About Me
Hand Picked Burgundy Launch : 1st November 2007
Well, we’re finally off for real ! The website is working properly, though there will always be more work to do on it. I really would appreciate any feedback on what you think is good/bad and works well or not for you. The press releases are also going out, so to fill you in a little more on who I am and how I ended up doing this, here it is :
Wine lover uncorks a personal passion with Burgundy business launch
For almost 25 years Peter Sidebotham has been enjoying fine red Burgundy wine, a tipple which inspires a singularly passionate loyalty among devotees. Now he has turned that passion into a unique business with Hand Picked Burgundy, offering bottles from his favourite French region via the internet.
Peter, 44, formerly made his living as a sales and marketing expert with ICI on Teesside. Some years ago he foresaw the decline of chemical manufacturing in the UK and, with one eye on a future change of career, studied for and passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s advanced certificate with distinction. Earlier this year he opted for voluntary redundancy, and straight away set to converting vineyard dreams into vocation - Hand Picked Burgundy was born.”My aim is to be a reliable source of good quality red Burgundy that is ready to drink” said Peter, who lives just outside Northallerton, North Yorkshire. “The vast majority of Burgundy offered for sale by traditional merchants is far too young. If they do offer older wines, many merchants provide only a list of wines, without commentary or tasting notes. “By its nature, Burgundy is complex, making it difficult to know what wines are going to taste like - let alone which are better, and when they will drink well.”Peter’s aim therefore is to offer only wines that are ready to drink. Each offering has been personally tasted by Peter (tough job!) and given comprehensive ratings based on the three-dimensional criteria of fruit, flavour and body. These ratings are backed up by detailed tasting notes as well as second and third opinions provided by renowned Burgundy experts and writers.
What’s more, Peter offers further advice on how to serve the wine to get the best from it. “With red Burgundy, even wines from the same vineyard can be totally different, so it can be incredibly difficult to know what a bottle will be like, without years of study and tasting. I want people to be able to choose with confidence and drink with pleasure”.
Fuelling a passion for fine Burgundy is not cheap � bottles on offer from Peter’s climate-controlled cellars range from £15 right up to £400 each, but for the discerning drinker, he hopes to offer the perfect choice. The range currently includes more than 100 different wines from nearly 50 different producers, and Peter plans to steadily increase the range up to about 300 wines. A choice of wrapping and presentation options opens up the range to gift buyers.
Having spent months developing and fine-tuning the web site hpb-wines.com Peter is now looking to target Burgundy lovers across the country. He can be contacted via info@hpb-wines.com or 01609 777650.
Finally, here are a couple of my beautiful (!?) mug shots. Hopefully you’ll recognise me at tastings now.
