Back in September 1999, Decorum Vintners started trading. Brainchild? Hardly! The two of us [Rupert Monier-Williams and Mark Roberts] had become mighty disillusioned at our then place of employment (but we can't name said employer lest he sue our arses). Over the past decade Decorum has grown substantially, but we do our best to stay true to our roots with a dedication to personalised service and excellent wines.
Rupert spent the late ‘80s and early ‘90s working for Lawlers, where he established Henriot champagne in many of London's top hotels and restaurants, before becoming UK Brand Manager for the South African wines of the Simonsig Estate. Meanwhile, Mark had three years in the London office of John Harvey and Sons, after which he joined Laytons Wine Merchants.
In 1996, the two began working for Charles Taylor Wines, a company where top domaine-bottled Burgundy ruled the roost, closely trailed by some wonderful estates in the Rhône valley. Decorum started life based on these two solid foundations, with some prestigious Italian names added to the mix. And it is these three elements that still provide the core of the business today.
In January 2005, Nathalie Safran brought her knowledge of fine wine to the company, gleaned from 4 ½ years in the wine-shop of Harvey Nichols. And two years later, Georgie Bevan came on board: a six year stint at John Armit Wines was succeeded by two years in Tuscany, gaining a wealth of Marketing & sales experience at Fattoria La Massa estate in Panzano. 2009, however, has yielded bambinos for both, so we cannily recruited Natasha Watson top fill the roles, which she does very well, whilst looking after Rupert & Mark at the same time. Her coffee making skills improve month on month, and she cooks a mighty fine lunch for us occasionally, too. Fortunately her husband is an extremely important client and approves of her new found importance as Decorum Vintners Financial Controller.