Liverpool joins forces with one of the world’s most prestigious wine regions

Liverpool has officially deepened its relationship with one of the world’s most prestigious wine regions as The Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool was formally established on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

The city will now play an even greater role in celebrating, sampling, and promoting Bordeaux wines, with a host of exclusive dinners, wine tastings, and visits to Bordeaux planned annually.

The grand event held at The Art School officially welcomed The Commanderie de Bordeaux and guests from across the region for wine tasting and food curated by Paul Askew, the restaurant’s Chef Patron, and with Bill Addy from Liverpool BID Company.

Special guests included the Head of La Commanderie de Bordeaux, Jean Marc Dulong, and President of the CIVB, Allan Sichel, and wine growers and sellers from across Bordeaux. It’s a pivotal moment as the city region continues to flourish, with Timeout recently heralding Liverpool as the culinary capital of 2025 to visit in the UK.

The evening began in The Art School Cellars with an array of vintages to sample, a selection of over 50 reds, whites, rose and sparkling vintages from Chateau Brondelle, Chateau Faugas and Chateau du Pavillion and many more, showcasing incredible vineyards from across Bordeaux.

Then before dinner in the Lantern Room, as part of the ceremony and the charter being received, Paul was bestowed as the Maitre De La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool and Bill as the Vice-Maitre De La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool.

Luminaries from sports and art in the city region were also present including Sammy Lee, John Barnes, Peter Reid and Katherine Caldwell who, along with The Art School’s Operations Director Harry Askew, were all made members of The Commanderie de à Liverpool, followed by an exquisite fine-dining experience which included a heart-stirring rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone by Alfie Boe.

Led by Paul and Bill and working closely with the Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux – or CIVB – together they have made history with launching The Commanderie de à Liverpool. The history of the Commanderie de Bordeaux goes back to 1952 and they have since spread across the world to number 103 in total.

Liverpool’s Commanderie is the fruition of a long-standing relationship which has seen Paul and Bill the key catalysts for raising the city region’s gastronomic standards over the last 20 years and helping to introduce Bordeaux’s wines to Liverpool. This includes Paul’s work as the patron of the Taste Liverpool.

Drink Bordeaux Festival which launched in 2022 when Paul and his team served many of its stellar wines in the Martins Bank Building and tasting sessions took place in the Town Hall, to Liverpool being the guest city at the Bordeaux Fete du Vin in 2024.

Looking ahead, the Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool heralds a new strategic direction and importance for the culinary and cultural development in 2025 and beyond for the Liverpool City Region. This includes Liverpool’s festival activity, now led by the private sector, including the return of Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux in 2026 and other events in development, focused on food and drink.

Paul Askew, Chef Patron and owner of The Art School, said:

“I’m thrilled from welcoming our guests to The Art School to begin a wonderful new chapter with Liverpool the latest Commanderie for Bordeaux. We’ve worked together for many years in the restaurant and the wider city region to celebrate Bordeaux’s wines in all their glories, with a range of vintages from affordable to special occasion.

“We’ve embarked on visits to the city and the region in France and we’ve welcomed our Bordeaux friends to Liverpool as part of a very special relationship which has blossomed over the years. It’s a huge honour to become the Maitre De La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Liverpool and working with my good friend Bill Addy, the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the CIVB, will we champion everything about Bordeaux wines, including planning future festivals and events.

“On top of my new role as the President of Disciples Escoffier UK it’s certainly been a fantastic month with lots of new work to embrace.”

Bill Addy, Chief Executive Officer of Liverpool BID Company, said:

“The strong links between Liverpool City Region and Bordeaux have a history stretching back over many centuries. In recent years those links have developed into a friendship which has been mutually beneficial, an alignment between arguably the world’s greatest wine region and the UK’s finest food and drink destination.

“The new Commanderie de Bordeaux here in Liverpool establishes a formal link cementing the bond and recognises the work of so many across the city to develop our culinary reputation.”

Jean Marc Dulong, Head of La Commanderie de Bordeaux, said:

“We’re so happy to visit Liverpool to celebrate this new Commanderie. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Bill and Paul as we came together in this lovely restaurant with fantastic food and service and to drink beautiful wines from Bordeaux. We feel there’s a spirit and energy to make Bordeaux wines more well known from Bill and Paul.

“The commanderies started in 1952 to help develop awareness for Bordeaux wines around the world and today we have 103 commanderies and over 4300 members. Here in Liverpool we will rely very much on Paul and Bill and their relationships in the Liverpool City Region to showcase Bordeaux wines as widely as possible.

“Wine is to share and enjoy with gastronomy and we have so many fresh and elegant varieties and this is fundamental to us representing Bordeaux’s wines together.” 

Allan Sichel, President of the CIVB, said:

““We’re extremely grateful for all the support Paul, Bill and The Art School have given Bordeaux wines in Liverpool. We’ve travelled back and forth between Liverpool and Bordeaux, to inviting our delegation of growers and wine merchants over to this fine city, whilst developing our relationship and helping to now establish this new Commanaderie in Liverpool.

“It’s a new step forward and will help show the diversity of Bordeaux wines to more people.

“The Bordeaux region is blessed with many prestigious vintages and a fantastic array of affordable and accessible wines too; we have sparkling cremants, dry white wines and an abundance of reds. We continue to look for ambassadors to help tell the story of Bordeaux wines and this new Commanderie, led by Paul Askew and Bill Addy, is destined to be a great focal point for the region and telling the story of Bordeaux and its many wines.”

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