Hugo Read grew up in a wine obsessed family and his whole life has been steeped in wine. In 2003 he spent six months touring Italy in his battered Fiat Punto (without air-con), visiting over 100 producers as well as learning the language. Subsequently he has taken the WSET diploma, graduating with merit.

He is now a full time wine writer and educator, maintaining the popular blog Hugo’s Reserve at http://www.hugoread.com and running several wine education courses, particularly two different six-week courses covering the wine regions of France and Italy respectively. For Hugo wine and food are inseparable and his courses always involve quality snacks appropriate to the wines in question. The cuisine of the region being discussed and food and wine matching are all part of his courses. As well as running his own courses Hugo is also available for individual lectures and events, for both private customers and corporate clients, tailoring the content of the session as required.

Aside from wine writing and education, Hugo is also a Judge for the IWSC (International Wines and Spirits Competition) and is the owner of Viavino, a wholesale and retail merchant specialising in Italian wines

He is a regular visitor and private buyer in France and Italy. His main specialities are Burgundy, Alsace, Germany, Italy and Food and Wine Matching.