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Hand Picked Hotels has announced that expert sommelier, Louise Gordon, has joined its F&B team as the collection’s first head of wine.
In this new position, Gordon will oversee the wine portfolio across 21 Hand Picked Hotels luxury country houses and coastal retreats.
The group said she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from over 20 years of working in the industry.
She first discovered her passion for wine when working at The Wine and Beer Company in Calais, and has since become an expert in the field. She previously held positions including head sommelier and Wine Buyer at Clos Maggiore, head sommelier at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge, head of wine and bars at Heckfield Place, and most recently head of wine and bars and F&B operations manager at The Newt in Somerset.
Gordon is a Level 5 Certified Educator for the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), having taught levels 1,2 and 3 wine internally for a number of hotels.
Working alongside the hotels’ award-winning chefs and sommeliers, Gordon and the team will hand-pick the best wines to pair with the modern British cuisine offered across the collection and create bespoke wine offerings for each hotel. She will also oversee all wine-related staff education and training.
Gordon said: “I am thrilled to be taking on the new challenge of Head of Wine across the Hand Picked Hotels collection. I truly believe wine, combined with incredible food, is such a personal part of any guest’s experience. Food and drink can conjure memories and also be central to making new ones. Being part of that journey and having the opportunity to seek out wines which I believe will help elevate the overall guest experience, is a true honour.
“It’s been a busy start to my journey at Hand Picked Hotels, working with our sister team at Villa Saletta to launch a series of exclusive Italian wine dinners this November. However, it’s great to hit the ground running and I’m excited for what the future will bring.”
Julia Hands, CEO and founder of Hand Picked Hotels, added: “I can confidently speak for our team when I say it is a pleasure to have Louise joining the team and sharing her array of wine knowledge with us.
“Food and drink is a passion every team member shares, and we are dedicated to ensuring we have a high quality and unique food and drink pairing for our residents and guests alike. We have some exciting experiences planned, including the Villa Saletta Wine Dinners, so Louise will definitely be hitting the ground running.”
