Marcus Smith – Proprietor
Raffles Fine Wines was established by Marcus in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds in 1978.
Marcus started his career in Hotel Management where the marriage of food and wine were paramount. He then worked in the busy wine department at Harrods alongside some of today’s wine luminaries. In 1976, he was asked to help run the Belgravia branch of Andre Simon wines which in those days was a thriving wine merchant business.
Alongside ensuring that the shop is well stocked, Marcus is always on hand to offer information about planning the perfect cellar, investment information or, even better, challenge him to find that special bottle you have been looking for. He buys and sells from private customers and has an excellent range of fine wine contacts in the industry.
Raffles Fine Wines was started, and continues, to specialise in wines that express ‘terroir’, offer value for money and are often only produced in small quantities. While France has long had the most prominent standing on the wine list, most of the major wine growing regions from around the world are now represented and as we find new and exciting producers, continues to expand.
Nick Dangar
Nick worked for Marcus some 25 years ago and now comes on board as a sales and marketing consultant. He can usually be found in the shop on Mondays and Wednesdays and is very keen to show off his knowledge of Raffles’ range of wines, having been busy tasting old favourites and new arrivals since his return.
Tracey Bird
Tracey has worked in the design and print industry for the last 20 years and, having recently passed her WSET level 3 advanced qualifications with a distinction, joins us on a Friday and Saturday. She was also awarded the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux Scholarship to the Bordeaux Wine School. Tracey tries to keep our website up-to-date and helps with our email and web communications, as well as offering help and advice with her usual enthusiasm in the shop.
Marcus, Nick and Tracey look forward to welcoming you to Raffles Fine Wines.
