Jason Haynes: “Every so often I have to pinch myself”

When Jason Haynes co-founded Flint Wines in 2006, it was with the kind of quiet conviction that tends to define the most trusted people in the wine trade. No flashy mission statements. No marketing bravado. Just a deep, unwavering focus on Burgundy – and the kind of palate that can pick out a star winemaker before their wines hit the radar of the wider world.

Nearly two decades on, Flint Wines has grown into one of the UK’s most respected fine wine importers, with Haynes still clocking countless hours in the cellars and vineyards of France.

His reputation? A buyer’s buyer – trusted by top domaines, sought after by serious collectors, and just as happy extolling the virtues of an under-represented producer as he is securing allocations from the greats.

We caught up with Haynes to talk first bottles, an Oddbins-sponsored training, and why Burgundy still holds his heart – even after all these years…

Square Mile: What was your first experience of wine?

Jason Haynes: Wine wasn't particularly important while growing up in the family home, so my first real spark happened during my time at university. To help fund a fairly active social life (there were no student fees back in those days), I took a part-time job under a new manager at a recently converted branch of Oddbins, around the time the company was just hitting its stride in the late 1980s.

He was full of passion and enthusiasm for making the shop a real success, so my part-time role quickly became full-time, thanks in many respects to a fairly undemanding politics degree not being too much of a drain on my time. In fact, my tutor became a good customer, often popping in to check on me whilst debating the differing merits of a St Julien as opposed to a Margaux.

We had a fairly affluent clientele and I was encouraged to spend most of what I earned tasting and drinking our best wines so I could talk confidently about our range. This was the sort of homework that appealed to my nature.

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SM: What was the first wine you tasted which really caught your attention – the one where you first understood that this is what great wine can taste like? [How old were you? Where were you when you tasted it? etc]

JH: There was a certain serendipity with the first wine that really sticks in my memory. It was a red Burgundy from Domaine Dujac, a domaine with which I share my birth year.

It was one of their top wines (Clos St-Denis) but from an uncelebrated vintage, which is probably how I was able to afford it despite my youth, although back then Burgundy did not command the sort of prices it does today.

I thought the wine both remarkable and gorgeous. I was only 20 or 21 at the time but that was the clincher, and there was no going back after that. And as for the kiss of serendipity, I never imagined that a couple of decades later I would set up a company that would become the UK agent for that very domaine.

SM: When did you decide you wanted to work in the industry?

JH: Despite my epiphanic moment courtesy of Dujac, I still wanted to be a sports journalist, albeit a wine-collecting one. However, a chance conversation brought me to London to work for Sir Terence Conran at his new food and wine hub in Butlers Wharf, and 35 years later, I'm still tasting, drinking, buying and selling wine. And getting paid for it!

SM: Tell us about your time at Le Pont de la Tour?

JH: I have never worked so hard for so little money but I loved it. There were two of us – both just 22 – curating the wine list for the restaurant, and running the wine shop which backed onto it.

We had a few weeks to put everything together before it opened. There was such a buzz surrounding the opening with Sir Terence being THE restaurateur of the moment. It was a new concept in a revived but historic part of London, just a stone's throw from his iconic Design Museum.

It was incredibly exciting. In those first couple of years we bought and sold so much wine and some great bottles, too, most of which we got to taste before they went out to the tables.

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SM: How come you decided to move to O.W. Loeb?

JH: We used to buy wine from Loeb and its new owner and MD thought I might be interested in joining them. My interview consisted of a blind tasting, which, in retrospect, is quite logical, if a little unusual.

I made the presumption they'd probably present wines from their own list for me to taste, so a little late-night reading was the perfect preparation and the job was mine.

SM: You specialise in Burgundy – not exactly renowned for being the most welcoming of places to outsiders – especially Englishmen. How did you manage to break down the barriers?

JH: Marrying one of them certainly helped. But, to be fair, many of the new generation of winemakers were already friends by that point and remain so today. They have always been very friendly and helpful and a real joy to work with.

I'd like to think they can recognise my passion for what they do and the wines they make. My relationship with all of them is collaborative, respectful and hopefully mutually rewarding.

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SM: Where is your favourite place to taste and why?

JH: I couldn't single out any one domaine as each has its own place in my heart. But I feel very at home in Burgundy. Sometimes, over breakfast in the hotel, I look at my schedule of visits for the day ahead and it reads like a greatest hits album. And every so often I have to pinch myself that my job is to visit iconic domaine after iconic domaine. How lucky am I?

SM: Who is your winemaking hero – and why?

JH: There isn't just one, but tasting for the first time just a few years ago with Christophe Roumier, whose wines I just love, made me feel nervous in a way that I hadn't felt for a number of years.

I felt privileged to be there and found the experience very humbling. And yes, the wines were truly remarkable.

SM: Next year will see you celebrate Flint’s 20th anniversary. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt over the last two decades?

JH: I've learned a lot. To precis a little, I would say, work very hard, take a few calculated risks, back your judgement, be honest, and treat everyone well.

[From left to right] Jason Haynes (Founding Director), Katy Keating (MD), Sam Clarke (Founding Director), and Gearoid Devaney MS (Director) of Flint Wines.

Martin Behrman

SM: How has the industry changed since you started in it?

JH: I think the people in it have got younger – though it may simply be that I've got older! I do believe though that if someone has talent they can progress much more quickly now, which has made the industry more dynamic.

SM: You live in East Sussex – home to many of England’s best winemakers. What are some of your favourite English wines and why?

JH: The south of England produces many seriously good sparkling wines, but still wines have lagged behind by comparison. But, I strongly believe that Danbury Ridge in Essex is setting new standards in this field, which adds another string to England's vinous bow.

SM: If you could only drink one grape for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?

JH: Pinot Noir, unsurprisingly. Its conspicuous fragility makes it even more magical when everything clicks.

SM: What’s the best wine you’ve ever tasted?

JH: An occasion or a person can certainly enhance a bottle but, ultimately, some bottles, drunk at their absolute peak, are so sublime that they inspire a reaction, both physical and mental, that words can't convey. I've drunk a lot of wine over the years but those gems don't come along too often, which is what makes them so special.

See more at flintwines.com