Francis Gimblett

An innovator in the field of tasting experiences, Francis Gimblett has spent over thirty years selling, making, writing about, and storytelling with artisan cheese and fine wine.

In 1987 he became the country’s youngest head sommelier at a five-star hotel, a year after he was legally entitled to drink. After subsequent periods in fine wine sales and winemaking overseas, he formed the events company Taste of the Vine with his wife Pam. The company has since staged over 3000 wine, cheese, whisky, ale, cider and other fermentation-based events in 47 countries. In 2014, their passion for cheese sparked a desire to create some of their own and after two years of trials they launched ‘Floyd’, a smelly, soft (and unusually pink) cheese for their events and local community.

In 2019 Francis undertook a quest to deepen his knowledge of British artisan cheese and set on a ‘100 Cheesemakers in 100 Days’ road trip. Winter-camping in the roof tent of his Land Rover, visiting dairies from Cornwall to Inverness, he interviewed the cheesemakers and tasted their finest cheeses in preparation for GIMBLETT'S GUIDE TO THE BEST OF BRITISH CHEESE.