Wine Uncorked: My guide to the world of wine

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From belligerent Michelin-starred chefs to Bollinger-swigging managers, Britain’s best-known, best-loved maitre d’ is here to lift the lid on life behind the scenes of the world’s best restaurants. With over 25 years’ experience of charming guests, Fred Siriex has seen and heard it all, and as always, he’s here to help. In Wine Uncorked, Fred decants a career's worth of expertise in his own friendly and accessible style, revealing how everything from price point to percentage impacts what ends up in your glass, how to decipher a label and which glass to use. He'll then take us on a tour of the regions, showing us how the landscape and climate work their magic on the wine produced around the world, highlighting key producers and notable vintages to suit all budgets along the way. Fred Sirieix ( French pronunciation: [siʁjɛks]; born 27 January 1972) is a French maître d'hôtel best known for appearing on Channel 4's First Dates, and BBC Two's Million Pound Menu. Sirieix grew up in Limoges, France and trained to work in front of house in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before working at La Tante Claire in London. Until 2019 he was the general manager of Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton. of the many opportunities in this industry. It opens doors to so many things. You can travel the world as a waiter. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada:

About the Author: Fred Sirieix is a maître d' with a passion for all things food and wine. He trained and worked at some of the most celebrated restaurants in both France and London and was the general manager at Galvin at Windows for 14 years. He fronts Channel 4's First Dates and has presented a number of programmes including Remarkable Places to Eat and Step Up to the Plate, as well as appearing alongside Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo in Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip. Fred studied wine at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is the official wine ambassador for Marks & Spencer. We don’t value hospitality in this country, that’s for sure. There’s a lot of examples to show that: it was labelled as low-skilled only recently. If you speak to a career adviser, they wouldn’t recommend hospitality as a career for kids. But it’s just incredible what you can do in hospitality. Also, it’s a meritocracy. That’s what I say when I do talks in catering colleges: if you work hard, you’re going to go all the way to the top. It’s your time now. At Barrafina, everybody has to observe the rules of the queue, even if they’re the boss. ‘She could make you feel the world was a safe place with just a smile’ Nankervis, Troy (23 March 2017). "First Dates maître d' Fred Sirieix promises fans surprise 2017 location change". Metro . Retrieved 18 April 2017. If a customer is drunk and is touching a member of staff inappropriately, if they are using foul language or if their behaviour becomes threatening, then that is unacceptable.a b c d Rayner, Jay; Lewis, Tim (17 April 2016). "The art of service: secrets of the maître d' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 February 2017. The French, we’re very structured and organised and disciplined when it comes to eating. So you eat between 12 and 1pm, and between 7 and 8pm. It’s about the respect for the food. Like, for example, when I cook and I call the kids and they’re not coming, it’s so annoying – I’ve turned into my dad now! Because you’ve got to respect the food. I put in all this effort. It’s got to be eaten when it’s ready, otherwise you’re going to lose some of the pleasure, some of the flavours. And why would you do that? If you have ever said, 'I wish I knew more about wine,' this is the book for you. Read more Details

Three years ago, Thompson’s daughter, Daphne, was born; Thompson took 11 months maternity leave and then returned to Scott’s part-time. Again, this is “unconventional” in hospitality, which demands long, antisocial hours. Thompson gives credit to Caring for being open to the idea and she hopes that her experience will be helpful to other women in a similar position. “Yeah, I’m definitely flying the working-mum flag,” she says. “I didn’t want to pretend it was going to be OK and then totally crash and burn. Hopefully I’ve proved the fact that it is possible.”A great restaurant is as much about the service as the food. It’s about the smile when you arrive, the way you’re seated at your table, the glass of your favourite wine appearing as if by magic. Nothing is too much trouble. The art of perfect service may seem effortless but what’s really going on behind the scenes…?

Thompson breaks into another broad smile: “Anyway, looking after my daughter sometimes is a much harder job than this place!” ‘A lot of people who eat out don’t love food. I feel the same myself…’ Thompson’s first experience of hospitality was working as second chef in a fish restaurant in the village where she grew up. While at UCL, she helped out friends at Medcalf in Clerkenwell. She has been at Scott’s since 2006, when it was relaunched by Richard Caring as his first venture for Caprice Holdings, first as lunchtime maître d’ and then, after three years, as general manager. Being a young and female GM was “unusual”, she concedes, especially at a high-profile restaurant. Thompson says simply: “In my position now, I carry the can.” Rayner, Jay (6 June 2017). "What happens when you strip food of the branding and just rely on taste?". Radio Times . Retrieved 19 June 2017. a b c d "Fred Sirieix - General Manager: Galvin at Windows". www.galvinatwindows.com . Retrieved 16 February 2017. This, he says, is what has driven him through a lifelong career front of house both in France and the UK. It has led to his current position as general manager of Galvin at Windows, perched high above London at the Park Lane Hilton and, through his role in Channel 4’s First Dates, as the nation’s maître d’, cupid in a sharp suit, making sure that potential lovers have the best possible chance of getting it together over dinner. “When you talk about hospitality,” he says, “you are talking about connecting with people. It’s about giving first and giving generously.”In 2019, he hosted the CBBC series Step Up to the Plate with Allegra McEvedy where they tested 8 young people in each episode to see if they had the skills to run their own restaurant. [14] A second series was broadcast in 2021. [15]

bighospitality.co.uk. "Fred Sirieix leaves Galvin at Windows". bighospitality.co.uk . Retrieved 21 February 2020. He doesn’t tell you to follow strict rules or which wines are the best. He gives you basic knowledge and tools to go out and explore and make your own mind up. She was not a natural as a waitress and only lasted six months. “I’d like to take the opportunity to apologise to all the customers I served,” she says. Glennon did, however, excel at remembering customers, chatting to them about the plays they’d just seen, and was shifted to the position of assistant maître d. At the time, J Sheekey was owned by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the men behind the Ivy and Le Caprice. Although Corbin and King would soon move on – selling the business to Richard Caring, Glennon’s current boss – she learned lessons that she still finds useful 18 years on. BBC announces new popular factual and factual entertainment commissions" (Press release). BBC. 5 October 2017.In 2010, Sirieix was nominated for the Cateys manager of the year award, winning it three years later in 2013. In October 2011, he won the National Restaurant Awards' Personality of the Year for his charity work and promoting the hospitality profession. He was voted Educator of the Year in 2012 at the Imbibe awards and in March 2014, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of West London. [5] Personal life [ edit ] Daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix in 2022 Fred Sirieix demystifies the world of wine, cuts through the pompous old rules, and equips you with the knowledge you need to make your own confident, informed choices As is the often the case, much of his story is happenstance. School did not suit him and when a friend announced he was going to catering college, Sirieix followed. While he did some training in the kitchen, and believes he could still work a service as a cook if they were desperate, he soon specialised in working front of house. After training in a Michelin one-star in France he came to England to work at Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire as much, he says, out of a love of the English language as anything else. That was 24 years ago. Since then he has worked everywhere from Le Gavroche to Sartoria and the Bluebird Cafe, before joining up with the Galvin brothers 10 years ago.