Producer Profile
Mark Haisma
Burgundy and Rhône, France

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Mark Haisma

Burgundy & Rhône, France

From Australia to the heart of the Old World – naturally  

Mark Haisma spent ten years as winemaker at renowned Yarra Yering in Victoria, Australia, before moving to the heart of the Old-World, Burgundy, where he quickly became one of the most famous and forward-thinking micronégociants. His wines are now seen as an example of elegant and precision winemaking, fully expressing the character of the vineyards he sources fruit from.

Location: Burgundy and Rhône, France

Website: www.markhaisma.co.uk

Interesting fact: Mark Haisma is also the instigator of Dagon Clan, the project based in Dealu Mare, Romania, whose wines Wanderlust Wine imports exclusively to the UK. These offer yet another example of Haisma’s sense of exploration, thriving in challenging, unfamiliar environments to reveal the best of their viticultural history.

Mark Haisma Wines

When first meeting Mark Haisma one might be surprised by his Australian accent and rosy cheeks. Having built a reputation for the elegant, precise and delicate wines he produces in Burgundy, many of those who buy his wines think he is a local, born to the region’s tradition.
Haisma is in fact from Australia, where he studied viticulture and started his career as a winemaker, having notably spent ten years as at Yarra Yering alongside the renowned Dr. Bailey Carrodus.

His restlessness, hunger for challenges and passion for elegance & terroir expressiveness prompted him to set sail to Europe. He settled in Burgundy in 2007 and stated making wine in rented space within a small cellar belonging to his friend Philippe Naigeon. His micro-négociant wines quickly started turning heads and have since developed a cult-following. Commercial success has since allowed to build his own cellar, affectionately named “Le Shed” by his mother, in Gevrey-Chambertin.

A key component of Mark’s success is his capacity to establish relationships and develop a network of committed growers and pickers. This gives him access to the best fruit, even in the highly competitive Burgundian ecosystem. Trust and a shared commitment to rigorous viticulture are his criteria when sourcing the fruit, which is eventually hand harvested and hand selected.

Haisma produces wines from appellations such as Saint-Romain and Santenay for whites, and Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-St-Georges and Volnay for reds. Whilst he recently lost his only Grand Cru in Bonnes-Mares due to his grower having sold the plot, he still retains access to Premier Crus in Morey-St-Denis Les Chaffots as well as Pommard Clos les Arvelets.

Never content and always seeking new challenges, Haisma has since taken his winemaking curiosity further field: he now makes wines in Northern Rhône and launched a project in Romania Dagon Clan. The common denominator is his hand-off approach and relentless focus on approachability and freshness.

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