Sebastian Thomas

Sebastian Thomas brought a love of fine German wines to Howard Ripley when he joined in 2000. The supplier now has one of the largest German lists of any UK agent and has won many merchant awards for its amazing German wine list including Harpers Specialist Merchant 2014 and the International Wine Challenge 2014. Sebastian found his way into wine after a career in book publishing. 

He started out selling wine to New York restaurants, and was fortunate that the sommeliers at the time ‘knew even less than he did’. He moved to England in 1995, and worked for Laytons before joining Burgundy specialist Howard Ripley in 2000. Since then, the portfolio has grown to include Pinot Noir from New Zealand, Oregon and Switzerland, as well as a broad selection of German wines.