Berrys' Wine School Tutors

Rebecca Lamont, Berrys' Wine School Manager

Rebecca joined BBR in 2000 following a career in music teaching at Warwick Academy in Bermuda. She now manages Berrys' Wine School, Tastings, Dinners and Food & Wine matching events. Rebecca is passionate about wine education because it encompasses so many fascinating subjects which interconnect and have relevance to individuals: sensory perception, history, innovation, tradition, art, health, geography, geology, biology & chemistry, to name but a few!

She is convinced that everyone can be an excellent taster, especially with the delicious range of wines at Berrys, and she encourages you to learn through taste. She sees this as her mission when you attend Berrys' Wine School. Rebecca is also dedicated to bringing together the talents of Berrys' many gifted experts to share their profound knowledge of great wine throughout the schedule of ticket events.

Alun Griffiths MW, Wine Director

Alun joined BBR in June 1994, as General Manager of our Duty Free shop in London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 3. He was appointed as Wine Director in 1995.

Alun has been a Master of Wine since 1991 He lectures frequently on wine in Britain, Japan and Hong Kong, and has been a panel judge at the International Wine Challenge, held annually in London, as well as at the newly-formed Decanter Wine Awards Competition. He has on several occasions been a member of the Decanter Magazine tasting panel.

Jasper Morris MW, Buying Director

Jasper founded Morris & Verdin, the highly respected specialist wine importers, in 1981. Despite running a growing business he found time to gain his Master of Wine Qualification in 1985. When BBR acquired the company in 2003 one of the notable assets was Jasper himself, now appointed Berrys' Buying Director.

His expert knowledge of Burgundy, California and New Zealand has already impacted on our list and we are delighted to have many new, exciting producers. Jasper also writes for many wine publications and lectures widely around the world.

Simon Field MW, Buyer

Simon has worked in the wine trade for 7 years and joined BBR in 1997. On graduating from Oxford in modern languages, he spent several years working as a chartered accountant - however he became bored by banking and intrigued by wine and decided to change careers.

A passionate opera lover, Simon is a committed Francophile and is responsible for buying wine from many of the major French wine regions, Portugal, Austria, Chile and Argentina. He gained his Master of Wine qualification in October 2002.

Nick Page, Berrys' Wine Factory Outlet Manager

During a high-flying City career Nick caught the wine bug and decided to leave the world of finance to join the world of wine in 1995. For 8 years Nick was the wine buyer and senior lecturer at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Lecturing at all levels of their qualifications to members of the wine trade, he ran over 1,000 tastings for them every year.

Nick joined Berrys in 2005 to run our hugely popular Wine Factory Outlet in Basingstoke. However, as well as utilising Nick's business acumen we also make good use of his educational expertise and he lectures on many of Berrys' Wine School courses. Nick has a passion for and specialises in food and wine matching, and he enthusiastically imparts his vast knowledge of this subject at many of the food and wine events we hold in our Cellars at 3 St James's Street.

Martin Hudson MW, Berrys' Wine Factory Outlet-Sales

Martin Hudson joined the wine trade in 2002, after 25 years in quality assurance and designing computer cables. Alongside this he had run an internet company importing and selling Loire Valley wines, so deciding on a career change was made easier, especially as he could not find a way of making money from his other passion, racing classic motorcycles.

Martin joined Berrys' Wine Warehouse in Basingstoke in 2003, now the Factory Outlet, and successfully completed his Master of Wine qualification in September 2008. He is convinced that winemakers are some of the most passionate, varied, opinionated and in some cases eccentric people around, who in turn make wines that reflect their personality. This diversity is the great appeal of the world of wine.

Chris Pollington, Fine Wine Sales

Chris has worked in the wine trade since 1992 and joined BBR in 1997. After working at the BBR Heathrow stores for many years, he joined the Head Office team in 2004. Initially working with the Website and Telesales teams, Chris has recently joined the Fine Wine Team, selling to private clients and Cellar-Planners.

With a passion for all things Italian, especially the wines and food, Chris has been presenting our Italian themed Dinners in The Cellars since 2000 and now also presents our One-Day Italian Wine Schools.

Anne McHale, Berrys' Wine School, Events Co-ordinator

Anne has worked in the wine trade for five years. Her passion for wine began during her studies at Cambridge University where she was a member of the Wine Society. Upon graduating in 2003 with a First Class Honours degree in French, she made the most of her language skills by working with a London-based French wine agency.

She joined BBR in 2006 and has since been awarded several prizes for her wine studies, including the Vintners' Cup & Scholarship for achieving the highest marks in the UK in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma in 2007. Anne is studying for the Master of Wine qualification while working alongside Rebecca Lamont, co-ordinating all the ticketed events in the Berrys' Cellars: tastings, dinners, food & wine matching events, luncheons and of course wine school. Wine education is one of her great passions, as she believes that everyone should have the opportunity to drink and understand great wine!