About

Our Expert Tutors

The London Wine Academy is proud to have a team of exceptional professionals who bring expertise, enthusiasm, and years of experience to every course. Our educators include Masters of Wine, leading trade buyers, and top sommeliers – all recognised as leaders in their fields.

Our talented tutors have achieved the prestigious Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma, and many have also undertaken the rigorous Master of Wine Programme, reflecting their dedication to excellence.
With extensive backgrounds in the global wine trade, they keep up to date with emerging trends and are passionate about making wine education accessible, engaging, and inspiring for everyone.

Whether you’re just starting to explore wine or building on an existing passion, our friendly and knowledgeable tutors are here to guide you, share their insights, and help you enjoy wine to its fullest.

Leta Bester - Founder, Consultant, Educator

Leta discovered her passion for wine while studying at Stellenbosch University, in the heart of the Cape Winelands. Her early exposure to viticulture and the vibrant South African wine & food scene sparked a lifelong fascination with the subject.

Over the course of her career, Leta has worked across New Zealand, Australia and the UK wine trade, gaining first-hand insight into both Old and New World styles. In 1993, she founded The London Wine Academy and began her studies with the Institute of Masters of Wine, combining academic rigour with a mission to make wine education more welcoming and relevant.

Her motto is simple: “Taking the jargon out of wine education and making it accessible to everyone.”

Today, Leta leads a team of expert tutors and consultants, drawing on over 30 years of experience to deliver inspiring courses, trade training, and bespoke consultancy for both enthusiasts and professionals.

Rebecca Mitchell – Wine Consultant & Educator

Rebecca Mitchell is an award-winning wine consultant, competition judge and educator with almost 30 years’ experience in the drinks trade. A Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers) and WSET Certified Educator, she also holds specialist qualifications in Champagne and Port.

Rebecca began her career in Bordeaux, researching the terroir of the Médoc before joining Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. She later became Head Sommelier at the 2 Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park and now consults to leading hotels and restaurants across the South West.

Passionate about cool-climate and English wines, she judges regularly for international competitions and champions sustainable viticulture. Rebecca has been a core tutor with The London Wine Academy since 2016, teaching public wine courses and specialist masterclasses.

Sara Muirhead MW - Wine Consultant & Educator

Sara has worked in the wine trade for thirty years, during which time she achieved her Master of Wine and has visited many of the world’s wine-producing regions.

She achieved her Master of Wine qualification in 2008 and wrote her dissertation on the (then nascent) subject of English Sparkling wines – while raising two children!

Sara is a freelance wine consultant, and her work includes wine education, as well as wine judging for wine magazines (Decanter and The Drinks Business) and wine competitions (the London Wine Competition, International Wine & Spirit Competition, and the Decanter World Wine Awards).

Martine Bounet - Wine Consultant Bordeaux & Educator

Martine Bounet was a buyer for the wholesale division of Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd. A French native, she has been in the wine trade for over a decade and started her career in Bordeaux for the then-négociant activity of well-known Château Lynch Bages. She received the distinctive ‘Commandeur des Vins de Bordeaux’ title in 2003, and her passion for wines brought her to all the major wine regions, not only in France but across the globe.

Matthew Day - Wine & Food Specialist (Guest Tutor)

Matt was Young Wine Writer of the Year in 2002 and was recently one of the wine presenters on Taste, a new fifty-part Sky One food and drink series. He cut his taste buds working with Oz Clarke on WineToday.com (New York Times on the Web) and has since contributed to various publications, including Wine Magazine and Harpers. In 2005, he embarked on the Master of Wine program. Matt’s specialist area is food and drink pairing, and he has worked with many brands, including Mumm, Gallo, Castello Cheese, Jacobs Crackers, Premier Foods, and Ferrero Rocher, to develop thought-provoking pairings

Clive Barlow MW - Consultant, Retailer (Guest Tutor)

Having spent 10 years in the wine trade, Clive Barlow passed the Master of Wine Exam in 1999. He now runs an independent wine consultancy and training business, Press Wine Services, in Kent. His clients have included Waitrose, Sotheby’s, Whitbread, London Wine Academy, and Adnams, as well as several private and business clients for whom he sources wines and advises on the cellaring. He is a senior judge for the internationally prestigious and independent Decanter World Wine Awards and Wine International.

Experts

Join The Team

If you think you have what it takes to join our team, please get in touch. To teach at the London Wine Academy, as a minimum requirement, you will need the WSET Diploma and existing teaching experience.