Wiles, a former regional tasting manager at Majestic Wine, is opening Clifton Wine School, offering evening tastings, Saturday events, four and eight-week courses, private parties and corporate events for beginners and experts alike.

The first tasting will be on Saturday September 20th at The Porter on George Street and tickets are now on sale at www.cliftonwineschool.com. All events are also available to buy as gift vouchers for all special occasions.

Ruth, who holds a Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) diploma and is also a qualified WSET Educator and Assessor, is the latest franchise owner within the successful and rapidly expanding www.localwineschool.com family – a UK-wide network of wine schools providing entertaining tastings and courses for people who want to learn more about wine.

Following a successful management career at Majestic Wine branches in Nottingham, York, Swindon, Sheffield and Bristol, including three years of delivering WSET courses at Majestic’s head office, Ruth had been keeping an eye out for her next challenge. A friend spotted a franchise opportunity with localwineschool.com on Twitter by chance, and Ruth felt that now was the right time to take the plunge and launch a wine school for the Bristol area, offering fun tastings, varied subject matter and WSET courses.

Ruth has visited vineyards in Margaret River, Clare Valley, Barossa, Marlborough, Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Champagne, Cognac and the Cape of South Africa, and has been responsible for almost 100 wine tastings for customers and colleagues during her time at Majestic.

Ruth said: “I’m really looking forward to bringing more people into the wonderful world of wine and wine tasting. Few hobbies are as much fun as learning about wine. It’s a great pleasure to go out and open up this world that many people find confusing and complicated so that it can be enjoyed and understood by anyone with an interest.

“I’ll be hosting a range of events – from cheese and wine tasting evenings to Saturday courses with lunch and champagne - and as time goes on I’d like to work with local businesses and microbreweries to hold beer and cider tastings too.”

More information about upcoming dates and prices, and the means to purchase gift vouchers visit www.cliftonwineschool.com email [email protected] or call Ruth on 0117 370 6576 / Mobile 07854239926

Follow @CliftonWS on Twitter and like Clifton Wine School on Facebook.

Ruth’s top 10 wine tips

1- Unless you're an expert, always go to a shop where someone can give you good, sound advice.

2- Find the good value alternatives to high quality wines – e.g. look for a Reuilly instead of Sancerre, and great quality becomes much more affordable.

3- Learn the basics of food and wine matching. A little knowledge can go a long way towards a great dinner combination.

4- Make sure you store your wines well. That bottle of Champagne you're saving for a special occasion will taste a lot better if stored in a cool, dark room.

5- Always pair Cabernet Sauvignon with Cheddar cheese!

6- Don't be afraid to try something different. Don't get stuck with the same brand or grape, as there's a whole world of wine out there to be enjoyed.

7- Blagger Guide: before tasting wine, swirl it around your glass and have a smell. Everyone will assume you are an expert.

8- Don't be afraid of sweeter wines. They have a bad reputation but they aren't all Liebfraumilch - there are some great wines out there. Try a Vouvray or a Mosel Riesling.

9- Never take your best bottle to a party – you might never get to taste it. Or even worse, your friend might pick it up and mix it with lemonade!

10- You don't need a special occasion to drink a great wine. Special occasions are already great. Cheer up an otherwise normal day with something lovely and make the wine the special occasion!