The Cellar
From his renowned cellar of international wines, our General Manager, the 2001 Sommelier of the Year, will tailor informal tastings for your party to share in his knowledge and passion for wines.
James Payne, General Manager
James Payne, former UK Sommelier of the Year (2001), joined Kinnaird as General Manager in September 2005.
James took the position as he was keen to take on the challenge of overseeing an estate and to broaden his responsibilities. However he retains his passion for wine with an impressive wine cellar with over 480 bins and is still very active as Sommelier advising guests on wines to complement their meals.
Prior to joining Kinnaird, James held the position of Head Sommelier at The Green House in Mayfair, London for a year where he won the Wine Spectator Grand Award - an award held by only 94 establishments in the world.
But it was at the luxury Lake District Hotel, Sharrow Bay, that James won his most prized award - UK Sommelier of the Year 2001.
But this is not James' only claim to fame. During his Sommelier role at The Pont de la Tour (1995-1997) James in fact looked after the wine requirements for a dinner between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton.
James gained his training in wine in Bordeaux where he spent two years working towards his post grad in Wine & Spirit studies.