That’s me, James Wormleighton. I’m the director and Co-Founder of Waistcoat Wines. How do I stay looking so youthful and vibrant I hear you
say? Well I drink my wines, it is that easy.

My hospitality journey started in 2001 as an assistant manager at a Mitchells & Butlers pub in my village. After helping turn it into a million-pound business, I knew I’d found my industry.

A few years later, I helped run Greene King’s flagship hotel, Rothley Court, before swapping Leicestershire for the French Alps and heading to Méribel to run a chalet with my partner. It was hard work, but waking up in the mountains every day wasn’t exactly a hardship.

Back in the UK, I fell in love with fine dining while managing a restaurant called Entropy, before training as a chef and running my own kitchen. Then came a career-defining move: joining the team at 1—star Michelin Restaurant Sat Bains.

Working in that environment was incredible. The attention to detail was obsessive, the standards were relentless, and it sparked what became my real passion: wine. I became the restaurant’s sommelier as well as restaurant manager, creating wine pairings and managing the wine list. My approach was always simple, less wine snobbery, more enjoyment and flavour.

That passion eventually led me to join Bablake Wines, where I spent eight years as both an area manager and wine buyer. The owners became mentors and friends, teaching me more than I could ever have learned from books.

When they decided to retire, I saw an opportunity to create something of my own.

In 2016, Waistcoat Wines was born.

Today, I still believe wine should be fun, approachable and shared with good people. No jargon, no pretension, just great wines and honest advice from someone who’s spent over 20 years eating, drinking and working in hospitality.

And if you’ve made it this far… you might as well buy a bloody bottle of wine.