Anthony Borges

Anthony began his love affair with wine aged sixteen in France where he worked the vineyard cycle before returning home to Colchester to have formal training, passing the Wines & Spirits Diploma in 1982. During these years as a student of wine he worked first at a Suffolk winery, then, for a year, at a wine shop in Great Horkesley – yes, the very same wine shop he was to buy years later, in 1999.  He returned to France to continue his wine education in oenology at Montpellier University, while working at a wine Cooperative in Beziers.  The experience in France led to new opportunities and Anthony travelled to California where he wrote a wine journal and was a columnist for the local paper, with a day-job at The Wine Cask in Santa Barbara. When he returned home Anthony moved to the suburbs of London where he worked as part of a small team in wine wholesale before joining the American company Heublein Inc` at 151 Marylebone Road. At Heublein he enjoyed London life for seven years where he headed UK sales and marketing for brands such as Inglenook, Christian Bros and Beaulieu. Anthony tried for his Master of Wine examination but sadly never managed it, one of his big regrets.  Age 29, he set up his own business as an importer of wines in London. Anthony looked after brands such as Pine Ridge, Freemark Abbey and Merryvale, while also selling private label wines to supermarket and hotel chains.  Eight years later he was to sell that business and buy the Gt Horkesley wine shop which he had for 24 years before retiring, age 62.