Charles Metcalfe

Charles metcalfe is one of the UK's most-respected wine experts, as much admired for his expertise as he is for his spontaneous and amusing personality which has been entertaining viewers for over a decade on a number of programmes including, 'This Morning' and as the resident drinks expert on 'Taste Today' on the Taste TV CFW channel. He has also presented many wine and food programmes on the Granada Breeze satellite channel, as well as, making appearances as a wine expert on 'Great Food Live' and 'Sunday Lunch Live' on UK Food (BBC digital TV/Sky TV). He started his academic career at Eton, and continued it at Christ Church, Oxford. Here, he sang in the Cathedral every day, acted a lot and learned about wine. In fact, he captained the Oxford tasting team to victory over Cambridge two years running! After his studies a lucky chance found him in the Evening Standard wine-tasting team, winning contests in France, Germany and California, and in 1983, he wrote his first article for a trade magazine and co-founded the consumer magazine Wine International with Robert Joseph in 1983. By 1984 the booze-bug had really hit, and both Metcalfe and Joseph founded the International Wine Challenge, the world's biggest wine competition, held annually in London. He is currently a co-chairman of the competition. You can read Charles regularly in 'blue Wine' magazine, and he is the UK correspondent for 'Wine Business International', a trade magazine published in Germany. Along with his wife, Kathryn McWhirter, he wrote the 'Sainsbury's Pocket Food & Wine Guide', a guide to which wines to drink with which food, which was published in October 1995. They also co-authored the Wine Guide on the tesco.com web-site. He also acts as a consultant for restaurant wine lists. His latest book is 'The Wine & Food Lover's Guide to Portugal', written with his wife, Kathryn McWhirter, to be updated in 2012. He is represented by Useful Talent. He is a wonderful host with a natural blend of humour and energy.