Matthew Cooper head wine buyer at Ellis of Richmond has died after a cycling accident

Matthew Cooper, head buyer at wine importers Ellis of Richmond, has died at the age of 58 after a cycling accident whilst on holiday in Bermuda.

Matthew Cooper was a key figure in the Ellis team and worked for them for nearly 25 years. He joined the wine trade from university in the 1980s and worked for a number of importers before Ellis.

In a statement from Ellis they said Matthew was such a huge part of Ellis Wines. His enthusiasm, joie de vivre and positive and outgoing nature endeared him to all who knew him. He was always exploring the world of wine and had an encyclopaedic knowledge and a thirst to discover new and interesting things. He certainly picked wines that were ‘ahead of the curve’ and it was testament to his awareness of what people really wanted to drink.

As a long time customer of Ellis, ThirtyFifty have worked with Matthew for the past 20 years and Chris interviewed him for the UK Wine Show back in 2006. We all will miss him hugely and our thoughts are with his family.