David Gill MW, judge for the DWWA South Africa panel in 2010
David Gill MW joined the wine trade in 1982 when he managed a North West Vintners’ Liquorsave store in Aberystwyth, having graduated from UCW Aberystwyth a year earlier with a degree in Physics with Planetary & Space Physics. He progressed to overseeing several stores in mid-Wales before opening and running a new store in Wellington, Shropshire. He moved to Buckingham Wines in 1983 where he ran its specialist shop in Kensington. He passed the MW in 1988, by which time he was running all five stores. When the company was sold to Nicolas in 1988, he joined as UK managing director, before moving to Bulgarian Vintners as sales and marketing manager. He left in 1993 to join Waitrose as a buyer before moving to off-trade agent Bottle Green in 1996, where he is now director. He is most proud of his part in the invention and development of the French Connection wine brand.
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