Fabian
Barnes
Understand before you judge. Share before you teach.
Background
Thirty years
telling the story of wine
Trained as an oenologist, Fabian Barnes first made his name as a wine journalist and critic. His articles, published in French and international press — notably in In Vino Veritas and Gault & Millau — stand out for their rigour, curiosity and a constant desire to make wine accessible without ever dumbing it down.
After more than thirty years observing, tasting and writing, he chose to open a new chapter: founding a wine school where his journalistic approach — enquiry, pedagogy, critical thinking — meets his expertise as an oenologist.
Through his blog, his deep-dive features and his workshops, Fabian continues to explore wine with the same guiding principle: understand before you judge, share before you teach.
He brings this approach to a tasting school where every workshop blends scientific rigour, pedagogy and curiosity — giving each participant simple keys to refine their palate and read wine in a new light.
What they say
In the press
Having described the gravels of the Médoc in detail, Fabian Barnes goes further by analysing the nuances of these gravels and their influence on yields and on the character of the wines. He is a fountain of knowledge, this man.
Guide Hubert, Gault & Millau, Chazallet.com
It started sensibly enough with teachings from oenologist Fabian Barnes on different grapes, distinguishing sweet wines and matching wines and cheese. But it wasn't long before he was suggesting that a bottle was more "animally in hue, with a hint of stuffing, wild boar and fox".
The Guardian
Portrait of Bordeaux figures — Fabian Barnes, the touch of madness that was missing.
Journal Sud-Ouest
Des Racines et des Ailes
Along the Dordogne river
Come and learn
with Fabian
Three workshop formats, bespoke corporate sessions, and experiences in the Médoc vineyard.