Meet the Team
What we Do
A slightly aloof, old fashioned view of fine wine still lingers. That's a shame because the modern wine world is broad, evolving, and exciting. We want to re-define fine wine by bringing a handpicked selection of delicious, different wines made by people with a genuine passion and story direct to your door. We’ve enlisted the help of our friends - top sommeliers and drink industry insiders – to share their knowledge and recommendations. You’ll find wines we like to drink on the site, wines with personality, of a place not a style. We believe these are the new fine wines.
Click here to learn more about how we work, and our sustainability practices.
Who we are
Ben Henshaw, FOUNDER
Ben Henshaw started Indigo Wine in 2003, initially importing artisanal wines from southern France. But it was when he started to explore Spain, where he came across growers making noteworthy wines outside the classic regions, that things started to get interesting and Indigo was one of the first to bring these exciting wines to the UK.
Over the years the Indigo family has expanded to include Portugal, Austria, Germany, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile and beyond. Indigo has grown to become one of the most respected importers in the UK and is a ten-time winner of the International Wine Challenge’s Specialist Merchant of the Year award for Spain. In 2015 Ben launched Mother Rock Wines, with winemaker Johan Meyer based in Swartland, South Africa. Ben continues to develop small wine making projects with winemaking friends from around the world.
What is fine wine to Ben? Like a dynamic human being: full of life, character, and a sensation of where they come from.
Will Burgess,DIRECTOR
Wine grasped Will's interest during his time touring Europe as a Classical Musician, particularly in the Loire Valley where a deeper interest in wine's sense of place grew.
Since committing to the world of wine, Will has gone on to create sought after events and launch a chain of innovative independent wine shops in London.
What is fine wine to Will? Fine wine should demand your attention, imbue joy and be full of energy. Fine Wine has a quiet confidence which doesn't require heavy handed winemaking.
Dr Jamie Goode, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Writer and drinks communicator Jamie Goode lives, eats and breathes wine, and has been writing about it for over 20 years. He started online via his blog wineanorak.com, which was one of the first, and has grown to be one of the leading websites on wine.
He now writes for many publications and has a weekly column in The Sunday Express. Jamie has written a number of books: including Flawless about understanding wine faults; I Taste Red, which won the 2017 Roederer Award for best drinks book; Wine Science, winner of the 2006 Glenfiddich Award for best drinks book; and Authentic Wine with Sam Harrop.
Jamie also lectures, presents, judges in wine competitions, and has appeared on TV a fair few times. His route into the wine world was oblique, but you might argue that a PhD in plant biology is the perfect foundation in a world where the mantra for many top producers is 'great wine is made in the vineyard'. He travels frequently, meeting winemakers and visiting wine regions, giving him plenty of raw material for his writing.
Paz Levinson, FOUNDING PARTNER
Argentine born Paz Levinson started her wine journey inBuenos Aires. Like so many she took a restaurant job to finance her studies, and fell in love with food and wine. So in parallel with her teacher training she studied and taught at Argentina's best wine school CAVE, and was the first Argentine to earn the Court of Master Sommelier's Advanced Certificate.
Paz has worked and furthered her experience around the world, including a stint with Rajat Parr in the US and a semester in Shanghai learning about the Chinese culture of tea. More recently she relocated to Paris and is now head executive sommelier at Groupe PIC, home of celebrated three Michelin starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, shaping the lists at their restaurants in France, London, Switzerland and Singapore.
She retains a deep knowledge and fascination with Argentine wine and is regional chair for the Decanter World Wine Awards. She also loves to research, and writes widely in French, English and Spanish.
Rajat Parr, FOUNDING PARTNER
Award winning sommelier, writer and winemaker - Rajat Parr's journey into the wine firmament was meteoric. Raj was brought up in Calcutta and his first experience of wine was aged 20 years, when he travelled to see his uncle who lived in Kent. Needless to say he learned fast and worked hard.He moved to the US, and after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America he apprenticed with Larry Stone at the seminal Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco, before branching out on his own.
Raj has always made time to share his knowledge and love of food and wine: as wine director at Mina group he developed an education program for the staff globally, and has mentored countless young somms who have worked with him. In 2010 he co-founded 'In Pursuit of Balance', which arguably re-framed the narrative around balance and (over)ripeness in California wines, especially Pinot Noir.
More recently he founded Sandhi Wines and Domaine de la Côte, in California's cool Sta. Rita Hills, in partnership with Sashi Moorman, and Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. All three projects focus on terroir driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which speaks to his affection and deep knowledge of the wines of Burgundy.
What is fine wine to Raj? I always look at it as a wine that has pedigree. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive but have identity. A wine that has something to say to the drinker who is curious. It’s not just a beverage but a symbol of comfort and identity.