Jim Griffen 1951-2023
It is with great sadness that we announce that Jim Griffen passed away on Monday.
Jim opened Uncorked with Nick Haynes in Autumn 1994 in our previous location in the Broadgate. I joined in the Spring of 1995 and the two of us worked together out of a small office for the next 22 years until Jim retired in 2017.
No one who worked with Jim could fail to appreciate his mischievous sense of humour, his sense of style and undeniable charm, his appreciation of the finer things, and his particular outlook on life. His presence in the shop became the stuff of legend, and his way with clients and suppliers occasionally a thing of marvel.
As one longstanding customer has fed back, 'I loved his lack of respect for conventional wine culture. I foolishly went to ask him what I should drink with some food, and he said, "drink what you f*+king like!",' but also, 'I think he did a pretty good job of concealing that he was actually a much kinder and more sensitive man than his (sometimes!) abrasive demeanour suggested.'
And from our colleague Zoë, 'At Uncorked he created something unique, a place customers flocked to for top quality wine and good banter to go with it. We all know he could be difficult, but he could really turn on the charm, was always fun, with some great (usually inaccurate) stories and (mostly inappropriate) jokes! He wasn't interested in spreadsheets or geeky details and could probably appreciate wines all the better for it. I always found my palate aligned with his and blame him for my unashamed love of Pinot Noir.'
Visitors to the shop sometimes thought we were father and son and I certainly spent more of my life with Jim than I did my own father. He gave me opportunities and helped shape my life, as he did many other team members we had over the years. We are all deeply saddened by his passing.
Jim is survived by his wife Annica and we send her our deepest sympathies.
Andrew Rae
