Expert sommelier, Louise Gordon, has joined Hand Picked Hotels to continue to strengthen its food and drink credentials. Hand Picked Hotels is a collection of 21 privately owned, luxury country houses and coastal retreats, founded in 2001 by owner, chairman and CEO, Julia Hands MBE.
As the company’s first head of wine, Louise will oversee the wine portfolio across the 21 luxury venues. which will draw on her wealth of knowledge and experience from over 20 years of working in the industry.
Her previously roles include head sommelier and wine buyer at the renowned French restaurant, Clos Maggiore. Prior to that Louise was head sommelier at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge and head of wine and bars at Heckfield Place (where she created the opening bar and wine lists).
Louise’s most recent position was head of wine and bars, and food and beverages operations manager at The Newt in Somerset.
In her new role Louise will also work closely with the team at Villa Saletta, a historic estate and boutique winery set in the beautiful Tuscan landscape, which is owned by the Hands family.
One of Louise’s first events will be running a series of five wine experiences across the portfolio in partnership with the Villa Saletta vineyard.
Commenting on Louise’s appointment, Julia Hands, CEO and founder of Hand Picked Hotels, said: “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.”
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