How I got here

Cumbrian Nigel Fairclough, 35, joined the Army straight from school, initially in the King's Division. By 21 he was a member of the Parachute Regiment and after an accident "fast roping" out of a helicopter, suffered a fall that smashed his knee and killed off his military career.

After 14 months of recovery, Fairclough re-entered the job market, taking a number of bar jobs across the country. This culminated in a post at Jennings Brewery, in the Lake District, which allowed him to develop his knowledge of beer. It was the catalyst for a career in the drinks trade, and soon after, seeing an opportunity to further his career, he applied for a position at the Devonshire Arms in Skipton, Yorkshire, with a view to working in the cellars and bars.

After Fairclough had spent two years looking after the hotel's stock and general cellar routine, Jeremy Rata joined as managing director, bringing with him his enthusiasm for wine. Spotting Fairclough's potential, he started to teach him and encouraged him to take various courses and training schemes. Fairclough has attended Academy of Food and Wine Service seminars and holds a Court of Master Sommeliers basic certificate.

"If I hadn't been pushed [by Rata], would I be doing this now? The short answer is no," he admits. But Fairclough has continued to add to his skills, jokingly referring to learning from Rata about tasting, buying, keeping and serving wine as a form of osmosis.

These days he's responsible for keeping 1,500 bins and more than £500,000 worth of stock (bottles priced from £12 to £10,000) stored in temperature-controlled conditions.

Fairclough also performs a customer services role at the hotel along with the restaurant manager, and helps guests in the Michelin-starred Burlington restaurant choose wine to accompany their meals. He has two staff working under him and has already begun educating them about the many wines the hotel serves.

Despite working split shifts - typically a 9am start with a break in the afternoon, and a return to work at 6pm to work through to 2am - Fairclough describes his role as "the most brilliant job".

Career highlights
1985
Joins King's Division of the Army

1996
Gains job at the Devonshire Arms as cellar hand.

1998
Starts progress towards becoming a cellar master