Shortly after his arrival in London, Philip met Francis at a wine tasting event and a friendship formed (nothing to do with the wine they say), which has grown over the eighteen years that Philip has helped out at Taste of the Vine. Philip has also travelled all of the classical wine regions (such as Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhône and Bordeaux), as well as those lesser known, including Morocco and Tunisia. The last two of which were with Francis and feature in his book In and out of Africa.
Wine tasting, Cheese, Gin, Real Ale & Whisky Events • 22 years, 3570 events, 49 countries
Philip Sykes
Host of shows and events
Who is Philip?
Position: Event manager and stall host for wine, whisky and cheese events.
Originally from the wine lands of South Africa’s Cape, Philip has spent all of his adult life in the hospitality industry. After schooling in hotel and catering, he started his own restaurant in the early 1990s, Pages in Thyme, in Cape Town. Then he moved with his family to London and founded a training company. This has since evolved into The British School of Etiquette, for which he regularly hosts the training programme: ‘Wine Etiquette with Confidence’.