FORTHCOMING COURSES        
Level 2 Award for Persoal Licence Holders      (was NCPLH)                               (£150.00)

      23 January                                                 Over, Cambridge 
      17 February                                               Boston College
      27 February                                               Over, Cambridge 
      26 March                                                     Over, Cambridge
      17 April                                                       Over, Cambridge   
      14 May                                                         Over, Cambridge
      15 May                                                         Boston College
      11 June                                                       Over, Cambridge

     Anthony also offers his services to applicants for Premises Licences and also
    to conduct feasibility studies and business plans for licensed businesses.

Level 2 Award for Designated Premises Supervisors                                                (£170.00)
     
      27 March 2012                                          Over, Cambridge
      12 June 2012                                            Over, Cambridge
      7 August 2012                                          Over, Cambridge

Bare Essentials
     
      26 &27 March 2012                                  Over, Cambridge                                                                 (£260.00)

WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines                                                                                    (£540.00)

      23, 24 & 30 April and 1 & 8 May 2012                            Over, Cambridge  

WSET Intermediate Certificate in Wines                                                                                (£330.00)

      2, 3 & 16 April 2012                                Over, Cambridge

Level 2 Food Safety in Catering Certificate                                                                          (£65.00)

      27 March 2012                                          Over, Cambridge

Level 3 Intermediate Certificate in Food Safety in Catering                                      (£275.00)
     
      14, 15 & 21 May 2012                                Over, Cambridge

FEASIBILITY STUDY AND BUSINESS PLAN
An independent professional overview is invaluable before capital is committed for a venture into the licensed retail sector.  Anthony, who has thirty years experience in running successful pubs, hotels and restaurants, is pleased to fill this need.
He drives to the area and assesses the business potential of the catchment area and evaluates the strength of the competition.  Following this, he would usually meet the vendor and client on site and conduct an inspection of the premises (note: we do not undertake a structural survey).
Following the site visit, Anthony completes a full report with suggested business plan which can include forecast Profit and Loss and Cashflow sprreadsheets.

The fees charged depend upon the amount of work required by the client.

2011 has been another eventful year with numerous trips to the vineyards of Europe.   January saw us in Switzerland where, a surprise to many, wonderful wines are produced on the steep, terraced vineyards above Lake Geneva, on the south-facing hillsides of the Rhone in the Valais, around Lake Neuchatel and and the south-facing alpine slopes of Tecino.  The wines produced barely meet local demand so, little is seen in the UK.   June saw the biennial 'Vinexpo' in Bordeaux where we had the opporunity to taste some of the best wines from around the globe as well as cellar tastings in the Haut Médoc, Pommerol and Saint-Emilion.

In June, I was invited to attend a three-day seminar for wine educators at the German Wine Academy in the Rhinepfalz. We were left in no doubt about the quantum leap in the quality of affordable Riesling wines; no longer the medium sweet Liebfaumilchs but bone dry, refreshing, fruity wines.  Fast, on the heels of the German trip, we were of to Sancerre where, at a tasting in Savenière, we were treated to a tasting of Henri Bourgeoise's superb Sauvignon Blancs.  For Me, the star was his 'Le MD de Bourgeois, 2010' made from grapes grown on the Kimmeridge soil of the Mont Damnée vineyard overlooking the winery.  It had a concentration, depth and complexity that are rare in this variety.  On the way home, we spent the night in Reims and witnessed the son et lumière at the Cathedral.  If this is repeated next year, I advise you to make a detour to see it; a truly mind-boggling experience.

Wine Tastings & Presentations

Anthony will travel anywhere in the UK to present his own lively and amusing style of tastings and presentations of wines in general or from a particular region or country.   He has attended courses in Alsace, Austria, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Cognac, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the Rhone to achieve accreditation as an educator.

Ambassadeur du Champagne

The first international competition for wine tutors was sponsored in 2005 by CIVC, the controlling body for Champagne.  Competitors from eight European countries submit essays on Champagne production and details of their training career to get to their national final.

Anthony won the title of Ambassadeur du Champagne at the UK in 2005 and, In late November the eight finalists gathered at a hotel in Epernay, France where they competed for three prizes.  In the morning of the tests, each had five minutes to prepare a tutorial on three champagnes tasted blind.  After lunch the candidates were asked to choose one from five envelopes.  This contained the topic for a twenty-minute lecture for which a fifteen-minute preparation period was allowed.

Anthony won a trophy in the form of a champagne chiller, certificate, laptop computer and magnum of Billecart-Salmon pink champagne for ‘the best and most original presentation’.

Wine Study Trips

As a member of the Association of Wine Educators, the Institute of Wines and Spirits and a WSET accredited tutor, Anthony has the opportunity to undertake a number of wine study tours.  Recently he visited vineyards and met makers in Alsace, Austria, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Germany, Italy, The Loire, the Rhone Valley and Switzerland.. We are prepared to run similar visits for our clients where there is a demand. 
These would take the form of four or five day tours for up to a dozen participants with Anthony as guide/tutor. Costs will include travel, most food (probably one free evening) and accommodation. Champagne, Chablis, Sancerre, Alsace and Burgundy are all possible candidates for coach travel.  Other venues would entail travel by air. If anyone is interested, please let us know and we will build up a mailing list.