About Us
Ben - Director
Ben Llewelyn has worked for 14 years for the wine trade. Starting at Oddbins in Manchester, he quickly learnt that to get on, you needed to be with a wholesaler, whose names were on the back of the many bottles he sold in the shop. He started working for Enotria Winecellars in London in 1999 and built up a client portfolio that consisted of many of the greats; River Cafe, Fifteen, and Hush, as well as handling the accounts of Carluccio’s and Strada. This work allowed him the opportunity to work and travel extensively in Italy, meeting the great winemakers of Barolo, Friuli and Tuscany, many of whom are counted as friends, and eating in some great restaurants. He went on to became the youngest director in the 35 year history of the company.
Having learnt the ropes at Enotria, Ben was integral in establishing a small independent wine wholesaler in London and after two years undertook a significant life change both at work, by starting the MW program, and with the family, by moving to France. Here he gained more detailed insight into the intricacies of winemaking and vineyard management or, as Rupert puts it, doing some proper work. He is fascinated by biodynamic viticulture, though not wholly convinced by non-sulphur winemaking; he adores wines made by people who connect with their terroir and is yet to be convinced that great wine can really be made without passion, and is still not weary from the fight to convince people of this and all that is great about hand-crafted wine.
He was brought up in Wales, enjoys fishing and now lives in Hampshire with his lovely and ever expanding family.
Ian Barker - Operations Director
Ian had a relatively late introduction to the wine trade. As a frequent customer of his local wine merchant in Bath, he realised that his professional life lacked a certain spark. So in 2002, he wrote a speculative letter to the managing director, suggesting he may be able to help as he had twenty years of business experience in stores, buying and supply chain at Somerfield. This was just what the company required and after a period of consultancy, he became Operations Director of Great Western Wines. Initially sceptical about the mystic surrounding wine, he soon learnt that growers who really cared about what happened in the vineyard made wine that tasted far superior to what was on the shelves of his supermarket employer. Further inspired by a visit to Vinitaly, he developed a passion for Italian wines, especially their luscious whites, and helped the company source a number of top Italian producers. Meanwhile the success of Great Western Wine was becoming recognised, and sadly for him, the company was bought and taken over by Enotria in 2010. Still eager to utilise his skills to help others, he has joined Carte Blanche as Operations Director and is looking forward to making a significant difference to the development of the company, and will endeavour to introduce a few new Italian producers! He continues to live in Bath with his wife Emily, and in their spare time enjoys cheering for Bath Rugby, exotic gardening, visiting their cottage in Cornwall and wondering what mischief the two cats are getting up to.
Heidi Upton - Account Manager
Heidi developed a taste for the fine things in life, including wine, at a young age. Whilst studying for her Geography degree at Newcastle University Heidi completed the WSET Intermediate Certificate and decided that a career in wine was the only way to go in order to truly indulge this passion. After almost five years working for Berry Brothers and Rudd and a few more WSET exams later Heidi joined Caviste in December 2010. Initially based in the Overton shop followed before Heidi took on a new challenge with the wholesale side of the business, Carte Blanche Wines, to sell to pubs, restaurants and hotels in Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Heidi lives in Hampshire with her husband Edward and dog Lafite. When not selling wine Heidi is likely to be found outdoors, riding, cycling and sometimes even running!