The Chairman
Chris Piper established "CPW" in the late 1970's with his long-standing school friend John Earle. His early interest in wine largely arose from his father's passion for wine and his Housemaster at Eastbourne College, Michael Young, both of whom encouraged this interest in his late teens. Before going to university Chris decided to pick grapes in Beaujolais and was taken on by the Brac de la Perrière family, the owners of Château des Tours in Brouilly, as an apprentice in their winery. Whilst studying history at University College, London, he spent the summers working at Château des Tours and also studying wine-making. In 1978, Chris joined Guy Brac de la Perrière as assistant wine-maker at Château des Tours and took over as chief wine-maker in 1985 when the property was sold by the Bracs. He remained in this role until 2000 when he resigned and re-joined his old friends, the Brac de la Perrières, working as their consultant and developmental wine-maker. Chris's current passion and aim is to create an eco-friendly, high-quality estate at Château du Pavé, in Brouilly.
Chris's main job, however, is running the sales and wine-buying side of CPW. Still actively involved in day-to-day sales to the 'on-trade', he is also in charge of the CPW sales team. He is responsible for the compilation and production of the company's wine list, and offers and 'en primeur' sales. Regular exploratory visits to wine regions and visiting existing suppliers is also high on the agenda.
When not working on things 'vinous', Chris plays lots cricket and is a qualified ECB coach. Married, with numerous children of varying ages (from 20 down to 2 years old!), he is a full-time father and taxi driver!
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