Our Team

I was lucky to spend some time in Paris as a 17-year-old student and following a visit to Sancerre, I decided I would like to work in the wine trade.

Thorman Hunt came into being in September 1978. My middle name is Thorman, after my grandfather William Thorman, who played in the first Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1891 – hence Thorman Hunt!

We are proud to represent such wonderful growers, many of whom we have worked with over three generations. We are also so lucky to have a super talented team, a few of whom have been with Thorman Hunt for almost 30 years. I feel extremely fortunate to have such fantastic friends in the trade and I can only say thank you to all our growers, colleagues and indeed customers. Salut !

My first seven years in the trade were with Lea & Sandeman where I was lucky to work under the guidance of Patrick Sandeman and Charles Lea.

I spent thirteen years at Fortnum & Mason, initially as the Wine & Spirits Buyer and for the last three years as Buying Director.

I am very excited to have joined Thorman Hunt and to be representing such an extraordinary range of unique growers.

I have always hugely admired the depth and integrity of the list and it is a great privilege to be part of the team.

After a brief career in banking, I saw the error of my ways and joined the wine trade in 1987 and I have been with Thorman Hunt since 1990.

The years have rolled by, but there are always new cellars to visit, as well as our old, established vigneron friends.

Rather like policemen, my customers seem to get younger every year – but they keep me on my toes!

After a brief stint in the city, I joined Majestic where my education in wine began. I then had a brief work experience with Uncorked, helping them out with the exciting Christmas trade before joining Thorman Hunt.

Since then I have worked both at Bruno Sorg and Mittnacht in Alsace during the harvest. I was also an assistant winemaker at Vieux Telegraphe for the 2012 vintage.

I am really pleased to have now gained my WSET Diploma.

I joined Thorman Hunt in January 1997 – escaped to China from 2007 to 2010 but happily came back in 2011.

Yannick Amirault’s wines are always a delight, bringing back fond memories of my student days in Angers.

My love for wine began during the third year of my French & Philosophy degree, which was spent in the Loire Valley.

Following my degree, I spent three years on the wine buying team at Fortnum & Mason and then two years specialising in Grande Marque Champagne at Moët Hennessy (LVMH).

I am so happy to be part of the Thorman Hunt team with such an exceptional range of small, independent growers as well as many prestigious domaines.

I joined Thorman Hunt in December 2004 and look after independent retailers all over the country.

Having started in the trade with Oddbins, I then worked in retail for La Reserve in Walton Street before moving into wholesale with Moreno, Wine Cellars and Morris & Verdin.

I joined the Wine Trade in 1980 with Oddbins, which was great fun and then in 1988 joined Bentall’s of Kingston as Wine Buyer where Thorman Hunt was one of my favourite suppliers!

I then became Wine Buyer at Selfridges and in 2007 “swapped sides” to McKinley Vintners where I spent six very enjoyable years before joining the team at Thorman Hunt.

As for my favourite wine; this really depends on the accompanying food, the season and the company but if I was on a desert island and only allowed one bottle it would have to be a good red Burgundy, something which Thorman Hunt does exceedingly well!

My interest in wine evolved along with my European History studies at university and time spent working in restaurants.

It was as a sommelier that I was fortunate enough to transplant myself from California to London and eventually from the restaurant side of hospitality to the wine supplier side of the business. My background has been with Armit Wines and more recently Roberson Wine.

I like working with producers (vignerons) that are able to turn their ideas, history and creativity into a bottle of wine- when I revisited the Thorman Hunt Agency List I was sold at the Table of Contents!

Wine I can’t wait to try: Domaine de la Renardière Savagnin ‘Sous Voile’ or anything Chenin Blanc.

I was delighted to join Thorman Hunt in Spring 2017 having known Jeremy and the team for very many years.

We have a fabulous list of growers’ wines and I am thoroughly enjoying sharing them with many independent merchants and retailers in my patch that covers some of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Following family holidays spent in the Medoc, weekends working in a wine shop when a student in Leeds, and then writing about the wines of Saumur & Anjou as part of my course when living in France, by the time I graduated I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in wine.

Having spent the first 5 years working in the wine trade in London, I then decamped to Lincolnshire to work for Richards Walford, and then subsequently for FM&V. I am now so excited to be joining Thorman Hunt, a wine company that I have always had a huge amount of admiration and respect for, whose portfolio I have always envied from afar.

My desert Island wine – it has to be Le Soula Blanc from the Roussillon, a wine that never ceases to wow me.

Thorman Hunt must exert some strange charm on me, as I’ve never stayed so long in the same job!

My beard is greyer now, though, than in 2000. Choosing a favourite wine is as hard as picking one’s Desert Island discs, but at the moment I prefer old Nebbiolo to anything else.

Whilst working in the luxury tourism industry, I was lucky enough to be invited on a food and wine tour of Porto and the Douro Valley. I was captivated by the industry and on my return signed up to the next available WSET 2 course. Since then, I have gone on to achieve the WSET 3 qualification and a BA 1st class honours degree in International Wine Business. After a brief stint at Wine Cellar Door (an English wine tourism guide), I spent 20 months helping to build the brand of Artelium, a new English wine producer.

I am thrilled to have joined Thorman Hunt with their rich history, exceptional portfolio of wines and outstanding growers.

I grew up in Normandy with a wine merchant dad and I joined Thorman Hunt in 2000.

My favourite drinks are Champagne Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs and Montifaud Cognac.

Thorman Hunt is a great place to further my education in wine.

I grew up in the Loire valley in France, surrounded by the vignobles of Anjou. The Coteaux de l’Aubance from Domaine Montgilet is a delight. Excellent with fois gras and fig confit!

I have gained my WSET diploma.

I arrived in London in the Spring of 2012 to get some experience in the UK wine trade and joined the Thorman Hunt team in May that year.

As a Hungarian, I am passionate about Hungarian wine but also love Riesling.

Many years spent holidaying in the French alps could only lead to two things: a love of skiing and French wine.

After a short time in the ski industry, a discovery of English wine revealed an exciting new path for me. Add in some WSET studies and I was hooked on the world of wine.

I am extremely excited to be joining a team with such a wealth of knowledge and experience here at Thorman Hunt.

I was delighted to join the Thorman Hunt team in 2016 after many years as a full-time mother and part-time accountant for my local church.

Previously I looked after budgets in a big university so it is nice to be part of a small friendly company.

Before starting at Thorman Hunt, my go-to choice was always fuller-bodied red wine. Since working here, I also now love whites, particularly from Sancerre and Alsace.

I was adopted by the Thorman Hunt family in 2016 from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. I am a blend of Cavalier King Charles, Poodle and Bichon Frese: “Cava-Poo-Chon”.

I like to look after the team in the office as well as visit accounts when I can be of help.

I have a fantastic nose!