Thames Valley Wine School Newbury set to raise a first glass on September 27

By Giles Gwinnett

1 September 2023

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Alex Stevenson - picture contributed

Reading-based Thames Valley Wine School is set to launch a Newbury arm of the business on September 27 this year.

Owner Alex Stevenson is teaming up with local wine expert Kay Smitham for the venture and the first event - an 'Introduction to Wine Tasting' - will take place at the 'Goat on The Roof' in Newbury.

The wine school is part of an expanding network of 27 independent wine school franchisees, which offer a wide range of wine events for beginners and enthusiasts. See HERE for more.

Alex said: "I have always been impressed with the Local Wine School as they were historically a competitor of mine.

"Following the launch of the Thames Valley Wine school in Reading last year, I’ve been delighted with its success and both Kay and I are looking forward to offering events and classes to the community of Newbury and its surrounding areas.

"Between us we will be offering a fun, friendly, informal environment to allow people to understand more about wine and what it is that they do (or don’t!) like about it."

Alex has two decades experience' working in the hospitality and drinks sector in roles such as buyer and beverage manager. He also founded TheDrinkSchool in London.

Meanwhile, Kay manages her own private wine tasting event business and also consults for a local English sparkling wine producer. Both are wine and spirit education trust (WSET) diploma qualified.

The pair will hold a range of events from introductory evening sessions to more specialist WSET classes.

Also planned is a series of food pairing events and themed and seasonal events in partnership with the team at Goat on the Roof. They will be working with restaurateur Patrick Vaughan-Fowler and head chef Sam May to bring guests the hand paired delights of wine and British Tapas.

Tickets for the session on September 27 cost £35 per person.

Further evening events are planned throughout the autumn and all events can be seen and booked on the website HERE.

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By Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.