Head of Wine Sales

Fiona Bailey

I have worked for a number of different wine companies in the past and was elated to join Averys in 2009 as a Wine Advisor. After a successful period where I thoroughly enjoyed recommending our wines to my customers, I was promoted to Head of Wine Sales. I am now studying for my WSET Diploma and manage a highly knowledgeable, professional and successful team of Wine Advisors with whom I share a passion for our unbeatable range of wines.

We all relish the numerous opportunities we have to meet our suppliers and attend bespoke tastings and are always eager to recommend these wines afterwards.

It is impossible for me to choose a favourite wine as it all depends on the food, company, mood etc but I particularly enjoy Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: some top picks are our own label Marlborough Chardonnay and Tasmanian Pinot Noir. All the Averys own label range pose great value and quality as they are made in collaboration with top producers around the world and are available to you at extremely modest prices.

Overall, my team and I are constantly sampling wine, in the tasting room and at home, to ensure we can offer you the best service when it comes to suggesting wine, whether it be for a special occasion or for everyday drinking. We are more than happy to mix bespoke cases too. We hope to get the chance to show you what a unique (not to mention free!) service we offer soon!

Senior Account Manager

Richard Bailey

I first fell in love with wine during my travels in Australia which led to a stint at Peter Lehman's estate in the Barossa. When I returned to the UK I began my studies under the WSET whilst employed at the New World giant, Constellation Europe and obtained my Diploma in 2009 before joining the team at Avery's in the same year. I feel very privileged to work in such a dynamic and exciting environment, from the buzz of a Bordeaux En Primeur campaign to the thrill of meeting and learning from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Wine Advisor

Abi Salinger

I have loved wine from a very early age and, having enjoyed a spectrum of interesting careers both here and abroad, I had an epiphany whilst travelling in South America a few years ago: I decided that I ought to indulge my passion a little further and perhaps find some kind of employment in the fascinating World of Wine.

Originally from Sussex, I settled in Bristol about 12 years ago but considered London to be a better place to start my career in wine. Undaunted by such a dramatic change of direction, I moved to the 'Big Smoke' and found work in a wonderful independent wine merchants in East Dulwich where I learned all about biodynamic wines, for which I still have a borderline obsession.

Wishing to further my career into selling wine, I then came across a sales role working for a wine merchant in Bristol and, though I loved London, working for such a prestigious company as Averys was far too good an opportunity to miss so I upped sticks again and moved back to Bristol. I have been with Averys for the past 2 years and, having passed my Advanced WSET, I have now settled into what I like best - talking about wine!

Since I've been with Averys I have built up the most wonderful customer base. In fact, this is the best part of my job (apart from tasting amazing wines on a regular basis!) as I really enjoy chatting to such an interesting and wide range of customers who come from all walks of life. We all have something very special in common - a love of good wine!

Though I do enjoy all different styles of wine, I confess to being a Rhône and Burgundy girl at heart though, more recently, I find myself seduced by those captivating Italian wines. I think a wine is often as good as the food it complements and vice versa so one of my favourite pastimes is enjoying good food and wine and, even better, if both are shared with friends.

Lead Account Manager

Aaron Rice

In 1991, after supporting myself through two years of Law School at Otago University by working in a restaurant and wine bar, I realised that my main passion was for wine and food rather than the complexities of the legal system and legislature. I spent most of the 90's running restaurants and bars before I met my English wife-to-be while spending the summer of 1999 working for a team of vineyard contractors. I moved to the UK in 2000 and took the first job that I was offered - at Oddbins. After 6 months there I joined Direct Wines and eventually became Fine Wine copy-writer for Laithwaites and The Sunday Times Wine Club. After a stint working in marketing for Berry Bros, I decided that it was time to move back to doing what I really loved - selling wine - and joined Averys in November 2006. Though the last five years have been eventful (remember the Credit Crunch?) Averys has gone from strength to strength and has always been an interesting and stimulating place to work - thanks mainly to the many pleasant and friendly customers that I speak to on a daily basis.

Wine Advisor

Kirsty Buttery

I've always had a passion for wine and by studying for my WSET qualifications really helped me utilize this. I'm really enjoying working in an environment full of like minded people who have a great deal of knowledge about wine. It's an exciting industry to be in and there's always something new to try or to learn. No two wines are ever the same. One of the perks of our job is we are able to try a great deal of the wines we have to offer and this way it really helps us to make great recommendations to our customers and I love hearing their feedback in return.

Wine Advisor

Lynne Alderson

I have been working in the wine industry for over ten years now. My interest was originally ignited whilst travelling in Australia so my first love was with Australian wine. The thing I love about wine is that there are always new and interesting wines to discover from different regions around the world so you can never stop learning.

I am currently enjoying Rhône style white wines but I'm sure I'll be moving on to something new pretty soon.

My favourite food and wine match at the moment is pan-fried salmon on a bed of creamed spinach with d'Arenburg's The Money Spider Roussanne 2007.

Wine Advisor

Will Marshall

After completing my photography degree in London I decided to follow my other passion - wine - and cut my teeth on the shop floors of Oddbins.

This is where my passion for great wine grew, bolstered by WSET training. In 2007 I moved to Bristol with my partner to start a family. When the opportunity arose to work as one of the Wine Advisors at Averys I jumped at the chance to be part of a company with such a long history in the wine trade.

I am a real Francophile and there is nothing I like more than a mature left bank claret or a Grand Cru Burgundy.

Wine Advisor

Duncan Pilbeam

I joined Averys for the second time this year, returning to a job which has always proven to be rewarding and fun. Wine has been a passion of mine since I first started to drink it. Cooking, entertaining and having a glass or two is what I most enjoy.

I first started with Averys in our Cellars in Bristol, advising, looking after our corporate sales, hosting tastings and enjoying the products. I studied my WSET qualifications and continue to learn as much as I can about a fascinating industry and enjoyable pastime. My background is the restaurant trade, followed by a number of years spent working in the spirits trade based in the US. It's a pleasure working in a field where I enjoy what I do and the experiences it has given me. Good food, fine wine and interesting people to meet and they pay me.... what more could I want.

Wine Advisor

Neil Williams

I joined Averys at the beginning of May this year, after successfully running a country pub near Cirencester.

Having always enjoyed wine, I first became interested in the business, whist working at the Royal Westminster hotel in London, a wine merchant who supplied our wine came and held a tasting for the staff, I was suitably impressed and thought "I could do this". It wasn't long before I was working for a small independent wine merchant in Chelsea where I gained my WSET qualifications. Since then I've spent 5 years with Oddbins managing various stores in Cheltenham and Bristol.

Wine Advisor

Oliver Weston

I have worked in the wine trade for over 15 years. I've also assisted in wine cellars, making wine in this country and abroad. What I love most about wine is that it's always a learning curve. There are so many countries and regions producing so many diverse styles. There is something for everyone, and every occasion. It's just a question of seeking out interesting wines, and that's something I think Averys does very well. I greatly enjoy drinking French wines from the classic regions, but also get great pleasure from a decent Argentinan Malbec at a good price.

Wine Advisor

Jo Roberts

I've worked on the wine advisor team here for a couple of years and have really enjoyed building up my customer base to the size it is now. I get to speak to lots of different people everyday, sharing their stories and passions of the wine world (or just having a little chinwag), before recommending some wines that I know they will enjoy as much as I do. Having always been interested in wine and enjoyed drinking it, I was really inspired by a wine trip to the Napa Valley and Sonoma four years ago and have since paid a visit to Bordeaux and the wine school there, achieved my WSET Advanced and am now looking forward to embarking on my diploma next year.

Lead Account Manager

Adam Simpson

Having worked in sales for many years and more recently as area sales manager for a small fine food company, I decided I wanted to realise my dream and work in the wine trade. I had been supplying Averys with fine food for their tastings, so they seemed the obvious choice to approach for work. I initially started at the Averys Bristol shop over Christmas 2006, and then moved to the Wine Advisor team where I took the WSET Diploma course and quickly climbed the ranks to my current position as Lead Account Manager.

Of course I love fine wine and spend most of my spare time shopping for or planning the next meal and wondering which bottle would match it best. Another passion is travel, whether it's trekking in the Himalayas, lounging by a pool in Provence, a city break in Istanbul, or touring the wine regions of Europe!

I do not have a favourite wine region, but enjoy all wines that are good examples of their regions and varieties - for me the interest is in the diversity of wines and styles. If I had to choose, my desert island wine would probably be a Grand Cru Red Burgundy from around Vosne Romanee.

Senior Account Manager

James Cole

I started in wine while studying for my Masters in Film and Media, taking a part time job in the local Wine Rack store. I quickly discovered a love for wine after spending my student days buying the cheapest Côtes du Rhône I could find, or if there was a party a 3 litre box!

My wine epiphany was a bottle of Viognier from the Languedoc called Cazal Viel which really opened my eyes to the complexity and depth of flavour wine is capable of and I began a journey of discovery, eagerly reading anything about I could get my hands on, and even more eagerly trying as many different styles of wines as I could. Such enthusiasm was rewarded in promotion, and soon I was a full time manager of the store I started in. Not long after that I got the stewardship of the flagship fine wine store in the region, and successfully traded there for another year. With remarkable prescience or blind luck I managed to move to an independent wine merchant before the demise of Wine Rack and Threshers and helped set up a brand new wine outlet in Cheltenham, which exposed me to an entirely new world of interesting, regional wines I had never seen on the shelves of my previous stores.

The role didn't work out as I hoped as the shop I helped set up morphed instead into a Bistro so I decided to go on a great adventure and went with just a bicycle, a small tent and the promise of employment at Felton Road Wines to New Zealand, where I spent several months in 2009. Working out there in the incredible landscape of Central Otago and for such a innovative and acclaimed winery as Felton Road was an experience I'll treasure, as well as teaching me so much about what goes into making great wine. On my return I managed to find temporary employ at Direct Wines where I learnt about the Wine Advisor role here. My application was successful and I have never looked back, and after two years at Averys I was proud to recently be promoted to Senior Account Manager. I find it endlessly rewarding to look after my customers, advising them on all aspects of wine, from the best value wines to suit their palate to helping customers with their investment portfolios.