About us
‘The world is kept alive only by heretics…’
We started The Heretics as a project to champion English wine. Our first grapes have come from Essex, specifically the Crouch Valley, which is being heralded as the future for English still wine with ripeness levels higher than any other county in the UK. We will always work with the best growers and our focus will never stray from the top end of the quality spectrum.
It’s just the two of us in the business, and we have no ambitions to be huge and no desire to be mainstream, quite the opposite actually. It’s about quality, it’s about style and, dare we say it, it’s about passion too.
We just want to make wines that blow our socks off and, while we’re at it, yours, too.
Gareth Maxwell - Chief Hustler
Gareth’s life has always been in hospitality, food & drink, and his first job in the wine trade was back in 2008. His first encounter with English wine was with a sparkling rose from Balfour Winery. This was a revelation, and it led to him convincing Ellis Wines (his employer at the time, else that would be a bit odd) to take on Furleigh Estate in Dorset, which he started selling to his restaurant accounts. So convinced was he about the future of English wine that he took a job at the then-fledgling Hattingley Valley when he started as Sales & Export Manager before moving up to Commercial Director. While at Hattingley, he was also chair of the WineGB Export Committee and travelled the world extensively, promoting English wine.
To say that he believes in the English wine industry would be a massive understatement. Convinced it will become a world-leading region for premium quality wine production, he decided to roll the dice and invest the money he had into creating his own wine, with the heretics being his first release. Suffice to say, he’s now got some serious skin in the game’ and to quote Gareth ‘Ahh, bollocks, what could go wrong?’
Jimmy Hunter - Creative Director
Jimmy lives and breathes design and is the Creative Director for The Heretics, maintaining the quality not for the wine but for the labels, website and creative output. He studied Graphic Design at Croydon Art College and has worked in the industry for over 30 years.
He spent 25 years as an art director and creative director at some of London’s most prominent agencies – including two of the leading creative agencies in the world – CHI&Partners (now The & Partnership) and BBH. He decided one day that he’d had enough of city life and working for big corporations, so he went out on his own and set up Noisy. His introduction to the wine world naturally came through design, and he’s worked in the English wine scene ever since.
Often found behind the decks or at a festival (most likely with Gareth), he’s a lover and collector of vinyl, niche clothing brands and hangovers. Art and design will be at the heart of the Heretics, so there’s a lot more to come from Jimmy. Keep ‘em peeled.