Anthony Barne MW (Master of Wine) joined the wine trade from the army in 1978, having taken advantage of the endless possibilities for wine tasting during his posting to Gibraltar. He learned his craft at Todd Vintners in Tunbridge Wells, escaping to Burgundy to work at the Domaine Thénard and, subsequently, at Seppelt’s in South Australia. Until 1992, Anthony’s career was in mail order and wine buying, first with Hicks & Don, where he passed the Master of Wine exam in 1985, and then Harveys of Bristol. From 1994 until his retirement in 2015 he was a wine auctioneer, still acting as a consultant for Bonhams in London, as well as being the wine-buyer for Michael Sutton’s Cellar, a Devon wine-merchant. His main love is for the classic wine regions of France and for old Madeira, although he has many other interests including Austria, Germany and South Africa where, for 7 years, he wielded the gavel at the Nederburg Wine Auction.

Bibliography

DWWA, Decanter World Wine Awards 2017.