Bill Baker dies
January 28, 2008
Adam Lechmere

Bill Baker, one of the most renowned and respected figures in the UK wine trade, has died.

A spokesman for Reid Wines, the West Country wine merchant that he owned, simply said that Baker died in his sleep last night (Sunday). He was 53.

'It was completely unexpected,' he said. 'We don't know when the funeral will be as there has to be a post mortem. We are all very shocked.'

On her website, Jancis Robinson paid fond tribute to the 'Pickwickian' Baker.

'Increasingly generous of girth, he had quite unrivalled knowledge of fine and rare vintages, and had an encyclopedic, greed-inspired grasp of exactly where and what in the world was best to eat. (He would frequently stop off in six Michelin-starred Bray to have lunch en route back home from London. By himself.)'

She told decanter.com, 'Wine tasting will not be the same without Bill - when he walked into a room it lit up. And, frankly, I don't know how we'll replace that wine knowledge.'

He was 'a big man in every sense of the word,' food writer Matthew Fort once said in an interview. 'There is something of the yacht about Bill, moving with majestic purpose through the water, with lesser craft bobbing in his wake.'

After Charterhouse School and Peterhouse, Cambridge, Baker joined Averys of Bristol and then went on to set up Reid Wines with Charles Reid, who is no longer a part of the business.

He was also a consultant, advising restaurants around the country on their wine lists. As Fort said, 'There are few restaurants of any consequence to which he doesn't sell or advise. He has wider experience of contemporary eating than any critic.'

A renowned taster, he was a stalwart of the Decanter World Wine Awards judging team, sitting on the Australia panel along with such veterans as John Avery, David Gleave, Matt Skinner and Michael Hill-Smith.

Decanter publishing director Sarah Kemp, calling from China, said, 'Bill was one of the great characters of the UK wine trade. His immense knowledge about and passion for wine were infectious and inspiring. He was a highly valued judge at any tasting because he always spoke his mind.

'I always looked forward to seeing him – our lives will be much poorer without him.'

Baker was married to Katie Gaunt, whom he met while she was working at Gidleigh Park in Devon, in 1991. They had two children, Polly and George.

Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field He was the first person I met when I first came to England 14 years ago. I was working at Gravetye Manor and Bill was then consulting, it was fantastic to be working with him later on in my career at Conran. I loved his “franc parle” and will miss him greatly like the rest of the trade. Joelle Marti-Baron Bill was a huge character and generous in spirit. His gravitas dominated every tasting he attended. He was of the best tasters I have ever worked with. Entertaining, knowledgeable and great fun be with. Bill embraced all life had to offer. A colourful character who will be sadly missed. Alan Montague-Dennis I was truly saddened to hear this news. Bill was a legend in his own lunchtime. In fact, I can't believe that he's really departed at all, as it was widely accepted that there were at least half a dozen Bill Baker's! Many was the time that someone would comment that they had seen Bill at a favourite restaurant at lunch only to be corrected by another who had seen him elsewhere that same day. Our trade will be a poorer place without him but our memory enriched by his presence. Godspeed dear Bill. Nick Dymoke-Marr Bill Baker was a force of nature, whose love of wine, food, books, culture of all kinds was totally uplifting. If those of us who (at half his weight) had half his energy and intelligent determination to get the best out of such things, we would count ourselves very lucky. He will be immensely missed and there will be no replacement. Only last week he was in Southwold, for the annual three day tasting of clarets organised and held at Adnams, attended by fifteen or so merchants. Bill tasted quicker and more decisively than most of us. For the evenings he organised the wines for dinner, telling us to bring interesting bottles. Only Bill would have brought, amongst other bottles, Berry Brothers Very Choice Oloroso, a bottling from the 1950s, a Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1931 from the Barolet Collection, and a 1958 Rivesaltes. None of our wines were so unexpected, though we did try. What a terrible loss. Steven Spurrier How very sad. Bill was very kind and courteous in that classical English way. Having often sought his opinion on matters quality I doubt there was better. Stephen Barrett We only had the great pleasure of meeting Bill once when he came to lunch with Katie and the children with some wines to taste. He was a generous, lager than life person with great warmth and humour who made a wonderful impact in the short time we spent together. This is very sad news and we send our deepest sympathy to Katie and his family and friends. He will be missed greatly. Bon voyage Bill. Andy and Rowena Whiteman, The Harris Arms, Portgate, Devon, UK Bill was a rumbustious force of nature, whose vast girth of opinion, humour and presence made an instant impact upon anyone he met. Unapologetically old fashioned in his view of the world, he reminded us that true value is not always found in the latest developments. He genuinely belonged to the hard won school of appreciation that involved relentlessly working the tasting lines of new vintages, with a deeply inerrant knowledge of fine wine that he would readily share with others (rarer than you would think); often accompanied by a dyspeptic and pithy comment. A hard working man who packed a lot into each day, Bill was often the first attendee at any tasting. His “mean as muck” observation on a recent negociant showing said as much in three words as I could garner in a dozen. It saddens me to know that his red braces, once listed along with Saddam's chemical weapons as WMD, are now retired. His Dickensian no nonsense approach to life hearkened back to a different era and we were lucky to have seen the best of him. Greg Love I met Bill only twice when he came to judge the Margaret River show. He impressed me as a man of independent mind who backed his judgement and spoke out bravely for what he believed in. He had the courage to present alternative viewpoints and engage winemakers in discussion about their own wines while presenting reference points from far a field. We need more men of this ilk? Here was a judge who had the courage engage wine makers in a discussion about wine quality with obvious intent and determination to really improve the breed? It's all too rare. Here was a true professional, a true teacher, a man who lived and breathed his aesthetic ideal. Erl Happ, Dunsborough, Australia What a sadness. Only seven days ago Bill was sharing with us, his incredible knowledge of wine, continually peppered with pithy wit and entertaining anecdotes. A great character, always a true gentleman, yet he certainly spoke his mind. Bill Baker will be especially sadly missed here in South Africa by those of us who spent last weekend with him in Cape Town at the Michael Fridjhon & WINE magazine's 2008 WINE Tasting & Judging Academy weekend. Bill presented four sessions of Fines Wines of the World, having generously brought with him 48 bottles of wine and Port seldom tasted in South Africa ( amongst which was '71 Huet Vouvray, a '66 Ch.Giscours Margaux and a '64 Vieux Ch.Certan ) His energy was unbelievable as he kept pace with us for three days from 8.30 each morning until well after dinner each evening – never once flagging in our hot January weather. Our sincere condolences to his family. Carol Downes, Elgin, South Africa Oh dear, what a sad loss! We will miss his twice yearly visits to Scotland and were anticipating the usual February visit. No more Bill appearing with his tasting basket swinging in his arms and the unique, cheery 'hello' which is unmistakably his. He certainly lived a very full life and probably packed more in than most of us will ever experience. Deepest sympathy to Katie, Polly, George and all at Ried Wines who must all be devastated. Slainte Bill Chris Longden It is an end of an era for the University of Bristol Wine Circle. No more will Bill 'the legend' Baker take the huge traditional first tasting of the year for 130 of our members. He was the only speaker who was not only brave enough to do this but who could keep the rabble under control (with his loud whistle), amused and interested for the full two hours and still walk away smiling. He also took the impressive port tastings, where he provided fantastic bottles of port older than we were and went to great efforts to get them for us. The society will sorely miss Bill, his whistle, his larger than life character (and person), his endless amusing anecdotes and his unrivalled knowledge of wine and of all places good to eat. Sophie Eccles, ex-president of the University of Bristol Wine Circle My wife and I met Bill whilst he was working at Averys. We were lunching with John who was encouraging us to record 25 words about each wine we tasted: Bill succinctly suggested 'crap wine' as an appropriate alternative descriptor for the truly dire! We have been regular, if small, clients of Reid Wines since its inception and visits were always great fun, educational and inevitably more expensive than planned as a result of Bill's infectious enthusiasm. My last visit before Christmas concluded with him taking me to lunch in Wells when he sat me looking out over his favourite cathedral. We left to encounter a huge traffic queue that prompted him to take a detour the wrong way up a 'one-way' system, meeting a police car half-way up. Bill was asked if he was aware that he was in a one-way system (of which he feigned complete ignorance) and was advised that this and failure to wear a seat belt were both 3 point offences. He politely called the 25 year old police officer 'Sir' and received no more than an advisory caution. He spent the next ten minutes berating me for blushing during the exchange and bemoaning the state of our politically-over-correct nation. It was a real pleasure and a privilege to know him. Roger Buchanan Like everyone else on this page, Margaret and I were shocked and saddened by Bill's death, not least from losing him at such an early age, and concur with all that has been written so far. Having got to know him since his early days at Averys, he played a significant part over twenty-five years in not only developing our wine list but also our palates with wonderful treasures that he continually managed to find; like a conjurer, he would never visit us at Summer Lodge without pulling something special out of the hat to accompany lunch. He generously gave of himself and his knowledge without reservation - be it delivering at the last minute some badly needed wines for an occasion, proof reading the new wine list or doing a wine evening for us on a cold winter's night. These evenings were always sold out, most informative and very entertaining and for his part, I feel sure that Bill took pleasure from sharing his considerable knowledge and enthusiasm for both food and wine with like minded souls. For all that and much more, we will be forever in his debt and like all who know him, miss him greatly. Nigel and Margaret Corbett, Dorset, UK A message from friends in Ireland. Since our first meeting in the mid 1970's, after my brother Ian and Bill met at Cambridge, Bill has been a great favourite with three generations of our family. We will always remember his warmth,wit,energy,generosity and great sense of fun. He made a huge impact. We all enjoyed his visits immensely and and are very sad there will be no more. Our prayers and thoughts are with Bill and his family. Seamus and Janice Doherty, Derry, Ireland There is little I can add to what has already been written. Bill's knowledge and his comments (both freely imparted) were absolutely priceless, it was a privilege to have known him. Alison MacLean (ex Summer Lodge), Australia We are deeply saddened at the loss of a great friend who we have known for over 20 years. Bill has been to VinItaly and travelled in Italy extensively with us and was always a fantastically objective (and sometimes critical!) taster but always outspoken. He lit up our visits with many anecdotal funny stories and appreciated all things Italian. We at Enotria will feel a strong loss as Bill's family and trade as a whole will and we send our support and best wishes to Kate and the family. Mark Kermode, Sergio De Luca, Eric Berneau and all of us at Enotria I don't think we ever met anyone who didn't like Bill. All of the comments to this obituary testify to his palate and personality, and to his garguantuan appetite for food, wine and life. He lit up every room that he walked into. We first met in 1979 when Bill showed up late afternoon at the door at Gidleigh Park which we had then been running for a year. He introduced himself and said that he was representing Robertson's Wines, and I pompously asked if he had made an appointment. He said "actually old boy I wonder if you have a room free for tonight" at which I went into my best Uriah Heep mode! The next morning I bought much more wine than I should have, and that pattern continued for the next thirty years. We saw much of Bill as a client at our hotel, especially after Miss Kate Gaunt, now Mrs. Baker, joined our staff. We also made a couple of trips to the Continent with Bill, and I can remember one to New York and California. On our first trip to France together, he was referred to as M. Barker, and Barker became his nickname to us. I was Hend, and he had either polite or rude nicknames for most everyone he knew. I think it was the second trip to the continent that we had an exceptional lunch at Girardet near Lausanne, and somehow decided later in the afternoon that it would be a good idea to go to Crocodile in Strasbourg, which we did, arriving after 10 pm for dinner. Barker always contended that our most ridiculous itinerary together was driving from a not very good evening in Argyll to La Potinière in East Lothian for lunch, then back to Inverlochy Castle via The Peat Inn. He was exceptionally generous, with wine and hospitality. Bill was an outstanding cook, and he always knew where to buy the best ingredients. Exceptionally talented chefs like Simon Hopkinson, Franco Taruschio and Rick Stein gravitated to The Mill at Hallatrow. But the meals that he hosted for Kay and me at Llandewi Skirrid or Padstow or London, or most recently at the excellent new restaurant in Wells, were a generous way for him to thank us for buying from him. That was much nicer than a discount. Gidleigh Park started doing wine dinners and wine weekends in our early days, with well-known authorities like Michael Broadbent, Jancis Robinson, and Hugh Johnson to discuss the wines to a small number of clients (punters to Barker). We tried to price these weekends to a 'reasonable' level, say £1200 all in for a couple for two nights, plus lunch on Saturday. Barker convinced me to feature much better wines, many of which he supplied of course, and raise the price to £2000+. The weekends sold out immediately after we did this. All of his clients and fellow wine professionals and wine makers will miss him immensely. But the greatest loss is to his young family, widow Kate and his lovely and well-mannered children Polly and George. They will never have the pleasure of knowing this man for all seasons when they are adults. The last contact I had from him was a postcard from Piemonte, where he and Kate had eaten tartufi and drunk Barolo to excess, and no doubt entertained the local restaurateurs and wine makers. Ciao, Barker Paul & Kay Henderson, Devon, UK Bill was a one man pleasure dome. The first time I met him at Pont de la Tour he sailed into my shop and introduced himself with 'Name's Baker, fancy a drink?' and unfurled a bottle of Reid Wines Tawny from his massive and curiously manicured fingers. I think it was not much after half past ten. Shortly afterwards he offered me a lift in his famous old Range-Rover and bid me find a seat - in the back seat there were 12 bottles of claret in a milk crate, the biggest jacket and shirt I had ever seen and a couple of pheasant hanging from the roof. Here was a man you could not forget. He wrung every ounce of pleasure out of life and gave it in equal measure and sometimes it was hard not to be overawed by his charm, wit and mind-boggling knowledge on all things from 1st growth claret to French cheese to John Cleese. A truly great loss but here's to a truly great life. So long Baker. Ian Waddington We will miss him enormously in Wells. On most Sundays after morning service at the cathedral (where one of their children is a chorister) he and Kate and the children would eat at the wonderful restaurant overlooking the cathedral and for which he created the wine list and supplied all the wine. However on Sundays he always brought two special bottles of his own and if we were in there too we were usually lucky enough to be invited to taste the day's selection. What a warm, generous and entertaining man. John Moulton and Chris Sparrowhawk P.S. the funeral is at 2pm next Thursday 7 February at Wells Cathedral It was with great sadness we heard of Bill's death. He will be sorely missed. Bill was a great friend and support when we ran The Walnut Tree Inn, sorting out our chaos and trying to keep us in order. “No more extravagant wine purchases you foreign tosser “Bill I am still struggling with the half barrel of cognac you thought might be good for my old age! I was hoping we would have had time to share a glass or two. Deepest sympathy to Katie, Polly and George. Franco and Ann Taruschio After enjoying an imperial of Chateau Batailley 1982 with Bill in the sunshine a few years ago, he decided to put his shorts on. A girlfriend and I climbed into his discarded trousers, one leg each. I shall miss him. My boys remember him fondly from holidays we spent together in Ireland, as 'Bungalow Bill'. My thoughts are with Katie, Polly and George. Alice King We are members of the Bradford on Avon Wine Appreciation Society and Bill was a regular and very welcome visitor to our meetings. He always presented his wines in his unique and irreverent style, entertaining us hugely (literally) with his exuberance and keen sense of humour. He actually presided over our pre-Christmas meeting and had the honour of becoming the Presenter with the Most Orders - a reflection on his ability to share his great enthusiasm for his craft with others. (And the fact that he filled us all up with excellent wines throughout the evening probably contributed!) What will us lesser mortals do without him? We shall raise a glass with him in mind this evening! Our sincere thoughts go to his family - their loss is immeasurable. Phyllis and Mike Prior, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK What a terrible loss this is. Bill managed simultaneously to convey a sense of deep, thoughtful reverence for wine and a wry, self-deprecating humour about the business of selling it. I'm sure I am not the only person who regarded the annual Reid Wines list as a unique source of pleasure, less a selling vehicle than a personal statement of enthusiasms and misgivings. Where else would you find a wine merchant describing one of his offerings (I think it was a lesser vintage of Yquem) as "a disgrace"? Nowhere else - and never again, I fear. Richard Ehrlich I was very sad to learn of the untimely death of Bill Baker I knew Bill in the eighties, 'when there was only one of him', and he had an infectious enthusiasm for food and wine which was impossible to resist. He was always discovering something new and exciting, be it an obscure wine, or an impossible to find restaurant, and the words 'Bon Viveur were invented for him. However, unlike so many so-called experts on food or wine, Bill had a real passion for them, and a personality to match; it was impossible to be indifferent about anything when he was around; he had such a huge appetite for life, and he was determined to live it to the full, which he did. Robert Jarman, ex-Managing Director, Debrett's Peerage Daymer Lane,Trebetherick will be a lonelier, quieter and more sombre place without Bill Baker. I hugely looked forward to his family visits and treasured the times we spent together, usually accompanied by delicious food and superb wines,and always enriched by laughter and trenchant wit. We quite recently shared one of my two remaining bottles of Chateau Figeac 1955. It was well past its best, but Bill generously analysed its lingering qualities and begged me to share the last bottle with him. Sadly that will not happen, but there will be occasions when the heedless quaffing of Champagne will remind me of his boisterous good humour and the thoughtful tasting of Claret will bring to mind his intellect. My daily walk past his house where he so sadly died brings an ache that only time and some glorious memories will heal. John Baxter, Daymer Lane, Trebetherick Bill Baker was a past customer of mine and never an easy client to deal with! I had much respect however for his judgment of wine. I recall the time at Les Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting some four years ago at Merchant Taylors Hall. I asked him if he had noticed that under the heading of Conran Restaurants in Harpers Directory he was listed as Ms W Baker - the guffaws of laughter that resulted throughout the "solemn" tasting shook the room to eveyrone's amusement. I saw him just a week before his death at Richards Walford tasting in London and we exchanged our usual abusive banter. I will miss him very much as will many in the trade. Much sympathy to his family and good luck to David and staff at Reids. Mark Harrison, Proprietor, M H Wines I am shocked to hear this news, having read the obituary in bed last night. Amazed, too, as I was only talking about Bill at dinner an hour previously, citing the occasion when he had to resort to drastic measures in order to get even with a creditor, by visiting the restaurant in question and ordering food and wine to the value of the outstanding bill. I only met Bill a few times, but he left a lasting impression on me - obviously as a great bon viveur - but also a raconteur, a gentleman and great companion. The first time was in the company of Paul and Kay Henderson and a mutual friend, Margaret, on a visit to Strasbourg, where we ate at the Michelin-starred "Le Crocodil". Later encounters were at the Solicitors' Wine Society tastings in London. Condolences to Bill's wife and children. Dinah Longden

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