Other
Bartholomew Broadbent
Wine luminary
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Founder and CEO of Broadbent Selections since 1996, Bartholomew Broadbent has built a career around the merchant’s side of wine: apprenticeship, field experience, and a sustained focus on Port and Madeira. The early discipline came in the English wine trade under Michael Broadbent MW in England, where the work was learned close to the trade’s formal standards. From there, the record moves through merchant rooms, auctions, estates, and export markets—each post adding a different working context to the same skill set.
The Climb
A formal apprenticeship in the English wine trade with Michael Broadbent MW in England gave Bartholomew Broadbent the baseline that shaped the rest of his work. The sequence that followed moved through Harrod's in London, Harvey's Fine Wine Merchants in London, Pall Mall, and Christie's in London, where the trade shifts from retail pace to merchant polish to the commercial pressures of wine and collecting. Each setting asks for a slightly different register of judgment, and his path passed through all three. The international part of the career widened the frame further. Roles at Rothbury Estate in Australia and Yalumba Winery in Australia extended the work into southern hemisphere production. A role in cognac at Hennessy in France and a role in Paris at L'Academie du Vin in Paris, France added another set of reference points, keeping the practice rooted in wine while broadening the geography around it. Later, the consulting and sales work at Schenley Canada Inc. in Toronto and Schenley Canada Inc. in Ottawa moved the emphasis toward communication and market placement. Today, Bartholomew is founder and CEO and producer under the Broadbent label of Broadbent Selections, resident wine expert and regular contributor to web TV channel of Into Wine, and Wine Guy of KFOG, roles that sit naturally with a career built on trade fluency and subject knowledge.
Today
Broadbent Selections has been the center of the work since 1996. Through it, Port and Madeira remain the through-line rather than a side interest, giving the career a clear editorial focus as it moved across countries, companies, and functions.
Signature
Madeira is the signature reference here, because it matches the shape of Bartholomew Broadbent's work: a long view, a merchant's frame, and a career that has kept faith with a specific category rather than chasing breadth for its own sake.
In Their Words “My name is Bartholomew Broadbent. I'm a wine importer based in Richmond, Virginia and I love Chenamblan.”
Recognition
Bartholomew Broadbent has received Decanter Magazine, 'Fifty Most Influential People in the wine world' (1997).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Bartholomew
What is Bartholomew Broadbent's current role?
As of 2026, Bartholomew Broadbent is Founder and CEO of Broadbent Selections.
Where did Bartholomew Broadbent work before?
Bartholomew Broadbent's earlier career included with Michael Broadbent MW, Harrod's, and Harvey's Fine Wine Merchants.
What recognition has Bartholomew Broadbent received?
Into Wine 100 Most Influential People in the US Wine Industry, #48 (2013).
