Whether you’re a kid heading to school, a hapless journalist off to cover political conferences or a wine merchant attempting to juggle three tastings a day with the actual job of buying and selling wine, there’s an inevitable mania about the month of September that never goes away. The number of trade tastings is greater than ever. Is this a sign of great…

The Premier convenience store in Orpington, Kent, has been serving its local community for 42 years and sales more than doubled when it extended into the neighbouring unit a few years ago. Manager Anita Nye fleshes out the details: How has the store evolved since it opened in the 1970s? I have worked here for 34 years and when it started it was just a…

The Oxford Wine Company has taken on Nancy Gilchrist MW as a consultant for the business. Gilchrist ran the Carlton wine bar near the White House in Washington DC and spent two years writing the wine column for The Boston Globe. When she returned to the UK she became head of the Grants of St James School of Wine, and her career since then was…

Bordeaux Today, a series of educational tastings created by Vins de Bordeaux (CIVB), will be taking place in Liverpool and Glasgow this September, following a successful London launch earlier this year. CIVB is inviting members of the wine trade to visit The Arts School (www.theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk) in Liverpool on September 11 from 3-5pm and at The Gannet (thegannetgla.com) in Glasgow on September 17 from 2-4pm.

Liverpool Gin will soon boast a new distillery, complete with two bars, a Gin Lab and a bartender school. The £1 million development, owned by Halewood Wines & Spirits, will enable gin fans to learn how to make their own gin. Visitors will be able to choose their own botanicals and distill their own bespoke gin to take home. Visitors will also be able to…

Salcombe Distilling Co is launching a Gin School, which it says will be the first of its kind for the South West of England. Students at the school will learn about the art of distillation from one of Salcombe Gin’s distillers. The course will also allow delegates to develop and distill their very own 70cl bottle of gin. Co-founders of Salcombe Gin, Howard Davies and…

Pinoeer Brewing Company, the craft and speciality division of AB InBev UK, has announced plans to launch a professional beer school.  The company plans to bring beer education to beer trade professionals and craft beer enthusiasts, though a professional programme called Beer Professional Education and Training (BPET). The course has been developed for the UK by ‘Master Cicerone’s’: Mirella Amato and Rich Higgins, who are…