About · Wine School of Cheshire

'Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living' · Napoleon

Welcome to our exciting world of wine! Our passionate team has unparalleled expertise with over thirty years in the industry. Founder Richard identified a demand for an appealing and independent form of wine education in Cheshire where there’s no hard-sell pressure to buy wine which led to the birth of our innovative wine school!

We offer a one-of-a-kind, exciting experience that stands out from traditional, commercial tastings. Every event is designed to explore the diverse world of food and wine pairing: look forward to tantalising flavours of both food and wine where wine snobbery in never on the menu!

Our comprehensive schedule of wine tasting events caters to both wine aficionados and beginners alike. We’ll demystify the complexities of wine-making and guests can learn all the secrets behind the swirling and sniffing. Our relaxed and informal environment is super social too: rest assured you’ll feel completely at home, just like at a dinner party with great friends!

Explore an array of event themes from an evening of Asian wines to our Saturday Wine Schools featuring eight wines from a specific region of the world. We feature Riedel varietal specific glassware at every event: Riedel Performance and Veloce at The Forge Chester and Riedel Wine Wings on board The Lady Diana.

Food and wine pairing is a key feature of every wine school event!

Our events promise to be full of fantastic wines and both fun and interesting facts for guest to learn. There’s no need to worry about any pushy sales tactics because we don’t sell wine at our events. We thrive on providing our guests with valuable wine recommendations without any obligation to purchase: in fact we always select wines that are easily accessible from a range of retailers which offer amazing value for money for you to continue your wine enjoyment beyond our event. Join us for a fun and educational wine and food pairing experience in Cheshire or on one of our bespoke escorted wine tours around the world!

RICHARD J SMITH

All of our events are hosted by our founder and Cheshire resident, Richard J. Smith. With over three decades of experience and training from some of the most prestigious hotels in the world, including the Lanesborough Hotel, the Savoy Group and Four Seasons-Regent hotels, Richard’s knowledge about all things wine is unmatched in Cheshire.

Richard’s impressive list of past and present clients includes several members of the British Royal Family, international heads of state, and a host of top celebrities, which speaks volumes about his expertise and professionalism.

He has also made significant contributions to the hospitality industry by assisting various organisations with training and development including The Cheshire College South and West at their Ellesmere Port Campus. Richard’s recent appearance at Three Wine Men in Manchester alongside TV wine legends Oz Clarke, Olly Smith, and Tim Atkin MW, and his presentations on English and Welsh wines in partnership with Wines of Great Britain at RHS Tatton Park from 2016 to 2022 are a testament to his passion and commitment to the wine industry.

In March 2019 Richard was proud to be intronised into the Confrérie des Compagnons de Grandgousier at a ceremony in The Loire Valley in recognition for his support of the region, particularly Touriane and Touraine-Mesland. Richard hosts tastings and talks for Loire Valley wine around the UK. Richard and the Wine School of Cheshire were thrilled to be selected as one of the top 100 small businesses in Britain for 2020 by Small Business Saturday and have been featured in Cheshire Life and Cheshire Living Magazines, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Manchester Evening News, Metro, Elite Business Magazine and Delicious Magazine.

Richard was thrilled to be appointed to the professional judging panel for The Peoples Choice Wine Awards in March 2022, returning as a lead judge the following year, and he looks forward to the annual judging an subsequent awards ceremony where winners are announced for their consumer friendly wine and spirits awards. As a member of Wines of Great Britain, Richard also sits on panel of the WineGB Training and Education Working Group.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU

We were so proud to be selected as one of the top 100 small businesses in Britain for 2020!

Marking 100 days building up to Small Business Saturday, the Small Biz 100 provides a major profile boost to small businesses across the UK, particularly at this challenging time.

At the end of August 2020 we were thrilled to be told that The Wine School of Cheshire had been selected as one of the #SmallBiz100 for 2020 showcasing a daily celebration of each business through social media and the campaign aims to support and celebrate a vibrant range of small, community driven businesses across the UK. Small Business Saturday 2020 took place on December 5th.

Michelle Ovens MBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said:

“Congratulations to The Wine School of Cheshire for joining the Small Biz 100! This campaign highlights the amazing, positive impact small firms have on communities across the UK. Given the phenomenally tough time small businesses have had, and the special role they played supporting communities in lockdown, it’s vital we continue to support them as this crisis continues. This year’s Small Business Saturday is going to be the most important one yet, and were determined it will also be the best.”