Southwest France with Brett Jones, the Wine Maestro
Spreading South from Bordeaux lies the wine region we call Southwest France, but it
isn’t actually a single region, rather it is a mosaic of many smaller wine regions.
It’s a region that many Britons visit each year for their dose of warm sunshine and
to sample the tasty local produce.
Bergerac, Cahors, Madiran, Jurancon will be names familiar to many but others like
Gaillac, Irouleguy and Gers may be less so. Brett Jones is an enthusiastic and
frequent visitor to the area and will be offering wines in a variety of styles, from
interesting grape varieties, which feel like classic French wines, but with their
own individuality.
Brett, the Wine Maestro, has spent over forty years learning about, working with,
teaching others about, and – naturally – enjoying wine. His initial interest was
kindled during training at the Swiss Hotel School in Lausanne in the 1960s. After
further experience in a number of top European hotels, he opened a wine bar and
bistro in Billericay, in 1976. Here he organised regular wine tastings, both in the
wine bar and at customer venues. The growing interest prompted the formation of his
wine club which has now been running for fourteen years. 26 years on, he has sold
the business to concentrate on lecturing, running wine tastings and the wine club.
Brett is a member of the Association of Wine Educators and a recommended tutor for
the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. He is also a member of the Circle of Wine
Writers.