House of Fine Wine (HoFW) has announced the appointment of Rob Hirst as the new Chairman of the Advisory Board.
HoFW is the recently-formed Australian distribution company for Société Jacques Bollinger, Henschke and Villa Maria.
Hirst has extensive expertise in the Australia market and has worked with all three family-owned brands for many years having been the Chairman of Fine Wine Partners and prior to that Chairman and MD of Tucker Seabrook, both of which distributed the three HoFW brands.
Hirst’s responsibilities include chairing the Advisory Board of House of Fine Wine, and he will also provide an integral link between House of Fine Wine and the wider industry through his work with the Court of Master Sommeliers and WSET.
“These are three extraordinary families producing a range of beautiful wines,” Hirst said. “It is a great pleasure to work closely with them and the wonderful team at House of Fine Wine, particularly in such exciting times for the premium wine market in Australia where we’re witnessing an increase in wine knowledge and appreciation for premium wines by both trade and consumers.”
The General Manager of HoFW, David Bird, welcomed Hirst to the company, saying: “We are very pleased that Rob has agreed to join House of Fine Wine to lead our Advisory Board. I personally have known and worked with Rob for many years and am excited that he will bring his wealth of experience with our brands and his deep understanding of the market to House of Fine Wine.”