A SUCCESSFUL tour company founder is combining his passion for wine and historical storytelling to create an exciting new venture for local wine fans.

Entrepreneur Nick Gay is opening Oxford Chelt Wine School, the first independent wine education company to cover both the Oxford and Cheltenam areas – offering an exciting and truly original range of tastings and courses for those who are keen to learn more about wine.

Oxbridge graduate Nick’s love of wine tasting started when he first joined his college wine society at university.

He has recently returned to this area after selling his pioneering Berlin historical walking tour business, which Nick and his wife established in the early 1990s.

The business breathed new life into the Berlin sightseeing scene and welcomed more than 50,000 visitors on their tours each year.

Nick, who now lives in Cheltenham, is the newest wine school owner within the successful and rapidly expanding www.localwineschool.com family – a UK-wide network of over 20 independent wine schools providing a wide range of wine events for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Chris Powell, the founder and owner, set up the first school in Newcastle in 2000.

Nick said: “After reading about the Local Wine School network, I was inspired to set up a wine school of my own, primarily because I wanted to continue my career as an educator in a field which I am passionate about while running my own business.

"I also liked the independence of the Local Wine School network and the fact that it has a well-proven business model.

“I have enjoyed speaking to, informing and entertaining groups of all types and sizes in Berlin, so I’m looking forward to continuing that experience at the wine school.

"There are so many similarities between walking tours and wine tasting classes - both require a love of storytelling, presenting, and bringing a topic to life.

"Customers want their guided tours and wine tasting to be informal and enjoyable, not dry and dull, so we’re making sure that this sense of fun is the key focus of the Oxford Chelt Wine School.”

Nick has selected a varied range of appealing and contemporary venues to launch his wine tastings and courses.

In Oxford all events take place in St Peter's College, New Inn Hall Street in the heart of Oxford.

the first all-day Saturday course with lunch and Champagne will be held on Saturday, November 8 from 11am-4pm.

In Cheltenham, evening tastings will be held in the de Ferrieres Gallery, housed in The Wilson, a newly opened addition to Cheltenham’s art scene at Clarence Street, GL50 3JT.

The Promenade is round the corner with excellent bus links to Gloucester and beyond, and the venue is a brief 20 minutes away from Cheltenham Spa station.

Cheltenham’s Saturday courses will take place at the Hotel du Vin, Parabola Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AQ, which is conveniently located for the train station about 15-20 minutes away and a short walk from the Promenade.

The first all-day Saturday course with lunch and Champagne will be held on Saturday, November 15 from 11am - 4pm.

Tickets are now on sale at www.oxfordcheltwineschool.com and all tastings are available to buy as gift vouchers for Christmas, birthdays and other special occasions.

For more information about upcoming dates and prices for Oxford Chelt Wine School, visit www.oxfordcheltwineschool.com, email info@oxfordcheltwineschool.com or call Nick on 01865 238042 or mobile 07858 220119.

Follow @OxfordCheltWS on Twitter and like Oxford Chelt Wine School on Facebook.

Nick’s top wine tips 1.

Share it - that is, wine is all about enjoying a glass with others

2. …but don’t be dictated in your choice of wine by others! Enjoy what you like without bending to fashion or what other people say you should drink

3. Experiment! Many people think they know what they like but every day, new wines come on the market and they might surprise you. We have never been faced with so much choice of, for the most part, well-made and affordable wines

4. Even if you don’t like ‘experimenting’, our tastes change over time, so it is good to keep up with our taste buds!

5. Make sure you don’t serve red wine too warm; ‘room’ temperatures have increased over the years which means that many red wines are served too warm, even in some restaurants

6. Left that bottle of half-finished white wine in the fridge for too long? Mix a glass with a tablespoon quantity of cassis - a blackcurrant liqueur from Burgundy- and turn it into a ‘Kir’, a refreshing aperitif!

7. Don’t get too hung up on pairing wine with savoury food, because many wines can be made better matches by adding seasoning, especially salt, to food.