After two decades in the high-stakes world of investment banking, Andrew Lofthouse made a bold career pivot that combined a deep passion and his Northern roots. Today, he is best known as The Northern Wine Guy – a Sheffield-based consultant, writer, events organiser and wine educator with a mission to make vino accessible for everyone.
“I’d done 20 years of investment banking, travelling the world, living in Australia, Dublin, Japan and London,” he tells Exposed. “But I didn’t want to be pigeonholed or a one-trick pony. I wanted to do something different, something I really loved.” That desire, paired with his burgeoning interest in wine fostered through visits to vineyards around the world, planted the seed for change.
Minds made up, Andrew and his wife started exploring the world of wine more formally. They earned their wine and cheese qualifications together, which included becoming certified cheesemongers and completing levels of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) programme.
The couple purchased a retail unit in Devon and transformed it into The Wine and Cheese Loft, a multifaceted space offering wine retail, tastings, a café and pop-up dining experiences. “It was a completely new business from scratch. We created a synergy of wine, cheese and hospitality that progressed very well.”
Despite its success, the idea of taking the business to the Steel City had an emotional pull. “We’d always been nomadic,” Andrew explains, “but Sheffield was the first place my wife and I met, and we still had friends and family up here. So, we decided to return to our roots.”
Relocating to Sheffield presented an opportunity to rebrand. “I couldn’t be The Devon Wine Guy in Sheffield – that wouldn’t make much sense!”. His newly named venture, The Northern Wine Guy, became an umbrella for a wide range of wine-related activities, blending consultancy, writing, organising and hosting events, and even guidance on fine wine investing.
Andrew recently completed the studies for a WSET Level 4 Diploma, which will place him one level below the prestigious Master of Wine certification. “There are only around 315 Masters of Wine in the world, so this diploma will allow me to bring a high level of expertise to what I do.”
A key focus of Andrew’s work is demystifying wine and removing any pretence. “Wine isn’t just for people with big wallets,” he insists. “Whether you like a £3.99 bottle or a £109 one, it’s about what works for your taste buds. The city’s wine culture is bubbling away, with events like Sheffield Wine Week and wine-focused venues thriving. It’s an exciting place in that respect and there’s plenty of potential.”
To tap into this, Andrew has launched a number of exciting projects. The Sheffield Table, a collaborative dining and wine experience hosted at the Leah’s Yard gallery space, offers curated food-and-wine pairings on an 18-seater table that revolves around local producers. “Even the cutlery on the table is from Sheffield,” he says, “and the events have been getting some excellent feedback. We’ll be doing more next year; it’s currently mostly corporate bookings but we’re planning to open it up more to private bookings, too.”
He is also set to launch the Wine and Cheese Network, a monthly networking event combining business sponsorships with casual wine and cheese tastings. “Sheffield’s strength is its collaborative spirit and huge number of SMEs,” he notes. “This network will be a place for businesses to connect, while enjoying regionally themed wines and cheeses at local venues.”
The Northern Wine Guy Podcast Show sees Andrew speaking to industry experts about their favourite wines and he’s recently been writing exploratory articles on emerging wine regions, both in the UK and abroad, while continuing to work with Sheffield businesses to improve wine offerings. “I help restaurants and bars build wine lists, train staff on serving and storing wine, and assist in designing wine menus to complement what they’re serving,” he explains.
For him, the key to success is breaking down barriers around wine and having fun while doing so. “The wine world can seem snobby, but it doesn’t have to be,” he says. “It’s about creating a space where everyone feels welcome to explore.”
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