The Wine Merchant issue 101 (April 2021) by The Wine Merchant magazine

THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers

Issue 101, April 2021

Dog of the Month: Darcey House of Townend

Hybrid model gathers speed despite a year of Covid turmoil Almost half of indies are now licensed to sell wine on the premises – but some now feel they’re ready to call time

nthusiasm for the hybrid wine shop/wine bar model has hit

a new high in the independent

trade, despite the challenges created by

lockdown restrictions over the past year. The Wine Merchant’s reader survey

reports that just over 47% of indies are

now licensed to sell wine for consumption on the premises, up from 40% in 2019. A further 13% say they are thinking

about adopting the hybrid model, with

bar a big challenge will be to maintain the

restrictions start to lift. This has always

sides of the business successfully.”

from them.”

retail momentum we have built recently.

I feel that we will be able to balance both Jonathan Charles, owner of The Dorset

Wine Company in Dorchester, says:

“We usually sell wine for consumption on the premises and expect there to

be an appetite for increased sales once

been an extra string to our bow and

supports retail sales rather than detracts

Richard Everton of Bottles in Worcester

adds: “After nearly six years of operating

as a hybrid, the effects in the last year have been very significant. A lot of our turnover and margin is generated through our

another 3% saying they will definitely take the plunge this year.

“Drinking in is a critical part of the

business mix,” says James Brown of The Wine Loft in Brixham.

“It punches above its weight in terms of

profit contribution but most importantly

it anchors your business in a community, allows you endless ways of talking about wine and in so doing cements loyalty,

which is often is the difference between a supermarket purchase and an indie purchase.”

Bob McDonald of Salut in Manchester

says: “Obviously every business has

different sized premises and anyone

with limited space may struggle in the

short term depending on Covid-related

restrictions, but the hybrid model is still definitely hugely viable.

“When we are allowed to reopen the

HarperWells, the Norwich independent, opened a second branch recently at a delicatessen in Diss. The expansion has led to one unexpected development: the creation of a wine brand made from local organic grapes and sold in pouches. Full story on page 6.

NEWS

Inside this month 4 comings & GOINGs A new arrival, a well-earned retirement and an expansion

21 TRIED & TESTED Wines that remind us of sherbet flying saucers and rock pools

26 spot the difference Win some great prizes from WBC in our competition

Almost half of indies are hybrids on-sales and we have found it

impossible to operate with the rule of six,

with no mixed households, and have had to shut for quite long periods of time.

“I am still certain that the model will

work well for us, but it certainly has forced us to explore more channels which I hope will be of benefit long term.”

The trend toward the hybrid model

has been evident for several years, but a

third of indies insist they have no plans to abandon their traditional sales model.

34 JUST WILLIAMS Ancient trees and old vines – both make us go a bit gooey

40 general wine company A modest merchant, with not a great deal to be modest about

And a small number of merchants who

are licensed to sell wines on the premises say they are considering not returning to this style of operating.

Among them is Riaz Syed of Stonewines

in Whetstone, north London. “The hybrid

model was pretty useful in attracting new customers and as a tool for establishing a

new business, I would still recommend it to

60 south africa The regions that every independent merchant should be getting to know a little better

73 supplier bulletin Essential updates from key suppliers to the indie trade

others,” he says.

“However, it does come at a price: very

long working hours, increase in overheads, and in the future I suspect far more

stringent safety measures will be required of businesses.

“I expect to retain some elements, for

example special events like wine tasting for private groups or a pop-up kitchen.”

Duncan Murray of Duncan Murray Wines

in Market Harborough says: “We’ve only been doing our wine bar for three years and it has proved successful.

“However, since The Unpleasantness

started, we’ve all certainly enjoyed getting home at a decent hour. As things stand,

we’ll have to change how we do the bar if we decide to carry on because the shop is relatively small, and it’ll be almost

impossible to have the shop as well as the bar at the same time.”

“We used to operate as a bottle shop with

a bar,” says Leanne Olivier of Cru Wines in

Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. “The reality was the drink-in experience was a higher proportion of our business.

“Covid has turned that on its head so as

the shop has done well over the past 12

months, we are looking at making this our priority and only hosting pre-bookable

tasting events.” She says the business might look for additional premises to create a dedicated wine bar.

Mark Hough of Cork of the North in

Manchester expects to reopen his wine

bars but is managing expectations. “As soon as people are able, they will descend on all drinking establishments in high numbers,” he predicts.

“But we expect our drink-in turnover to

continue to be lower than desired, as social distancing rules are likely to be continued into the summer – therefore fewer covers and less turnover.”

• Survey coverage continues on page 8.

THE WINE MERCHANT MAGAZINE winemerchantmag.com 01323 871836 Twitter: @WineMerchantMag Editor and Publisher: Graham Holter graham@winemerchantmag.com Assistant Editor: Claire Harries claire@winemerchantmag.com Advertising: Sarah Hunnisett sarah@winemerchantmag.com Accounts: Naomi Young winemerchantinvoices@gmail.com The Wine Merchant is circulated to the owners of the UK’s 950 specialist independent wine shops. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2021 Registered in England: No 6441762 VAT 943 8771 82

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 2

Halifax indie is inspired by Hoult

else’s piano to play, another dog to pet and wave goodbye to the tropical fish. “There’s a lot goes on in here apart from

selling wine,” says Henderson.

Ray Nicholls will open The Ripponden

“I’ve done lots of tastings and fundraising

Wine Company near Halifax at the end

events and I’ve donated bottles to X, Y

of this month.

and Z, but I’ve done my 20 years on this

With over two decades of experience in

particular street corner. I was 60 on my last

grocery retail under his belt, and support

birthday and it’s time for a break. If you’ve

from Huddersfield merchant Rob Hoult,

got Henderson Wines above the door and

Nicholls is confident in his new venture.

David Henderson isn’t in the shop it’s not

“I’ve got a good mentor in Rob Hoult,”

quite the same.

explains Nicholls. “He’s been really good to

“I looked at selling the business, but it

me over the last couple of years and he’s

been a real help getting us up and running. I’ve been a customer of Rob’s for a number of years and this is always something

Ray Nicholls, above, and the current state of play at The Queens, below

I’ve wanted to do. He’s been a bit of an

Henderson admits he might trade online

in the future, “just for people who have time and can’t find anywhere else,” but

For the past 12 months, Nicholls has

for now he’s looking forward to catching

been setting the scene for the shop launch

up with various family members in the

by engaging the locals with virtual wine

Cayman Islands and New Zealand, as well

tastings.

as pottering about at home, playing the

“The business has been born out of

piano and making some music.

lockdown, in a way,” he says, “and I wanted

So is he glad that he chose a career in

people to say, ‘you know that guy who

wine? “It’s been amazing,” he says. “It’s not

was doing online tastings? He’s got a shop

the best-paid job but it’s certainly the most

in the village.’ I want it to grow that way,

interesting. Wine has taken me around the

which is how it’s panning out really.”

gems: a sympathetic landlord, who has

easier to terminate the lease.”

been buying specific things here for a long

inspiration to me.”

Nicholls has also found the rarest of

was complicated, so it was quicker and

world.”

Fire station site suits Everton

helped out by giving him a rent-free period

customer service and how to merchandise,”

renovated, will accommodate two retail

customers want. I imagine the range I start

Bottles of Worcester is expanding with

off with will be quite different after six

a second branch due to open later this

Retirement for David Henderson

buying the commercial element of the old

modestly describes himself as “an

After almost 40 years in the wine trade,

is in the hands of another local guy who is

his previous employer.

to the landlord at the end of this month

while he gets ready to trade.

The building, which is currently being

units, the second having been secured by a

craft beer specialist. “This used to be a pub called The Queens,” Nicholls explains, “so a

lot of locals have been saying how fantastic it is that they’ll be able to buy their wine and beer in The Queens again.”

When it comes to wine, Nicholls

informed enthusiast,” but he has got a

number of wine qualifications courtesy of “I’ve learned a lot over the years about

he says. “I’m going to keep the wine range quite general and be guided by what my months.”

Edinburgh merchant David Henderson is retiring. When he hands back the key his customers will have to find someone

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 4

year. Owner Richard Everton explains: “I am

fire station in Worcester. It’s a big iconic building and we are buying the whole

ground floor. The rest of the development building luxury apartments.”

The huge space, complete with parking

and “bang in the city centre, right near

the cathedral,” is a prime retail site and

Bacchus Everton has big plans.

“We’re going to have a huge food hall

area with various concessions for local producers and local chefs,” he says.

“As well as our shop, which will be bigger

than we have at New Street, we hope to

have a patisserie, a cheese and deli counter, some tapas, maybe a rotisserie. There’ll be a coffee and tea specialist and lots of seasonal foods.

“We’ll use our Wine Emotion machines

in our shop and in the food hall. We’re looking at doing a

similar thing with beer machines too. We’re

also putting

in a wine bar,

so it’s about

making a great

social area as well as a

retail area. We’ve got 350 square metres. It’s so much bigger than we’ve ever had before.

“There’ll be a huge boulevard area

outside where we can have seating

and maybe we’ll have oyster carts and

other seasonal foods outside too. It’ll be something different for the city.

“It’s going back to our roots a little bit,

as back in our Evertons days we had 20

stores, all delicatessens and wine shops, so it’s a little bit of a push back to those times.”

It will be business as usual at the New

Street shop and the wholesale operation

A new outlook due to Covid Not everyone who has been successfully treated for Covid is unequivocal in their praise for the NHS. “During the entirety of my stay, not once did they offer me a wine list. Shocking,” says Jon Campbell, of DeFINE in Sandiway, Cheshire. Several indies have had brushes with the virus over the past year and for most the biggest inconvenience has been a compromised sense of taste and smell. For Jon, the situation was rather more serious, requiring hospitalisation after he was struck down “at the worst possible moment” during the Christmas frenzy. “Christmas at DeFINE has always involved a mammoth effort, and once again I crawled over the line,” he says. “Exhausted and run down, I thought I was just picking up my usual festive lurgy when I started to feel a bit rough on Boxing Day. “The following three days were spent mostly asleep, stirring only for a rolling cocktail of Nurofen and paracetamol. What may well have saved me was the timely delivery of one of those oximeters you stick on your finger to read your blood oxygen. I was shocked to see it in the low 80s. I wasn’t gasping for breath but the advice was to call an ambulance immediately.” It’s a sad goodbye to Lin Beckett, who until recently ran The Bottleneck in Broadstairs with her husband Chris. Lin, 73, died on February 21 not long after a cancer diagnosis. Looking back over their accomplishments, Chris

will continue to be a focus. Despite all the

says: “We were the first winners of Off Licence of the

to leave the chefs to chef and the food

Murphy.”

elements that will come into play with the

new site, Everton is adamant that he wants concessions to look after themselves.

“What I want to do is focus on wines. My

team and I want to promote the boutique winemakers that we specialise in.”

Everton intends to open both the shop

and the bar before December and roll out the food hall from next January.

Year back in 1989. We had some good times; we went to New Zealand and travelled to Australia with Hazel This year would have marked Chris and Lin’s 46th wedding anniversary. Since selling the business last November, they had been looking forward to travelling around the UK in their camper van. A lovely lady with an undeniably mischievous glint in her eye, Lin will be remembered fondly by all in the trade who worked with her over the years.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 5

A chest X-ray revealed Jon had Covid pneumonitis and, having already been warned he was facing two weeks at hospital with drugs and oxygen followed by a further two weeks of home recovery, he took a sudden turn for the worse and was declared “very poorly”. “Fearing being sedated and on a ventilator from then on, I texted a nightmare message to my wife Ali with a few thoughts and a few things she’d need to know about the business, and where I’d hidden the diamonds,” Jon recalls. “Thankfully I bounced back strongly over the next few days and was unceremoniously hoofed out on day six. “The care I received from the doctors and nurses was incredible. Remarkable people, working under unimaginable strain, with the peak still to come. Knowing the trauma my family suffered during my experience, and the grief (in every sense) that the NHS staff face, my views of people that don’t stick to the rules has shifted from dismay to contempt.” He adds: “Inevitably, I have a reformed perspective on life, with a stronger focus on what matters most. A better worklife balance alongside a commitment to look after myself so I can look after those I love for as long as I’ve got. And to increase our margins.”

NEWS

Diss is the way we make our wine HarperWells’ teams up with former owner of its new shop in Norfolk to produce its own pouch-packaged product

hen Norwich independent

some had gone over and some of it was

HarperWells bought Fredricks

just too much to wade through. Juliette has

Fine Foods in Diss last year,

pruned it all back this winter and there’s

its owners had no idea it would lead to a

the potential to get about 700 to 800

winemaking adventure.

bottles from the next vintage.”

Sam Howard, co-owner of HarperWells,

Howard describes the resulting wine as

is collaborating with Fredricks’s previous

a “rosado rosé, a proper Spanish dark red.

owner, Juliette Atkinson, and Chris Wilson

It’s a lovely raspberry and strawberry on

of Cambridge urban winery Gutter & Stars

the nose – it jumps out at you. You think it’s

and the 2020 vintage will be released on

going to be sweet, but it’s not. We wanted

May 16.

to keep the acids high.”

“It was just a chance conversation I had

with Juliette when we bought the deli,”

explains Howard (pictured right). “She said

arperWells has also involved

she had a 15-year-old organic vineyard just

another local business in the

two miles away and she didn’t know what

venture, working with Bullards

to do with it. So I went over to have a look.

distillery to use its eco-refill pouches

It’s beautiful – there are geese running

instead of glass bottles, making this a

around between the vines and beehives

project about sustainability as much as

at the back of the vineyard. I gave Chris a

community engagement.

call and the project was literally organised

“Chris was intrigued and excited to

within a week.”

pursue alternative packaging for the wine,”

The vineyard was planted by Atkinson

says Howard. “If we’d made a more serious

in a grubbed-up orchard. She fancied

wine, you could argue that pouches would

planting a few vines and contacted the UK

be a bit cavalier, but this is a guerrilla-

Vineyards Association, which Howard says

harvested, fun field blend that’s coming

was “thrilled” and because “there was a lot

in at about 10.5% and it seems perfect for

of EU grant money sloshing around back

that packaging.”

then, they sent her 600 vines! She thought

It’s an added bonus that the pouches fit

she was going to buy about five.”

easily through letterboxes, cost less to post

He adds: “It’s a proper field blend of reds

than bottles and, Howard believes, even the

and whites including some Pinot Noir and

most careless of couriers would have a job

Seyval Blanc.

breaking them.

“The vineyard was very unkempt and

With a total production of 200 75cl

uncared for because, while Juliette had

pouches and customers keen to try it, it

the deli, she just didn’t have the time. We

won’t take long before it’s sold out, but this

guerrilla-harvested in September, me and

is just the beginning. “Once we’ve got a half

my family with our secateurs. I think we

must have got about a third of the crop –

decent sized crop next year, there will be

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 6

more we can do,” says Howard.

CELEBRATE THE TASTE OF ENGLAND

Sat 19 - Sun 27 June 2021 Bonafide Wines in Christchurch, Dorset, moved to bigger premises last month. Kieren Ingold, who has worked with

owner Graham Northeast for the past year, says that the move was prompted by the expiry of the old lease.

GET INVOLVED!

“The new shop is twice the size and it’s

got a bit of a kitchen so we’re going to do As retailers, your involvement in English our tastings in-store,” he says. Wine Week can help promote your store “We’ve extended the range to 700 and the English wines you wines stock. From in-store tastings to featured and we’ve got space for another 150 wines and promotions, there are plenty of ways you references. Until the trade tastings start can celebrate! again we’re holding fire. We’ve picked up a Visit winegb.co.uk/trade for more information, ideas and to list your event.

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ANAGRAM TIME Can you unscramble the names of these trade events? If so, you win a waiter’s friend’s Waiter’s Friend.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 7

1. One Drain Inflow 2. Westward Carnal Eiderdown 3. Wino Rep 4. Mimi Boils Eel 5. Nellie’s Noodle Advisers

Mark Matisovits

READER SURVEY 2021

Merchants grateful to suppliers for lockdown support Wine merchants and their suppliers are getting on better than ever. Seventynine per cent of survey respondents are happy, to a greater or lesser degree, with the support they are getting. That’s an all-time high for the survey, up

from 75% in 2020 and 72% in 2019. Indies have had to make massive changes to their business model and, by and large, their

suppliers have been there for them as their needs have evolved.

When we ask indies to respond to the

statement “I’m generally happy with the

support I get from suppliers”, 18% agree

strongly, up from 15% in 2020 and 2018. In 2017, that figure stood at 20% and in 2016 it was 21%.

The reason why the headline figure looks

so good this time is that 60% agree with

the statement “to some degree”, the highest figure we’ve ever recorded. So the 79%

endorsement rate is perhaps rather more lukewarm than it appears at face value.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents

say that the absence of trade tastings is

making it harder to find interesting new

wines, though 16% maintain they’re doing pretty well without these events.

The problem is compounded by the

effect Covid has had on relationships with account managers, who have been unable to travel so freely, and in many cases have

Part two of this year’s survey coverage, which started in our March edition, begins here.

been furloughed.

Our survey found that 40% of merchants

believe their relationship with reps has

been adversely affected by the Covid crisis,

though 29% say that things are fine despite the challenges of lockdown.

W i n e M e r c h a n t Re a d e r S u r v ey Pa r t n e r 2 0 2 1

Last month we reported that Boutinot

again topped the indie popularity poll, followed by Liberty Wines and Hatch Mansfield.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 8

What’s your reaction to the following statements about suppliers? Agree strongly

Agree to some degree

Neither agree or disagree

Disagree to some degree

Disagree strongly

I will increase the number of suppliers I deal with this year

12%

25%

37%

18%

I will reduce the number of suppliers I deal with this year

15%

40%

24%

16%

I’m generally happy with the support I get from suppliers

18%

61%

11%

I’m generally unhappy with the support I get from suppliers

17%

49%

27%

30%

43%

11%

32%

28%

18%

11%

Based on 153 responses

The absence of trade tastings is making it harder to find interesting new wines

Covid has had a negative impact on my relationship with most of our reps

In many cases 2020 was a year of retrenchment for indies, at least on the supply side, with merchants sticking to a small roster of suppliers. It wasn’t a year in which seeking out new suppliers seemed like a very practical idea. That could all change in 2021. When we asked indies to respond to the statement “I will increase the number of suppliers I deal with this year”, 12% agree strongly, double the figure we recorded in last year’s survey. The proportion agreeing to some degree is steady at 25%. Eighteen per cent say they will reduce supplier numbers, which looks like disappointing news on the face of it. But it’s actually the lowest figure we’ve ever recorded. In our previous two surveys, it stood at 25%. THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 10

W i n e M e r c h a n t Re a d e r S u r v ey Pa r t n e r 2 0 2 1

Loyalty works both ways

Which of these statements best describes your buying plans? Based on 153 responses

Phil Innes Loki, Birmingham

Sam Howard HarperWells, Norwich

“During the pandemic, we really saw who the most proactive sales reps were, and we did a lot of trade with these companies. Others were fully furloughed and we had minimal contact and those companies lost a lot of trade. Certain suppliers got what was required early on and were able to provide us with the kind of wines we required at the right price.”

“The good suppliers (ones we work most closely with) have been excellent. The ones we choose not to work so closely with have been more or less absent from our radar this year. We’ve had some innovative online meet-the-winemaker tastings with small importers like Nekter and remained in close contact with our national agencies who have worked tirelessly to meet our demands – shout out to Liberty and Boutinot here.”

Marc Hough Cork of the North, Manchester

“We have found that the suppliers who are usually the most attentive have continued to be so during the pandemic, with regular contact and the offer of samples. Those suppliers who rarely made contact before the pandemic have proved to be the same during it. There are a few smaller suppliers who have now dropped off our list, due to the fact that they offer no support.”

Leanne Olivier Cru Wines, Bradford-on-Avon

“I have some excellent suppliers who have gone above and beyond during Covid: dropping off samples, helping with online tastings, reviewing my range. I have others who have fallen off of a cliff. I know exactly which ones I’ll be using in the future.”

12% 4% I will source some of my wines this year as part of a formal buying group

15%

Mike Boyne BinTwo, Padstow

“2020 cemented in my mind the suppliers we’re in partnership with versus those with whom we just have a transactional commercial relationship. We’ll be pursuing partnership models with like-minded suppliers and looking for informal buying group arrangements with other likeminded indies.”

Barnaby Smith Grapesmith, Hungerford

14% I will source some of my wines this year as part of an informal buying group

3.9%

1.3%

“It is very obvious which suppliers care about independent wine merchants and which don’t. Many of the bigger guys have just disappeared without a word. I will not use them again.”

35.9%

13.5%

20%

40% 16% 7%

14%

In normal circumstances, do you sell wine for consumption on your premises? 42.3%

21%

46%

I expect to buy jointly with other independents more than I did last year

3.2%

24%

39% 13%

Yes, and we expect to continue

Yes, but we are thinking about stopping

Yes, but we are definitely stopping

No, and we have no plans to

No, but we’re thinking about it

No, but we will definitely start doing so this year

Based on 156 responses

Agree strongly Agree to some degree Neither agree or disagree Disagree to some degree Disagree strongly

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 11

What extra services and activities might be on your agenda this year, if circumstances allow? Based on 156 responses I would like to have a website that allows e-commerce

67%

I would like to be able to offer draught wine in some form

18%

12% 3%

11%

30%

I would like to run some kind of wine education programme

23%

25% 15%

16%

27%

12%

I would like to serve food for consumption on the premises

I would like a wine dispensing machine (eg Enomatic, Wine Emotion)

I would like to run online tastings for my customers

25%

9% 7%

14%

27%

11% 15%

40%

We already do this Definitely happening Possibly happening No decision/opinion Unlikely to be happening Definitely not happening

W i n e M e r c h a n t Re a d e r S u r v ey Pa r t n e r 2 0 2 1

11%

24%

37%

11%

18% 7%

Two thirds of independents now have e-commerce websites and that number looks set to increase this year, according to our survey data. Despite lockdown restrictions, draught wine has hit a new high this year, with almost one in 10 indies saying it figures in their offering in some way. Enthusiasm for wine dispense machines is holding steady, with 14% of respondents saying they have such a device in their stores. That’s up from 12% last year and in line with results from surveys in earlier years. Zoom or Facebook Live events have become an important feature of many independents’ lives as in-store tastings have been off the agenda, and it’s perhaps surprising that only just over a quarter of indies say they have organised online tastings for customers. THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 12

Virtual reality: online tastings fill an important gap With the trade tasting calendar obliterated, indies have appreciated efforts made by suppliers to help them

Traditional method sparkling wine

Other sparkling wine

discover new wines. “The Zoom tastings with winemakers

with samples organised by Liberty,

Thorman Hunt and Hallgarten – and the Rías Baixas tastings – were excellent,”

Fortified wine

says Charlotte Dean of Wined Up Here in Norbiton, south west London.

“I would welcome more as long as they

were kept short and sweet, no more than

“Natural” wine

45 minutes.”

Cat Brandwood of Toscanaccio in

Winchester is also a fan. “The online

tastings have been great,” she says. “I

can attend from my workplace with the

Vegan wine

other staff – socially distanced, of course. It’s been great for their learning and

development. A day out in London costs

the business a fair amount and has limited use for the younger staff; it’s nice for them

Biodynamic wine

to taste things.”

Camilla Wood of The Somerset Wine

Company in Castle Cary adds: “We have

missed seeing our reps regularly, and trade tastings such as Magnificent 7 in Bristol.

Organic wine

51 %

40 %

6 %

2 %

0 %

41 %

42 %

11 %

3 %

0 %

23 %

43 %

20 %

10 %

1 %

18 %

24 %

26 %

15 %

21 %

43 %

23 %

8 %

2 %

18 %

46 %

25 %

6 %

2 %

32 %

48 %

16 %

1 %

“Businesses like Condor did brilliantly to

offer virtual tastings and generously sent

out samples. Bancroft and Alliance and, to a lesser extent, New Generation, always send

samples of new wines when we want to try, which is much appreciated.”

Dean Pritchard of Gwin Llyn Wines in

north Wales is “very pleased that most of

our suppliers have sent us samples of new

wines in order to keep us up to speed with

How important to your business are these drinks categories? Based on 149 responses

changes to their portfolios”.

Very important

Anthony Borges of The Wine Centre

in Great Horkesley urges suppliers to be

Fairly important

generous with samples. “They will have

Neither important or unimportant

of these savings could be passed on for

Very unimportant

saved a lot of costs by not participating in

Fairly unimportant

the big tasting events,” he says, “and some independents to taste at home.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 13

Communication holds the key Andrew Kinnersley The Grape and the Good, Wells “Many of the larger suppliers who I’ve dealt with for years have been rather absent, not only this year, but over the last three or four years. It could be suggested that small but regular accounts are taken for granted. A handful of suppliers have been very supportive over the last year and a few have been sending samples which is the only way I’m likely to list more lines. Loyalties definitely lie with the suppliers and reps who are in regular contact even if I’m not a huge customer to them. In general, but with exceptions, it seems the smaller the supplier the better the contact and more proactive they are.”

Andrea Viera Last Drop Wines, London

“Those who do it well, do it well all round. Those who don’t failed at most of the hurdles: delivery, ordering, accounting and lack of communications. The failings were largely where every rep was furloughed and no response was being received for days. No idea of delivery or stock levels – just the great abyss, and all of us independents were busting a gut to work. Maybe first time round it was OK, but not the second time.”

Rob Hoult Hoults, Huddersfield

“I feel that over the last year the support we have had from suppliers has been good. There is the very simple fact that they have been in the same shit show as the rest of us and I feel that our suppliers have in general adapted well. I have never needed to see suppliers on any regular basis so it’s not been as much of an upheaval for me as it might be for some. We’ve streamlined some of our buying and hopefully over the course of the year we’ll expand things out again. I keep receiving samples and my suppliers seem to know what might work for me, so this hasn’t been as chaotic as it might have been.”

A reduction in minimum order requirements was welcomed by many independents

More flexibility, please Alan Irvine The Scottish Gantry, Stirling “It’s difficult for the market as suppliers need volume to maintain pricing structures to pass on to retailers, but more flexibility and willingness to do a deal based on individual circumstances should be in place. Furlough is restricting the flow and availability of information and ingenuity of reps.”

Richard Everton Bottles, Worcester

“Availability of samples and POS is not always great and access to winemakers could be better sometimes. Out-of-stocks have been an issue this year with many suppliers and there’s been a lack of flexibility with deliveries.”

London wine merchant

“I wish the message that there was a crisis and that we were all pulling together had made it through to some accounts

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 15

departments, who have been a little too keen to implement strict credit terms without warning or discussion. “Better soft management skills are all that is needed – a call from a rep and a little advance notice.”

Simon Smith The Solent Cellar, Lymington

“Most of our suppliers reduced their minimum order quantities during lockdown which was really helpful. We’ve spent more with them so it will be interesting to see if the numbers stack up for them and whether this flexibility will continue.”

Jefferson Boss StarmoreBoss, Sheffield

“The panicked phone calls from various credit controls – in companies we always pay on time – asking when we were settling invoices that weren’t yet due at the start of lockdown were duly noted. We’ve moved on now, so it’s all good!”

Tom Flint, Bottle & Jug Dept, Worthing “I have been very happy with my suppliers throughout this difficult time. They have kept me informed and stocked up which is all I need from them. Trade tastings would be nice but I appreciate they cannot happen, but they have been great in offering sample bottles where they can. It has been a tough year for them and I cannot see 2021 being much better. I think that the people I work with have been fantastic and done everything they can in the circumstances.”

Bob McDonald, Salut Wines, Manchester “Covid has certainly seen a myriad of different approaches from different suppliers. I feel that London-centric suppliers were unaware of the restrictions that large parts of the north were under from July onwards and the impact this had. Having said that, the majority of suppliers have been fantastic in terms of flexibility over minimum orders and continued support. “Certain suppliers have been fabulous in terms of offering staff training, online tastings for consumers and generally championing the whole industry rather than just focusing on themselves.”

Alex Griem, Chilled & Tannin, Cardiff “We have had a lot of success in starting the business. This is largely thanks to us building relationships with suppliers who can offer modest minimum order quantities and nimble delivery with sensible payment terms. Christmas saw some large lastminute corporate orders for staff wine packages, which was great but we couldn’t have fulfilled these without the support of suppliers in sending last-minute top-up orders and urgent bottles.”

Phoebe Weller, Valhalla’s Goat, Glasgow “I miss my reps!”

Thanks for everything: indies acknowledge suppliers’ efforts Even in normal times, friction is inevitable. But during the Covid era, indies feel their supply partners have gone the extra mile for them

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 16

Sarah Truman, Sarah’s Cellar, Battle “As a new indie I have been incredibly happy with the support from my suppliers. I make mistakes with orders, ask for lots of advice, and rely on them for recommendations from their lists. I have a different relationship with each of them and I am incredibly grateful for their wise words and patience.”

Chris Hill, Latitude Wine, Leeds “Furlough aside, every single one of my suppliers has tried to do the best they can. I hope they all have jobs this time next year.”

Kat Stead, Brigitte Bordeaux, Nottingham “I like to be made aware of what a supplier has to offer with information about their portfolio and their wines and the opportunity to taste, but then be left to make purchasing decisions without any pressure. I think the majority of suppliers I deal with do this well.”

Matthew Hennings, Hennings, West Sussex “Our suppliers have remained in good contact and tried to be as flexible and accommodating as they can. We have all experienced great change and hardship during this year and I am not sure what could have been done differently. “We have all had to make some tough decisions to keep our businesses viable. The positive being that we’re all still here!”

Ben Fullalove, Fullaloves, Preston “The relaxed minimum orders and willingness to deliver directly to customers further afield have both made our life and cash flow easier.”

W i n e M e r c h a n t Re a d e r S u r v ey Pa r t n e r 2 0 2 1

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 17

What countries or regions of origin do you expect most growth from? Country or region

Votes received

% of retailers voting for this country or region

1 (4)

South Africa

2 (2)

Italy

32.8

3 (5)

Spain

29.4

4 (1)

England

28.3

5 (6)

Argentina

23.3

6 (7)

Australia

21.7

7 (3)

Portugal

20.6

8 (10)

Chile

20.0

9 (9)

France (most or all regions)

18.3

10 (12) New Zealand

12.8

11 (7)

11.7

12 (11) Greece

10.0

13 (15) California

8.9

14 (16) France (Rhône)

6.7

14 (12) Germany

6.7

16 (14) Austria

6.1

17 (-)

France (Burgundy)

5.0

17 (-)

USA (excluding California)

5.0

19 (-)

France (Beaujolais)

3.9

19 (-)

France (Bordeaux)

3.9

19 (-)

France (Loire)

3.9

19 (-)

Romania

3.9

France (Languedoc Roussillon)

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 18

Specialist countries: indies eager to venture off beaten track “We don’t expect growth from EU wines due to customs issues.” South east England merchant “We predict growth from good value, organic, quirky wines from somewhere different.” London merchant

Based on answers from 180 respondents. All respondents were invited to nominate as many countries or regions as they liked. The proportion of merchants nominating at least one area of France is 58.3%.

W i n e M e r c h a n t Re a d e r S u r v ey Pa r t n e r 2 0 2 1

What countries or regions of origin do you specialise in? Country or region

Indies expect great things from South Africa this year

“We try to spread across the board. Sadly we’re not big enough to cover all the bases and still specialise.” East Midlands merchant “We’re a proud generalist! There’s an increasing focus on organic and biodynamic wines in line with our philosophy of sourcing good wines, made sustainably by good people.” West country merchant “We try to cover all parts of the grape-growing globe, but Spain and Italy are most fun.” West Yorkshire merchant “Our specialisms are in new regions and underdogs such as China, Japan, Texas, India or offappellation places.” London merchant “We focus on travelling the world through wine, so we have no specialism in any specific country.” West country merchant

Votes received

% of retailers voting for this country or region

1 (1)

Italy

33.0

2 (2)

France (most or all regions)

30.3

3 (3)

Spain

18.1

4 (4)

South Africa

17.0

5 (5)

Portugal

10.6

6 (7)

France (Bordeaux)

9.6

7 (10)

Argentina

6.4

8 (8)

Australia

5.9

9 (12)

England

5.3

9 (5)

France (Burgundy)

5.3

9 (15)

France (Rhône)

5.3

9 (10)

France (Languedoc Roussillon)

5.3

9 (9)

New Zealand

5.3

14 (17) California

4.8

14 (13) France (Champagne)

4.8

16 (17) Austria

3.2

16 (19) France (Loire)

3.2

16 (-)

3.2

19 (13) Germany

2.7

19 (-)

2.7

France (other regional)

Greece

Based on answers from 188 respondents. All respondents were invited to claim up to three specialisms. The proportion of merchants claiming no specialism is 20.7%, almost the same as the 22.1% recorded in the 2019 survey. The proportion of merchants claiming specialism in at least one area of France is 68.6%.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 19

Rising Stars

Freddie Copestick Slurp, Banbury

ike many wine merchants, Slurp in Banbury has had to focus on the way it interacts with its customers in the virtual world. Marketing director Erin Smith is really pleased to nominate Freddie Copestick as this month’s Rising Star because, apart from his talent in guiding the business seamlessly through all things digital, she says he is “able to wear so many different hats throughout the day, from customer service to brand management”. She adds: “He’s been a real asset to our growing team. “The benefit of having someone with Freddie’s skill set is that he is able to drill down into the data and make sure that the way we go about communicating digitally with our customers is personalised. “We’re always trying to replicate what would happen in store, but how do you translate that wine specialist experience online successfully? His wine knowledge is a real asset because he can easily identify different wines for customers to try that would not be too far out of their comfort zone. So the recommendations he is making continue to build that trust we have with our customers in the real world.” Freddie joined the business a year ago, at a time when it was all hands on deck for the team. He says: “The first thing that struck me is how willing everyone was to help out across the business, from the warehouse to customer service and that has continued. It creates a really good environment.” A year working in South America, first with the marketing team at Aresti in Chile – “an unbelievable place with amazing people” – and later a more customer-facing role at Bodega Los Toneles in Mendoza – “it was phenomenal being able to show people around and see the looks on their faces when they saw the winery and tasted the wines” – might have given Freddie a taste for a career in wine tourism. But he is fascinated by data. “I find digital marketing and the whole strategy of marketing extremely interesting,” he says. “I fell in love with wine, but also the digital space. Digital marketing isn’t a new thing, but it’s more important than ever that we try to use data in a meaningful and productive way.”

‘I fell in love with wine, but also the digital space. Digital marketing is more important than ever’

Freddie wins a bottle of Joseph Drouhin 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouges 2017 If you’d like to nominate a Rising Star, email claire@winemerchantmag.com

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 20

TRIED & TESTED

Michele Satta Costa di Giulia 2019

Terroir et Talents Mâcon Les Enracinés 2019

Early incarnations of this Bolgheri Bianco were made

Terroirs et Talents is an association of Beaujolais and

from 1997 added a 30% Sauvignon component. The

rooted”, which sums up the dedication to vineyard

with 100% Vermentino and were almost certainly

delicious, but Satta thought something was missing, so

fruity richness and length that he strives for are evident here in a beautifully balanced wine with leesy depths. RRP: £20

ABV: 13%

Armit Wines (020 7908 0600)

Mâconnais family-owned estates. The name of this

naturally-made Mâcon Chardonnay translates as “the

biodiversity and terroir expression. There’s lots of pure fruit freshness and floral notes to enjoy here. RRP: £15.50

ABV: 13%

Hatch Mansfield (01344 871800)

armitwines.co.uk

hatchmansfield.com

M Chapoutier La Combe Pilate Viognier 2018

Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel 2020

Viognier should always be a joyous grape. This

Even indies who do a roaring trade with Whispering

the finish, with flavours of ripe mango, white pepper

going on behind the pretty label? It’s a rosé with

biodynamic IGP Collines Rhodaniennes example starts with a bang and keeps the fun going right through to and a sprinkle of sea salt. A wine that’s almost tailor made for spicy seafood dishes. RRP: £17.50

ABV: 12%

Hatch Mansfield (01344 871800)

Angel – and there are plenty of them – sometimes

struggle to explain its phenomenal appeal. So what’s

firmness and structure, notes of strawberry and pink grapefruit, and sherbet flying saucers. Case closed. RRP: £18.99

ABV: 13%

Richmond Wine Agencies (020 8744 5550)

hatchmansfield.com

richmondwineagencies.com

Ceretto Nebbiolo d’Alba Bernadina 2018

Ca’Marcanda Vistamare 2019

Ceretto’s Monsordo-Bernadina estate is next door

is made in tiny quantities, hence the slightly jaw-

to Barolo and shares lots of characteristics with its

illustrious neighbour, but its organic Nebbiolo wines are reliant on their own merits (and the reputation of the family business) rather than any DOC. A lovely wine, with delicate red fruit notes and spicy freshness. RRP: £28

ABV: 14.5%

Mentzendorff (020 7840 3600)

Gaja’s Tuscan blend of Vermentino, Viognier and Fiano dropping price. It’s not a wine that leaps out of the

glass, but instead creeps up on you with its fascinating blend of flowers, thyme, spice and rock pools. Wines like this are easily overlooked on warm afternoons. The label should warn against careless quaffing. RRP: £43.35

ABV: 14%

Hatch Mansfield (01344 871800)

mentzendorff.co.uk

hatchmansfield.com

Humo Blanco Syrah 2018

Paddy Borthwick Paper Road Pinot Noir 2019

Any wine hailing from Chile’s Lolol valley arguably

deserves a place on the shelves for comedy reasons

The Paper Road was intended to run through the

to get excited is the supple fruit and masterclass in

This is an accomplished Pinot Noir, with dark cherry

alone. Coming from the Francois Lurton stable helps Humo Blanco’s cause further, but the real reason

elegance on display here, helped by the dawn mists that cool these vineyards near the Pacific. RRP: £13.49

ABV: 13.5%

Condor Wines (07508 825 488) condorwines.co.uk

Borthwick vineyards in Wairarapa, but never built.

The motorist’s loss is definitely the wine lover’s gain. juiciness, perfectly integrated French oak, and the

faintest agricultural note for some rural authenticity. RRP: £17.20

ABV: 14.5%

Armit Wines (020 7908 0600) armitwines.co.uk

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 21

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 22

INTERVIEW

. T H E D R AY M A N .

Turning the hops up to 11

beer with a name like Chip Shop Brawl is never

everything in balance was just too much for most, resulting in

going to be an easy ride. The Buxton Brewery beer is

brews that were out of tune, sacrificing harmony in the quest to

billed as a triple IPA, a style that takes the double IPA

impress.

to yet another level, the latter already having doubled up on the hop content of the original IPA.

The problems mount. All but one came in a 44cl can which puts the alcohol units per serving at over four, pushing five in

Triple IPA takes that a stage further, with even

some cases. The extra stuff that goes into making

more hops. The trouble is that the extra bitterness

them and the added duty from the higher abv means

requires a trade-off in more malt sweetness as well,

that the price tickets pack a punch as well.

and that means more alcohol and more of a high-

wire act to get the balance right. Like most beer styles, especially the newer ones, there’s no consensus – and certainly no rule – about what a triple IPA is. Like a double IPA, a beer is a

ll of which leads to the question, what are triple IPAs actually for? The broad flavour spectrum doesn’t differ significantly

from a double, so it’s difficult not to conclude that

triple pretty much because the brewer says it is.

the main motivation for drinking one is the alcohol

A handful sampled for this column had a

hit. That doesn’t chime with these everything-in-

common haziness and abvs somewhere between

moderation times, nor with the craft beer lobbying

9% and 10.5%, a significant jump up from the 6%-

stance of a few years ago that their strong beers’

8% band that’s home to many doubles.

quality and reasons-for-drinking stood them apart

But there was no discernible common flavour

from the likes of, say, K cider.

profile. In more than one, the bitterness crossed over into

Triple IPA is like the over-engineered gadget on Dragon’s

an unpleasant astringency, while the juicy fruit of the hops

Den that solves a problem that doesn’t really exist. Even

combined with the extra malt character to result in a cloying

among seasoned and/or nerdy beer drinkers, few people were

sweetness in others.

demanding 10% abv beers that are hard to drink. They risk being

the beer world’s Spinal Tap amp that goes up to 11, or the wafer-

hip Shop Brawl stood up rather well, with a subtle

thin mint that makes Monty Python’s Mr Creosote explode into

bitterness and moreish piney hop character that drinks

a thousand pieces.

refreshingly below its 10% abv level.

Star of the show was Headlines from Ireland’s Whiplash –

a four-way collaboration with two Spanish brewers and one from the US – which had punchy spice and tropical fruit hops, moderate bitterness and a lush, yet clean, mouthfeel. But on the whole, the line-up was somewhat dispiriting. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but it seems the challenge of keeping

There’s no consensus about what a triple IPA is. Like a double IPA, a beer is a triple pretty much because the brewer says it is THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 23

ight ideas r b

21: Wish You Weren’t Here Gift Bag Joe Whittick Whitmore & White, Heswall/Frodsham/Chester

In a nutshell …

Obviously the emphasis

Gifting intended to laugh in the face of

is on the quality food and

of goodies including a bottle of sangria,

“The flower leis and sunglasses

cube.

much on the novelty things. It’s

cancelled holiday plans and spread a bit of

drink, but did the holiday

almond cantuccini, taralli with fennel,

are just an extra bit of silliness

epicurean joy. The bags contain a mixture

accessories set you back?

pitted olives and an exotic fruit nougat

and you don’t want to spend too

Tell us more. “They are really aimed at people who have had to cancel a trip with family or friends.

You get to that date when you were meant to be flying off and it’s a bit depressing, so

it’s supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek kind of thing to send to the people you were

meant to be going somewhere nice with.

It doesn’t make up for not having a week away – but we laugh at our problems!” Have they been selling well?

“We’ve had them online for a few weeks

and we’ve sold quite a lot both locally and

still nice stuff but we’re aiming for an accessible price point.

“The bags themselves we’ve

had for a while because they are our in-store reusable shopping bags.

“They work really well for

this because hamper baskets have got so expensive and

people don’t want to spend

£30 on a wicker basket. There are cheaper ways around it to produce a really nice gift.”

This is a very internet-friendly idea.

nationally. Luckily people get the joke. We

“The party bags did so well because people

bingo cards, that kind of thing. We didn’t

few years ago and up until lockdown we

did a similar thing at Christmas with our

virtual party bags – we included games and think they’d be as popular as they were but we sent out hundreds of them. Corporate

customers loved them. I think the price fits into a nice bracket for people – 30 to 35 quid is not too expensive.”

were Googling ‘virtual party ideas’. We spent a lot of money on the website a

A tongue-in-cheek alternative to hampers

see what happened. This is just one of

the new ways we’ve found to engage with customers.”

If Judith Chalmers could whisk you away

had been wondering if our investment

anywhere in the world right now, where

saving grace. A year ago we just had to

I’ve been longing to go to Spain. I just want

had been worthwhile. Then we were just,

would it be?

throw the whole business in the air and

to go and eat tapas and drink wine.”

‘thank god we’ve got this’ – it was our

“My holiday requirements are quite simple.

Joe wins a WBC gift box containing some premium drinks and a box of chocolates. Tell us about a bright idea that’s worked for you and you too could win a prize. Email claire@winemerchantmag.com

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 24

A new option for independents Fine Wines Direct UK is an indie retailer in its own right, and is keen to help other merchants benefit from its impressive roster of agencies. For more information visit www.finewinesdirectuk.com

Bodegas Familia Fernandez Rivera, Spain

ardiff-based importer Fine Wines Direct UK is aiming to get its agency

Pesquera Tinto Crianza 2018, £21.99

portfolio into wider distribution in

El Vinculo Crianza La Mancha 2016, £14.99

independents. “We have been very strong in the on-trade

“The granddaughters of Esperanza

but the past year has given us a chance to

and Alejandro Fernandez took over

take a bit more time and look at what we are

the reins of this winemaking group.

doing,” says sales director Bastien Martinole.

The third generation of Familia

“We import in large quantities which keeps

Fernández Rivera is now at the

the costs low. We’ve always worked very

helm of a company in running the

closely with our customers in the on-trade to

wineries: two in Ribera del Duero,

make sure they can offer the best wines at the

one in Toro and one in La Mancha.

best prices, and we want to do the same with

They all make Tempranillo in the

the independent sector.”

same way, so it’s a great opportunity to explore

Fine Wines Direct can offer bespoke

the effect of different Spanish terroir. For a

promotional support for retailers and is encouraging wine writers to include

we will focus more on. You really get the

independent stockists in press reviews of its

influence of the cooler climate and it would

wines.

be good for anyone looking for a better-value

Bastien hosted a Zoom tasting of a selection

alternative to Burgundy.”

Bodega Escorihuela Gascon, Argentina

Marqués de Cáceres, Spain

Escorihuela Gascon Organic Vineyard

of wines from four producers for readers of The Wine Merchant.

MC Excellens Verdejo Rueda 2019, £10.99

Allan Scott, New Zealand

MC Excellens Rioja Gran Reserva 2010,

Allan Scott Pinot Gris 2020, £12.99

£19.99 “Marqués de Cáceres is owned by the Forner family and really helped

“Allan Scott was one of the first

to shape the Rioja region. The

viticulturalists to plant Sauvignon

family went into exile in the Civil

Blanc in Marlborough in the late

War and moved to Bordeaux. When

1970s,” says Bastien. “His son, Josh,

they came back they introduced

has now come on board. Their

French oak and new techniques.

Sauvignon Blanc is regarded as

“Excellens was a project aimed at

something of a benchmark in the

our customers in the on-trade, so

region and they have done a lot of

we were very much part of the process and

work experimenting with Riesling

developing the style of the wines. There’s a

and Pinot Gris, which is getting more and

real freshness throughout the range which is

more popular.

important because it encourages you to pour

“Scott Base in Central Otago is a range

Familia Gascon Malbec 2018, £10.99 Malbec 2018, £18.99 “Bodega Escorihuela Gascon is one of the oldest wineries in Argentina

Scott Base Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018, £19.99

premium range from Spain, it is an easy sell.”

another glass.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 25

and is consistently perceived as one of its finest producers. Rather than pursuing a big, extracted style of red, the winery’s mantra is to produce wines full of finesse and freshness while staying true to their terroir, and the results are absolutely superb. Escorihuela Gascon really tries to pinpoint provenance in the wines – to shine a light on terroir, not just the grape variety.”

Feature sponsored by Fine Wines Direct UK

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE COMPETITION First Prize BRIX dark oak single wine wall 800mm wide worth £1,200 Second Prize £250 worth of Pulpsafe transit packaging (of winner’s choice) Third Prize 4 x 6 bottle wooden postable wine hampers with transit outers More info about these and other WBC products can be found at wbc.co.uk

HOW TO ENTER

THE PRIZES

On the right, in image A, you’ll see an everyday scene from the

Easy to assemble, the BRIX dark oak wine wall is part of WBC’s

winelands of Mendoza: six UK wine merchants involved in a grape-

modular display range, and perfect for storing and displaying your

picking competition, on a trip organised by Condor Wines in 2019.

finest wine selection.

Below it is the same photograph, but with 10 subtle differences. It’s fabricated from robust birch wood and industrial steel and has If you can spot them all, mark them clearly on image B with a

a copper wash wire mesh frame. It can hold 60 to 80 bottles while

Sharpie pen or something similar, take a clear photo of your edits,

handy low-level storage ensures surplus stock can be conveniently

and email it to claire@winemerchantmag.com, with the subject

tucked away behind closed doors.

line Spot the Difference. Make sure to include your name, address and business details.

Display your bottles flat or at an angle – the choice is yours.

Correct entries received by the closing date of Tuesday, May 4

Pulpsafe bottle packaging offers the highest levels of protection

2021 will be entered into a draw and our three winners will be

for shipping your bottles with the greenest possible eco-

selected at random.

credentials. Its flexible nature allows for some variations in bottle shapes and sizes that more rigid material wouldn’t accommodate.

Winners will be notified by email and their names will be WBC’s wooden postable wine hampers are perfect for premium

published in the May edition of The Wine Merchant.

online wine selections and gifts. Made from strong pine ply, the six-bottle box comes with a double-wall cardboard insert that fits TERMS & CONDITIONS: The competition is organised by WBC and The Wine Merchant magazine. Strictly only ONE entry per business. All entrants must represent

up to 75cl standard Champagne, and a cardboard neck support to

an independent wine merchant based in the UK. Entries received after May 4 2021

hold bottles in place. The wooden box fits snugly inside a double-

will not be considered. No correspondence will be entered into.

wall card box.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 26

BITS & BOBS

Favourite Things

There was a degree of good news

with Margaret Rand taking over the

for wine shippers, retailers and,

reins.

potentially, drinkers this week after the UK government postponed the postBrexit introduction of new wine import papers. The simplified certificates were due to

be required on EU wines entering Great

Anne Harrison

Wine Down, Isle of Man Favourite wine on my list

Cigalus from Gérard Bertrand. This biodynamic Languedoc is simply stunning. And when one bottle isn’t enough, it’s also available in magnums!

Favourite wine and food match Slow cooked lamb shank with Badiola Las Parcelas from Rioja Alavesa. Modern-style Rioja with great balance of fruit, tannin and a touch of oak.

Magpie

Another delay for hated VI-1 forms

Britain from July 1. But ministers have

reset the deadline to the end of the year.

The government move follows a letter

signed by around 50 importers, merchants and retailers – including major names – calling on the import papers to be scrapped.

The certificates are intended as a

“simplified” version of VI-1 import forms. “This battle is far from over,” Wine &

Spirit Trade Association chief executive

Miles Beale said. “A delay is merely kicking the can down the road – yet again.” Decanter, March 25

The change will take effect from the 2022

edition, but publisher Mitchell Beazley

said the name of the book will not change “and nor will its format, its energy and its philosophy”.

Johnson said: “I couldn’t have kept this

little book going every year for 44 years without a little help from my friends, or

in the past 15 years or so, without a lot of

help from one very good friend. Gradually

it has become more Margaret Rand’s book

than mine, and I’m delighted, thrilled (and relieved) that she has now taken it on as her own responsibility.”

The Bookseller, March 29

Experts analyse the taste of space Researchers in Bordeaux are analysing a dozen of bottles of French wine and snippets of grapevines which have returned to Earth after spending a year

Favourite wine trip

at the International Space Station.

A difficult choice but it has to be a trip to Portugal with ABS. Amazing scenery, fantastic wines made by winemakers with real passion and delicious food.

At a one-of-a-kind tasting, 12

connoisseurs sampled one of the space-

travelled wines, blindly tasting the €5,000

(£4,312) bottle of Château Pétrus Pomerol, alongside a bottle from the same vintage

Favourite wine trade person

Manuel Moreno – he gave me the opportunity to further my career more than 20 years ago, believed in me and gave me confidence, which has led to where I am today.

Favourite wine shop

Portland Wine Company in Hale. Paula has been there for years and has a great range to appeal to every taste and budget.

that had stayed in a cellar.

“For me, the difference between the

“Thrilled and relieved” to be passing the baton

Rand takes over Hugh Johnson book Hugh Johnson is retiring from his role on the Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book series after more than four decades,

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 28

space and the earth wine ... it wasn’t

easy to define,” said Franck Dubourdieu, a Bordeaux-based agronomist and

oenologist, an expert in the study of wine and winemaking.

Experts said the [space] wine tasted

like rose petals, smelled like a campfire or

cured leather, and glistened with a “burntorange hue”.

Sky News, March 24

‘Transformed’ Majestic thinks big

THE BURNING QUESTION

What wine regions do you want to visit when travel is possible?

�

Majestic Wine has revealed a new

Luckily I’ve managed to visit many of my favourite wine destinations, from Marlborough in New Zealand to California, Sicily and Chile, but as yet I’ve never been able to make it to Argentina. I’m a huge fan of the Malbecs from there, the smooth and robust flavours that come from the Mendoza region, and knowing how much they love the British I can’t wait to visit.

expansion strategy as it targets future growth across the UK. The wine retailer has opened a new store

in Beaconsfield, Greater London, as part of the wider strategy.

The move now puts the total number of

Adam Rickitt Dexter & Jones, Knutsford

stores at over 200.

The store features an enlarged dedicated

fine wine section, a new-style tasting counter and revamped branding. The retailer said it recorded a

“transformational year”, which has seen

a 65% change in products stocked, a new website and core systems, and two other new stores.

Majestic also said the number of new

customers rose by 70%, with a “significant

�

I would love to tour the wineries of Napa Valley and Sonoma in particular, with Chateau Montelena being a winery I've always wanted to visit. I’ve met Bo Barrett at various trade tastings – he's such a character. But to be able to sit in the cellars, or better still, out in the vineyards, drinking some back vintages of Montelena Chardonnay with the legendary winemaker himself … now that is the dream.

”

Victoria Platt H Champagne winner H Loki, Birmingham

online growth” in the past 12 months. Retail Gazette, March 26

�

I think the answer is everywhere. As Jancis says, wine is geography in a bottle, but it is also about people who are passionate about what they do. I love the smaller producers. At the top of my list is Champagne. I would like to go there with my old work colleague Lizzy as she has been there before, so can show me the places to go. It would be great to visit all the different vineyard areas.

Expensive wines ‘taste better’ A new study has suggested that people are more likely to say they enjoy a

”

particular wine if they’re told it’s expensive – regardless of the genuine

Charlotte Dean Wined Up Here, Norbiton, London

price. At a tasting event held at the University

of Basel in Switzerland, psychologists

altered the prices of wines from their true cost.

Researchers found that when the blind

tasters were given a cheaper wine that they were told was four times more expensive than its true cost, they rated the tipple

as more “pleasant” than the actual more costly bottle.

“No effect was found when decreasing

the price label of the expensive wine by fourfold,” the researchers noted.

”

�

I’ve always wanted to go to Mendoza. Wine. Steak. Mountains. Horses. Yes please! My family and I are huge fans of all of these things so I can’t believe we haven’t managed to make a trip before now. It’s my big birthday this year, so you never know. If Covid allows and my husband gets the hint, we’ll be able to tick it off the bucket list soon.

”

Leanne Olivier Cru Wines, Bradford-on-Avon

Champagne Gosset The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584

Drinks Business, March 29

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 29

Istvan Balassa fell in love with Tokaj 22 years ago and believes it is the most complex wine region on earth. His Balassa Winery is a serial winner in wine competitions across the world and helps keep this treasured corner of Hungary in the limelight

aving completed 22 harvests, Istvan Balassa is now in the

prime of his winemaking life. The

with your wines, given this huge palette of terroir? It must be a gift to any winemaker looking to express an

owner of the multi-award winning Balassa

individual style.

can categorise Tokaj as the most complex

achieve this is by creating a separate wine

Winery discusses what sets Tokaj apart.

“My main goal is to showcase the terroir,

region in the world,” says Balassa.

from each parcel.

“There are a number of reasons why we “Underneath the surface, there is

an exceptionally intricate base layer

comprising of a wide variety of volcanic rock types. As a result, across 5,500

hectares there are about 1,000 individual terroirs which, when using the same

technology, would yield a different dry

Furmint, each with its particular character. “Then there is botrytis, our best friend

and our greatest adversary in one. Finally, once we consider the natural variability

between different vintages and their effects on the resulting wines, then we are faced

with a set of variables that present a unique challenge to any winemaker willing to take on the mantle of creating a Tokaji wine.” What are you trying to accomplish

and I firmly believe that the best way to “We work with three out of the six

permitted varieties – Furmint, Harslevelu and Zeta – cultivating grapes on 46

parcels from 12 different vineyards. It is an incredible feeling to make the parcel

truly come alive on your palate, and Tokaj presents an opportunity to do this like no other.

“The process involves bringing to the

surface the various aspects of the grape variety, the terroir and the vintage,

meticulously building up the perfectly

round sip layer by layer until it reflects all that a certain piece of Tokaj has to offer.

it be relevant to modern wine drinkers

begun to trial new grape types including

“We live in an ever-changing world and we

“We also try to adapt to the challenges

presented by climate change. We have

Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Through this exciting new project, we can discover how these international varieties

can help us keep Tokaj current and interesting no matter the circumstances.”

In the past, Tokaj wines were the firm favourite of royal courts across Europe. What is the message of Tokaj for the consumers of today? How can

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 30

while staying true to its traditional values? see our surroundings constantly shifting around us. The fantastic characteristics

of Tokaj lying just underneath the surface are a constant, however. This presents

winemakers working in the region with a

chance to create the highest quality wines, each with a special character to match.

“While it is crucial to respect traditions

and to build on the expertise of previous generations, to take Tokaj to its rightful

place at the top of the wine pyramid, we have to move with the times and make

sure that we reflect our time. The aim is

Meet the man they call Mr Tokaj

Istvan Balassa surveys a landscape of 1,000 terroirs

to create a rich and vivid liquid tapestry

“The strength of Tokaj lies in its unique

consumed on its own or alongside desserts,

contemporary, 21st century touch.

education is essential to emphasise its

thousand faces of our region ensures that

of the region, interweaving history, terroir and the winemaker’s signature with a

“In good vintages we can make deep and

layered dry and off-dry white wines. I can

say with some certainty that when it comes to sweet wines, due to their complexity

and acid-sugar balance, wines from Tokaj are some of the best, if not the best in the world.”

Wines from Tokaj can be dry, sweet or sparkling. How should UK wine merchants approach the region? What should they look for and who should they be targeting?

character. It is an unusual wine region

with unusual wines, so some customer distinctive volcanic personality. The

typical audience for Tokaj wine includes

consumers who value quality and tradition,

while also seeking something novel and out of the ordinary.

“Our wines are also especially suited to

gastronomy and make the perfect drink

accompaniment to a wide range of dishes. Dry wines go great with cheese, seafood

and charcuterie boards, while late harvests and Szamorodni are the natural pairing for dry-aged hams, Asian fusion cuisine and fruit cakes. Meanwhile Aszu can be

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 31

crowning a special meal.

“The versatility presented by the

there is a Tokaj wine for any occasion, and

I hope that British independent merchants can each find a bottle to fall in love with, like I did those 22 years ago.”

Feature published in association with Best of Hungary, which imports Balassa wines in the UK. www.bestofhungary.co.uk info@bestofhungary.co.uk

a foot in both camps

Graft has opened a shop of its own,but argues this won’t impact on its relationships with its retail customers. In fact, it could even enhance The Bradford on Avon shop was previously t hknown e m , asaRuby s NRed i kWine D aCellars rlington explains to Claire Harries

“

retail is something that has always attracted me. ultimately i think it will make me a better supplier to the independent sector because i’m living it

raft Wine Company’s latest project is a shop based at

a craft centre in the Surrey countryside. But boss Nik Darlington insists his indie customers have nothing

to worry about.

Pip at Manor Farm recently opened at Seale, near

Farnham, selling wines not just from the Graft range but from other suppliers too.

“I want to emphasise as far as Pip is concerned, we

don’t see ourselves playing a big role as a competing or notable wine merchant,” says Darlington.

“We are not going to steal anyone’s thunder. It’s just

a nice addition to the existing business in an area that

didn’t have that offering. It’s something that’s local to me and – I say this with a pinch of salt – it’s intended to be relatively low-maintenance.”

The direct-to-consumer channel is not exactly new

to Graft. Darlington’s original business, Red Squirrel, continues to sell to consumers online. David Knott’s

business, The Knotted Vine – which joined forces with Red Squirrel to create Graft – ran a bricks-and-mortar shop for two years.

Darlington says: “Going back into physical retail was

always something that, although it wasn’t a priority, David has wanted to do.

“We knew when the pandemic hit, the fact that we were

already a well-established online retailer was a benefit to us. We saw how a lot of competitors rushed to put

together some sort of e-commerce platform and in time really developed it into something bigger and better.

“I’m thinking of Indigo Wines, for instance, who have

launched a very high-end wine shop and then Berkmann and Jascots doing what they did. We were in a relatively

privileged position in that we could hit the ground running. We just had to make a few tweaks.”

t was around this time that Graft gave up its London office, and the team continues to work remotely.

While Darlington says “Graft will stay virtual for the

foreseeable future,” Pip at Manor Farm does provide some welcome office space.

Pip’s home is an old agricultural building in a rural

village on the North Downs Way. Darlington says: “There’s not the footfall in the sense of a busy high street, but

there is traffic. There’s a really popular tearoom as part

of the complex and there are a few other little businesses here.

“Our first customer happened to be from London, out

visiting for a dog walk. They saw the car park, saw the

shop and had no idea who we were or that we’d only been open 10 minutes.”

There is capacity for around 200 lines and although

90% of the stock will be Graft’s own wines, it’s working

with Liberty and ABS as well as local vineyard Greyfriars. “We’re not looking just to be a shop window for the Graft portfolio,” says Darlington.

“Retail is something that’s always attracted me,

particularly given most of the work I do is with the

independent sector rather than the on-trade. I enjoy working with that sector and I enjoy what a good independent merchant brings to a local area.

“Ultimately I think it will make me personally a better

supplier to the independent sector because I’m living it.

I realise now why sometimes customers can take two or three days to reply to an email!”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 33

JUST WILLIAMS

No shame in hugging an old vine Just as we form emotional bonds with ancient trees, sentiment also plays a part in our attachment to gnarled vines in old vineyards. No wonder more people are interested in protecting this precious resource, says David Williams

am a tree-hugger. Not literally – well, not every day at any rate. But I am

proud to admit that my relationship

with the arboreal has an emotional charge, and that, for certain special trees, that

emotion is something very close to love.

I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment.

I’d say it’s pretty widespread, even

when the strength of feeling is generally

repressed, and only tends to be revealed in grief.

Let me give you an example. A favourite

tree of my youth, a fabulously enormous, 50-foot holm oak, towered, benignly,

wisely, over the high street of the town

where I grew up, for close to 200 years.

Then, one day five years ago, I came back

to the town after a few months without visiting and the holm oak was gone, its

enormous bulk reduced to a scarred stump, after the local council discovered a large crack and an apparently terminal fungal disease.

Seeing the absence for the first time, I

was near tears. It felt to me as if the town

itself had been through a brutal, Victorian

doctor’s amputation. My father tells me

Or if I simply stop and think about the

surprised.

The tree and the vine

that there was crying, screaming, as the

work was carried out. I’m really not at all Is it just time, persistence, age, that

magic – what other word is there? – of photosynthesis.

grants a tree this sort of emotional power?

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit

to the one I get when I have the chance

a vine-hugger: to want to reach out and

Certainly that’s a part of it: there’s a

pleasantly dizzying feeling, not dissimilar to look at and reflect on a clear night

sky full of stars, when I think about the

sheer longevity of the oldest trees. To sit under an 800-year-old English oak, or a 2,000-year-old Spanish olive tree, is to

experience a sense of fathomless wonder and connection that is the closest this

atheist is ever likely to get to the spiritual. The wonder of trees only grows the

more I read and think about them. When I

remember that what goes on above ground is dwarfed by what goes on beneath our

feet (the average tree’s root system is up to three times the size of its canopy). Or how the root systems of the individual

trees that make up a forest come together

like an enormous communication network.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 34

a very old vineyard, you’ll know that it’s very easy for a tree-hugger to become

stroke the sensuously gnarly grains and

nubs of the tough old trunk. It’s certainly

not surprising to me that the world’s great chronicler of vines and vineyards, Hugh Johnson, also happens to be one of the finest writers on trees.

Indeed, with vines, the connection

can be even deeper, even more intimate: when we drink a wine made from the

fruit of very old vines, we are absorbing

some part of this ancient plant, taking it into the very core of our being. There’s

something ritualistic about this, recalling, as it does, the Eucharist, but which, for non-Christians, is no less powerfully

significant in its stirring up of wonder, and its reminder of the elemental force of life

relationship with old vines, and that we

(at least not consciously or before we’ve

from them – or to set up schemes to try

Of course, as we drink a glass of wine,

most of us, most of the time, aren’t thinking drunk too much) about time, memory and the power of the universe, no matter how good, or how old the vines used to make the wine, may be.

shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit it’s part

redoubtable South African old-vine-seeker

and map, catalogue and protect the world’s

superb white wines from old-vine Airén

of what drives us to seek out wines made old-vine heritage.

with their vineyards, a bond as strong as

that stops producing fruit, or is ridden with

and shared tips on how to work with them,

And although I’ve met winemakers who

have a palpably emotional connection

a shepherd with their flock, they are not

wholly given over to sentiment. The vine

disease, will receive no love or care, will be grubbed up and replaced without fuss. Still, I don’t think it’s too much of a

stretch to acknowledge that there is an

important emotional component to our

The global cast of speakers – from the

hat’s certainly my response to the Old Vine Conference. Launched over a two-day virtual event in

March in which winemakers from all over

the world extolled the virtues of old vines, the Old Vine Conference is the first step

in what its organisers hope will become

an international forum and movement “to

nurture and value great old vines, and their wines”.

Tabby raises a glass to those who, like her, are unable to travel

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 35

and viticulturist Rosa Kruger to Spanish

winemaker Elías Lopéz Montero, maker of in La Mancha – were consistent in their

message. That the world’s dwindling stock of old vines is a precious, sustainable

resource that needs protection, and that it

could be vital in helping the wine industry find ways to cope with climate change.

But there was more to it than the merely

functional or transactional. As the event’s organisers put it, the wines made from

old vines are not just special, delicious,

deeply flavoured and balanced. Like our relationship with trees and the vines

themselves, those wines can be nothing short of “transcendental”.

and the incomprehensible passage of time.

Brian Sheth (left) with Steve Smith MW

The Maori have a word for it ... and that word is Tūrangawaewae. It describes the way people connect with the land they live and work on, and it’s a favourite of Steve Smith’s. The Smith & Sheth business he owns with Brian Sheth works as the New Zealand equivalent of a négociant, sourcing fruit from exceptional terroirs and nurturing it into wines that have a genuine sense of place.

Feature sponsored by Louis Latour Agencies. For more information, visit www.louislatour.co.uk or call 0207 409 7276

mith & Sheth is on a mission to elevate the role of New Zealand in the fine wine world. The Smith of the name is Steve Smith MW, one-time Villa Maria viticulturalist and co-founder of Craggy Range. The Sheth is Brian Sheth, a Boston-born, Texas-based tech entrepreneur, lover of New Zealand and oenophile – “he doesn’t have a cellar to show off, he has a cellar to drink,” says Smith. Smith and Seth’s approach is to hook up with highquality vineyards to make wine that allows them to shine in their own right. “The idea is to collaborate with great growers and put together wines that represent a relationship with those pieces of land,” says Smith. “These are vineyards that have some heritage behind them that probably hasn’t been seen because the wine’s been blended away in a whole lot of bigger volume wines.” Smith aims to make wines that inject the lush fruit personality of New Zealand with a serious and savoury

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 36

old-world complexity. He shared his approach during a virtual tasting with readers of The Wine Merchant of five of Smith & Sheth’s CRU wines, available through Louis Latour Agencies. “I want to be drinking these wines when I’m grouchy and 85,” he told us.

CRU Wairau Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Marlborough RRP £18-£20

Wairau is the Maori name for Marlborough and this wine is made with grapes from two of the region’s best low-yielding Sauvignon vineyards. “There isn’t that big punch of herbaceous, passion fruit, stronglyflavoured New Zealand Sauvignon,” says Smith. “There’s more lime zest and yellow flowers, and this lovely dry texture of the

Sarah Helliwell stony soils. You can’t achieve those terroir textures if you’ve got heavy cropping grapes. “It’s serious Sauvignon to me. I sometimes ask myself, ‘where’s the [cult Pouilly Fumé producer] Dagueneau in New Zealand?’. If we’re going to be serious wine producers, we need to be making serious fine wine from Sauvignon. “I love a savoury finish on our whites. Too many white wines finish soft and easy.”

CRU Heretaunga Albariño 2019 Hawke’s Bay RRP £20-£22

Heretaunga is the Maori name for Hawke’s Bay. “We have a French brand name, but we like to celebrate Maori heritage too,” says Smith. “I’ve always had a great love of Albariño and thought it had a role to play in the northern parts of New Zealand. It needs warmth but also needs to be close to the ocean. “We make it like you would a Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux: barrel-fermented in mostly old oak and 25% malolactic fermentation which just softens the malic acid in the Albariño. About a third of the fermentation is with wild yeasts, and it has a decent amount of time on lees, without sulphur. “I see the saltiness you get in Galicia – I find it fascinating how a grape variety can have that characteristic.”

CRU Heretaunga Chardonnay 2018 Hawke’s Bay RRP £28-£30

This wine is a blend of Chardonnay from two vineyards, one the same source as the Albariño, the other “from the highest and probably oldest Chardonnay vineyards in Hawke’s Bay,” says Smith. “The two vineyards ripen about two weeks apart, so from one you get richness, softness and stone fruit and the other provides grapefruit, lime and savouriness on the palate. “I see the really great New Zealand Chardonnays as cross-dressers between the lushness of the new world and the tautness, savouriness and complexity of the old world. I think that’s where we sit in the fine wine space. We’re not as warm as California and Australia, or even

Oregon – we have some genuine coolness. “The savoury part of any food or wine is the thing that makes people go back. It’s an addictive thing and it’s a really valuable element in wines. “New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay needs to be on the world stage a bit more but if you want to do that you’ve got to give it the time and effort.”

CRU Heretaunga Syrah 2017 Hawke’s Bay RRP £28-30

This is a 100% Syrah from less stony parts of the Gimblett Gravels area. “It’s a classic example of the crossover between an old and new world,” Smith says. “It’s got the perfume, savoury elements of Syrah melded in with some of the black fruit components you can get from riper grapes. I’m not big fan of overt peppery character in Syrah. I love dried herb and violety character surrounded by a little bit of lushness. “Parts of this vineyard are almost 20 years old. If you saw a 20-year-old Syrah vine in the Gravels, it would look like a 30- or 40-year-old one somewhere else. They’ve just got that gnarly look about them.”

CRU Omahu Cantera 2017 Hawke’s Bay RRP £40

This is part of Smith & Sheth’s single vineyard range, a co-fermented Gimblett Gravels blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25%-30% Tempranillo and the balance Cabernet Franc, depending on the vintage. “Cantera means quarry in Spanish and Omahu is the Maori name for Gimblett Gravels,” says Smith. “I wanted to celebrate the Spanish story of Hawke’s Bay. There’s a lot of Spanish mission architecture and one of the Hawke’s Bay founding winemakers was Anthony Vidal, who was Spanish. “We’ve taken a Ribera-type approach with the blend. Tempranillo is a really good grape variety in the Gravels. It produces the sort of impact that Merlot normally does in a blend – this luscious, rich, round mid-palate fruit. “We may have more Tempranillo in the blend as the vines age and lose their overt fruitiness. At the moment, any more Tempranillo and it would be too open, too modern, too fruit-dominated.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 37

Eight Stony Street, Frome

The wines were showing really well. I think for me the standouts were the Albariño and the Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempranillo/ Cabernet Franc blend. It was really interesting to see what the future of quality-driven wines might look like in New Zealand, with innovative winemakers exploring the full range of possibilities the unique terroirs offer beyond Sauvignon Blanc. It is very promising if these two wines were anything to go by.

John Morris

Bradmans, Duffield, Derbyshire My standout was the Chardonnay. I found it well balanced, not too acidic, with some subtle citrus flavours and some buttery and oak flavours. Good retail potential so it’s a wine I’d be very interested in stocking. The Sauvignon Blanc was also quite subtle compared to some other noted New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that is on the market. The Omahu Cantera I also enjoyed, which had a great nose. I felt it opened up a lot after the tasting had finished with some lovely black fruit, oak and vanilla coming through. Obviously Steve is very passionate about the project and we will be interested in stocking his wines.

Mo O’Toole

Carruthers & Kent, Newcastle It was a really good tasting, and Steve is smashing. The wines were exceptional, we thought. The Albariño was really exquisite and actually quite smoky, the Chardonnay equally good and again I picked up a smoky note in it. Probably the wine of the night was the Cabernet Sauvignon/ Tempranillo/Cabernet Franc, which is going to age really well.

It was almost edible if you discarded

am a very good eater. I eat, therefore I am. I have made more friends by

unique al-dente veg from the delicious

When I lived in the South Pacific (here

Africa followed by a biley shitey finish.

creamy cheesy portion, even if the tasty

clearing a plate than by actually

bit of it was imbued with flavours of Lynx

speaking, no doubt. It is a core belief.

we go) my friend and host Temalisi, to

quieten my frequent demands for chips

6. NEEP PURPLE

to as “the Tongan version”: deep fried

Phoebe Weller of Valhalla’s

requiring a visit to The International Date Line Hotel, made me what she referred

breadfruit. Breadfruit is a spongy, opentextured savoury fruit. Google does not

verify this, making me think *perhaps* my memory isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be

Goat in Glasgow used to make breadfruit chips in Tonga and turnip dauphinoise in Scotland but now isn’t willing or able to do either of those things

which *could* be the result of what was

speak much English and I didn’t speak

“swede” interchangeably, FYI. In the south

and also my “fat calves”, which was an

A neep is whatever the

that I would eat all the breadfruit chips, English phrase that she did know.

Last month I was having this thing with

Brassicaceae, in particular the Orange

Fleshed Hard Root Vegetable with a Purple Blush to its shoulders [here on in known

as OFHRVPB because different bits of the UK use “turnip” “neep” and

bristly. I left the dauphiNOise (we having that?) in the Magic Fridge because I still

thought it was actually rather clever, albeit inedible.

Possibly in retaliation for me not

knowing the difference between HRVs in

the Brassicaceae department, the dauph’ what I thought was constrained to my

tepid oil. Infuse. Tada! Breadfruit chips! I

much Tongan but she appreciated the fact

are definitely squidgy crushed cube, not

can taste it in everything. Worse than that,

RECIPE: Wedge breadfruit. Immerse in

great and I really like/d her and she didn’t

pointy flavour and yet rotting neeps to me

infected everything in the Magic Fridge. I

referred to as “the Tongan Weed”.

would eat them all because Tema was/is

Which is weird because that’s definitely a

the purple ones are swedes. In the north

fridge is not only in my fridge but in my

BRAIN. I have become – cringe – a fusser.

the purple ones are turnips.

oldest most northerly person in the room says it is]. They usually have a yellow label

attached to them in Waitrose

and I’m a Fifer and as everyone

knows, all OFHRVPBs come from Fife, for it is our Kingdom’s Emblem.

left the OFHRVPB in the Magic Home Fridge for a “few days”

(not the Work Fridge somehow

abiding from the Oddbins era, Millennium

Bug sticker attached, that I’m pretty sure

is leaking ozone, but shh, don’t tell the

troops, I don’t want a re-run of that big flap the boys did when they convinced

themselves there was “asbestos” in the cellar ceiling) and made an OFHRVPB dauphinoise.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 38

The hippy shop gave me

a tomato soup the other day

that someone had whispered OFHRVPB

over and I couldn’t even eat it. FREE SOUP and I couldn’t even force it down.

I am now one of those people who will

have to have a quiet word at restaurants

to make sure that no OFHRVPB has been

added or even shared any proximity with my food while everybody else is having

a party at the other end of the table. My carefree days are over, best days gone. I didn’t know how good I had it.

Alan Snudden, pictured on a buying mission in France

Happy with life in general It’s almost 40 years since Alan Snudden set up his wine business in the back room of a London flat. Today, with two shops, a warehouse and a team of 25, The General Wine Company proved robust enough to withstand the rocky months of lockdown, and is approaching its milestone with some momentum behind it

MERCHANT PROFILE

‘It was so rewarding to see staff relishing their new roles. We are a lucky business having people like this’

ne of the most appealing things about Alan Snudden’s business

is its understated nature. Could

there, after all, be a more modest name than The General Wine Company?

It’s a point that seems to make Snudden

laugh and wince in equal measure. “It

actually comes from when we first started in 1982. There was the General Trading

Company in Covent Garden so at that time

How has life changed for the business

but not in a way that’s hip and groovy. I

shop especially, from July to October,

it was really trendy,” he says.

since the first lockdown?

think it’s potentially something we should

we did outside tastings and either had a

“It does tell the customer what we do,

look at because it sounds too bland.

“On the other hand, there’s a lot to be

said for being around for a decent amount of time and not changing it. We’ve never come up with a better name.”

Starting out in the back room of a

London flat, the business relocated to

Surrey and became a supplier to an offlicence in Liphook, a large village near

where the county borders Hampshire and Sussex. The business took over the shop when the owner retired, and opened a

warehouse nearby. About 10 years ago, a

branch eight miles away in Petersfield was

In the back parking area of the Petersfield supplier down or one of our guys would

be out there. Everyone felt good and safe

out there. We like to try and keep tastings going, but that has been difficult during

evening business is great, and there’s

parking, so the daytime and weekend business is fine too.”

Wholesaling remains the main focus of

the business, accounting for 75% to 80% of turnover.

“Because we’ve got the trade side, we

have four or five vans that are running around, so at the weekends if they get

an order in Petersfield, we can get that

delivered as well. Everything bolts together quite nicely.”

of staff relishing the new roles they were stepping into. We are a lucky business having people like this.

Have you had to furlough a lot of

We split into teams on the basis that if one

of times when we started advertising them,

we decided it was a route we didn’t want to take. But we have done things on the trade side like staff training with some of our

customers and that’s worked quite well. How did the team cope with the

excellent sales team, led by our sales

commuter business,” says Snudden. “Early-

It was so rewarding to see all members

we ended up with three or four people, so

We looked at Zoom tastings but a couple

from the Liphook shop that if you’re close to a station there’s a decent amount of

deliveries in one day.

people?

challenges?

“We waited for a few years for the right

One driver took the record with 37 local

lockdown.

opened.

premises to come along and we’ve learnt

taking out deliveries to the local area.

When lockdown started a year ago, we

had to turn the business on its head. Our director, Sara Bangert, started working

in the shops. This strengthened the shop

teams and we saw a substantial increase in retail business.

The stock was managed judiciously by

our purchasing director, Angus McDonald.

We had containers on the water from Chile and Argentina: these had to be diverted

to bonded warehouses so cashflow wasn’t threatened by large duty payments.

In the warehouse, the drivers and

warehouse staff moved seamlessly over to handling internet orders. We were able to keep half our vans and drivers working,

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 41

We have 25 people altogether and

everyone is still working to some extent. person in one team got the coronavirus,

they would all go home, and another team could step in.

We ended up with three people in one

team who went down with it and we were

able to say, “off you go,” and gave the place

a good clean and the other team stepped in while the “plague” team stayed at home. We’re obviously not using the vans all

the time, so the drivers are working on a rota basis. As things start to pick up,

we can gradually bring people back as

we need them. The fact we can furlough

through to September is a great relief. We

won’t need to, I’m sure, but the fact that we can just makes you feel a bit better.

We’re not going to make anything this

year, but we’re not going to be hit.

Have you had to get extra finance to help keep things running? Back in the late 80s and early 90s the

Continues page 42

MERCHANT PROFILE

From page 41

banks made it very difficult: they were calling in loans and that sort of thing.

Late March last year we spoke to the

bank and made sure our overdrafts and

credit lines were all secured, and they were completely comfortable. I think it helps that we are nearly 40 years old and we

have some history, whereas back in 1990 we’d only been going eight years and the banks treat you slightly differently.

So yes, we did have to dip into reserves

and just play very safe. We managed to bring the stock levels gradually down

The Liphook branch

over that period and the shops were still trading, so we were bringing in some

‘We’ll certainly be looking more into eastern Europe. There’s not the resistance there now’

money.

So much of it is just keeping in touch

with the bank. I think if we had needed to

go for some government-backed loans then there wouldn’t have been an issue. But we haven’t needed to do that; we’ve managed it ourselves.

In the normal scheme of things, how do you manage the trade list versus your retail list? We do have specific wines that we ship

for the shops and the same for the trade side. For example, if there’s a pub or a restaurant in Petersfield that wants a

Pinot Grigio, they don’t want to see the

same Pinot Grigio in the Petersfield shop and that’s part of the calculation, so it

means we probably carry more stock lines because of it.

With supply to farm shops, we have to

check very carefully that the wines are not on our website.

How big is the geographical spread on the trade side and what sort of customers do you have? It’s a real mixture. We have Michelinstarred restaurants, gastro pubs and

hotels who do a lot of functions including

family businesses. For example, a couple of

the navy on the south coast.

Talking to someone we deal with in Mâcon,

weddings, which we’re hoping will kick off again this year. We do some business with We go into London every day and we go

up as far as High Wycombe. You can draw

a big line to Salisbury, Poole in Dorset and over to Brighton on the other side.

There are a few merchants we supply

but they are well out of our area so there is no crossover. They know we will put

together mixed pallets for them, and we agree pricing, so we don’t end up being more expensive than they are.

Who’s involved on the buying side of things? Angus McDonald looks after the buying

and the stock. He centralises everything.

Like every business, we tend to deal with

people who are like us. We are still a family business and we tend to deal with other

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 42

years ago we needed more Chablis, and our two suppliers didn’t have enough volume. we asked them if they knew anyone and

they referred us to someone they’d been at

college with and was in the family business in Chablis.

We went to see them, and it all gelled

very nicely. We take it in turn to go to fairs and visit suppliers.

We have a producer in Bordeaux who

we work very closely with and we take

customers out to visit him. It’s easy to get to and the wines are really interesting. Every supplier is different.

To an extent we split it down as well, so

Sara does a lot more with Australia and the

new world, Angus looks after the old world and, because before I started the business,

I spent a couple of years there, I tend to get given France.

THE GENERAL WINE COMPANY

What countries do you specialise in?

It took a while to come over and it’s

particularly intrigue you?

Across the board we probably do more

really enhanced what we do, and the

We’ve been shipping from Romania for five

from about four different suppliers. But

Wente wines. It’s the same if you look at

the shop. They have a following but on a

with France, Spain and Italy. With the new world, from every country we’re shipping that’s not the same job as we do in

Europe – we might have about 45 different suppliers in France.

I would say as a business our strength is

probably Europe but then when you look at what we have in the shops, we top up from different importers. We’re of a size that we

California section has grown. Some of that we’ve picked up through Fells with their

what we’re shipping from Bordeaux: you’re looking at selling between 20 and 40 quid. There’s some real interest there now. The wine is there to ship.

Does everything you ship come straight to the warehouse?

can get a better price if we buy a pallet.

Everything we ship can come straight

you would buy from a UK shipper or is

warehouses at all, which means we have

Is there anything on the trade side that that just for the shops? We will, but it really depends on the

shipper. We don’t really deal much with

Berkmann or Liberty, but they have certain

through and we pay duty as it comes into the warehouse. We don’t use bonded

a lot of duty tied up, but we don’t have the cost of bonded warehouses.

years now. The wines have proved more

popular on the on-trade side than through wine list, especially in a gastro pub type

place, Pinot Noir from Romania has proved very popular.

I was always a bit resistant – I’ve been

doing this for so long that I remember how popular Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon

was, but it wasn’t popular in a restaurant, it was popular in the shops.

If you can put a Pinot Noir or a Pinot

Grigio from Romania on a list it’s working

very well. The pricing is good, and the wine is very easy to drink. The volume is there but we can then add on to it. It’s more

difficult to sell a Feteasca on a list than it is a Pinot Noir but if you have the Pinot Noir

in there and it’s a good restaurant, you can

things that our customers are interested in.

get the Feteasca on there.

We have a very good relationship with Fells

We’ll certainly be looking more into

and they have some interesting stuff – if we

eastern Europe and there’s not the

want some port then that is where we are

resistance there now. It’s interesting to see

going to go, and other stuff appears on the

how perceptions have changed and people

back of it.

want to try new things.

If it’s a much smaller importer, then we

might be happy to come to an arrangement

Do you think the range you have is more

to enhance our list, but on an exclusive basis.

or less in balance now?

of being able to refresh your list?

warehouse and there’s one gap – and next

I think of what we’ve been selling in the

Has it been a frustrating time in terms One thing that has been very notable on the retail side during lockdown is that

the quality of the wine people are buying

has stepped up. The average bottle spend

last couple of months and walk around the Sara Bangert and Angus McDonald

We’re looking at bonding part of our

has probably increased by almost 50%,

warehouse. Anything we ship in decent

lines.

be 100 product lines in there.

so rather than £12 it pushes £20. We have struggled to replace the stock for some We used to sell a lot of the Belle Glos

Californian wines. The Pinot Noir is

absolutely delicious and had a good

following but we had a real struggle to get the supply, so we contacted them and we now ship from Belle Glos.

quantities we would put into the bonded area, so at any one time there might only Anything smaller, liked a mixed pallet

coming in from France or Romania, we’d

pay the duty as it came through. The secret, I always feel, is keep it simple.

Are there any countries or regions that

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 43

to it there’s this stubborn stack of wine that hasn’t gone.

We’re moving into spring/summer, so a

different style of wines, but we’ve still got

wines from Christmas that we need to keep moving through. Getting the balance of the list right? We never get it right!

How do you see your online business evolving? We had our first website in 1998 and we Continues page 44

MERCHANT PROFILE

From page 43

didn’t pursue it because we had so many

other things to do. But certainly we will be doing a lot more of it and we have various plans on which way it’s going to go.

The stock is all sitting here and a lot of

it we can deliver it ourselves. Anything

they place their order, put their card details

more willing to shop locally.

very good as well and has bought more

for the little guys.

in and something will actually arrive. Having click and collect has been

customers in. Hopefully that will carry on when we reopen properly.

What can you see happening with the business next?

within 20 or 30 miles is free delivery.

If the right premises came up, we’d look at

has got, so it really comes down to how

for introducing a lot more people to wine

We also have the whole country to play

with and we have wines that nobody else we market ourselves and how we keep

on building that customer base. It’s been

interesting to see what’s worked and what hasn’t.

We did very well last week with rosé and

we’ve done other things that have been a complete waste of time.

Either customers are looking for the

cheapest bottle of Bollinger, so they are going to type in “Bollinger”, or they are

looking for a regular supply and they come to us because they can’t find it anywhere else.

I know that we could sell a load of

Bollinger if we were the cheapest on it, but that’s not building anything. Next week

it. I think there’s room out there for it.

You’ve got to thank the supermarkets

over the last 20 or 30 years. People get to a certain level and that’s where we come in,

and I think over lockdowns that has forced the issue a little bit.

People haven’t been that keen to go into

supermarkets and have found that actually there are some very good wines in their

local independents and they have found some great wines.

We’ve noticed a lot of our pub customers,

whether they are in a small town or village, have opened up as shops, selling our

wines and beer and takeaway food for the weekends. It shows that people are much

I think this will carry on. People will still

go to supermarkets but there’s more space Are you itching to do more or are you happy and content with how things are? There are days … but the fact is that I love it. I know everyone will say this, but the wine business is a very social business,

both the buying and the selling side. You go and see even a new supplier perhaps

down in the south of France … you walk in

and that’s it, you’re there for lunch. We’re a sociable bunch.

I look at the changes that have happened

since I’ve been doing it and it’s absolutely

fascinating, and more changes are coming through. You can’t stand still; there’s no thrill in that.

I’m looking forward to trying to get

our wines out there through the website. There’s nothing better than having a

customer coming back in and saying that

the Ventoux we’ve just shipped was bloody brilliant. I’ll be doing this for a long time yet.

when you’re not the cheapest, someone else is going to be, and that’s not very satisfying.

I get more satisfaction from selling

really nice wine that we’ve found that isn’t available elsewhere and you gradually build custom like that.

Over the past year, indies have typically seen online sales jump from around 5% to nearer 15% of turnover. If we took the whole year of the retail

business then we’re probably looking at

20%, which is marvellous. I think having some bricks and mortar … potentially

customers feel a bit more relaxed that

there is actually something solid there. The idea is the customers feel comfortable that

The Petersfield shop: retail wines do not overlap with the trade list

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 44

THE WINEMAKER FILES //

David Guimaraens, The Fladgate Partnership

David is the sixth generation of his family to be involved in making the company’s wines, following in the footsteps of his father, Bruce Guimaraens. Born in Oporto, he went to school in England, graduated from Roseworthy, and worked in Australia, California and Oregon before coming home to Portugal in 1990.

When I was a boy I would grab any opportunity I could to go to the Douro valley. It was a three-hour drive so just getting there was an adventure and you learned a whole different reality. On top of that I got to spend a whole day with my father and that was extra special.

My first full proper harvest experience was when I was eight. My father took me out of school for two weeks in September and I worked with the farm manager. I remember the headmaster was not too happy. My father said to him, “my son will learn more in two weeks of a harvest than a whole year at your school”.

Croft, Fonseca and Taylor are not three brands. They are three port houses. It starts in the vineyard. When you take the three vintage ports from the same year and you taste them side by side you can see that they taste completely different, and that is only possible because they each have their own quintas. The grapes are different for each port house.

There is no doubt at all that viticulture in the Douro valley is among the most challenging in the world. When you are planting a vineyard in the Douro valley you are shaping the landscape. It is because of all these challenges that, if you can afford it, it makes it the most interesting viticulture in the world. Sustainability for me is environmental, social and economic. You have to have biodiversity. Working in mountain

viticulture is back-breaking work, so we look for farming solutions to create better conditions for our workers. Port is sold too cheap: you have to sell your product for the right price for the rest to be sustainable.

One of the secrets of mountain viticulture and port in a hot climate is working with different grape varieties. If you take the virtues of each of the grape varieties and put them together in the right combination, that is when you get the most balanced ports. When you take the best variety on its own it will never be as good as the sum of the right combination of four or five varieties. In the Douro it is the field blend that has taught us that. One of the fastest growing categories in port is dry white port. Served chilled in the summer, it’s so refreshing. It can be served on its own or with a mixer. Rosé port does not go to the traditional vintage port consumer. Aged tawnies are great to accompany a meal without having to think about it. The younger generation are open to experiences, and with wine you can travel the world.

Fortified wine grew tremendously in the UK last year. Nowadays the fortified category has had to be more open and dynamic and I think we will be looking ahead to some very positive times. The port trade is shrinking in volume because people are drinking less entry-level port but we have never sold so much premium port as we do today. Port is very healthy as a category.

Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft ports are imported into the UK by Mentzendorff 020 7840 3600 www.mentzendorff.co.uk THE WINE MERCHANT April 2021 45

Taylor's Chip Dry Port RRP: £16 I’ve taken back the dry white port to be made in the traditional granite lagares with mechanical plungers. Then I age it in wood for three years to give it a bit of maturation. I don’t just want it to be just a high-alcohol fruity white wine. It is more complex and really benefits from these really pure clean spirits that we use today.

Fonseca Bin 27 RRP: £13.50 A port that my father started in the early 70s and it’s full-bodied and fruity. It’s a great port to be drunk at the end of the meal. It has the taste of a young vintage port. It is rich and full, it has a nice amount of tannin which will balance incredibly well with chocolate, cheese or cheesecake.

Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage RRP: £23 Croft has one of the most unbelievable quintas in the Douro. Croft vintage ports are made from a collection of vineyards planted at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. It has got this extraordinary personality. You can enjoy it young with its fruit expression but it will age incredibly.

Portugal is having a moment Its wines have long been tipped for great things in the UK market. Now, says David Williams, there are finally signs of a genuine breakthrough

trade and wine writer favourite, Portuguese table wine has been

granted next-big-thing status for

at least 20 years now.

But like those other perennial nearly-

wines always on the brink of a revival or

a breakthrough – hello sherry, Greek wine and Riesling – it has, hitherto, never quite seemed to happen for Portugal. The more

the hype and the love of the in-crowd have grown, the further away a mainstream break has seemed.

All of which throat-clearing is there to

try to placate anyone who might be a little weary, in a cry-wolf style, of the claim I’m about to make. Which is: it really does

seem like Portugal is having a moment. The export figures are certainly

pointing that way: in 2020, Portuguese

wine imports into the UK grew by some 19.2% in value versus 2019. That puts

the UK firmly in the top three of export

destinations for Portuguese wines, behind France and the USA.

This comes on the back of strong growth

in previous years, and – of particular

interest to readers of this publication –

much of that growth has come courtesy of the independent off-trade.

Indeed, as Wines of Portugal made clear

which is based on EPoS data from multiple retailers, and its own export figures, and

calculated that Portuguese wines should

have leapfrogged Argentina into the UK’s top 10 wine importers.

Arguments over statistics seem

increasingly irrelevant against a backdrop of tangibly growing sales and positive

consumer feedback, however. But what is Portugal doing right? What can it do

more of? And what wines – regions, styles,

grape varieties – are worth your attention? The Wine Merchant put these and other questions to two of the UK’s leading

Portuguese specialist importers to find out. Critical mass

Raymond Reynolds, head honcho of the

highly regarded eponymous Derbyshirebased company, reckons “there’s been a head of steam building for Portugal

for years. We reached a critical mass of perception just before the pandemic”.

“So much of that was caused by tourism,”

he adds, “and the way the country ramped up the quality of its offer to draw the

interested tourist into what Portugal is: its

gastronomy and culture, all lubricated with a growing and, really in the last six and

seven years, super-dynamic wine industry.”

success in independents can actually mask

discrepancy between Neilsen numbers,

[Niepoort], Luis Pato and others, they’ve

with a slightly bizarre, conspiratorial public intervention that talked about “hidden

channels” back in 2014, Portuguese wine’s how well it’s doing overall.

The organisation pointed out a large

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 46

eynolds admires the collegiate atmosphere in Portuguese

wines, and the creative energies

it has brought about. “The established

winemakers, the pioneers, people like Dirk

Lisbon

come on, they’ve helped the younger or

to be splashing out that sort of cash for a

themselves are multi-layered. “I’m trying

follow. Then there’s the influence of the

that’s not the point. One of the positive

Alentejo, you have Porto Allegre, which is

newer people onto the block and pulled

them on, and provided the benchmark to

rest of the wine world. All those things are coming together now.”

The mutually supportive atmosphere has

bred a new confidence among Portuguese producers, with new producers feeling

they have the freedom to take risks, and make the wines they want.

“They’ve come in and they’ve been

welcomed,” Reynolds says, offering as an example Carlos Raposo’s Vinhos

Imperfeitos project in the Dão and Vinho Verde. “This wonderful white wine that

costs nearly £300 a bottle. It’s not about

the price. It’s about what they’re trying to say and do: ‘I believe what I’m making is

seriously good and that’s my benchmark, and we’ll go up from there.’”

Of course, very few consumers are going

new kid on the block (or an established one, for that matter). But, for Reynolds, effects of Vinhos Imperfeitos and other

high-priced wines is that they help move

to stop generalising. The Alentejo, the Dão and the Douro, they’re fragmenting. In

its own region, the hills in the middle, the plains in the south. All are different.”

to moan on social media that Portugal’s

£15, £20, £25 etc,” Reynolds says.

producers including Niepoort and Sogrape

Portugal one step further away from any residual feeling that it’s only really there

to do good value, cheap wines. “I did used always the cheapest option, but that’s

disappearing. People are talking about the There’s also a sense that, thanks in part

to the greater understanding of Portugal’s geography that has come from that pre-

Covid boom in tourism to the country, wine consumers are much more comfortable with asking for wines from specific Portuguese regions.

Next, for Reynolds, will be an

understanding that those regions

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 47

hose three regions, and their

various sub-regions, are all singled out by Reynolds for quality and

variety. The Douro remains “the leader”, and Reynolds admires the way in which are increasingly investigating terroir.

In the Alentejo, Reynolds is happy that

growers are increasingly looking to plant or graft on local varieties, after the late-

20th century boom in planting dominated by international varieties such as Syrah.

And in the Dão, and to a slightly lesser

extent, Bairrada, Reynolds is excited by

the mix of local growers and stars from

Portuguese winemakers are very happy and open to doing this.”

Those consumers are overwhelmingly

customers at independent merchants, a sector which is “thriving”.

“Portugal is still connected with good

value for money,” says Mateus, “and entrylevel wines are still important. But, in the Dirk Niepoort

independents, on the Portuguese side, they are more willing to try different wines,

different blends, more willing to try upper end of the market, and medium to higher price points,” Mateus says. the Douro who have arrived to make

the most of the stock of superb old vines, in fragmented vineyards, and with small producers taking over from the once-

dominant co-operatives. “The potential’s

huge for very fine wines, at the top end, but also around £15 or £20,” Reynolds says. For whites, meanwhile, much of

Reynolds’ excitement is reserved for Vinho Verde, both in his own portfolio, and in

wines such as “the authentic but fun” Tchin Tchin, imported by Keeling Andrew.

In a similar vein, he admires Luis Pato’s

“constantly tweaked” white standard

bearer Maria Gomes from Bairrada, which “combines Atlantic freshness with the

softness of Maria Gomes. These are wines that are fun, that are good packages for

people who don’t understand Portugal, or whose perception is small. It brings them in, and they find a very fine white wine.” Connecting winemaker and consumer For Marta Mateus and Kevin Bowers,

the couple behind Nottingham-based

Portuguese specialist Marta Vine, one

explanation for the gains made by Portugal in recent years is the enthusiasm of its winemakers.

“We’ve done a lot to link the end

consumer with the winemaker; we’ve done a lot of online tastings, where you have people asking questions directly to the

winemaker,” says Bowers. “We find that

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 48

Like Reynolds, Mateus and Bowers

are keen to stress the regional diversity

available within the established regions, and to talk up the personality of the winemakers who work in them.

ne example is former wine writer, ballet dancer and

Niepoort protégé João Alfonso’s

Cabeças do Reguengo project, just outside the natural park in Porto Allegre in the Alentejo. “There is much more gravel

and stony soils here rather than the sand further south,” says Mateus. Alfonso uses

indigenous grape varieties, very old vines, and “loves field blends. His attitude with wines is lower intervention, with a very

high standard of winemaking. One wine is totally natural, and others are using a bit of sulphur. He is a producer who doesn’t

speak about one grape variety it’s this plot or these vines that make sense for him.” These kind of small-scale wines are

an important part of Portugal’s current

appeal. But the couple are impressed, too, by the sales performance of the natural and organic wines they’ve introduced

from other parts of the Alentejo – and by wines that they say marry “traditional

regions with good modern packaging”

such as Ana Rola’s from the mid-Douro.

“They have been a real success story: lovely winemaker, small producer, the uniqueness of the valley with a bit of fresh air and modernity about it.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 49

João Pires (left) and Matt Gant

the douro’s dynamic duo T

he diversity of Douro table wines was evident in a Zoom tasting hosted by Quinta da Pedra Alta and The Wine

Merchant.

An array of grape varieties seldom

seen elsewhere, and the steep terraces of

Douro’s vineyards provide the conditions

for the region’s winemaking and blending skills to shine.

At Quinta da Pedra Alta, vineyard

elevations range from 200 to 500 metres,

“That ability to blend is the really cool

thing about the Douro – the opportunity to take that whole range of flavours, textures

and structures. It can be quite rare to have that diversity from only one site.”

Pires adds: “It is good to have varieties in

different exposures and locations; it gives

us the opportunity to adjust each year and maintain quality.”

Tinto both featuring 1% of the white grape

differ subtly with each vintage.

Since 2018, incumbent winemaker João

Fernão Pires within blends of more familiar

Pires has been joined by Matt Gant, of First

varietals – Rabigato, Viosinho and Gouveio

Drop in Australia’s Barossa Valley, as part

for the white and Touriga Nacional, Sousão

of a new management team.

and Touriga Franca for the red.

The pair strive to imbue a freshness and

“It still blows me away that the 1%

acidity in their Douro wines, tweaking

or 2% of a variety in a blend can make

picking times and blends in the process.

all the difference,” says Gant. “You can’t

“It’s the diversity that we have because

freshness to the wines,” says Gant.

demonstrated by the property’s two

£25), with the 2018 Branco and 2017

suit different varieties whose personalities

aspect of the vineyards that brings

he subtle art of blending was

Quinta da Pedra Alta Reservas (both

with a spectrum of growing conditions that

of the varieties, the elevation and the

at quinta da pedra alta, joão Pires and matt gant are making fresh, original and commercially interesting wines that were a hit with the independents attending a recent zoom masterclass

necessarily taste the variety, but you Elevations range from 200m to 500m

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 50

definitely feel the effect it has on texture and structure.

“It might be a softening effect, or an

Feature sponsored by Quinta da Pedra Alta in partnership with UK distributor Winetraders UK Winetraders UK: Michael Palij MW sales@winetradersuk.com 01993 882 440 Quinta da Pedra Alta: Andy Brown andy@qpa.pt 07824 592793 www.qpa.pt

aromatic lift it gives the wine. Those

years and it’s a totally different expression

until I went to Pedra Alta and it’s been a

small percentages can make a massive difference.”

he property’s lower price tier wines are Pedra a Pedra Branco (£13)

and Tinto (£15), both from the 2018

vintage.

The white is a 52-48 split between

Rabigato and Gouveio. “We use Rabigato because we like the acidity and the

saltiness which comes from the plot where it’s planted,” says Pires. “Gouveio is a

variety that brings more richness of texture and shows some citrus notes.”

Gant adds: “In some years the Gouveio

has some real tropical notes. The 2019

vintage we’re moving on to is reminiscent of the soft drink Lilt. In a cooler vintage it has punchy fruit but that’s balanced with

the Riesling-esque acidity of the Rabigato, which is a really zesty variety.

“The secret is to find the balance

between the two, given the yields and the vintage.”

The 2018 Pedra a Pedra red is a blend

of 42% Touriga Nacional, 31 % Touriga

Franca, 22% Tinta Barroca and 5% Sousão.

Gant says: “I’ve made Touriga Nacional in

the Barossa and McLaren Vale for nearly 20

“With port, everything is about

in the Douro.

blending the different components to give

revelation. It’s vastly underrated. Picked

tawny ports takes time, so for now the

“But I’d not come across Tinta Barocca

early, it has a wonderful freshness and

vibrancy that can give a blend drinkability and stop it becoming too heavy.”

Quinta da Pedra Alta’s production is

skewed 80-20 in favour of Douro table

wine versus port, but it expects to place

increasing emphasis on the latter in years to come.

The tasting featured Pedra No 3 White

Port (£18) and Alta No 10 10-Year-Old Tawny (£25).

“No 3 is a young port, with a herbal

nose, freshness and a little bit of honey character,” says Pires.

complexity.”

Gant adds: “Building up our stocks of

main focus is table wine.

“We’re looking at Gran Reservas, which

will be richer styles but with balance and elegance.

“We’re always looking for drinkability,

acidity and freshness, and the elevation on the estate allows us to do that.

“We can go from making aromatic whites

through to textural whites, from lighter-

bodied reds to ports. We can make a lineup of wines that can cater for any dinner party.”

“We didn’t to want to create anything too

> Merchant feedback

The port lends itself to the conventional

Henry Butler

dry or too sweet – we wanted something very drinkable.”

with-tonic serve but the Pedra Alta team say it work in twists on classic cocktails

such as the Tom Collins and the Negroni. The tawny displays a richness of dried

fruit caramel and coffee notes, says Pires,

but also the acidity and freshness of finish that Pedra Alta seeks in its table wines.

The Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton

I liked the whole range but was particularly impressed with the Pedra White and Red, the entry-level wines. Their bright fruit, fresh acidity and soft tannins (on the red) were impressive, from such a warm region. I thought they were both consumer friendly. And they look good too.

Charlotte Dean

Wined Up Here, Norbiton

I thought all the wines were very good. There was an obvious influence of new world winemaking with fruit and well-balanced acidity very much at the forefront. Commercially, the winning wine for me was the Pedra a Pedra Tinto, with its very juicy red berries and purple Victoria plum fruit and a touch of smooth chocolate on the dry finish. The 10-year-old Tawny was brilliantly packaged, very gifty-spot on for me and the port was deliciously sweet and unctuous with notes of dried plums and chocolate.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 51

ZOOM TASTING

The Cognac hunter David Baker uses his network of connections in the Grande Champagne region and beyond to seek out the kinds of long-aged, single-estate Cognacs that tell the story of this classic brandy in a far more evocative and compelling way than the big brands ever could

ll Cognacs are not the same. That was the message from a virtual tasting for readers of The Wine

14 years in cask, 40% abv, £67.90

Merchant in partnership with Hermitage

Hermitage favours Cognacs from Grande

as gin, rum and single malt whisky enjoy an

special relationship with Chez Richon, the

Cognac.

While recent years have seen spirits such

explosion of niche producers with distinct USPs, Cognac remains largely dominated by mass-produced big brands.

Hermitage managing director David

Baker is on a mission to change that, using 30 years of experience in the industry to source lengthily-aged, single-estate

Cognacs that connect the spirit with the

land that the grapes that they’re distilled from are grown on.

“We seek out Cognacs with individual

flavours rather than the generic styles like XO and VSOP,” he explains.

“Quite frankly, because the big brands are

so heavily blended, they’ve become almost the same as each other.

“We’re looking for Cognacs that are

made on small stills with individual-

shaped still heads where the spirit can

Feature sponsored by Hermitage Cognac. For more information visit www.hermitagecognac.com, email david@hermitagecognac.com or call 01225 863988

2005 Grande Champagne

escape quite quickly, and where the cut is

quite low so we have more winey flavours coming out.

“We buy Cognacs from the best distillers

Champagne, the premier cru region that produces the highest quality, and has a producer of the opening Cognac.

“With Chez Richon Cognacs you get

quite a lot of roasted walnut, mocha, toffee, slightly chocolatey, cocoa flavours and aromas,” says David.

“The other characteristic with a Grande

Champagne Cognac is some orange peel or mandarin citrus flavour on the tail. What

we look for is a good balance of maximum flavour and minimum burn, and this is a very good example of that.

“We will never sell a Cognac at less

than 10 years old. I don’t think a Cognac

is mature unless it is, particularly Grande Champagne ones. They mature much slower than other crus.”

Account manager Alex Johnson adds:

“Here we’ve got a 14-year-old Cognac that’s beyond the legal minimum for XO and way beyond that for VSOP – but we don’t use

those terms. We tell you exactly what it is.”

1995 Grande Champagne

that make the Cognacs with the widest

24 years in cask, 43% abv, £114.90

people lose interest.”

Richon, where, says Alex, “the soils and

taste range and a lot more individuality. “If everything tastes the same, then

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 52

This is another Cognac from Chez

microclimates are perfect – you can’t really

“It’s important to put a bit more

go wrong”.

knowledge out at every stage,” adds David.

merchants, he adds.

luxurious Cognac.”

Cognac’s roots in the vineyard should

make it a snug fit for independent wine

“It’s a bit different to malted barley and

single malt Scotch when you’re dealing

“We need to make sure people understand why they should pay more for a more

Marie Louise

with grapes,” Alex says. “Every year you’re

Over 60 years in cask, 43% abv, £1,849

character.

entire Hermitage portfolio is this Grande

going to get changes in the vineyard and different barrels which will change the

David’s personal favourite from the

2005 but there’s no increase in intensity

Cumbria Crystal decanter and a wooden

“We’ve gone a little bit up in abv from the

on the nose. We’ve got some official tasting notes which include cocoa, butterscotch

and walnuts but I was doing a bit of tasting this morning and was coming up with

things like apple, cinnamon, sultana, hints of cedar and sandalwood, dried apricots, a bit of early spring florality and maybe

some manuka honey, progressing to some furniture polish, waxiness, and back to butterscotch.

“We’re always aiming for finesse and

balance. There’s a lovely progression of

Champagne Cognac that comes in a 1-litre

“You could sit with this under your nose

for an hour and still spot new aromas. It

has a wonderful balance, no burn and you

can drink it very easily – and it will stay on the palate for a very long time.”

presentation box, and is named after the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

“It’s one of the finest Cognacs we’ve got,”

says David. “It’s a really complex Cognac with an intense richness that’s built up over the years.

“Of course it’s expensive, but the

interesting point is that it has been aged in

cask for more than 60 years and reflects all the qualities found across our range.

flavour and a lot to explore.

“It’s our mission to get single-estate

Cognac the same level of respect and

participation as single malt whisky, to

establish an understanding that not all Cognacs are alike.”

30-year-old Grande Champagne

Over 30 years in cask, 43% abv, £159.90 The tasting covered just a brief selection of Hermitage’s Cognacs. It has more than 40 in its range, covering vintages from 1880

through to 2010, and age statements from 10 to 70 years.

“They’ve all got their own stories to tell,”

says David. “Single-estate, age statements, premier cru, naturally-aged: these are

things people are interested in in these days.”

All Hermitage Cognacs come in luxury

packaging with tasting notes and still and distillation details.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 53

BarBits ice ball mould As the green light on hospitality is around the corner, prepare to reopen your bar in style. Ice balls are perfect for cocktails and party drinks. Fruit and herbs can also be added to this silicone mould to create giant

Wooden wine crates Up the ante on courier-safe

flavoured ice balls.. barbits.co.uk, £4.95

packaging with a wooden wine crate, which can be personalised with brand names and logos in as little as seven days. The crate fits a doublewall card transit pack on the inside and strong card transit outers are available for the outside too. Smart wooden crates never go out of style and will offer customers fantastic ongoing use.

World Whisky Day is on May 15. It’s not exactly a sitting by the fireside with a single malt time of year, but one when whisky, or whiskey, needs to be put to more refreshing, spring-like use. This twist on the mint julep adds quenching length with the addition of ginger beer, but a good quality fizzy raspberry or elderflower soft drink could be just as effective. A normal julep would contain sugar syrup but the ginger beer does the job of providing sweetness instead.

wbc.co.uk, from £15.24 with next day delivery 6cl bourbon 10 mint leaves 20cl ginger beer

Vino bat corkscrew It’s time to put recent world events behind us and give bats a break. Who wouldn’t love this show-off with his beautiful wings beating hard to open a bottle of Feteasca Neagra? redcandy.co.uk, £29

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 55

Put the bourbon and seven or eight mint leaves in a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a metal julep cup or highball glass half-filled with ice. Top with ginger beer to taste and decorate with any remaining mint leaves.

The public gets what the public wants

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 56

Toscanaccio’s extended buying team includes a chemist, a weather man and a historian. With more indies involving their customers in the buying process, the arrangement is not as unusual as it might seem. By Claire Harries

importance of wine temperature and letting wine breathe. It also

Winchester, take this risk assessment one step further and involve

ourselves.

ndependent wine merchants generally stock their shelves with their customer base firmly in mind. Nobody wants a shop full of wine that people won’t like or can’t afford.

Some merchants, like Cat Brandwood at Toscanaccio in

their customers in the selection process.

Toscanaccio’s online wine tasting club, created during lockdown,

has already provided useful inspiration for new listings. Recently Brandwood has formalised arrangements a little.

“For the next six weeks we’ll be exploring the role of the wine

buyer and trying six brand new wines recommended to us,” she explained to guests in an email a few months ago.

“We’ll be discussing the various elements that influence

our decision to buy a wine. You’ll be feeding into the process

and ultimately deciding whether the wines we try end up as a permanent part of the range.”

With around 36 households taking part, each paying around £90

to join the six tastings, it’s a good business proposition too.

Members of the panel aren’t under any pressure to place orders

for the wines they endorse, and they can take part in as many or as few sessions as they like. “Some people don’t join every week because some don’t drink white or they don’t drink red, but the vast majority will try anything,” says Brandwood.

“I’ve promised them that I will use their notes and feedback

on a display in the shop to show that the Toscanaccio Wine Club

gives people’s palates a chance to warm up and provides a deeper sense of connection with a wine because you’re spending half

an hour thinking about it, which we rarely do as professionals

“They are a really interesting bunch: all sorts of people from

different walks of life. The great thing is that they have all been able to add something.

“We had a bit of a debate about terroir the other week with a

chemist and the historians can round out some of the historical facts.

“The weather guy has been able to share his screen of particular

weather maps to illustrate a point I was making about terroir and climate.

“They’ve been asking for proper marking sheets and a list of

technical words to use when describing wines. One of the favourite things they’ve discovered is that Koshu grapes have little hats on. That is literally their favourite wine fact and they are waiting for the day that I trump that fact.”

uppliers have been playing their part. “I asked my suppliers for some recommendations for new and slightly off-thewall things,” says Brandwood.

“There’s no point in them sending me a Barbera because, unless

recommends these wines. They got so excited about having that

it’s rubbish, it’s probably going to end up on the shelves because

wine club customers to continue to enjoy the wine with their

going to sell unless people back it.

input and it gives them ownership.”

Brandwood suggests suitable food pairings to encourage her

evening meal after the call has finished.

“The tasting lasts half an hour but it can be a couple of hours

before it’s over because they all chat,” she says.

ocusing on just one wine a week also has its advantages.

“They taste the wine at the beginning of the presentation and again at the end. It really does demonstrate the

people will buy a Barbera or a new Chianti from me, whereas

tomorrow we will be trying a Roussette de Savoie which I’m never “It’s all about increasing engagement, and judging by the way

the group has organically grown and with people recommending their friends …

“I’m assuming that once lockdown finishes things will change

again but I wonder if this will persist even past lockdown because, let’s face it, tuning in for half and hour of an evening is much

easier than getting a sitter and booking a taxi. So I suspect it will continue in some form.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 57

How customers play their part in buying decisions

Jane Taylor, Dronfield Wine World, Derbyshire

“I’m surrounded by samples so we’re dividing them up and we have been dropping them off with select customers to get their feedback. “We had been doing it as kind of a reward just to keep up the engagement. We’re going to change that and advertise what we’re doing in a newsletter and on social media, and ask people if they want to take part to come in and take some free samples on the condition that they give us the feedback on the tasting sheet we provide. “We’ll do it on a first come, first served basis. We decant them into mini-bottles so they’ll have to come in on the day to collect them, so the wine is fresh. “It can be useful but I tend to trust my own judgement because we know what sells well. “We sent out samples of a Georgian natural wine, and people hated it. But we’re building up a base of customers who are more into craft beer and natural wines, so I’ve sent out some samples to those guys.”

Tim Watson, The Grape to Glass Wine Shop, Rhos-on-Sea “I chose the first 200 wines when we opened nearly five years ago [the most recent stock take showed 1,800 bins]. Any new samples that came in from suppliers I would invite customers to taste them and if they were popular, I’d get them in. “I would say that a quarter of the bins that are there have been evaluated by our own customers prior to us stocking it. It’s nice for them to tell their friends that they’ve helped choose a wine for the shop and there’s a bit of a community feel about it. “Our customers understand that there are 20 or 30 lines that we always have but a lot of people want to try different things, and we’ve always had a tasting counter to do that. In the evening we’d open perhaps three wines that we’d just bought 12 of, to try out on the market. If people liked it then we might swap it with a similar wine from the same supplier, so we’d get a bit of diversity from each supplier. It’s been hard during lockdown – we’ve not pulled a cork for a customer since last March.”

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 58

THE WINEMAKER FILES //

Carl Schultz, Hartenberg If you farm in South Africa, you need to be tough. It is the only wine growing country in the world that is not subsidised by the government. You will not find a more innovative and ingenious lot; there is a great sense of camaraderie here. The wine community sees a bigger picture, competition isn’t the guy across the fence. I am a member of the Cape Winemaker’s Guild and our aim has always been to exchange ideas, to assist each other. We hope to build awareness of our brands and steer excellence for the industry.

The overriding factor that will drive the wines is the innate, unchangeable site. Hartenberg is a very historic Cape Dutch property, dating back to 1692. This is the oldest family-owned producer of Syrah in South Africa. It was at Hartenberg that some of the very first Cabernet Sauvignons were estate-grown. We are about 8km north of Stellenbosch and about 35km east of Cape Town city on the mid and upper slopes of the Bottelary Hills. The farm location is due to seven springs that have been our sole source of water for over 400 years. At Hartenberg, wines have always been extremely elegant. I think it’s in the DNA of the site. We have been adapting to mitigate the effects of climate change for decades. Being north of Stellenbosch we are slightly warmer, so our strength is red. We are seeing the arrival of more southern Rhône, Portuguese, Greek and Spanish varieties coming to our shore due to general

warming and drying of the Cape. Varieties that have been able to adapt to our location – such as Chardonnay and Riesling – have a firm place in our vineyards. We practice conservation farming and farm organically. Of the 170 hectare property, 65 hectares are protected wetland which we are committed to preserving. Decades ago we doubled the capacity of the catchment dams. There is no doubt that we need to adapt for a changing climatic future. We are in the unique position that we are able to delay the release of our own wine. It’s often not by choice but by economics that South African winemakers release their wine a year or two after vintage. Hartenberg has always held on to wines until we believe they shine. For the second time in my 28 years at Hartenberg, we released a more recent vintage in place of an older one. The 2018s, when tasted, were expressive, fruit forward and very appealing. The 2017s had cocooned and we didn’t think they were ready and so we released the 2018s first. Sometimes you need to listen to a wine; it has its own plan.

We have found reward in experimentation. We are working on a revival of an old Cape variety called Pontac. I had to remove our plantings in 2000 on account of virus. At the time Hartenberg’s Pontac was the only bottled example globally. I have since acquired clean vines and it’s the first of its kind once again. We’ve also secured the foundation block for a new Grenache clone with extremely

Carl joined Hartenberg in 1993 and is one of the longest-serving and most respected winemakers in the Cape. The wines made from the estate in the Bottelary Hills are famed for their outstanding ability to age. Hartenberg is imported into the UK by Bancroft Wines 020 7232 5450 www.bancroftwines.com small berries. The vines grow in the toughest sites but from the outset, quality is superb. It will go into our new southern Rhône blend, The Megan. We are also looking at Touriga Nacional plantings and more Grenache.

Riesling fascinates me. It’s an underdog in South Africa: there are only 13 producers of pure Riesling. I took over the Riesling at Hartenberg with glee and today I am doing about three different styles. It is probably the only white grape that has the ability to outlive Chardonnay – which makes it pretty special.

Hartenberg Estate Riesling

Hartenberg Estate Chardonnay

Hartenberg Gravel Hill Syrah

RRP: £12.99 It’s made bone dry, which means there is nowhere to hide. If you have sugar, you can polish things. This wine needs great precision and perfect fruit. We don’t allow botrytis. The wine spends time in tank at a low temperature and stays on the lees for a year. It is released only two or three years from vintage.

RRP: £14.49 Grapes are handpicked at the coolest part of the day. Unusually, we de-stem by vibration so you get lots of beautiful whole berries. We are keen to go to barrel from the outset. It's blended between the different parcels and back to barrel for about 10 months, and released two or three vintages along.

RRP: £67.49 This Syrah has always been described as very Hermitage. Lots of white pepper, lots of violets – beautiful! This is an intellectual wine; it creeps up on you. We only release it five years from vintage. It doesn’t start out booming ... it seems to pace itself.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 59

FOCUS ON SOUTH AFRICA

The Cape’s must-stock wine regions

hen it comes to establishing a wine region or country in the

public imagination, there’s a fairly

defined path.

First comes the long hard work of

building credibility, the objective being

to get people saying, “Did you know Chile makes wine and it’s pretty good quality and amazing value?”

Next comes the process of persuading

people you have a speciality or two (“New Zealand is great for Sauvignon Blanc and

Pinot Noir”), before convincing customers that it’s worth trading up to find the best

examples (“The best California Cab is just as good as, if not better than, the best of Bordeaux”).

Finally, there’s what might be called

the terroir moment, the point where you are able to show that your country is not

some monolithic place, but a patchwork of different regions and vineyards, climates

and topographies, each of which is able to

produce its own distinctive, special styles. Timing and targeting are of course of

the essence. What works in a supermarket won’t work in a small-plates restaurant. And you can’t start talking up regional

variations if people are still at the point

where they find the idea of quality wine from your country about as plausible as wine from Iceland.

The Cape’s progress Where, then, should we place South Africa on this timeline?

The country has certainly ticked off the

first few steps in rapid time. We’ve had

the early post-Apartheid days when the

world began to reacquaint itself with the

very concept of South Africa as a possible source for quality wine.

We’ve had the good-value years of

the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the supermarkets’ shelves filled with

competitively priced Cape brands and ownlabels, and then, as the 2000s progressed,

the establishment of twin varietal points of difference, in Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.

Finally, throughout the past two decades,

we’ve seen the emergence of a succession

of world-class producers able to command cult followings and high prices around the world.

What we don’t yet have, I’d argue, at least

not in any meaningful or complex sense,

is a widespread awareness of the fabulous regional diversity on offer in the Cape. Some consumers may have heard of

some South African regions. Some may

even ask for them by name. But how many

are able to twin those places with a specific style in the manner of Burgundy and

Bordeaux – or even Napa and Barossa? It can’t be many. At least, not yet. But

with South African wines now very much a

part of most independent wine consumers’ repertoires, now seems like the perfect time to make a start on a process with

rewards for everyone in the chain – grower, distributor, retailer and consumer. Indeed, as South Africa emerges from a nightmare year of export restrictions and alcohol

bans, the regional route seems like the best way of capturing anew the sheer range

and quality on offer in arguably the most dynamic wine-producing country in the world.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 60

Stellenbosch and Fran

ny reckoning with South African

terroir has to start with the region that accounts for the lion’s share

of premium production. It’s a place that exudes complicated history, and old

money: its vast, impeccably tended, Cape Dutch wine farms, set against some of

the wine world’s most stunning scenery, are what most of us (and certainly most

picture editors) think of when we picture South African wine.

But if the winemaking teams at such

historic estates as Meerlust (established in 1693), Rustenberg (1682) and Vergelegen (1699) have ensured they’ve maintained

their places in any contemporary ranking of top Cape estates, Stellenbosch has

David Williams is your guide on a whistlestop tour of South Africa’s most dynamic viticultural areas. Continues on pages 65 and 67

nschhoek also been key in the rise of the new

varied sub-zones; a range of soil types,

the 1990s. From key figures of the early

sites across the sub-zones of Banghoek,

South African wine, with successive

generations of producers emerging since post-transition era such as Jordan, Ken Forrester, Thelema and De Trafford, to

such darlings of the 2010s new wave as Reyneke, The Foundry and Keermont,

Stellenbosch has a much more vibrantly diverse winemaking culture than the stereotype allows.

The same is true of the region’s growing

conditions. The Simonsberg, Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains create a range of topographies and altitudes, making

for enormous differences in rainfall and temperature throughout Stellenbosch’s

too, although variations on a theme of

granite is the motif of many of the best Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek

Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills,

Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and Vlottenburg. Taken together, you have a large region

with a justified reputation for serious,

ageworthy reds from Bordeaux varieties, with the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon a feature throughout. Such wines, you

feel, will continue to be at the heart of

Stellenbosch’s claim on a position as one of the world’s finest wine regions, but there are quality bottles made from a

wide portfolio of grape varieties, among

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 61

them some of the Cape’s finest Chenin Blanc (Forrester, Raats) and Pinotage (Kanonkop).

To the west of Stellenbosch,

Franschhoek’s self-contained valley is no

less historic, and no less picturesque, with

its grand estates (among them Boschendal,

founded in 1685) coloured by its Huguenot past, and a culinary and touristic scene

that has sometimes eclipsed the reputation

of its wineries. The standout producer here is undeniably Boekenhoutskloof, although much of the company’s flagship Syrah

is now sourced in the Swartland, while

Chamonix’s relatively elevated position in the valley yields some bright and tensile Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Method in his madness

making heavy, over-extracted wines when one of the parents is Pinot Noir? That’s why Spioenkop reinvented Pinotage in a more Pinot Noir style but with the colour extract and spiciness of Cinsault, with its thicker skin. It was an experiment for Spioenkop to plant this grape in Elgin and we’re still the only ones doing it. Cooler climate conditions give you much more delicate flavours and it brings the speed of fermentation down.” How did Roose react to news of his First Growth status? “I had no words when Tim called me and told me that we had moved a level higher to First Growth,” he says. “Tim is a fantastic taster and looks deeper than just the wine. He wants to understand the wider impact of your work. I see that in his eyes when he walks in the vineyards and tastes the wines. “Do I deserve that First Growth status? That is a subjective question that the consumer must answer. At Spioenkop we planted our first grapes in 2007, so it’s still a young vineyard. But what it gives us now is already making us excited for what we could achieve in 10 years’ time.”

Koen Roose of Spioenkop Wines in Elgin has an uncompromising and idiosyncratic approach to his craft – and it’s earned him First Growth accreditation in Tim Atkin MW’s latest report

’m not interested in copying anybody or any other region when it comes to my wines.” These are the words of a Belgian engineer who freely admits to being slightly crazy. A man who dislikes “squeaky clean” wines and whose pioneering efforts earned Spioenkop the status of First Growth in Tim Atkin MW’s 2020 South Africa Special Report. Koen Roose is right at home in the cool and windy Elgin Valley. Spioenkop occupies a piece of land with soil that is far too poor for crops other than grapes, and contours that make it a nightmare for farm machinery. These are details that seem to delight him. Working 90% organically, Roose has developed a cult following for wines that are sometimes described as “simple and elegant” but also reflect the idiosyncratic personality of the winemaker and the estate itself. Pinotage and Riesling are particular specialisms. “When you want to reflect your terroir, and if you want to give your wines an identity, you can’t work like a cooperative or like wine cellars that just harvest the fruit and want to make a good wine out of it,” says Roose.

“What does that mean? Well, when you use yeast or enzymes you lose the identity of the soil and climate from where the grapes come. Lots of wines are good, but they have a lack of spirit, grip and texture. They are just amazing aromatically, but that’s it. “I don’t like that style of wines and prefer more mouth feel. We try to make quality wines that show something more than just fruit.” Roose suggests there are “a lot of amazingly smart winemakers in South Africa who are much better than I”. “But they need a lot of adjustments,” he says. “Here we work in a natural way with no additives or tricks. “When you make great wines with a soul and depth, every consumer can taste that you don’t fuck around with your vineyard.” Pinotage remains a rather misunderstood and even maligned variety but Roose is a fan, though he points out it “ferments like a bomb” and yields oversized bunches on overly fertile soils, resulting in clunky, toasty wines that have a dwindling band of admirers. It doesn’t have to be that way. “Why are people

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 63

Feature sponsored by Spioenkop Wines, imported in the UK by Museum Wines. www.spioenkopwines.co.za www.museumwines.co.uk

THE WINEMAKER FILES //

Matt Day, Klein Constantia Matt started as a harvest intern at Klein Constantia in 2009, and rose to become assistant winemaker under Adam Mason. When new owners arrived and Adam moved on, Matt became one of the youngest winemakers in the Cape at the age of just 25. He is now also responsible for production at Anwilka, the company’s red wine estate in Stellenbosch.

I grew up on a farm south of Johannesburg. My grandad taught me to drive the tractor basically before I could ride a bike and from there on, I absolutely loved the farm and farming. This inspired my move to Stellenbosch to go and study agriculture and together with the love for wine started my winemaking journey.

I trained at the University of Stellenbosch, but I learned a lot about making wine by travelling and working to gain experience in a whole lot of different wine regions. I have been fortunate to have gained some experience from working in areas like the Barossa Valley, Napa, St Emilion, Tokaj, Sancerre and Pomerol. When you live and work at one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world making one of the most iconic and ancient wines of the world it would be very difficult to question your career choice. It really is a one-of-a-kind job which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

You kind of need to visit Klein Constantia to get a feel for what it’s all about. It’s a tiny little pocket of unique terroir located on the foothills of Table Mountain. Our vineyards range from 70m to 320m above sea level, and we are surrounded by the ocean on both sides of the Cape Peninsula. We can boast some of the oldest vineyard growing soils in the world: 500- to 600-million-year-old decomposed granite as well as Table Mountain sandstone. These have a huge

effect and create some incredibly diverse and unique wines.

To say it’s not daunting being responsible for Vin de Constance would be a lie. We are custodians to one of the great wine brands of the world. It has been enjoyed for 300-odd years and everyone who has ever tasted it has some form of attachment to it. The other challenge is that making sweet wine is a completely different ball game. There are so many variables and the risk of something going wrong is exponential compared to a dry wine.

Klein Constantia for me is a style that expresses our pure sense of place without too much intervention. We focus massively on Sauvignon Blanc. There are a couple of factors that contribute to the style, one being the high granite content of the soil, which almost gives our wine a saline, spicy and savoury character. The other main factor is that we benefit from an amazing cool climate. This means that we are able to get beautiful ripe flavours with great pH and acid levels.

We are focused on improving and taking Vin de Constance to the next level. We are striving for perfection and with time and hard work we will get there. The next focus for Klein Constantia is to get people to realise that our Sauvignon Blancs can compete with the best in the world. We aim to become the leading new world producer of Sauvignon Blanc featuring our Klein Constantia style.

Klein Constantia is imported into the UK by Mentzendorff 020 7840 3600 www.mentzendorff.co.uk

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 64

Vin de Constance RRP: £60 Grapes are harvested in numerous batches over a two-month period. Each batch is meticulously blended and after an extended fermentation period, the wine is aged for three years in a combination of 50% new oak and acacia barrels and large-format foudres before further blending and bottling.

Klein Constantia Metis RRP: £24 Made with Pascal Jolivet from Sancerre. Grapes were harvested by hand from 4am from high-lying blocks. No sulphur was added at crush and fermentation was wild. The wine was left to mature on the lees for a period of 12 months in a combination of stainless steel tank and 20% neutral oak barrels.

Klein Constantia Estate Red RRP: £24 The grapes are planted on the lower, warmer slopes allowing them to create an elegant and refined red wine with delicate tannins. Blocks are split into multiple portions and harvested at optimal ripeness. The wine is aged for 12 months before bottling. Traditionally a blend of Cabernet, Malbec, Shiraz and Petit Verdot.

FOCUS ON SOUTH AFRICA

swartland

A southern right whale in Walker Bay

ew wine regions anywhere have had

the impact that Swartland has had in the past couple of decades.

There’s more than a hint of romance to

a story that begins in the late 1990s, when this hot dusty region a couple of hours

north of Cape Town was still best known

for its wide stretches of cereal crops. The wines of a local co-operative caught the

attention of the influential Charles Back of Fairview. Back went on to co-found a

cellar in the region, Spice Route, which

gave an early job to one Eben Sadie, who,

enchanted with the old-vine riches in the region, went on to make his own agenda-

setting, attention-grabbing wines, starting

with the Rhône-style red blend, Columella. Sadie’s success inspired a coterie of

similarly adventurous young winemakers, many of whom had cut their teeth at

the cool coastal south

historic Stellenbosch estates and were

As has been the case all over the non-European

other star Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers

wine world, one of the themes of modern

such as Ataraxia, Newton Johnson and (in terms of

were attracted to the land prices, freedom,

South African wine has been the search for and

vineyard if not winery) Crystallum.

and old vines on offer in an area with a

development of cooler-climate sites. In South Africa, that process has increasingly

country around the very southern tip of Africa in

had languished in obscurity for much of

taken growers south, to sites, many of which have

Cape Agulhas, with the Elim ward, and producers

the 20th century. It’s a tight-knit group,

little or no previous vinous history, where the

such as Land’s End, producing some electrifying

with a surfer-hipsterish informality, that

Pacific and, in some cases, the Indian Ocean, have a

Sauvignon Blanc, while David Trafford’s superb

counts among its number the likes of Adi

profound impact on the climate in ways that have

project in Malgas, Sijnn, which produces a range

Badenhorst, Chris and Andrea Mullineux,

improved exponentially the quality of the country’s

of blends and single varieties from a mix of Syrah,

Johan Meyer, David and Nadia Sadie,

Pinot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and, in

Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Touriga Nacional and

Craig and Clara Hawkins (Testalonga) and

a cool-climate style, Syrah.

others, has shown just how much potential there is

by the natural wine scene) – combined

Stellenbosch, home to the likes of Riesling and

Cool-climate hunters have also made strides

Gewürztraminer wizard Paul Clüver, the superb

to the west, in the Atlantic-influenced vineyards

climate, its mix of shale-schist-, iron- and

Sauvignon and Chardonnay of Iona, and the talented

in and around the city limits of Cape Town,

granite-based soils and plenty of pockets of

Burgundian wines of English MW Richard Kershaw.

with producers such as Cape Point on the Cape

some of South Africa’s most distinctive

more pronounced in the various regions of Walker

and Buitenverwachting and Klein Constantia in

wines. Chenin Blanc and Syrah are key

Bay, the standout of which is undoubtedly the

Constantia making vivid, breezy dry Sauvignon

Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, home to regional pioneers

Blanc, the latter alongside its increasingly superb

variety of Rhône and Iberian varieties.

Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Findlayson, and

revival of the legendary Vin de Constance.

looking to develop their own thing and

long tradition of winemaking but which

Donovan Rall.

Those winemakers (many inspired

with Swartland’s hot, dry Mediterranean

precious old-vine material – have produced varieties, often as a base in blends with a

This Cape Côte d’Or starts in the cool basin among the apple orchards of Elgin, south of

Heading east, the maritime influence grows still

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 65

Further east, there’s still a sense of frontier

up to and beyond the current south eastern limits of the Cape.

Peninsula, De Grendel and Diemersdal in Darling,

Muratie owner Rijk Melck (left) with winemaker Hattingh de Villiers

THE WINEMAKER FILES //

Hattingh de Villiers, Muratie The estate is located on a north west facing slope with the altitude ranging from 180m to 280m. We are 35km from the Atlantic and about 30 km from the Indian Ocean. This allows for the vineyards to cool down during the evening. The cooling allows for a longer a ripening period, which enables the grape to reach phenolic ripeness before the sugars become too high.

All our pruning, suckering and leaf thinning, as well as green pruning, is done manually. This ensures that we harvest only the best grapes at even ripeness. Mechanisation is not a priority for us right now as we need to provide labour for the industry. We want to make a difference to the people’s lives, and can only do this by educating them in how to improve their viticultural skills. By doing this we are making them more confident and give them a right to self-determination. Our staff are all paid much more than the suggested minimum wage. We continue to have education programmes during the winter which could be to do with viticulture, health or even fiscal discipline.

Muratie is a proud member of the Integrity and Sustainability initiative. We are audited by the IPW – the Integrated Production of Wine initiative. Our last score achieved was 95%. We farm responsibly. Our spray programmes are audited: we use no pesticides, instead

we release insects in the vineyards that combat insects such as mealy bug. Our use of our water resources are closely monitored. Irrigation of our wines occurs under a “closed system”; water is pumped into holding tanks and from there we feed it into drip irrigation and so evaporation is severely limited. We use geese for pest control. We have a problem with them when it comes to Chardonnay. Every year there is a race between them and us. It actually acts as a trigger point for us: as soon as they lift their heads and start pecking at the Chardonnay, we know it is time that we should pick! We lose about 1150kg of grapes to them each year. I am bit of a bunny hugger so no geese are in danger.

Muratie’s unifying style is the terroir. The deep soils have stunning water retention properties. The slope and direction which the vineyard faces, along with our temperatures, make for stunning wines. Minerality in the wine is the key factor. Our immediate neighbour is Kanonkop, which should explain this.

We have planted new vineyards with some clonal selections that are proving to be very exciting. Further investment in the cellar itself has seen Muratie purchase a state of the art destemmer, computerised bag press as well as pumps that facilitate the gentle handling of the grapes. This has resulted in huge advances in producing wines with more accessibility but still with

Muratie Sauvignon Blanc

Muratie Blended Red

RRP: £14.25

RRP: £14.95

Crisp, refreshing and accessible wine is light but not lightweight. the wine has a flinty perfume leading to a fruit salad of flavours, from green apple and lime to tropical guava and pineapple. Dry and zesty with a clean, persistent, mineral finish.

A blend of Shiraz (45%), Merlot (35%) Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), and Cabernet Franc (6%). Grapes are sourced entirely from the estate. While unpretentious, the wine is well-crafted with its soft tannins, bright red berries and hints of warm spice and chocolate from careful oaking.

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 66

Muratie is one of South Africa’s oldest privately-owned estates, situated in the renonwed Simonsberg ward of Stellenbosch. Its wines are now back in the UK market for the first time in 25 years. Muratie wines are imported into the UK by VinumTerra 020 8891 6010 www.vinumterra.co.uk

the potential to age for 15-20 years.

The past year has been really trying. We thought the sales and export ban was irrational and nonsensical. It makes matters worse if you consider the fact that no South African wine producer has ever had any kind of government support such as it occurs in Italy, Spain or France. Muratie has just entered the UK market for the first time in 25 years. Our friends in the UK have made a point of purchasing our wines immediately and this has made us immensely proud.

Muratie Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon RRP: £19.95 Sourced from three different blocks on the estate, it’s opulent yet polished, a wine of integration, balance and great length, true to its terroir just as Melck stayed true to his beliefs.

FOCUS ON SOUTH AFRICA

the best of the rest

n pre-transition South Africa, and to an

extent today, the country’s equivalent of

Languedoc-Roussillon – the region where

the unglamorous work of mass production, still dominated by co-operatives – could be

found in the warm-climate regions of Paarl, Wellington and, further over to the east, in Roberston.

Paarl was and is the home, after all, of the

KWV, including its vast cellar, which alone covers more than 30ha of land.

If these regions collectively lack the

contemporary glamour of the new

coastal vineyards and Swartland, and the stately historic charm of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, they nonetheless

still have a significant role to play, with standout producers including Charles Back’s never-less-than-interesting

Fairview, the consistently good value

wines of Wellington’s Bosman family (who, with their nursery business, provide a

significant portion of the Cape’s vines too), or the Cap Classique sparkling wines of Graham Beck in Robertson.

At the other end of the spectrum, some

of the most exciting regions in the modern Cape are strongly associated with – or

even solely occupied by – a single, intrepid producer. At just over a 1,000m above sea level on the mountain of the same name,

Cederberg, under the careful stewardship of David Nieuwoudt, is producing

luminous Chenin Blanc and vivid, balanced Cabernet and Shiraz reds. And in Greyton, Californian Samantha O’Keefe has

established an international reputation for the pristine Syrah, Pinot and Chardonnay of her cool climate site at the bottom of

the Riviersonderend Mountain, above the southern Cape coast.

But that’s just a taster of what’s going

on in a country in which new sites – and

tempting parcels of old vines – are being uncovered all the time.

cape fine & Rare auction: ‘now is the time to buy’ “Now is definitely the time to be trying South Africa’s fine and rare wines.” So says Charlie Foley of Christie’s, who will be in charge of this years’s Cape Fine & Rare Auction on May 22. Formerly known as the Nederburg Auction, this year’s event will allow online bidders to join the action, in real time. Some of the rarest wines that will go on sale include Chateau Libertas 1970, Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2009, Le Lude Rose Agrafe 2012, Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 1999, Uva Mira OTV 2015, Vilafonté Series C 2005, and Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon 1970. Although the auction is always a honeypot for private collectors, Foley says it’s also a useful

Charlie Foley: no time like the pheasant

opportunity for retail buyers to seek out some gems. “Many of the wines are quite rare and are on collectible allocation lists,” he says. “People who are

going to get them. “The judging process is very strict so only the

estates are going to the wall and a lot of the vineyards are no longer producing. South Africa is

best wines are getting in. The auction is tuning

the step between the new world and the old world,

“David & Nadia wines, Vilafonté and Eben Sadie

into this premiumisation of South Africa by having

in terms of the styles it makes, but also the volume

are among the most collectible wines in the whole

a great judging panel including Cathy van Zyl and

production and the fruited warmth of the wines that

of South Africa, and they are offering vintages of

Michael Fridjhon and François Rautenbach. They are

you don’t get in France and Spain. This auction is

rare wines like 2009 and 2012. So unless you have

picking only the best of the best.”

the auction to go to because there aren’t that many

in the trade will want these wines

an allocation of these things through Justerini’s, who are David & Nadia’s importer, then you are not

He adds: “Unfortunately as lockdown has shown with various stoppages on wine, a lot of these

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 67

international buyers involved yet – so get ahead of the curve. Now is the time to buy.”

A new England With their classic-method sparkling wines now acknowledged as world class, English and Welsh producers are increasingly fixated on what comes next

imon Thorpe is excited by the pace

at which the English and Welsh wine industry is developing. “It’s almost

like a balloon, which is inflating,” he says. “Every time I pick the phone up and

have an introductory call with one of our

members, they’ve all got really interesting stories to tell, and they’ve got great

aspirations as to what they want to achieve. “Everywhere I turn there is real

enthusiasm for making great wine and a spirit of adventure. Where is this going

and what might this look like in 50 years’ time?”

Thorpe took over as chief executive of

WineGB in October after a career in wine

that has involved stints with Constellation, Negociants and Fells. It feels like a good time to be joining: sparkling wines are

now routinely described as world-class, still wines are becoming increasingly

Thorpe believes that traditional-method

see a return on their investments. There

“There’s not a lot of challenge to

their pricing, could confuse consumers and

English fizz may yet have a chance to prove its longevity in export markets.

Champagne and there never has been,” he argues. “There’s a bit from California, and

is a fear that English wines that resemble Prosecco, both in their production and even have a deflationary effect.

Thorpe prefers to analyse the situation

people point to Franciacorta, and there are

more positively. “My view is that while

the upward ladder. So it will be interesting

where the majority of the action has been,

tiny bits and bobs from the new world –

but not anything which has got a foot on to see how that evolves.”

WineGB has recently introduced a

Classic Method logo that producers who

take the long route in their sparkling wine

WineGB has been pushing the message

around the classic method, because that is if the English wine category is going to

grow, it’s not just Charmat that is going to

grow and evolve, it’s the still wine as well. “We don’t necessarily think of still wine

production can apply to their labels and

as a competitor to sparkling wine, so

method English sparklers, which have

driver then it’s expanding the marketplace

marketing.

It’s a response to the arrival of Charmat-

spooked some producers still waiting to

why should we think that of Charmat? If Charmat does become a serious volume

to a much greater number of people than it currently is, with the prices the classic method sits at.

“If there are 25 million bottles of wine

accomplished, and there’s even a hint of innovation in the air.

sold at approximately £25 a year in this

with vine age and more specificity around

is English sparkling wine – then there

country – most of which are Champagne

“Classic-method sparkling wine feels like

at the moment, but an increasing amount

the vanguard, and that itself is evolving

are something like 130 million bottles of

the best sites,” says Thorpe. “That on

Prosecco. That marketplace that Charmat

its own has got lots of evolution and

might approach expands the repertoire

development ahead.”

of people that could possibly be drinking

For a while now, it’s almost become a

English wine.

national sport to crow about English wines

“It has to be a positive that the more

outdoing their Champagne rivals in blind tastings and competitions. But is merely copying an existing style a sustainable business model?

Simon Thorpe: Charmat styles are welcome

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 68

people who are interested and have the

potential to buy English wine in any of its different guises, the better.”

CITY’s liquors: the urban winery phenomenon

ith brewpubs becoming

increasingly commonplace in cities across the UK, it’s

perhaps no surprise that urban wineries are also beginning to make their mark.

In the US, the urban winery movement

has been gathering momentum for many years and one business, City Winery, has sites in a number of locations including New York, Boston and Philadelphia,

offering music and dining as well as

wine made on the premises. In Australia,

Vinteloper has created urban wineries in Adelaide and Melbourne.

The most famous urban winery in the

UK is probably Roberson’s London Cru. Vagabond has installed a winery at its

Battersea Power Station site, Tring Winery is developing a following in Hertfordshire,

and Chris Wilson’s Gutter & Stars project in Cambridge has given a new lease of life to a disused windmill.

Also in Battersea, in a railway arch,

Blackbook is run by American Sergio

Verrillo – a Plumpton graduate – and

merely settling for fruit that hasn’t already

fruit sourced mainly from trusted growers

fruit off at our front door. That’s not in my

wife Lynsey. The couple specialise in still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, made with

in Essex and East Anglia, and packaged

with funky labels that look more Swartland than southern England.

“The objective of creating Blackbook

and the branding behind it was always to represent a contemporary city and

something a bit more modern,” says Sergio. “English wines have always taken

inspiration from French wines and we wanted something to stand out on the shelf.”

Transporting grapes over long distances

carries inevitable risks of oxidation and

spoilage, problems that can exist even with refrigerated trucks. “Part of that mitigation of that risk for us is that the fruit that we

buy only comes from within two hours of London,” says Sergio.

Blackbook has been building

relationships with its growers and not

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 69

been earmarked for larger wineries.

“We don’t want growers just to drop

opinion how you make quality wine.

“With each relationship we try to be

involved, we try to nurture it and make it

more collaborative. We want to understand how they’re cultivating the land, how

they’re managing their vines, the pruning, how they’re managing yields, which is really important in the UK. There’s a

propensity to over-crop certain varieties for financial gain.

“With certain growers we will say, ‘we

want these particular rows, we want these

clones’. Some growers are just on the same wavelength and that’s the relationship we want to have.

“This year we had an entire 11-acre

parcel that we have complete control over, which is great, so when that comes online

we’re going to have almost 25 to 30 tonnes of fruit coming off that site.”

Don’t make a dash for the county line In her new book, Liz Sagues celebrates the contribution that Sussex has made to the English wine story. But she remains wary of attempts to subdivide and codify an industry that’s still finding its feet

his is a significant moment for English wine. Next year will

see anniversaries of landmark

moments in the development of the modern product: 30 years from the

vintage with which Nyetimber wowed

the sparkling wine world; 50 years from the establishment of Bolney, one of the

leading names in still, and red, wine; 70 years from the first vines going into the soil at Hambledon, restarting properly

commercial viticulture in Great Britain;

360 years from the revelation in London of how bottle-fermented sparkling wine was made.

Surely, Sandy and Stuart Moss, Rodney

and Janet Pratt, Sir Guy Salisbury Jones

and Dr Christopher Merret could never

have imagined the 21st century scale of

what they began. But dwelling on the past

women, the daughters of the founders.

now. There are many questions, but

that, and more, should, I believe, make

is indulgent; instead it is time to consider where wine in England (and Wales) goes one is becoming urgent: is English wine big enough yet to divide into regional appellations?

Think about that question in a beyond-

our-borders context. What does a

designation such as Terrasses du Larzac or Gravina or Monterrei mean to the average UK wine consumer (unless, of course, a

well-informed independent merchant is selling the wine)? So what would be the

significance of Sussex or Dorset or Essex in the increasingly important export market for wines from England? Minimal, I’d say, perhaps even confusing.

That’s one argument against regionality.

It may seem strange that, as author of the

first regional book on the UK product, I’m in the “no” lobby. But I haven’t written

about why wine made in Sussex might be

distinctive from that of other counties. The purpose of Sussex by the Glass is to explain

the importance of the county in the overall UK story, seen through the experience of two pioneers, Bolney and Ridgeview. Sussex by the Glass (March 2021, Tanwood Press, £12) is available direct from Liz Sagues (email tanwoodpress@ icloud.com) or from ridgeview.co.uk or bolneywineestate.com.

Why those estates? Because both,

besides making much-respected still and sparkling wines for 50 and 25

years respectively, are multi-generation businesses, still rare here, and both are headed by talented and highly skilled

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 70

Sussex, of course, is also home to

Nyetimber and Plumpton College. Covering for a valuable addition to the still-too-

small library of books about the UK wine industry.

ut to return to the arguments for

and against regional designations. English and Welsh wines still

comprise only a tiny, tiny proportion of

wine sales here — and the 10% that goes

beyond our shores is microscopic in world terms. There’s already enough difficulty over general terminology, and the best

name for English sparkling wine. Diluting that into more designations surely won’t help sales anywhere.

Fundamentally, can regionality be

justified? Often, county boundaries span

a single terroir, as with the “Champagne”

chalk celebrated by many producers – but that stretches through Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, even on into Dorset.

Within individual counties, vines often

grow on very different soils, or with

different expositions – think, in Sussex

alone, of heavy clay-based Wealden soils or free-draining South Downs chalk, or

of sheltered Breaky Bottom and exposed Rathfinny, so close to each other.

Then there’s cross-county transport

of grapes, something that happens

The Flint Barns, part of Rathfinny Estate

increasingly widely. For large-scale

and Welsh PDO (protected designation of

varying weather conditions and allows

vineyard PDO, Darnibole at Camel Valley in

producers, there are practical benefits: a spread of crops may protect against

extension of the busiest work period in the winery. How, when EU PDO rules require

grape growing and winemaking to be in the same designated place, can resulting wines fit into regional designations?

urrently, the internationally

recognised designations for wine

produced in Great Britain are, with

one exception, very broad indeed: English

origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication). The exception is a singleCornwall.

An initiative to create a Sussex PDO,

spearheaded by Mark Driver of Rathfinny, continues to struggle through the

European bureaucratic morass, though in the UK “Sussex” is now a protected term

for quality wines that meet the projected PDO rules, which are much stricter than the generic English ones. The setting of

higher quality standards is generally much

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 71

welcomed by the county’s producers, but many believe these shouldn’t be Sussex specific.

Modern English wine is an infant still. Its

producers might be well advised to follow the example of those on another island,

far away, which is at a very similar stage

in its wine journey. Tasmania has decided

it is far too soon to champion sub-regions:

“We collaborate together as Tasmania,” one winemaker declared on a recent press and trade Zoom. England, too, should continue to be happy to fly the Union Jack and spread a united message.

Why I’m crowd funding my MW Dan Kirby of The Suffolk Cellar is well on his way to his £5,000 target to help cope with the costs of the trade’s toughest exams Cherie Spriggs with Brad Greatrix

Glory years in Sussex Vintage wines are a vital element of the Nyetimber range, as winemaker

Brad Greatrix explains, giving each wine a sense of time as well as place

2018, and remains the only female (and

lockdowns on its on-trade business.

biggest challenge when making wine in

yetimber winemaker Brad

Greatrix is upbeat about the

Sussex sparkling wine producer’s

prospects for 2021 despite the impact of “Our off-trade sales grew in 2020,” he

says. “Not in a way that completely offset the loss of the on-trade – but it certainly softened the blow.”

indeed the only winemaker outside of

Champagne) to have ever won the award. Greatrix says weather remains the

England and jokes that “they get a vintage of the century in Bordeaux fairly often,

Exports were up 90%, but there’s still

but we haven’t had one yet”. Nyetimber’s

English wine and having it at weddings

and soil can help overcome the odds.

Greatrix represents half of the

winemaking team: head winemaker is his wife, Cherie Spriggs. Cherie was named

IWC Sparkling Winemaker of the Year in

Blanc de Blancs 2013 is a case in point.

“We make it as a vintage wine because

Chardonnay has this lovely ability to reflect the characteristics of the growing season,

the fermentation and the bottle age,” says

Greatrix. “The wine is very reserved in the first five or six years and slowly starts to unfurl in a really beautiful way.

“The 2013 vintage shows what England

does best, which is this long, cool growing season when you can preserve beautiful

high-tone flavours in a delicate, complex wine.”

he single-vineyard Tillington 2013 vintage is a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend from a site that produces “a

special style of Pinot Noir,” says Greatrix. “It has beautiful red fruit and a floral perfume that’s instantly recognisable. Because of the slow evolution of the wine in bottle

you have freshness and behind that are the

bakery aromas and brioche characters that come from bottle ageing.”

it wouldn’t make the wine taste any better

Noir in a blend.

because it’s 90%-plus of wine consumers.”

changes from year to year.

find the reason for its special qualities but

more everyday wine drinkers, not just the

and birthdays. That’s such a big milestone

But Nyetimber has other vintage wines

that will continue to reflect seasonal

on it. If we dug enough we could probably

“It’s at the point where we’re reaching

“It’s the people who just like to have

grab some as a vintage wine.

tastes different, and we know we can rely

English wine in general.

a glass after work; they’re talking about

represent one of the last opportunities to

Tillington where the Pinot Noir always

at home and overseas, for Nyetimber and

about whether there’s 37% or 38% Pinot

Classic Cuvée has been a multi-vintage

blend since 2011, so the stocks of 2009

He adds: “There is a little patch at

plenty more growth to go at, he says, both

connoisseurs and the people who care

well received,” he says.

vintage Classic Cuvée 2009 is an example of how the combination of the right fruit “It was an entirely unremarkable

growing season, with rainfall, temperature and growing season dates on the 10-year average – a typical English summer – but the wines we produced that year were

outstanding, so well-balanced and very

THE WINE MERCHANT april 2021 72

if we figured it out. We just keep it a little bit in that magic sphere.”

That little bit of magic is increasingly

coming to the fore in English wine and

Nyetimber has been one of the outriders in making it happen.

“England’s the most exciting place to be

making traditional-method sparkling wine

in the world,” says Greatrix. “I’m convinced of that.”

Feature sponsored by Nyetimber

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LOUIS LATOUR AGENCIES

Three intriguing reds from McHenry Hohnen’s Hazel’s Vineyard

12-14 Denman Street London W1D 7HJ

Hazel’s Vineyard BDX 2016 A fragrant blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot; deep and concentrated, yet poised and balanced. Lavender and crushed violets, sweetened spices, dark cherries and mulberries. 96/100, James Halliday Wine Companion 2019

0207 409 7276 enquiries@louislatour.co.uk www.louislatour.co.uk

McHenry Hohnen is a family-owned winery in southern Margaret River making wines from the family’s three vineyards. They follow biodynamic practices and low intervention winemaking to produce evocative wines whilst nurturing biodiversity.

Hazel’s Vineyard Syrah 2018 A wine unlike any other in the region. A hyper-perfumed nose, with lifted lavender, dark liquorice and cinnamon spice. Flavours of black cherries, plums and a velvety mocha, pepper spice and fine tannins. 95/100 James Halliday Wine Companion 2021 Hazel’s Vineyard Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2018 A classic southern Rhône blend from the stellar 2018 vintage. Violets and allspice. Juicy and sweet with crunchy red plums and red liquorice, structure, spice and savouriness. 96/100, Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2020

hatch mansfield New Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DL 01344 871800 info@hatch.co.uk www.hatchmansfield.com @hatchmansfield

A Taste of Rosé ... Following on from our inaugral ‘A Taste of Hatch’ we are pleased to offer a Rosé pick ‘n’ mix which will include some new wines for summer sipping as well as some old favourites. You can make your own selection box of up to THREE indie exclusive wines free of charge to taste at a time convenient to you. For more info and to register scan the QR code or visit hatchmansfield.com/atasteofrose

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C&C wines 109 Blundell Street London N7 9BN 020 3261 0927 help@carsoncarnevalewines.com www.carsoncarnevalewines.com

@CandC_Wines @carsoncarnevalewines

BERKMANN wine cellars 10-12 Brewery Road London N7 9NH 020 7609 4711 indies@berkmann.co.uk www.berkmann.co.uk @berkmannwine

AVAILABLE NOW

M DE M I N UT Y L I M IT E D E DIT I O N

@berkmann_wine Please contact indies@berkmann.co.uk for pricing and more information.

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liberty wines 020 7720 5350 order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk

@liberty_wines

The star white grapes of Bucelas and the Dão

by David Gleave MW

Portugal boasts over 300 indigenous varieties, more than any country other than Italy. Two of its most interesting white varieties are Arinto and Encruzado.

The small, historic Bucelas appellation, near Lisbon, with its rolling clay-limestone

hills, is the heartland of the prized Arinto variety. The prestigious Quinta da Romeira has been producing wines here since 1703 and, at

nearly 75 hectares, purports to have the largest Arinto vineyard in the world. Their unoaked Arinto ‘Prova Régia’ and part-barrel-fermented ‘Morgado de Santa Catherina’ are revelations, displaying the vibrant

acidity, intensity of flavour and texture that are hallmarks of the best examples of this variety.

Encruzado, the Dão’s premier white grape, has an affinity for oak

and can produce complex yet balanced wines akin to white Burgundy.

Quinta dos Carvalhais was the first producer to bottle a singlevarietal Encruzado in 1992. The grape lends its citrussy aromatics

and bright acidity to the zippy freshness of Gouveio (Galicia’s Godello) in their Colheita Branco, Branco Reserva and Branco Especial blends.

Barrel fermentation and ageing in French oak adds a delicious toasty savouriness and roundness to Encruzado, resulting in wonderfully versatile wines for sipping or food-pairing.

richmond wine agencies The Links, Popham Close Hanworth Middlesex TW13 6JE 020 8744 5550 info@richmondwineagencies.com

@richmondwineag1

De Wetshof Chardonnays glitter on world stage At Chardonnay du Monde, held in France, the world’s most famous international

competition for Chardonnay, De Wetshof Lesca Chardonnay 2020 achieved a gold medal, also taking its place among the top 10 wines at this year’s competition. De Wetshof’s famous Limestone Hill 2020, South Africa’s most awarded unwooded Chardonnay, also garnered a gold medal at the Chardonnay du Monde. Both wines are available to order now from

Richmond Wine Agencies.

Three new orange wines in the RWA portfolio Recently arrived we have two new additions to

our range from Cantina Orsogna, Malvasia Orange ‘Ancestral’ – biodynamic 2020 and Pinot Grigio

‘Ramoro’ – biodynamic 2019. In addition a new Albariño is ready for the sunnier days ahead: Albariño Sitta ‘Orange’ Laranxa 2019. Do contact us for more details.

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walker & Wodehouse 109a Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR 0207 449 1665 orders@walkerwodehousewines.com www.walkerwodehousewines.com

@WalkerWodehouse

Pretty in pink: Bisol1542 Jeio Prosecco Rosé

As the days get lighter and warmer, it’s the perfect time to

celebrate with a bottle of Bisol1542’s Jeio Prosecco Rosé DOC, new to the Walker & Wodehouse portfolio.

The Bisol family have been making wine in the Valdobbiadene region for five centuries, with an enviable reputation for

wines that are refined and aromatic, while also a reflection of their terroir.

Their Jeio Prosecco Rosé is a blend of 85% Glera and 15%

Pinot Noir. The wine’s colour, named Tiepolo after a famous

Venetian artist, is a delicate pink. With a bouquet of rose and citrus and flavours of summer fruits on the palate, it has fine and persistent bubbles and a long lasting finish.

For more information, please contact your Account Manager

buckingham schenk Unit 5, The E Centre Easthampstead Road Bracknell RG12 1NF 01753 521336 info@buckingham-schenk.co.uk www.buckingham-schenk.co.uk

@BuckSchenk @buckinghamschenk

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mentzendorff The Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD 020 7840 3600 info@mentzendorff.co.uk www.mentzendorff.co.uk

C E L E B R AT E T H E R OA R I N G 2 0 ’ S W I T H A I X R O S É According to owner Eric Kurver, this is one the best AIX rosés they have ever produced in Coteaux d’Aix en Provence. The harvest was earlier than usual, producing fully ripe grapes, with good acidity and excellent balance. 2020 marks a new beginning for AIX with a new logo, for them a symbol that captures the essence of making rosé, 420m up in the Provençal hills. Drawing inspiration from the ancient stone gateway that welcomes you onto the estate, AIX’s new symbol is less a logo and more an invitation.

“Pale salmon-pink. Floral nose backed by sweet spices and fruits in syrup (peach, wild Strawberry). Gratifying palate with crisp freshness and fleshy fruit... A supple, energetic and very thirst-quenching style.”

For more information, please contact your Mentzendorff Acount Manager

lighthouse brands 95 Ditchling Road Brighton BN1 4ST www.lighthousebrands.co.uk info@lighthousebrands.co.uk

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AWIN BARRATT SIEGEL WINE AGENCIES 28 Recreation Ground Road Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 1EW 01780 755810 orders@abs.wine www.abs.wine

@ABSWines

§Famille Helfrich Wines 1, rue Division Leclerc, 67290 Petersbach, France cdavies@lgcf.fr 07789 008540

We are delighted to announce an exciting new addition to our Portfolio,

DOMAINE DE GALUVAL

Domaine de Galuval is nestled between Cairanne and Rasteau in the Gayère Valley of the Southern Rhône. It has 49 hectares in various parcels covering some of the best terroir around the Mont Ventabren, along with some of the oldest vines in the region of local varietals such as Caladoc. Low intervention and perfect growing conditions combined with careful parcel selection and judicious ageing result in thoroughly modern wines that remain true to the individual character of each vintage. Contact your Account Manager for further details.

Famille Helfrich Indie Rosé Selection Spring 2021 Mix and match your order to include some or all of the following: Côtes de Provence, Côtes du Roussillon, IGP d’Oc, IGP Côtes de Thau and AOP Luberon

@FamilleHelfrich

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Fells Fells House, Station Road Kings Langley WD4 8LH 01442 870 900 For details about our portfolio of award winning wines from some of the world’s leading family-owned wine producers contact: info@fells.co.uk

www.fells.co.uk

@FellsWine je_fells

Symington Estates are one of the world’s most ethical and sustainable wine producers. In 2019 they became a certified B Corporation – the first wine company in Portugal to take this step and were named Ethical Company of the Year in The Drinks Business 2019 Green Awards. Their latest release - a collaboration with Rewilding Portugal - is an ambitious conservation project aimed at creating a 120,000-hectare wildlife corridor in the Greater Côa Valley in northern Portugal. The wines are available in 75cl bottles and an innovative bag-in-tube format.

top selection 23 Cellini Street London SW8 2LF www.topselection.co.uk info@topselection.co.uk Contact: Alastair Moss Telephone: 020 3958 0744 @topselectionwines @tswine

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