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The Team

Eric Narioo a.k.a. Le Grand Fromage

In an attempt to escape the paparazzi drawn by a failing rugby career, Eric fled from France to English shores, where, in the hope of shaking off the memories of his past, he turned to drink.  Chancing his luck, he happened upon a Peter Dominic’s store where Adrian Scholes happened to be working and soon infiltrated the team.  Nicknamed ‘Old Treacle Tongue’ due to particular success with female customers, Eric also imparted his Gallic charm on to his fellow colleagues, regularly recounting blow-by-blow accounts of the weekend’s rugby fixtures, which would invariably result in yet another trip to A&E to have his face/hands reconstructed.  Clearly struggling to shake off his boots (as well as his roots), he returned to France, but promised Adrian that he would return so that together they could carry out The Master Plan.  The rest, as they say, is history…

Liz Reid

Famous for her ability to play the flute whilst tuning a piano, Liz could rival Nick Cave and Barry White in the lower ranges of her musical talent, whilst simultaneously (almost) giving Maria Callas a run for her money.  Despite getting close to the top, she decided not to join the superficial world of music with a singing career, but instead decided to pursue a more worthwhile career in wine drinking...erm, I mean tasting… sorry, selling… yes, err, wine selling.

Douglas Wregg a.k.a. Sir Wregg a.k.a. The Occasional Royal Visitor

Doug, erstwhile director of Sales and Marketing, joined Les Caves de Pyrène in 1996 when it was but a tiny embryo; now it is a much larger embryo. Having worked in restaurants for several years, he was the classic example of poacher turned gamekeeper (or do I mean the other way round?) using his sommelier experience to persuade all and sundry that now was the hour for regional French wines, a mantra he has been repeating plaintively for the past ten years. Eric convinced him that he would be mad(-iran) not to work with him and being a suggestible kind of (iroule-)guy Doug couldn’t refuse and joined the small, but merry band of vin-archistes hawking Les Caves unique brand of lyrical terroirism. Whilst not selling, Doug works on perfecting his version of Casaubon’s key to all mythologies, a philosophical wine list so referential and self-referential that it disappears up its fundament into the verdant grass of left field, and so extensive that it has been described as everything from “the ultimate encyclical draft-excluder” and “the cure to insomnia” to “the magnum opus that you wouldn’t want dropped on your foot.”

Adrian Scholes

Having refused all approaches from Guinness to front their campaign promoting the black stuff, and hence leaving the door open for budding actor Rutger Hauer, Adrian carried on his quest for the perfect pint.  After much pondering, he finally decided to branch into wine importing and selling, on the grounds that the drinks business would be the most likely avenue to help him achieve his dream.  Having conquered the only hurdle that loomed in the form of his driving test, nothing could stop him.

Now Adrian, could you just explain to us whose lipstick that is you’re wearing?

Philippe “err… umm...” Lubac

Philippe is a guy so cool cats could take correspondence courses from him. He passed our stringent medical examination - he was able to match Eric for vinous excess. He has now been on numerous buying trips: he has purchased the ten crus of Beaujolais and a considerable chunk of the Rhône, has discovered the most obscure grape varieties ever heard of from regions we are not even sure exist and most recently was let loose in Burgundy with a credit card and an empty car boot (fatal in anyone’s eyes). His great passion is collecting wine: he has a magnificent private cellar and a virtually encyclopaedic knowledge of the top growers.

Phil Barnett a.k.a. El Flaco a.k.a. Phil B Two Ts

When he is not playing the guitar badly or avoiding D.I.Y., Phil enjoys scuba diving, sunny places and eating and drinking (a rare thing amongst the staff here!). He has held many diverse positions (not the Karma Sutra) such as Banker, Busker, Restaurateur and Euro-layabout and has even managed to squeeze in 8 years working in Central and South America (Manana Republic). Prior to joining Les Caves, Phil spent 5 years with Jascots in London - a suitable stepping stone to greatness.

Gideon Clow a.k.a.The Big Hairy Wine Rep

A late starter at University with a huge thirst for knowledge, which was invariably quenched by downing pints of beer in under three seconds in the Union bar, Gideon worked at various eateries in London, eventually meeting Doug whilst incarcerated at The Chiswick and then Villandry, where he became one of our biggest customers. To put an end to complaints about vintage changes, we decided to offer Gideon a job with us and turn his inestimable charm upon unsuspecting restauranteurs across the capital.

Amy Morgan a.k.a. The Voice of Reason

Amy has been with the company for three years now (it seems like a lot longer to the rest of us...) and has already got our staff prostrating themselves in her presence in order to glean some kind of lowdown on when we might expect Eric to next be in the office. When she is not dressing up as Santa on pub crawls (e-mail me for photos), Amy deigns to don a cocktail dress and rinse it with hoi palloi of the wine world and invariably becomes the life and soul of the party. As P.A. to Eric, Amy has a thankless task on her hands and we all salute her heartily for the magnificent job she does.

William ‘Will Do’ Johnston

Our erudite Office Manager, famed across the land for his ability to drink his own bodyweight in Prosecco, Will spent his youth balancing the demands of academic life with the rigours of the top-notch training programme at Oddbins. Then, seeing the error of his ways, he decided he would be better off garnering a meaningful vocation with a company that promotes the imbibement (or is it “imbibition”?) of ‘Real’ wine. And, it must be said, he has embraced the challenge wonderfully, and can often be spotted wistfully swirling a glass of nectar in a dark corner of our shop, accosting anyone who will listen to his mutterings about malolactic fermentation and the correct use of sulphur. 

Paul Jackson

Paul joined Les Caves in 1996 as a van driver, and has possibly held more roles within the company than any other member of staff. Twice he has tried to break free by heading off to foreign climes, both times to be drawn back to the fold because of his love for the ever elusive holy grail of Pinot Noir (it was a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin). An ex warehouse party DJ and general lover of electronic music, Paul enjoys nothing more than torturing his friends and colleagues with the latest piece of production that he has painstakingly created in his front room.

Thierry Talibon

An extremely well-known face on the London restaurant scene, Thierry has worked as a manager and sommelier for a raft of high-end eateries across the capital, infusing them all with his very individual style and sense of humour. For many years we tempted him with offers to come and seek gainful employment with us before he finally succumbed a couple of years ago to our collective delight.

Carlo ‘Bello’ Lupori

Carlo is one of the latest additions to the Sales Team, hailing from Bari in Puglia. Before joining us he was the sommelier at Mr Conran’s Sartoria in Savile Row. He is a breath of fresh air whenever he appears in the office, and from what we hear he is making a similar impression upon our insatiable customers.

Timothy Wildman MW a.k.a. Monsieur Le Sauvage MW

Tim’s multifarious previous incarnations include such roles as Shaolin Monk, Melon Picker and Beagle Trainer, interspersed with his slightly unusual hobbies of Medieval battle re-enactments, ferret racing and frisbee golf. Tim first met our company whilst selling us some New World blends, but is now the champion of some of our more wilfully obscure grape varieties such as Hondarrabi Xuri and Schioppettino. Tim’s claim to fame (that 15 minute thing) is that he once appeared on ‘The Big Breakfast’, where it was voted that he should shave off his beard (looks like it worked).

Charles Porter

Svelte, “nomadic” Charles Porter, whilst not tasting wines on behalf of thirsty customers and company representatives, can usually be found clinging to the side of his capsized dinghy in Chichester Harbour - eat your heart out Chay Blyth. Our Logistics Manager has been with the company since time began and probably has the longest commute of any member of our office staff - it just goes to show to what lengths people will go for a glass of Pacherenc…

James Sacha

‘Big Jim’ is our self-styled music guru, having played various roles in various bands with various instruments, his current incarnation being a fusion of Country and Funk (or ‘Funktry’, as he likes to call it). On his meandering path to us he did spend a time working for Tony Fresco (the local Mr Whippy), where he picked up an unhealthy passion for caravanning, both in the sense of a social dynamic and a cultural mainstay. Needless to say, his off-kilter sense of humour nourishes us through the long dark evenings of winter.

Virginie ‘Nini’ Champalou

We had been buying ethereal Vouvrays from the Champalou estate for many years, when one day we found they had shipped their daughter to us, tucked away inside a pallet. Now an invaluable part of the team at Les Caves, Nini runs our retail outlet in Guildford and organises all the tastings we have at the shop. Her other great skill is being able to drink every man in the place under the table - no mean feat, we can tell you.

Didier Cappa

Half French and half Italian, this man puts on a fantastic English accent just to confuse us all. Didier first encountered Les Caves whilst working behind the bar at one of our favourite foie gras spots, Cellar Gascon in Smithfield. They didn’t let him drink enough there so he sidled up to Eric one evening and proffered his services (as a salesman) - we snapped him up immediately and the rest is, as they say, history.

Dario Poddana

Dario was born in Germany, the offspring of a Sicilian mother and a Sardinian father - be nice to him as he has a couple of ‘uncles’ who work in construction.........  We first met Dario whilst he was the export manager for Gianni Gagliardo, supplying us with our first foray into Sicilian wines, a section which is now a major part of our Italian portfolio. It has taken a concerted effort and numerous tastings, but he is now beginning to enjoy (and sell) French wines as well.

Patricia Sliwa

Our first dealings with Patricia were when she was working for Thierry’s, selling us Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne (including the famous ‘pineapple’ bottles of their Palmes d’Or). Patricia does a fantastic job of keeping all our regional wholesalers’ palettes whetted with their favourite vinous oddities, but in the process seems to spend more time on the M1 than should be reasonably expected of any human being.

Helen Stanborough

Helen helps to grease the wheels of our PR and Marketing department alongside Amy as well as dealing with the everyday role of keeping our demanding customers happy. She took her training with Majestic (someone had to) but she came well-equipped to handle everything we could throw at her.  She has now re-joined us after a nine month absence to bear the fruit of her loins, and a jolly good job she did of that too…

Stephen Ince

Yet another employee who has been wrought through the Oddbins mangle, Stephen oils our spreadsheet cogs with top grade lubricant. He has the unnatural gift of immunity to sub-zero temperatures and can often be found on dark winter mornings relaxing in the refrigerator in his shorts and t-shirt. His other great ability is the extraction of corks from bottles at lunch time. Praiseworthy, we would say.

Charlotte Smith

Also known in the office circle as ‘The Cake Monster’ Ms Smith is a mainstay of the sales desk (when not globetrotting). Charlotte had her first introduction to Les Caves when she was just a small girl and her father used to bring her on buying trips to our shop, at that time located in Guildford town centre. All we have to do now is to get her to enjoy drinking the wines as much as she enjoys billing them…

Natasha Snelling

Larger than life financial accountant Natasha has been ‘cooking the books’ for us for about a year now and settled in to the Les Caves way of operating very quickly (she wore a suit for one day). Natasha has an unnatural penchant for Ted Baker clobber and very fast cars and can be found most weekends at 130mph in the fast lane of the A3, heading for the TB sale at Gunwharf Quays with her husbands soon to be empty wallet. She has an intense distrust of any transport that is public (I’m with her on that one), and needs to take multiple shots of Sambuca if forced to step on board the number 37.

Justine Cresswell

A parachuting ex-school nurse who loves a good book, Justine is the Credit Control department. She sits around her cauldron all day, chanting incantations to shrivel the nether regions of restaurant accountants countrywide, cackling to herself. There are, of course, frequent pauses to visit the great tea-bearing kettle in the sky for nourishment and guidance.

James Board

James took his wine training with Laithwaites, working in one of their shops before heading on to greater vinous employment with ourselves. He is an ardent fan of “The Cultural Teachings of Peter Cousins” (our Warehouse Manager), and when James isn’t slumped in the corner of some Spanish nightclub with a slightly glazed expression on his face, he loves hanging out with his ‘homies’ in the damp, dark streets of Pyrford, discussing such pertinent topics as Hinduism and Huggy Bear.

Lucy Bruton

The newest addition to the office squad, Lucy joined us after taking her vinous training as a senoir guide at Vinopolis. Previous employment has seen her as a stable hand, waitress and litter picker at Newmarket. She sings with The London Chorus and once appeared on the X Factor as a backing singer for Rhydian. Her other claim to fame is getting her bottom pinched on the millenium bridge by Trinny and Susannah.

Yvonne Baker

Our jovial accounts administrator joined us a while back now, fresh from a full-body mud pack and seaweed wrap at the spa. She has a thankless task with us, dealing with the myriad of invoices, final demands and threatening letters that pile through our letterbox on a daily basis. Yvonne, in the little time she gets to herself, enjoys nothing more than kicking back on a sun lounger with a bottle (or two) of wine and soaking up whatever the nearest star to Earth has to offer.

Anthony Williams

Anthony is not renowned for his wine pronunciation or common sense. Reliability is the word which best sums our intrepid delivery driver.  He is always at the ready, whatever the ‘palaver’, be it helping customers to carry wine to their cars, polishing every last bottle in the shop, or cooking bacon sandwiches by the dozen. Tony, as he is affectionately known, can and regularly does navigate the streets of London like a seasoned professional, stopping at nothing to get customers their wine.  Les Caves could not operate without the services of Tony “bottle smasher” Williams.

Christian Gaucher

Having qualified from university, where he was an active member of the local ‘Dead Poets Society’, Christian managed to drag himself away from the crowd and decided to try his hand at teaching maths.  It wasn’t long however before he decided the classroom wasn’t the place for him and he embarked on an epic adventure through the Amazon Rainforest, feasting on grubs, discovering Inca settlements, and generally pretending to be Indiana Jones.  Unfortunately his map reading skills got the better of him and he accidentally stumbled upon British shores where he was reunited with Eric; an old friend from his uni days…

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