About Us

As the name of our company might suggest, we select our wines with the same ruthless attention to detail that we expect from our producers. Our focus is very firmly on originality. We buy on the basis of our own conviction, based on many years of experience on and indeed off the beaten tracks of the world’s wine routes. We never buy a wine because it has won a medal somewhere or received a high score from any wine critic, however celebrated. Good wine, like taste, is not something that can measured by mere numbers.

From our base at The Ox House in the pretty Cotswold town of Northleach, we work with around 100 growers in some 15 countries. It will come as no surprise to discover that these are typically small family enterprises not large factories. We visit them as frequently as possible, to ensure that we have the detailed knowledge that we expect our clients to demand of us. We and our growers understand the difference between real wine, a natural artisan product, and the big brands made from processed grapes that account for most of the world’s output and which may do little more than fulfil the legal definition of wine, if that. We place a high value on independence, as it is a natural and indeed necessary link with originality.

Some other opinions...

'A magnificently eccentric collection... One of Britain’s most fastidious wine merchants'
Jancis Robinson

'His range is about as original as they come. There are no concessions to fashion here, just a collection of wines that he has ferreted out in his four decades in the trade….we were never disappointed with anything we tried. So if you want ‘real’ wine rather than processed grape juice, just put yourself in the hands of a Savage'
Which? Wine Guide

'I have a lot of time for Mark Savage MW…one of the most dedicated wine merchants in the country'
Paul Levy, The Observer

'I believe him implicitly'
Auberon Waugh

'I don’t think Mark Savage could buy a dull wine if he tried'
Oz Clarke’s Wine Guide

Mark Savage M.W. Owner and Chief Executive

Master of Wine since 1980, with nearly 40 years experience in the wine trade. Widely regarded in the trade as the possessor of a particularly acute palate, which he personally likes to think is more easily impressed by delicacy and finesse than by mere power. He has been a frequent judge at major wine competitions in the UK and USA.

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