Nick Baker, Founder & Managing Director
nick@thefinestbubble.com
07973 654097

In April 2014 we started planning this online shop to make available some of the Champagnes I have invested in, purchased not just because of the brand name, but because I enjoy drinking certain vintages of what the best Champagne Houses release as their prestige cuvees.

My background, until mid 2002, was in wine, I started straight out of Harper Adams University in 1989 into a sales role with Grants of St James’s and went on to head their marketing department. Then in 1994 I did a year with Louis Roederer’s UK agent and it confirmed my love of great Champagne. I followed this with a move to Brown Forman looking after Fetzer Vineyards and had four great years working with the pioneer of wine from organically grown grapes.

During this time I worked with the winemaking team to create many new wines suited for the UK market. With a bug for California, in 1999 I moved abroad to join Kendall Jackson as Marketing Director again involved with developing and launching their new wineries from Italy, Australia, Chile and Argentina. Along the way I passed all three Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications. I was incredible lucky to work with so many wine-making teams in creating some great wines.

In 2002 I set up my own ecommerce business in photography and since then I have been lucky enough to be able to just invest in and enjoy wine without any commercial ties or links to any wineries or brands.

When we launched in September 2014 we had less than a dozen champagnes, with the idea of testing the concept of same day delivery of champagne in London; we soon discovered customers loved a reliable, well priced, fast and confidential service and we soon needed a full range of champagnes. Now we have over 300 champagnes and improved the delivery offering to delivery within three hours in London and next day for the rest of the UK.

In the last 20 years there has been a couple of vintages in Champagne that are widely acclaimed as outstanding; these being 1996 and 2002, with many others nearly as good like 1998 and 2006. Looking forward 2008 is looking like it may turn out as good as 2002. Our strategy is to purchase plenty of these great vintages so we can sell them for many years to come as they will all continue to develop and become greater with time.

With 2008 vintage champagnes now widely available, there are many wine writers saying 2008 could be at least as good as 2002. I have now tasted many from 2008, all are very youthful but have a perfect balance with bundles of fruit, great acidity and that purity and mouthfeel you only see in great years. So my tip is buy magnums from these great years, the perfect bottle size to age champagne.

Carol Sturch-Hibbett,
PR & Marketing Manager
carol@thefinestbubble.com
07866 693453

Carol has racked up some 25 years in the Wine Industry, (I know she doesn't look old enough!), working in various roles, but for the most part in marketing and PR.

Her wine career began in marketing at Hatch Mansfield Agencies, then part of Grants of St James's, where following a take-over by Matthew Clark, Carol was one of four wine trade professionals who decided to go it alone and start up a brand new Hatch Mansfield agency business with Carol heading up Communications. After a brief interlude at Australian giant, Southcorp, Carol was asked to set up a new European office for Kendall Jackson Europe. A wide brief saw her having responsibility for running the UK based office, from shipping, to forecasting to PR and marketing.

Today Carol uses her broad experience of the wine trade to work as a freelance wine PR and works part-time doing marketing and PR with us here at TheFinestBubble.

She holds a degree in Business and Finance with Marketing and the Institute of Marketing Diploma plus the WSET Diploma and has been an IWC judge for many years.

At home Carol is addicted to Bikram Yoga, loves cooking and used to play golf and sail, now she has two sons and is mainly a taxi driver to her sports mad son!

Chris Taylor,
General Manager
chris.taylor@thefinestbubble.com
07973 249691

Chris has been with TheFinestBubble since our inception in 2014. A self-professed wine lover and Champagne fanatic, he has always been interested in the drinks trade industry.

A graduate from Kingston University, London and an ex-Royal Marines Officer, he has spent time working, studying and volunteering in three different continents and has extensive experience of global markets and business development.

At TheFinestBubble, Chris oversees all adminstritive functions, handles purchasing with our trade agents, arranges and hosts tasting events across London and is repsonsible for liasing with private clients whilst managaing relationships with our coporate partners.

Outside of the wine trade, you'll most likely find Chris running through puddles in London trying to re-live his military adventures!

Chris Churchett,
Office Manager
chris@thefinestbubble.com
07957 027337

Raised in Essex by two avid wine aficionados, has always had a keen affection for wine, particularly of the sparkling variety!

Recently graduated in Economics from Kingston University, Chris now has more time to pursue his antecedent interest in the wine industry. Here at TheFinestBubble he is our Office Manager, dealing directly with customers and handling sales administration. He has also become an expert in delivery and shipping, whether local or global.

Having been lucky enough to travel during his time studying at a European Secondary School, Chris' sales and marketing experience is invaluable.

When he isn’t sipping prestige cuvées, Chris can be found rowing down the River Thames; his other great passion!

Chris Allen, Technical Consultant
chris.allen@thefinestbubble.com

Chris has worked in software development, management and IT consultancy for over 15 years, specialising in internet technologies.

Chris is now based in London, after graduating in Computer Science from the University of York. He has worked for companies such as Schlumberger, Logica and Cable and Wireless.

He has worked as a technical lead in both small and large companies and across both the private and the public sector. He enjoys finding innovative solutions to technical problems. He also enjoys a glass of champagne every once in a while!