Ex-Dancer and Miner Launch Hix & Buck

Hix & Buck has been launched to bring “undiscovered” wines to UK

Chix Chandaria, a former dancer, and Dan Roebuck, an ex-mining engineer, are importing "exclusive, quality wines from relatively unknown vineyards".

One of their exclusive sparkling wines, Brut Bosé Methode Traditionelle from J & L Charlemagne in Angoulême, France was chosen to serve in the fifth series of Channel 4's F Word to celebrities and diners from mid October
A classically trained dancer, whose work has taken her across the globe including Bollywood, Chix's introduction to alcoholic drinks came early in her life, when aged seven she was given Babycham. Her tastes have since developed.

Chix's passion for wine led her to studying for her Wine & Spirit Educational Trust qualifications and on several trips to France's wine producing regions, getting to know the terroirs and how they contribute to the specific personality of a wine.

A friend with a particular fascinating wine cellar introduced her to Mas d'Intras, a small, centuries-old, family-run estate in the Ardeche. She experienced the passion and dedication of the family running the business, who were keen to expand and export to the British market.

Excited by the wine that it tasted just as good in Islington as it did in Alba, and at 39, with her career as a dancer reaching a natural conclusion, Chix was considering her options and eventually struck an exclusive export deal with the family. She linked up with Dan, also with a love of wine, to apply his skills to turn her passion into a viable enterprise.