With a love of food and wine from an early age, a move into the wine business seemed like an obvious choice on leaving my training in the kitchen.

In the early days, I floated between two small London independents and spent a large amount of time with a copy of the A-Z, balanced on my knee as I delivered wine orders all over London.

It was after travelling for several years that I ended up in Cape Town, where I not only met my wife, but also helped build and grow Vaughan Johnson’s wine shop in the, then, very industrial and almost non-existent Waterfront.

On my return to the UK, I spent just over 15 years developing the Harrods wine department, and in 2009, I was instrumental in its complete redevelopment, creating a far more interactive and customer-focused experience.

When approached to be involved in creating The Best Wine and Spirits Shop in the World, how could I possibly turn it down? Being a founding member of the Hedonism team was an extraordinary experience. Involved in finding the location, designing the look, feel and layout, as well as being responsible for buying all the wines, it was a hectic 14 months from day one until the store opened in August 2012. The business has thrived over the past 12 and a half years, with more than 10,000 products available for sale, and over 70,000 different wines and spirits sold since we started.

Now it’s time to embark on a new challenge, and in August this year, I set up Alistair Viner Ltd. to use everything I have learnt over the years to offer advice and services to others who have a passion and love for wine. As well as more general consulting, I will get involved in cellar valuations, sourcing and supplying rare and difficult-to-find wines, alongside offering a very personal and bespoke cellar service finding the wines that individual clients love to drink.