Our team are all highly experienced in what they do, but above that, they are passionate and dedicated to what they do. Each member of the team brings a unique value and knowledge to our auctions.
We all care – about our customers, about our wines, and about the wine industry.
Chris has worked in the wine industry for over 25 years, with roles spanning retail, education, consulting, on-trade sales, tasting events, writing and, of course, auctioneering.
He founded Bacchus Wine Auctions in 2016 because he assessed what was on offer for people who wanted to buy wine from other people at auction, and the proposition & offering was simply not good enough. With huge, inflexible commissions, all sorts of hidden extra charges, no due diligence, and nobody truly caring about the product at the heart – the wine!
Bacchus Wine Auctions resolves all of the issues that Chris saw within the existing landscape, and his vision has been to create a personal service, completely hands-on with a passionate and dedicated team, that stems from a deep understanding of and love for the product we specialise in.
Chris doesn’t have a favourite wine region, instead enjoying various wines from all around the world, made from all manner of different grapes, which means he has often tried the wines we are including within our auctions. It also enables Chris to bring a unique understanding of the passion people have for all sorts of wines from all over the globe.
Since the very first sale in November 2016, Bacchus Wine Auctions has grown year on year and we sell thousands of lots annually within our auctions. Despite such significant growth, each auction lot is still carefully inspected, in person, by one of the team, to truly ensure that we are bringing a high quality wine to our customers.
Chris says that his biggest challenge these days is that we are selling so much brilliant wine I want to buy most of it!
Chris’ second book Collecting Wine is due for release in spring 2025. Find out about Chris’ book here.
James’ love of wine started entirely by accident! Fast-forward 25 years and he is still deeply entrenched in everything that the fantastic world of wine has to offer to everyone.
For the majority of James’ career, he has been a Sommelier, perhaps most notably as Head Sommelier for 3 Michelin starred Gordon Ramsay restaurants across London, and has also worked on projects in the USA with Gordon. He also had the pleasure to work with other world-class chefs, as well as with more diverse roles with Playboy, Bibendum Wine and wine making in Piedmont, Italy.
Having experienced almost every other facet of the wine world, James felt that the auction world beckoned. His experience and detail of looking for quality, authenticity, service and genuine care matched perfectly with Bacchus’ Wine Auctions vision and ethos.
James confesses that he unashamedly has a classic palate when it comes to wine, especially for the regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy, as well as a huge amount of love for Piedmont. However, his love for maturity in his wines was probably born out of extreme luck, having tried so many different ones over the years. His appreciation for a wine must come down to how well the wine is made… James loves various wines from around the world, but his all-time favourite is Château Latour 1945.
Tertius is a highly passionate member of the team. He believes that the personal service and high-quality products provided by Bacchus Wine auctions to the UK & global wine buying community are far superior to any other. Tertius holds strong admiration for his colleagues, feeling very lucky to be surrounded by a team that offers such vast wine knowledge and experience.
Tertius’ journey began at Majestic, operating in a retail environment and managing both the Weybridge and the Esher stores. For ten years, Tertius was part of the Barons Pub Company, holding roles as General Manager and later, Area Manager, opening four additional locations while managing another five.
Tertius studied Hospitality Management at the University of Johannesburg, starting his career in front office roles at the Southern Sun hotel group in South Africa. His South African roots have stayed with him in my favourite tastes in wine. A rich full-bodied South African red wine remains as my favourite despite all the wonderful wines I’ve had the privilege to taste & work with. I especially enjoy the wines from the Rustenburg vineyard in Stellenbosch – try it, if you haven’t already!
Liz was the very first member of the team to join Chris on his new venture when starting Bacchus Wine Auctions!
Liz has a wealth of experience in auction administration spanning several decades, balancing her work for Bacchus Wine Auctions with a thriving catering business. Her professionalism in dealing with our telephone bidders, enquiries and essential back office tasks enables Bacchus to run extremely efficiently.
Liz is the only member of the team who isn’t actually keen on wine! Perhaps that’s what makes her so good at ensuring all the invoices are correct and paid in a timely manner…
Tracey has been an official member of the Bacchus Wine Auctions team since 2019, however was a big helping hand to Chris on one of his first auctions back in 2016.
Tracey has a huge wealth of experience, skills and knowledge, developed over many years in the charity and events sectors. She has worked on a wide range of exciting events, including several Opening & Closing Ceremonies for the Olympic Games, business to business conferences, as well as mass participation charity fundraising events. Tracey has also worked for some impressive brands – GlaxoSmithKline, NSPCC and Cancer Research UK to name a few!
Tracey has also organised a wine dating evening many years ago for charity, alongside Chris & his wife, Helen. They are very proud by the fundraising efforts, but equally by the match-making – one couple is now married and have two lovely children together!
Wendy has been working with Bacchus Wine Auctions for just over six years. Wendy joined the team with a role in bookkeeping, before becoming involved with the auction operations and wine collections & lots available within the auctions.
Wendy thoroughly enjoys expanding her knowledge of all of the lovely wines Bacchus Wine Auctions has available at each auction, as well as getting to know all of our friendly customers. For Wendy, it has been a whole new language to learn but one she is passionate about! Wendy particularly enjoys auction days – there’s a lot to do, but they are so much fun!
Wendy preferred wine tastes have broadened as a result of being a member of the team. She now enjoys lovely rich reds, such as Margeaux from the Bordeaux region, and the Barolos from Italy. However she remains still partial to a glass of bubbles of any kind!
Because every great team needs a dog or two…