A conversation with: Jason Haynes

Jason Haynes is founding director at Flint Wines, the highly respected London wine merchant he launched with Sam Clarke (and a dog called Flint) in 2006. Armed with a politics degree, he entered the fine wine trade at London restaurant Le Pont de la Tour in 1990, before moving to importer OW Loeb as buyer in 1996. He and Clarke started Flint by working with longstanding connections first and foremost in Burgundy. Haynes – who says if he wasn’t a wine merchant he would be a sports journalist (after a glittering international cricket career) – oversees all wine buying. He lives in East Sussex with his wife and daughter and spends about a quarter of each year in France, much of that in Burgundy – a wine region that for him ‘dwarfs all others.’

What inspired you to join the wine business?

I got a part time job in a wine shop whilst at university and was consequently hooked for life. 

What would you be doing now if you weren’t in wine?

Having retired from international cricket, I would be a sports journalist.

Is there a particular wine region that you love above all others?

Burgundy is such an addictive and rewarding region that, for me, it dwarfs all others.

Whom do you most admire of the great wine professionals – writers, merchants, winemakers – of the past and present?

There are too many to single out just one. But anyone who forged their own path is always an inspiration.

What are the 3 most important things a wine merchant should remember?

The winemakers are the talented ones, and without their genius we have no industry. Wine should be accessible to all, but the best examples should be aspirational. Keep integrity and passion close at hand — both will stand you and your business in good stead, especially in the more challenging times.

Which do you think is the most underrated wine region?

The Loire Valley produces an array of sensational, age-worthy white wines, both dry and sweet, at great prices, especially given the quality of many of its producers.

If you could run a wine business anywhere in the world (apart from the UK) where would it be?

Somewhere where the government isn't trying to introduce prohibition through stealth.

Which of your achievements are you most proud of?

Helping some domaines gain global recognition.

What would you have done differently?

I would have taken the occasional holiday.

What qualities do you most admire in a person?

Humility, kindness, creativity and intelligence.

What is your main fault?

Where do I start? 

What’s your favourite restaurant?

Cabotte in the City of London [Flint Wines is part-owner] is where I eat most often, as the food is great and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Away from there, somewhere like [the one-star Michelin] Il Centro di Priocca in Piedmont, where the truffles are as gorgeously aromatic as they are plentiful.