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The Founders

alexAlex Allan

Alex says his fledgeling interest in wine grew exponentially during a lengthy backpacking trip across Europe as a student.  He was so enthusiastic that he relocated to London in 1984 from Canada to pursue a career in the Wine Trade.

He has been a wine buyer, retailer, global logistics manager, educator, consultant and was the co-founder and licensee of Betjeman's, a multi-award winning City Wine-Bar.  Along the way he gained all the WSET qualifications and passed the notoriously difficult Master of Wine tasting exam at his first attempt.  He has travelled extensively throughout the wine world over the years.

He has an exceptional palate, so is left with the difficult task of sourcing and buying the wines used in our tastings. Always seeking out new, exciting and unusual wines he only ever accepts the very best available and wines which offer the best value for money.

He co-authors our themed tastings, hosts our events in his own inimitable style whilst ensuring that the group increase their wine knowledge in a relaxed and informal environment.

The concept of Wine-Works was the result of a long lunch and that notorious 'last bottle'.

Alex stands by the motto that, 'life is too short to drink bad wine'.


charles dennyCharles Denny

Charles brings to Wine-Works a wealth of experience in operations and sales management, as well as in business coaching, gained predominantly in the licensed trade.

It was during his early career looking after pub, restaurant and hotel operations for Bass that Charles first developed a passion for brewing and then wine, and as a result gained a sequence of Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications, culminating in a Scholarship Award whilst attaining the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits.

After setting up a customer service programme for the entire Company, he was headhunted by Young’s Brewery, and helped them develop their hotel and catering division, before spending ten years pioneering city and town centre style bars throughout the country for SFI Group.

Since 2005 Charles has combined his skills, experience and knowledge to develop and run a range of entertaining and interactive tasting experiences with wine, beer, spirits and even cocktails, which he delivers with passion and professionalism aided by his experience in the events industry. He has delivered more than 600 successful events in the last eight years.

In his spare time, Charles is always looking out for a wine bargain in the supermarkets or High Street wine stores to recommend to guests at Wine-Works tastings. He loves to cook, so combined with his catering background he is well placed to deliver special tastings matching wine with food, cheese and even chocolate!


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