Our Aim...
Our aim is to help you demystify the world of wine through a hands-on, accessible and informed learning experience.
We pride ourselves on the fun educational and informative courses we host in Bristol and Bath. At our events you can expect to feel welcome, meet new people and learn something new in relaxed and friendly surroundings.
We believe strongly that wine should always be thought about in terms of moderation (buy better, drink less!) and also and it's relationship to food, so expect a couple of nibbles as you go to compliment what's in your glass.
"Your natural style is engaging, informative, enthusiastic and infectious (in a great way) The pace of the day was just right, starting more slowly, with an in depth study of the grapes and vines themselves...Your wines were interesting, opinions honest and the food-matching was particularly well planned and thought through..."
Behind The Glass...
Bristol Wine School is run by wine educator Tristan Darby, who has experience spanning over 20 years in the catering, hospitality and wine trade - working in the kitchen, front of house, bar, retail and wine and food education - interspersed with time touring as a professional actor and singer.
Tristan is drinks columnist for The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine, and runs wine courses with award-winning Great Western Wine in Bath. A former cookery school manager, he trains wine and catering professionals, consults for bars, restaurants and private clients, works with cookery schools, regularly hosts dinners and events with some of the regions top chefs, and is a judge in food and wine categories for Bristol Good Food Awards and Bath Good Food Awards.
Tristan has hosted some special masterclasses over the past few years at Bristol Wine School, presenting alongside Beltrán Domecq, President of Sherry Wines’ governing body, the Consejo Regulador de las DD.O Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda y Vinagre de Jerez, in a partnership with Sherry Wines UK, along with other events including masterclasses with New Zealand's renowned Family of Twelve.
In the world of gin, Tristan has been sought out for his nose, palate and teaching skills as an independent presenter, educator and tutor for a major UK gin brand with whom he continues to work freelance for, and he has, among other things, appeared on national TV numerous times to present on gin.
He no longer acts, but incorporates as much theater as he can into his courses. However, he still sings, and can occasionally be found gigging around bristol with his jazz and blues quartet. He has regularly enjoyed the pleasure over the past few years singing in the historic cellars at Avery's in Bristol pairing jazz music and wine, and also at the Islington O2 with a talented rock band of wine trade celebrities for Skin Côntact, raising over £10k for Comic Relief.
Tristan has earned a great reputation for the educational but un-stuffy wine courses he delivers, so at all of our events you can expect to feel welcome, have fun, meet new people and learn something new in relaxed and friendly surroundings.
More Than Just a Classroom Based Wine School
Tristan has been a guest presenter for food festivals and has hosted special events and dinners with some of the region's most well regarded chefs such as Chris Staines (The Ollerod), Kelly Sealey ( 'The Taste' Channel 4), Oleg Dimitrov (Bordeaux Quay) and in venues such as The Pump House, The Abbey Hotel, Puro, The Milk Thistle and many more.
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