Tell us about your new Sommelier Symposium you are running - what do you have planned?
We have built something that we are really excited about – a whole day of vital training and impactful discussion on the topics that really matter to the modern sommelier. We don’t think it’s been done before in this format, and we believe that the Symposium offers incredible value to any somm or wine service professional.
The day is built around three pillars:
- Profit and business skills: understanding wine as a core revenue driver within hospitality.
- Career growth: helping on-trade wine professionals develop themselves and lead others.
- Community: the value of networking and coming together in person.
We will combine panels, hands-on workshops, tastings and plenty of time to talk with peers.
The morning and afternoon each start with sessions on the big issues of the day including how to use crucial customer insight to support your business, and how to build profitability into an engaging and exciting wine list.
We have got breakout workshops on mastering Excel for the on-trade and leadership skills for sommeliers in the morning, then a head-to-head session comparing the methodology of a MS and MW. T
The day ends with building your career toolkit where we will hear from leading industry figures about what makes their version of a 'Superhero Somm'.
Why did you want to do this now?
Coravin works with sommeliers all over the world and is ideally placed to know the issues they most want help to tackle
Hospitality has had a tough few years - rising costs, tighter margins, and real pressure on wine lists to earn their keep – and it’s a hard time to build a career in wine service.
But we know that when it’s done well, wine is pivotal to restaurant revenue and guest enjoyment - great wine experiences drive repeat visits and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Last year we launched The Coravin Guide to shine a light on venues doing wine-by-the-glass brilliantly.
The Symposium felt like the natural next step, bringing that same spirit into a room, in person, and giving the community a day dedicated to the business, the craft and careers, all at once. We want to support sommeliers and equip them with career-advancement skills so their value is always recognised.
You clearly work hand in hand with sommeliers all over the country and the world - do you see this as an opportunity to take that relationship to another level?
Coravin's range of devices are now a fundamental part of wine service across all hospitality and not just fine dining
Absolutely. We have spent over a decade building relationships with sommeliers in more than 80 countries - supporting the people creating extraordinary wine experiences for their guests, not just supplying the technology they pour with.
The Symposium is a natural evolution of that: a chance to move from individual, one-to-one conversations with sommeliers to something the whole community can share in one room.
It also reflects what we have heard directly from that community. Sommeliers want support developing their skills, advancing their careers and staying connected. That’s exactly what The Coravin Symposium is doing: using our independent position to work with representation from across the industry to offer something totally new.
The day includes a number of sessions, talks and debates - can you pick out some highlights?
There’s a lot to pick from, but a few stand out for me. The opening panel on guest data and customer insight sets the tone with insight from very different businesses and therefore perspectives.
It features: Davina Kortright, head of research and insight at the WSTA, Nicolas Schell, food and beverage director at The Savoy; Hannah Russo, head of operations and brand at Camino; and Luma Monteiro, head of marketing, Davy's of London. Chaired by The Buyer's Richard Siddle.
Highly experienced wine buyer and former head of wine at Hawksmoor, Clara Rubin, will lead a session to help sommeliers better understand the finances in their wine program
I’m also excited for the breakout workshops as they are built to be practical and useful: Excel for Sommeliers with Clara Rubin, former head of of wine at Hawksmoor; and a session on leadership and management skills with hospitallity leadership consultant Madeleine Geach.
Both things that don’t get enough limelight in the industry, despite serious commercial acumen, staff retention and management skills being key drivers of a business’s success.
The ‘Wine List as a Business Tool’ panel being moderated by Regine Lee MW, managing director of Indigo Wines, shines a light on the vital importance of running a profitable wine list, and how it can sit at the heart of a successful business. It will also touch on the power of by-the-glass and the opportunities that it offers in today’s hospitality landscape.
It includes on the panel: Fred Brugues, wine director, Sketch; Lisa McBain, wine buyer, Fuller’s; and Cameron Foster, owner of Portfolio MCR.
There are some clear potential commercial learnings to be had on the day - do you see that as being a bigger role or Coravin to play in the sector?
Yes, and increasingly so. I don’t think Coravin’s role stops at the wine systems – our mission is to help fuel the growth of by-the-glass, a key profit opportunity for our hospitality partners.
That’s why we launched The Coravin Guide to spotlight great wine-by-the-glass programs, and why the Symposium leans so heavily into practical, sellable takeaways rather than a traditional wine education masterclass format.
What other leading names in the industry do you have taking part in the Symposium?
Coravin founder, Greg Lambrecht will be introducing and taking part in the Coravin Symposium
Our founder and inventor, Greg Lambrecht, will be there for the day and will be available to answer questions, alongside some brilliant names:
Giuseppe D’Aniello, group head of wine at Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Group.
Stefan Neumann MS.
Emma Dawson MW, head of buying at Berkmann.
Christelle Guibert, owner of UK Sommelier of the Year competition.
Douglas Blyde, columnist and consultant.
Charles Carron Brown, restaurant manager at Aulis London.
Sunny Hodge, owner of Diogenes the Dog.
With many other names to be announced.
Each of them is contributing to a workshop or panel, drawing on their own experience, so the day is really shaped by their expertise as much as ours.
There will also be a Tasting Studio, where with the help of our fantastic distributor partners you will be able to taste wines categorised by by-the-glass themes - overseen by Maria Boumpa, UK Wine Sommelier of the Year 2025.
Who is the day aimed at - exclusively sommeliers are anyone working in hospitality?
There will be opportunities for sommeliers to try out all the Coravin devices during the symposium
It’s for anyone shaping or serving a wine list in the on-trade - sommeliers, certainly, but also wine directors, floor and restaurant managers, and hospitality leaders running wine-by-glass programs and teams. If wine is part of your job, this day is for you.
Will there be opportunities for people to better understand Coravin and the devices you offer?
Definitely. We’ve got a Coravin Clinic running throughout the day for hands-on support with our wine by-the-glass systems.
There’s also an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session with Greg Lambrecht, so there’s plenty of opportunity to understand how Coravin can help your business.
Anything else to say?
Tickets are now on sale including all sessions, lunch, tasting and a luxury gift bag worth around £100. If you're looking for career growth or if you manage a team of wine staff, this is a fantastic value training opportunity. But do book now to join us at The Savoy on the October 5 - places are limited!
- For full details and the schedule click here.
- You can find out more about Coravin here.
