A winemaker who honed his craft for 17 years in the vineyards of South Africa is toasting a new venture in the heart of Glasgow. Entrepreneur Justin Hoy, a qualified winemaker, is opening Glasgow Wine School – the city’s first independent wine school - to offer evening tastings, Saturday events and four and eight-week courses for beginners and experts alike.
The school, which opens on December 10 at the Radisson BLU Hotel in Glasgow, is the newest location of a successful and rapidly expanding family of independent wine schools in the UK, providing entertaining tastings and courses for people who want to learn more about the subject.
Justin’s passion for wine stems from his studies at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, followed by a three-year winemaking diploma in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where he fell in love with the subject. He learnt the tools of the trade from one of the top winemakers in New Zealand, and made wine for over a dozen small vineyards in South Africa.
In 2004, Justin and his wife Mary, who hails from the Scottish Highlands, bought a run-down fruit farm in Elgin in South Africa, named after the Scottish town. They planted vineyards, built a production cellar, barrel cellar and tasting room, and opened a restaurant and deli. The farm’s first harvest was in 2007, and the wine they produced achieved 4.5 out of a maximum of 5 stars in the Platters Wine Guide – South Africa’s wine bible. They increased their portfolio of wines over the next five years, before deciding to make the move back to the UK to continue their children’s education here.
Justin has more than a decade of experience in speaking about wine at courses and clubs in South Africa, and felt that the time was now right to turn his passion for discussing wine into a career. He came across the franchise while searching on the internet for ways to set up his own private school in the UK, and thought it was the perfect fit.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to sharing my knowledge with other wine lovers in a fun, relaxed enjoyable way at Glasgow Wine School. I’ve always been intrigued with different styles, flavours, and how the right wine can fit into any occasion, and I want to make discovering and understanding wines accessible to everyone.
Glasgow Wine School’s events will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, 301 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL. The first introductory evening course takes place on Tuesday, December 10, followed by a Champagne tasting on Friday, December 13. For more information about upcoming dates and prices visit Glasgow Wine School’s Official Website.
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