Julian Biddulph, Opal by Gordon Ramsay, St. Regis Doha

About Julian
Julian completed his first level of Sommelier course at the age of 17. Developing a particular interest in wines, Julian continued his wine education as part of his catering management degree and achieved 98% in his final exam. Julian worked for a number of high end restaurants in the UK in the capacity of head waiters, sommelier and manager. Prior to joining The St. Regis Doha, Julian spent two academic years teaching at London’s prestigious chef school Westminster Kingsway College (ex-alumni includes Jamie Oliver and ex-teacher includes Escoffier). In this role I taught front of house skills and created a real buzz about food service and developed the fascination of the students into learning Sommelier skills. Julian joined The St. Regis Doha team in October 2011 as part of the pre-opening team.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Julian is a great team leader and has been instrumental during the pre-opening stage of the hotel in providing training to the entire food and beverage team about wines. He has sourced 14,000 bottles of wines from around the world and implemented the largest wine selection available in Doha, with over 250 labels only available at The St. Regis Doha. Julian has also established great relationship with world-renowned wine makers such as Chateau Kirwan, offering guests exclusive wine dinners on a monthly basis. He is also launching a Sommelier’s Club, where guests can come and taste an exclusive selection of wines. This allows Julian’s team to develop their confidence in talking about wines but also to build a relationship with guests which directly translates into the number of regular guests who come to both Gordon Ramsay Doha and Opal by Gordon Ramsay restaurants. In a country where alcohol distribution is extremely controlled, Julian has challenged the system and pushed the limits to offer an unprecedented wine selection to Doha’s connoisseurs. In fact, two third of the list is exclusively available at The St. Regis Doha. Thanks to Julian’s dedication, guests can enjoy an array of reasonably priced and vintage wines. Julian has also sourced Nitrogen fuelled machines from Napa Solutions, which enable to keep wines in their optimum condition for up to six weeks. This means that guests can discover and enjoy vintage and grand cru wines such as Chateau Latour by the glass, something otherwise impossible.

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Testimonials for Julian
"Julian masterfully balances value and quality when helping his guests select wines, and his enthusiasm and patience encourage novices and connoisseurs alike to taste with confidence. Above all, though, Julian demonstrates genuine hospitality in sharing his knowledge to help his guests learn more about the infinite world of wine." Brady Creel, Doha, Qatar
“Julian’s knowledge and passion for wines is undoubtedly an asset for the team and The St. Regis Doha. His extensive work during the pre-opening of the hotel to source unique labels and challenge the country’s system allows today to serve an unprecedented selection of wines to our guests.” Dejan Popadic, Executive Administrative Assistant in charge of Food and Beverage at The St. Regis Doha.