Restaurateurs Tom and Ed Martin launch wine academy

21st July 2010, 8:51am

Restaurateurs Tom and Ed Martin have launched a new wine academy in a bid to improve staff knowledge and help boost sales.

The ETM Wine Academy will reward the highest performing staff on the scheme with fine wines, trips abroad and the title of 'In-house Wine Ambassador'.

The move by Tom and Ed, who head an eight-strong group of high-end pubs, restaurants and bars across London, including The Botanist on Sloane Square, The Empress of India in Victoria Park and The Gun in Docklands, is a sign of how seriously the company takes selecting, storing and serving wine in their venues.

Tom and Ed have launched the Wine Academy to focus their managers, understanding and enthusiasm around wine, and believe the scheme will help them communicate better their knowledge to colleagues and customers alike.

Classes will be focused on specific subjects including learning about regions of origin, grape types and wine styles, understanding terroir, different appellations and food matching. Each class will also involve tasting five or six different wines. The course will also examine wine management, including the selection and storage of wines, tailored to each of Tom and Ed's eight sites, in order to organise and maximize staff knowledge and sales.

Paulo Brammer, ETM group's beverage operations manager, will be analysing each candidate's performance during each session and they will be expected to pass each exam at no less than 70%. If they get two consecutive fails they risk losing their place.

Brammer said: "Too often pubs and restaurants stock plenty of great wine but their staff aren't always able to communicate what's good about them, to answer questions from customers or to suggest what food goes well with different wines. The Wine Academy shows how focused we are in demonstrating our staff boast an expertise not shared by our rivals -  and of course it will help our wine sales too."

Ed Martin added: "We already take wine very seriously at all our pubs and restaurants, but we want to give our Managers something to get their teeth into that will not only teach them new things, but help them and their colleagues do their jobs better - with the prospect of some great prizes as an incentive to do well."

Related Articles:

• 10 Dec 2010 - Tom and Ed Martin's golden ticket prizes
• 18 Nov 2010 - Martin brothers appoint new training and staff development manager
• 05 Aug 2010 - High Timber offers exclusive dining experience – based on fine wine and grouse - in latest deal
• 08 Jul 2009 - The Cadogan Arms returns to its former glory
• 31 Jan 2008 - Martin Bothers to launch Sloane restaurant
• 19 Nov 2007 - Martin brothers expand gastropub empire

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