THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 63, October 2017
Halloween makes our usual behaviour seem less remarkable
THIS MONTH 2 BACCHUS Why can’t some councils get their heads around wine dispensers?
4 comings & GOINGS
Expansion for Vini Italiani, Loki and The Wine Parlour
10 tried & TESTED
Bury St Edmunds store manager Tom Crittenden
More Adnams stores to offer make-your-own gin Adnams plans to give more of its customers the chance to make their own gin instore as it embarks on a retail expansion programme. The service is already available at its branch
in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, which is fitted with seven mini stills. Customers pay £95 to distil
their own spirit and add a choice of botanicals
in a process that takes two and a half hours and results in a bespoke bottle of gin.
Retail chief Neil Griffin says people are given
gin and tonics to enjoy while they wait. He adds: “We’re quite keen on this customisation and
personalisation trend that’s coming through. “We give people a selection of botanicals
and talk them through what each one of them
potentially does. They put four or five of them
into the pot still and distil it down, and you get
the liquid at the end. We label it up with the name of your choice.
“It’s going really well. Customers are enjoying
the experience and it’s climbing the Trip Advisor rankings in East Anglia.”
The concept is likely to be rolled out to
future Adnams Cellar & Kitchen branches that are currently being scouted, though not in the pop-up that has just opened in the centre of
Cambridge and will trade until the New Year. Adnams spokesman Josh Wicks says
Cambridge is a city that the company is
“obviously keen to get into”. He adds: “The pop-
up gives us flexibility and a bit of a foothold, and then we’ll look for something more permanent. “It’s a busy and competitive place, but you
don’t want to shy away from those places – you want to be in there.”
The Dirty Dozen tasting turns up a few choice finds
16 leamington wine co
The final chapter of a 20-year career as an independent
24 david williams
Feats of clay in a resurgent Georgian wine industry
36 reader trip to the rhone Meeting the human dynamo that is Laure Colombo
40 focus on argentina
A dozen wines that give a real flavour of the country
46 make a date
It’s the last lap of this year’s tasting calendar
47 supplier Bulletin
Essential updates from agents and suppliers
BACCHUS
b Can’t we dispense with the council? In 2015 when Lindsay Porter and partner Hobby Alam opened Portland Wine Warehouse in an old post office in the village of Billinge in Merseyside, they faced some objections from local residents. But neighbours were soon mollified
when they realised the new venture wasn’t a grotty booze ‘n’ fags emporium but a
sophisticated establishment selling a range of top-end wine and spirits. All was well
until a refurbishment last Christmas which
created a new tasting area with a bank of
lovely – customers absolutely love it. We
thought it would be amazing to have this
than 6% and it just is allowing customers
Wine Emotion machines.
“We met Dan at Wine Emotion and
facility for our customers – we always had wine open at the weekends anyway,” says Porter.
“We got planning permission to extend
the shop and closed while we were doing the renovations. We put an application in
for an on-licence and again we faced a lot
of objections, because people thought we were turning into a wine bar. The council then said we had to either apply for a
change of use, in which case they wouldn’t support us because they don’t want a
drinking establishment here, or we’d have to apply for a certificate of lawful use to
explain what we’re doing to allow them to
make a decision as to whether that fits into an A1 retail establishment.”
Facing a Catch-22 situation where she
couldn’t provide the evidence for the
certificate until she had the permission – projected figures and scenarios were not
deemed acceptable – Porter had no choice other than to re-open the shop in order to apply for the certificate.
“We opened again in March and it’s been
have been able to show that in terms of our turnover the dispensers account for less to sample the products,” she says.
Despite the subsequent “overwhelming”
support from the public, Porter says the
council is still prevaricating. On applying
for the certificate of lawful use there were just two objections: one anonymous, and the other from Billinge Parish Council,
whose objection was based on its opinion that the interior of the shop looks like a wine bar. Porter is taking that as a
compliment and a testament to the hard
work the team put into making the shop an “experience” for their customers.
Even though Porter has explained
repeatedly that she is running a shop
and not a wine bar, she has not yet had a visit from the powers that be to see the premises for themselves.
“Nobody from the council has been down
to have a look and see how it works, and that speaks volumes,” she says.
Women broaden horizons of clients
West London’s Last Drop Wines is, by owner Andrea Viera’s own admission, strictly Old World. So how to expand her range geographically without “offending” any of her “more mature” male customers? “We made the decision that we were
going to put together a celebration of
wines by female winemakers,” says Viera. “They are all hand-selected; I haven’t
just taken the approach of ‘oh, a woman made it, so we’ll just dump it in there’.
We’ve actually tasted and tasted and tasted and put together a really great selection. Sales from Wine Emotion dispensers account for 6% of turnover
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 2
Around the world I have to say that women don’t make particularly inexpensive wines, but the quality is certainly there.”
Flying Füchs
Samantha O’Keefe of Lismore Estate Vineyards, South Africa
The wines will be featured on a
dedicated website under the Wines by Women brand which will launch next
month. There will be additional content revealing the stories behind the various journeys the winemakers have made to reach their potential.
“A lot of women ended up in wine having
gone around the houses a couple of times
– they’ve been up against different hurdles depending on which country they are in,” Viera says.
The online offering will be refreshed
often as the wines will be “drip-fed on to
the site” according to variables like season or availability.
The selection will include wines from,
among others, Samantha O’Keefe of
Lismore Estate; Laure Colombo; Virginia
Willcock of Vasse Felix; Sarah Gott of Joel Gott; Elena Walch; Susana Balbo; Saskia
Prüm of SA Prüm; Alice Beaufort; and Lynn Marchive of Domaine des Malandes.
Jeroboams looks for new branches Jeroboams has completed a £300,000 refurbishment programme that has unified its branding across all six stores. The most significant work took place at
the flagship stores in Walton Street and Pont Street in London.
Walton Street has a revamped cellar
and the addition of a kitchen will pave the way for in-store events. The Pont Street
store, once “a very big shop with a very low footfall”, has been converted to a smaller shop with a fine wine room at the back.
Chief executive Hugh Sturges says: “It’s
taking the business forward in terms of
how it looks, but it’s showing the customer that it’s not just a wine shop – we have a
full range of services and everything you’d expect from a wine merchant.”
He adds: “It’s all about relationships.
I treat the shops as the front end of the
business to introduce new customers to
the group, and once they are in the door
we can offer them the regular shop service, if that’s what they wish, but they can also
find out about finer wines, starting a cellar or storing wine with us.
“We have improved our website – it’s not
transactional but for us it’s more important to invest in what we do best, which is faceto-face conversation. Our focal point is the bricks and mortar because we want to sell to people by talking to people.”
Sturges adds that now the “estate is
looking good” the only thing he has left to
do is expand – and to that end he is looking for two new sites.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 3
“Our Man with the Facts” • Although Côte d’Or translates as
“golden slope”, it is not certain that
this is what was originally meant by
the name. Another theory is that “Or”
is simply an abbreviation of “Orient”, a reference to the eastern alignment of the famous Burgundy sub-region.
• Ireland is recognised by the EU as
a wine-producing country. There are
vineyards near Dublin and in Kinsale.
• A French medieval poet called Henri d’Andely wrote a poem called Bataille
des Vins, in which King Philip Augustus of France tastes 70 wines and decides
that the best of the lot comes not from his own country but from Cyprus.
• Pinot Meunier takes its name from the French word for miller. This is because the leaves of its vines are
usually covered in a down on their underside that resembles flour.
• Irish coffee was invented by County Limerick barman Joe Sheridan,
who served black coffee mixed with demerara sugar, Irish whiskey and cream to tired and cold flying boat passengers on the River Shannon.
More of London gets a taste of Italy Vini Italiani has used crowd-funding to fuel an expansion programme that will soon double its estate size to four shops in London. The business started out in South
Kensington in 2011, opening a second
branch in Covent Garden in December
2015 aided by a £250,000 cash injection, raised through the equity crowd-funding website Seedrs.
A third store will open in Greenwich this
month, after which work will immediately start on a fourth site in South Balham. Founder and managing director
Bruno Cernecca says: “We launched an investment campaign back in May and
Vini Italiani is mainly retail-focused but also has space for customers to sit and eat
raised the money through private investors
the results of the latest two in Greenwich
campaign, but the timings for that still
concept we were looking for has finally
– new and existing – and we are in the
process of starting a new crowd-funding haven’t been defined.”
He says the decision to open a wine bar
inside the South Kensington store was
a game changer, leading the way for the
company to expand further and allow its “lifestyle concept to blossom”.
He says: “We want to express the variety
and quality of our wines, and how they can be offered and enjoyed, and so we
try to cover the whole spectrum of the
experience, from retail, to café, to wine bar. “Our South Kensington and Covent
Garden sites are mainly retail, but we do
have the opportunity for our guests to sit
down and enjoy their wines with cold cuts, cheeses, a few warm dishes of traditional
recipes … you know, the usual story for us
and South Balham”.
working next to Dave for almost all the
found the right location and space.
bones about wanting to expand Salon and
He adds: “We will have to see if the
Obviously we were looking for a venue
in the right location and Greenwich, with its mix of residents and tourists, is a
fusion between Covent Garden and South Kensington.
“We are thinking about expanding in the
City, because our concept is quite good for the business crowd, but we haven’t got a location just yet, so fingers crossed.” • Picture special – pages 22 and 23.
Salon takes former Market Row unit Dave Simpson’s Market Row Wines is
Italians,” he says.
no longer trading, but the unit hasn’t
lounge for private events and parties.
behind the hipster restaurant Salon took
The Greenwich site will include a
remained empty for long.
Cernecca says the plan is “to have five
possession and will re-brand the shop in
dedicated fine wine cellar and an upstairs units by the end of 2018, and then assess
Director Mark Gurney says: “We’ve been
Towards the end of September, the team
Brixton Market as The Salon Wine Store.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 4
five years he was there and we had a really
close relationship. We had always made no when he said he was packing it all in, we jumped at the chance.
“We already use similar suppliers to
Dave and will be kind of carrying on his
legacy, but with a Salon twist.” The offering will be similar to Simpson’s original
concept – mostly organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines as well as “lots of local beers”.
Salon’s restaurant is upstairs while the
bar area is on the ground floor. “If we could bash down the wall, we would, but the market won’t allow us,” says Gurney. “The bar and the shop will work
symbiotically – most days you can buy a
bottle of wine in the shop and bring it next door. We’ll have a shop price and a retail price or a corkage fee.”
• Laithwaites has opened its 14th retail branch. The store in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, is the most northerly in its estate.
Friarwood engages with village people
he will also be bringing bottles from his
personal collection in-store for customers to try. There is enough space for seating
around 12 people inside plus a few more
Friarwood is capitalising on a boom in
outside at the front of the shop.
its retail business with the opening of a
Beedell once worked for Majestic and ND
second shop.
John, and was sommelier and restaurant manager at The Park House in Cardiff.
The Parsons Green merchant, bought
Using existing business relationships
by Ben Carfagnini from the family of
with Hallgarten, Boutinot, Liberty,
founder Peter Bowen in 2014, has
Bibendum and Enotria, who have all “been
acquired a vacant unit in the High Street of
as good as gold,” Beedell has started with a
Wimbledon Village.
range of over 100 wines and plans to add a
“Our wholesale business is the biggest
selection of craft beers.
side of Friarwood but we’ve seen really
Southon is new to the wine trade but is
strong growth in retail over the last three
about to embark on his WSET level 2, and
years – something like 30% year on year, roughly,” says Carfagnini. “We thought it
Carfagnini reports 30% growth in retail sales
Beedell is keeping him on his toes by “pop-
He attributes the growth to a strong
Southon didn’t expect the right premises to
Beedell’s German Pointer, Chester, after
made sense, while we’re growing, to see if we can do it again.”
wine range, knowledgeable staff and good
customer service. “It seems to be working,” he says.
He adds: “We’ve been looking for
sites for a long time – since I bought the company – to grow our retail business.
Wimbledon seemed like the right idea. It’s the village feel of what we have here at Parsons Green.”
The shop will be managed by new recruit
Ornella Rosucci, who has a background in the Italian wine trade.
Carfagnini is open-minded about
further expansion, both inside and outside
London. “We’ll get this one going, but if this works and does what we want and expect it to do, yes, we’ll always grow.”
come up so quickly. “We’ve achieved a lot in a short space of time,” he says.
“It was previously an antique shop and
we went from a big empty white space and did it all in a week.”
Cardiff native Beedell says Abergavenny
Another key member of the team is
whom the shop is named.
Wine Parlour opens in Streatham
was always top of his hit list. “The main
London wine merchant Chix Chandaria
other merchants here,” he says.
eaterie in Streatham High Road.
not until they install a small kitchenette.
well,” she explains. “In the evening it will
Michelin restaurants are here, it’s a very
has acquired her third branch with
foodie part of Wales and there were no
a deal to take on the Boyce da Roca
accompany the by-the-glass offering but
will keep for now because it’s doing really
Jones is booked to run a pop-up restaurant.
be off-sales as well and then as time goes
The duo plan to provide small plates to
In November Michelin-starred chef Roger Armed with his Coravin, Beedell says
Abergavenny gets its first wine merchant
“It’s a really cool daytime café, which we
turn into one of our Wine Parlours. It will on it will become more wine, less café.”
Chandaria already operates under the
Wine Parlour banner in Brixton and as Vintage 1824 in Herne Hill.
“I want to be able to use it to do more
wine dinners and things like that. We’d
never really thought about buying another
It took Lloyd Beedell just six weeks to
business but this came in at a very good
put his long-term plan into action and
deal, to be honest, and we know how
launch Chesters in Abergavenny last month. Beedell and business partner Ben
quizzing him daily”.
Can your dog do this?
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 6
difficult it is to get good premises. So it felt like one of those opportunities that would be silly to pass up.”
Adeline Mangevine Loki prepares for stores two and three Loki expects to open its second branch on November 1 and says that a third will follow in the New Year. The Birmingham independent is about
to unveil its store in Edgbaston Village, a
new development that combines housing, leisure and retail elements.
Owner Phil Innes says: “We will continue
with five Enomatics featuring 40 wines and a range of around 400 wines, with a large craft beer and spirits range as well.
“We will have a deli counter as well as a
lounge area, and also a more bar-focused
area. There is a small wine garden out the back which will be used in the summer.”
The company has also been working on
Hasty despatches from the frontline of wine retailing
I
t’s at times like these, we have
to think outside the wine box,” I
say to Alex, attempting to sound
businesslike. We’re having yet another strategy meeting. We have quite a few
these days. The chill wind that is blowing through our import-based industry
means we must keep thinking up new
ways to keep people spending with us. “I think we need to rethink our shop
to make it more experiential,” says Alex,
with a flourish. He means serving wines by the glass. He’s right. Resistance is futile.
So we outline plans for a tasting
counter offering flights, rather than plunging straight into a cheese-and
charcuterie show, which means we don’t
need to hire anyone else for the moment. We could découpage the counter with
pages from all those rapidly out-of-date price lists that are piling up.
We instantly come up with a whole list
want to treat myself”; “A thank-you gift
for someone not very close (under £10)/
Shop next door. “This will also increase our capacity in our lounge to cater for events of up to 70 people or 40 people seated,” says Innes. “We are also making some aesthetic improvements.”
Innes has put in a planning application
for a third shop, in the city’s Moseley district.
decal that says ‘only good wine sold
here’?” he adds. Ah, the optimism. Who reads anything put in a window?
We move on to other ideas. “How
about a poseur table, for customers to use as they look scroll through
thousands of smartphone photos, trying
We only sell ‘good’ wines, but maybe we need to advertise our mind-reading service too
occupy bored children who come in with
of categories: “I’ve had a hard day”; “I
in size by incorporating the former Whisky
“Perhaps we can do a massive window
style method and organise it by occasion. Why is a customer buying wine?
Great Western Arcade, which has doubled
overlap and it is getting complicated.
to locate that amazing wine they had and
We could ditch the trusty by-country-by-
the expansion of its original branch in the
we realise that quite a few categories
Then I suggest we have could have a
rethink about how we display our wines.
Artist’s impression of the Edgbaston branch
chart for the wall,” suggests Alex, as
someone close (above £10)”; “Dinner
with someone who knows about wine
and I don’t want to embarrass myself”; “Dinner with friends but I don’t know what they’re cooking”; “I only drink
French”; “We’re having chicken”; “We’re having steak”; and finally “Good wine”.
It’s surprising how many people ask this, as if a) we mainly stock bad wine and b) we’re mind-readers and know exactly what qualifies as a customer’s idea of good.
“We might need to do a cross-reference
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 7
wondered if we could stock it?” I suggest. We chew over some ideas of how to
their parents. Ideas include a critter
corner, where only wines with animal labels would be stocked (could get us
into trouble) and small-format bottles (which could get us into even bigger
trouble). Conversely, we could have an
adults-only corner for those wines with
naughty labels. I’m looking at you, French natural winemakers.
“And we need a book of remembrance,”
adds Alex. “It’ll help customers mourn
the loss of a wine that we no longer stock – especially those small parcels and bin-
ends we snapped up and made quite clear that when they were gone, they really
were absolutely gone. Hopefully, this will stop them asking when these wines will be back in.” I doubt it.
Let’s meet the magnificent seven
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
WBC’s cool new wine gift bags are the ideal way to encourage customers to trade up as the all-important festive sales season approaches
W
“Investment in stock and retail space
e’ve all been tempted by
required are both minimal and it is a
the little extras on the way
valuable service to your customers who
to the till, and so have a
can leave the shop with a ready-made
whopping 60% of UK shoppers.
and wrapped gift.”
It’s a tried and tested marketing
Launching this autumn are seven
technique, according to smallbusiness.
new bottle bags designed in-house by
co.uk: “British consumers spend a
WBC’s creative team – a must-buy for
whopping £21.7 billion on impulse
anyone selling drinks between now and
purchases each year,” it reports.
Christmas.
Gift bags for bottles have to be one
of the easiest and most cost-effective
The collection is designed by WBC’s
impulse gifts for drinks retailers to offer.
creative director Mark Ho, the creative
With trade prices starting from as little as
force at the forefront of developing
£0.84p a unit, bottle bags are a great way
concepts for a range of top-name drinks
to easily increase average order values,
while upselling product and maximising
sales, especially during the festive season. WBC director Andrew Wilson says:
“Incremental or impulse sales are
increasingly important to all retailers
now and, if well displayed, bottle bags
are one of the easiest ways of generating additional profit.
producers from E & J Gallo Winery to Chase Distillery and even designing clothing for Kylie Minogue.
This new seasonal collection
incorporates trends from around the
country to appeal to a wider audience with colour schemes, themes, and
patterns retailers can be assured remain exclusive to independents.
All bags come supplied with a matching
gift tag and barcode. With trade prices starting from £0.84 per bag, you can
sell them for anything between £1.99
to £3.99 – it couldn’t be easier to make strong margins.
New bottle bags are available to purchase online now at wbc.co.uk Email: sales@wbc.co.uk Telephone: 020 7737 4040
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 8
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 9
tried & Tested Perdeberg Dry Land Collection Barrel Fermented Chenin 2015
Le P’tit Paysan Le P’tit Pape 2015
Made from 40-year-old dry-farmed bush vines, this is
“We did not set out to make these wines,” says
leesy texture and ripe fruit flavours – it’s a good bottle
them to light.” This Rhône-inspired blend from
a joyous expression of South Africa’s signature white variety. Herbs and honeysuckle on the nose, a nice
to plonk in front of anyone who decries Chenin Blanc as boring. Such people are a dying breed. RRP: £13
winemaker Ian Brand. “We discovered great vineyards at the edge of sensible farming and decided to bring California is as well-balanced and friendly as its
creator seems to be, with soft fruits and earthiness. RRP: £29.75
ABV: 14%
ABV: 14%
The Wine Treasury (020 7793 9999)
Boutinot (0161 908 1300) boutinot.com
winetreasury.com
Rogue Vine Grand Itata Tinto 2015
Lemberg Lady 2014
The DIY label probably makes it an instant indie hit
with Semillon, Hárslevelü and Sauvignon Blanc
regardless of the juice, but let’s not get cynical: this is a ripe, robust and juicy Cinsault from Bío Bío, with rich
medicinal notes and a cool mineral finish. A triumph for organic farming, native yeasts and concrete tanks. RRP: £19.50
ABV: 13%
Roughly half of this Western Cape blend is Viognier,
contributing the rest. It’s made in a natural, hands-off oxidative style and aged in old barrels. There’s a real
generosity of spirit here; a soft, rich, homely warmth, leavened by a zesty minerality and sprinkle of spice. RRP: £12.95
ABV: 14%
Seckford Agencies (01206 231188)
Indigo Wine (020 7733 8391) indigowine.com
seckfordagencies.co.uk
Terra Tangra Tamianka 2016
Torre de Oña Martelo Reserva 2012
Tamianka, as all schoolchildren know, is a synonym
for Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. At the Dirty Dozen,
The vineyards that winemaker Julio Sáenz selected for
lovely it is too. Nothing complex or convoluted, just a
raring to go, with rich blackcurrant and forest fruits
this soft, leathery Rioja are all more than 60 years old.
Top Selection was proudly pouring this example from
There’s still a certain tightness but it’s a wine that’s
its new agency in Bulgaria’s Thracian Valley and very
coming to the fore, backed by the judicious seasoning
fresh, clean, everyday white with a silky texture. The
of American and French oak. Beautiful stuff.
winery’s Black Label Mavrud was showing well too. RRP: £7.50
RRP: £35
ABV: 13%
ABV: 14%
Armit Wines (020 7908 0600)
Top Selection (0845 410 3255) topselection.co.uk
armitwines.co.uk
Tara Pinot Noir 2014
Daniel Ramos Kπ Amphora 2015
When Vino Ventisquero first planted vines in the
Daniel Ramos was originally making bulk wine from
convinced morning fog and coastal winds would do
This wine comes from old-vine Garnacha, fermented in
his base in Spain’s herb-encrusted Gredos Hills before
parched, saline salt flats of the Atacama desert, they
being persuaded to take a more premium direction.
died. It’s a brutal landscape but Felipe Tosso was
their job, and so persevered. His faith was justified: this is a painstaking and elegant Pinot, with none of the jam or alcohol burn that infects so many rivals. RRP: £36.80
ABV: 12.5%
The Wine Treasury (020 7793 9999) winetreasury.com
1,000-litre clay vessels. It’s a lively and spirited affair,
with a lightness and delicate granularity, and a hint of Iberian mountain flora. RRP: From £18
ABV: 14.5%
Raymond Reynolds (01663 742230) winesfromportugal.com
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 10
bits & BOBs FAVOURITE
THINGS Liam Plowman Wild + Lees London
Favourite wine on my list Domaine Bouché Etre á l’Ouest: an
unoaked, unfiltered Chardonnay from
Limoux. It has a crown-cap closure and a craftily illustrated, hipster-friendly label, so you could be forgiven for suspecting
style over substance. It isn’t! It is utterly
delicious and you’d be hard pushed to find a purer expression of the fruit. Fantastic.
Favourite wine and food match Easy ... Gewurztraminer and curry!
An experiment has shown that people
three months once the original seal has
perceive wines bottled with cork to be
been broken.
superior to those under screwcap, even when the liquid is the same. Volunteers at Oxford University were
asked to taste and rate a wine after being
played the sound of either a cork popping or a screwcap being twisted.
Participants rated the same wine as 15%
better quality when served under a cork in comparison to screwcap.
“The sound and sight of a cork being
popped sets our expectations before the
It’s such a friendly industry that it’s hard
to have favourites. That said, a young chap called George Randall from Boutinot has
at £29.95.
Decanter, September 5
Vineyard robot proves its worth successful trials in the Douro Valley as part of a €2m project involving In the tests the VineScout robot
monitored vines in the Quinta do Ataíde
vineyard. It will now proceed to “the next stage of development”, Symington Family Estates said.
The trial involves €1.7m of EU
Favourite wine trip
Favourite wine trade person
the company said. A pack of six caps retails
Symington Family Estates.
experience,” Prof Charles Spence said.
like nothing else.
40-degree heat.
and will now go on general sale in the UK,
The Drinks Business, September 27
expectations then anchor our tasting
sweetness that complements curry spices
and some amazing winemakers, toiling in
available initially to Coravin Club members
A vineyard robot has undergone
of fruit and spice and a slight residual
recently. Lovely people, great food and wine
Coravin screwcaps have been made
wine has even touched our lips, and these
Gewurztraminer has such a generosity
I had a fantastic trip to the Southern Rhône
Magpie
Corks still seen as superior closures
investment and aims to improve the 140 volunteers took part in the experiment
Coravin taps into screwcap market
viticulture of European wine regions,
addressing the issue of labour shortages. Imbibe, September 12
• Liberty Wines boss David Gleave MW has warned that Brexit represents “death by a thousand cuts” for parts of the UK on-trade,
A new device from Coravin claims to
“with businesses leaving a bit at a time”.
keep screwcap wines fresh for up to
Imbibe, September 14
been brilliant to me. When I told him that
winemerchantmag.com
I had quit my job to open a wine shop,
he came round to my house loaded with samples and good advice.
Favourite wine shop Market Row Wines in Brixton. It was
something of an inspiration for Wild +
Lees. Lo-fi, friendly, casual and inclusive of everyone, in terms of price and attitude.
01323 871836 winemerchantteam@gmail.com
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The Wine Merchant is mailed freely to the owners of the UK’s 834 specialist independent wine shops. Every one of them, as the previous sole exception to the rule has now closed down. The magazine is edited by Graham Holter. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2017 Registered in England: No 6441762
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 12
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book review
A golden era for the golden slope? Raymond Blake’s absorbing new book suggests we may be living through what will one day be regarded as the glory years of the Côte d’Or. But the problems he flags up, such as climate change and stratospheric pricing, should be a cause for concern for all Burgundy lovers
Côte d’Or: The wines and winemakers in the heart of Burgundy
not necessarily represent the pinnacle of that domaine’s output, but do provide a
flavour of what they’re about. Blake now
has a home in the Côte d’Or, and you sense he prefers a neighbourly drink with his
subjects to a late-night digest of the “notre histoire” section of their websites. He’s at
Raymond Blake Infinite Ideas, £30
I
pains to point out that decent Burgundy is not the sole preserve of millionaires,
whatever the shrill headlines in the trade press may imply.
Not that everything on the slope is
f you fancy buying a hectare of vineyard in Montrachet or Musigny, expect to
golden. Spring hail is causing mayhem
pay something approaching €50m.
in swaths of the Côte de Beaune with
That’s roughly €5,000 for a square metre of dirt and a solitary vine, yielding half a
alarming regularity. Spiralling prices are
bottle of wine if you’re lucky. As Raymond
Blake has profiled around 100 producers
earth’s surface” with its exposed Jurassic
scent, perfumed with notes of sweet
Blake observes: that does not make sense. How can the Côte d’Or, this “tear in the
limestone, justify such a grotesque
valuation? Why do auction houses sell back vintages of Romanée-Conti, Roumier and Leflaive at prices that would make even some oligarchs wince?
The answer, of course, is that the Côte
d’Or produces wines like nowhere else
on earth. “No gustatory experience can
match the thrill of a great Côte d’Or red drunk at its peak,” Blake asserts. “The
colour, crimsoned by age; the heavenly
decay; a sauvage edge, the palate lively and tingling, managing to be so many things at once, oscillating between fruit and spice
and meat and game, a merry-go-round of
flavour, spiralling on the palate, refusing to
be pinned down by anything so prosaic as a tasting note.”
Blake presents around 100 pen-portraits
of some favourite Côte d’Or producers,
capturing the essence and personality of each and recommending wines that may
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 14
a genuine concern, even if there tends to be exaggeration about how much of the
region’s output is actually caught up in the madness. Counterfeiting is undoubtedly a
huge worry, and nobody can be sure quite how widespread the problem is, or will
reveal itself to be in the coming decades. Then there are issues with the wines
themselves. Premature oxidation in Côte
d’Or whites has been on the trade’s radar
since 1996, and so far no one has come up with a wholly satisfactory explanation for it, though inevitably corks are implicated.
The problem has deterred many Burgundy consumers from bothering to lay down
their wines, and prompted many producers
to opt for a purer, fruitier Chardonnay intended for younger drinking.
“As a wine style, aged white Burgundy
may have had its day,” Blake warns.
“Future historians may write that the
early years of the 21st century witnessed
the disappearance of this wonderful wine style.”
Blake is also fearful of a creeping
homogenisation of winemaking among
red wine producers. He seems to yearn for a slightly less meticulous approach
to grape selection and a rejection of any
overarching winemaking template in the sterile pursuit of “correctness”.
“Quirks and foibles add character, too
much at times, but the polished perfection
of mass production, admirable rather than lovable, is absent here,” he says. “And that is the way it must remain.”
Blake stops short of strident predictions
about Burgundy’s future, arguing that
like anywhere else, it’s essentially at the mercy of world events and not simply
changing tastes and practices in the wine
microcosm. But he highlights the intriguing phenomenon of the micro-négoce.
These are the Côte d’Or’s equivalent of
microbrewers: outsiders who buy in grapes and typically turn out fresh, immediately-
drinkable wines that build a cult following via websites and social media.
Will such producers change the face of
such a tradition-saturated region? For now, “in the jigsaw puzzle of the Côte they are little more than a single piece, a shining bright piece that should be cherished”.
Burgundy can be a tricky place to get to grips with, for newcomers and old hands
Are you ready for the Christmas sales?
alike, and Blake steers clear of over-
simplifying a region for which complexity is part of the charm. Absolute beginners
may feel that his introductory chapters are a couple of jumps ahead of their personal starting point, and indeed compound any
sense that mastering the Côte d’Or is a feat
unlikely to be achieved in a career, let alone with the reading of one book.
But Blake’s affection for his adopted
region, and his respect for its people and the wines they make, shines through.
He offers a friendly and knowledgeable
commentary that does a commendable job of making sense of how the Côte d’Or rose
to pre-eminence – and adds some thoughtprovoking observations about where it may be heading.
Graham Holter
open imagination
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merchant profile: the leamington wine company
Anita Mannion, September 2017
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 16
The final flourish Anita Mannion’s career as an independent wine merchant began with shops in north Wales. She opened her acclaimed Warwickshire store eight years ago, and plans to stay at the helm there for a few final years before upping sticks again and trying something completely different …
A
nita Mannion has been an independent wine merchant for a long time, though not necessarily in the same place or trading under the same banner.
Recessions and booms have come and gone, trends have waxed
and waned, personal circumstances have changed, as personal
circumstances are prone to do. Yet here she is, still smiling away in a smartly-presented shop on one of the main drags in Royal
Leamington Spa, attending to a succession of Monday afternoon customers who invariably want to chat – in some cases about alarmingly personal issues – and take her up on her free giftwrapping service.
Mannion doesn’t think she’ll be a wine merchant for many more
years, but she seems determined to enjoy the time she chooses to remain in a trade that has been her living for more than two
decades. The business turns over around £600,000 and sustains a small but enthusiastic team.
Although a Cheshire native, north Wales provided the setting for
Mannion’s entry into the wine trade. The first shop was in Pwllheli,
they wanted”.
Women aren’t exactly over-represented in the independent
trade now, but the situation was even worse a couple of decades
ago. “You were lucky if there was another woman at a tasting. Now they’re full of them, which is great,” she says.
She laughs at the memory of the unwanted advances of a
drunken wine critic at one event in the dim and distant past,
but it sounds like a pretty grubby experience. Did she ever feel
intimidated? “A little bit, yeah, but I could handle myself. I didn’t feel intimidated in my own shop. That was fine.”
After 10 years at Pwllheli she relocated to the north Wales coast,
running Conwy Fine Wines for more than six years. The premises is now home to Vinomondo.
When circumstances changed again, she spent a year weighing
up her next move. After initially considering Warwick, she opened up in the centre of Leamington just under eight years ago. How did you settle on the location in the end?
in the premises now occupied by Gwin Llŷn Wines, which during
You’ve got to have the right footfall in this industry because I don’t
wanted to change our lifestyle,” Mannion recalls. “I was doing
in the UK – they provide meat to the queen. The greengrocer’s
her tenure also had a satellite branch in Abersoch.
“My husband at the time had a really bad car accident and we
interior design and it was eating up my weekends and I was not able to spend enough time with the kids.
“My ex-husband worked at a brewery and was really into his
beers. We thought, what kind of business can we open? We looked
at post offices, fish and chip shops ... and then we thought what the town could really do with was a really good wine shop.”
Mannion put herself through a wine course and “learned from
there. I did a lot of reading, and learned from people about what
wholesale. I looked for shops that would feed my shop, basically.
The butcher’s opposite, Aubrey Allen, is one of the best butcher’s [also opposite] is a really proper greengrocer’s.
Has Leamington changed much since you arrived? There’s a lot of new coffee shops! It’s unbelievable how many have
opened in the past six months. There’s a few independent ones but the rest are chains.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 2016 17
Continues page 18
merchant profile: the leamington wine company © gb27photo / stockadobe.com
From page 17
You still can park outside. It’s a nice town. Obviously I’ve had a
few shops in different small towns; this is a big town to me.
People are very loyal here once you give them that chance.
There’s a lot of money around but they don’t always like to splash the money. There’s few that will come in and spend big.
Are you still working with some of your original suppliers? Yeah, and then there are new ones too. We still use Liberty because they do some great wines. We’ve gone for Vintage Roots because we now do more organic; no added sulphites; gluten-free beers.
There’s about 12 new companies that I use now. Some just for
French wines, some for Argentinian wines, like Hispa; Eurowines for Italians ...
And you like to chop and change the portfolio? Yes, because I don’t want to see the same things on the shelf all the time. There’s new things coming in. And food changes too: we’re going into a new season now so it’s heartier and spicier food, so you look at more Rieslings and so forth. Mannion liked the location for the shop as it was opposite a quality butcher’s and greengrocer’s
We start from £6.99 but we taste and taste and taste until we get
the right £6.99 wines. We do some expensive stuff as well. Do you import any of your own wines?
No. I’ve been on a couple of buyers’ trips. [We don’t import
because of] the money involved, and I’ve only got a cellar. It’s not for me. It’s all about cash flow at the end of the day. Are you part of any buying groups?
No, I did get an option to do that. I know that they’re good but I like to work as a team here.
Nikki Jarret [part of the Leamington team] is a wine educator.
She’s quite old-school and I’m the complete opposite to that. I do
like my classics but I’m a bit more adventurous. I just say to Nikki,
is there anything that you fancy that you want to come in? I always have the last say. I know buying groups work for some people, but I don’t think it would work for me.
Has the Brexit vote had an effect on the business? Yes. In the first week everyone was so miserable, really sad. Here
we voted to remain. I think we just need to get on with it now. We know that wines have all gone up, everything’s gone up and it’s still going up, and I think people are getting the idea now.
I think if people want a nice bottle of wine, it’s only an extra
50p on a bottle ... but in some cases, it has been a pound on things.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 18
‘I know buying groups are good and they work for some people, but I don’t think it would work for me’
Aubrey Allen and then they drop their bags
and say they’re having this or they’re having that and they’re having eight people round,
and you match the wines up with the food and the budget.
You’ve gone for the classic wine shop format here – no tables and chairs ... It depends where you are and whether you need to do that. I don’t need to do that. It’s like wholesale: I have done wholesale over
the years, that was in Pwllheli, but it was a nightmare to control.
It was hard work making sure you got your money back. You were always chasing. I decided I would rather concentrate on this kind Have suppliers been transparent enough about that? Some
of business and if it’s working, keep doing what you’re doing.
You’ve got an Enomatic machine – do you let people drink
merchants feel that some increases have been sneaked in.
wine by the glass in the shop?
Some increases have been sneaked in, yeah. The smaller ones that
It’s purely for samples. We could put a long table in the centre but
what you buy: will somebody pay that bit more?
and like with the gins, people tend to buy a few more as well.
we work with have been brilliant, really.
We’re expecting more increases. You’ve just got to be careful
Do you work seven days a week?
I don’t think the people who come in with families would take
kindly to people sitting down with drinks. It’s a good way to upsell, Is the maintenance costly?
The shop’s open seven days a week but I don’t work seven days a week. No. The business would run me. I run the business! It feels sometimes like seven days a week because you’re always at the back end of the business.
I’ve just had them in and it’s cost me £680-odd, but I’ve not had
that for two years so it’s not too bad. The gas lasts quite a while.
I always do Mondays; I have Tuesdays to catch up with
paperwork and so forth; Wednesday is my day off usually and I
have Sundays off. So it’s not bad. It’s a lifestyle business here and it pulls in some nice money. We’re open 9.30am to 6.30pm and Sundays 11am to 4.30pm.
Is gin still going gangbusters for you? At weekends it’s like every other sale is a gin. We’ve got a
store room full of it downstairs. People come here because we have tasters and people don’t just have one, they buy two and sometimes three bottles. Rhubarb gin is popular.
The non-alcoholic Seedlip gins have really taken off too. No
added sugars, no added nothing. Gin doesn’t really agree with me.
Mannion’s trademark labels are “a 20-year curse”
Just about all of your wines seem to have hand-written labels with tasting notes.
You’re in a perfect position to answer the eternal question: do
I’ve done it in all my shops so it’s a 20-year-old curse! People like
these machines pay for themselves over time?
it because it’s just a simple thing that’s on there. Some people just
Yes and no. I would say it’s brought people in. You can educate
Most people come in for advice because they get their food from
Continues page 20
like to browse and not have you there with them and decide on what they want to pick.
people as well. When people say, “I don’t like Chardonnay” you can
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 19
merchant profile: the leamington wine company From page 19
let them try a Chablis and then it’s: “oh gosh!” Because people still have this thing about Chardonnay.
For me it’s part of the business. It’s like gift-wrap; it’s our bread
and butter really. People come in through the weekend and on
Mondays and Tuesdays and it’s just gift wrap, gift wrap, gift wrap. Anything over £10 gets a nice luggage tag on it and you can write on the back of it. It’s better than advertising.
‘The gin is free at our two-hour tasting. Some people can get at least 20 down them but there’s no trouble’
Is gift wrapping a free service?
Yes, it’s a free service and at Christmas time we have two gift wrappers because it’s bonkers. Really bonkers. What other marketing do you do?
We’re big on social media: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I
mainly do it and Aoife [Brennan, sales assistant] does it. We try to do two a day. It depends what we’ve got. We like to tell a story as
well. Instagram’s the big thing at the moment. The thing is, if you pay someone to do it, they do too many. You don’t want to be like
every hour on the hour. Otherwise people think: she’s got nothing
we have 200 people for that. We do that down the road at Victoria House. It’s the only place in Leamington that’s got a garden, and the building is lovely and old.
We’ve got 10 gin companies in and we have Fever Tree there.
We have a free sample of virtually all the gins that we put on. It
was £35 a ticket but it’s free until we say, “that’s it”. It’s a two-hour tasting. Some people can get at least 20 down them.
Have you ever had problems with people over-imbibing?
else to do!
Never. No trouble whatsoever with any of my tastings. But I’m
We do a lot of tastings. We do a gin festival as well once a year and
We clear the shop and make three bars. That’s with Fever Tree,
What kind of tastings and events do you run?
quite strict. I don’t shy!
We do one tasting a month in the store so that’s for 50 people.
and we have a distiller, and that’s £30. We just serve and educate. We’re quite active with all our tastings. We’ve got the Back to
Basics wine course; the food festival; a biodynamic and organic tasting with Vintage Roots; we’ve got a port tasting.
Nikki is a WSET educator but we’re not doing courses with a
WSET rubber stamp on it. It’s good old learning and they get some nibbles with that too.
Do you make money out of the ticket prices for the tastings? Not massively. It pays the staff and there’s a little bit left over. But
it’s all about PR really, not about money on the night. Some people walk up and buy; some people won’t. They have food included in
the price as well. We charge £30 for our Christmas tasting. We get 200 in though with all our wine suppliers. We have spirits in one room and wine in another room.
Do you get to go on many trips? I do, yes. I’ve just turned do a Portuguese trip actually because Beer is sourced through two main wholesalers
I’m trying to move house so it’s just at the wrong time. I think
they’re starting again now – companies tightened up on trips and there are a few now that are finding they’ve got a little bit more
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 20
Mannion and Aoife Brennan both take care of social media duties
money for them. They’re treating independents a bit differently
now; they’re realising that they need to work with independents more. A few years ago it was all supermarkets, supermarkets,
supermarkets. You’ve got more samples coming back in again and the trips are back again.
I’ve had a California trip, which I sent one of my team members
away on; I had an apprentice and I sent him to South Africa because we won the trip. I went to Chile.
I wouldn’t say I’d retire but I’d want to go to Wales to be near my family and there are a few business opportunities there with my sister, in something completely different, probably.
I don’t really want to go back into retail. I like retail but it would
be time to hang my boots up. I don’t want to be grouchy! I’m 55 now and I think 57, 58 will be the right age.
I can’t imagine you being grouchy. You seem to have stamped your personality all over this shop and made it what you want
You’ve done loads of trips. Are you bored to death yet by
it to be.
stainless steel and bottling lines?
I think if you get a good manager behind you, you can still work it.
No no no. I like to see that side of it. Like at Montes: when you
went to the vineyards it was stunning and the tasting room was
beautiful and then they have the music on playing to the barrels
But I wouldn’t want to be in the shop more than three days a week. A lot of small businesses are given the advice: don’t be the
which is quite a novelty. If you go to some small places, there’s
face of the business too much.
What regions are you currently looking at for new listings?
we’ve got Dale [Packer] as well – he used to work for Sheldons –
nothing around – just desert in Chile – it’s amazing.
That’s why I don’t do day in, day out. I’m not the front of the
We’ve got a few more Californians coming in; we need to aim for
and then young’un [Aoife] and then me. Dale’s got lots of stories to
more from Croatia; we’re going to try some more Greek wines. Would you ever open another shop?
No. I’m getting to that age now. I think it’s a young person’s game
now. In a few years’ time I think I’ll be ready to hang my boots up.
business really. We all work as a team. There’s Nikki and then tell. He’s great at tastings. I like to have a bit of fun. It’s got to be fun, hasn’t it?
It has, yeah. It’s got to be enjoyable when people come in. No snottiness – well, I can’t be, can I? I’m northern!
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 21
picture special: vini italiani
The third way Vini Italiani’s branches in Covent Garden and Old Brompton set a pretty high standard for interior decor. Now all eyes are on Greenwich to see what the team comes up with for store number three ‌
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 22
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 23
© lobodaphoto / stockadobe.com
just williams
Abandoned qvevri – clay vessels used in winemaking – outside a Georgian monastery
Georgia on my mind It’s a country steeped in eight millennia of winemaking heritage, but the wines coming out of this crossroads between Europe and Asia have resounding appeal in the 21st-century wine market
A
ll European wine producers like to make a thing of history and tradition. At some level, you suspect, this obsession has its roots in a complacently condescending view
Europeans have of the New World. The idea that, compared to the French, Italians, Germans and even the English, the Australians and Californians are just neophyte amateurs who should stop bothering us and come back when they’ve got some proper
experience – not too much, just a millennium or two – under their belts.
All of which must be regarded as so much petty juvenile
squabbling when viewed from Georgia, where Europe segues into Asia below the Caucasus mountains, and where recent
archaeological discoveries point to an unbroken winemaking
tradition of a mere 8,000 years. As nobody quite said to me (but
pretty much everyone implied) during a recent trip to the country: “Old World? We’ll give you Old World!”
That Georgian winemakers are, in a crowded field, world leaders
in historical pre-occupation isn’t only about the longevity of their traditions, however. Yes there is the pride, and a particular kind of humility, that comes with being the modern custodians of
the original cradle of wine, that dizzying feeling of looking back down the centuries over countless generations to the very first vignerons.
Indeed, that feeling is palpable even to western European
visitors like me, not least at the Alaverdi monastery, in Georgia’s
main winemaking region, Kakheti. Here, a selection of centuries-
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 24
old qvevri – the Georgian clay winemaking vessel – lie strewn beside the remains of an 8th-century cellar, and occasional frowning, white-bearded, black-clad representatives of the
residents – an order of Georgian Eastern Orthodox monks – pass
among the tourist visitors to the graceful 11th-century cathedral. The monks would be entitled to divert their minds from the
celestial plane induced by their hypnotic, intoxicating chanting to contemplate the remarkable revival of wine production here. The current cellar, built by one King Kvirike at the same time as the
cathedral, had its first documented vintage in 1011, and, after a hiatus that lasted much of the 20th century, returned (to muchdeserved subsequent acclaim) in 2006.
And it’s those missing decades, a period that one of Georgia’s
leading winemakers, Lado Uzunashvili, calls “77 years of evil”,
that have arguably done more to shape the modern industry’s
historical consciousness than anything that happened in Neolithic
David Williams is wine critic for The Observer
Drinking the new generation of qvevri wines is and unusually powerful experience
times.
to make viable commercial wine with the dial turned back from
style, with bluntly numbered production labels as everything
happened next that has, in the past couple of years, made Georgia
As Uzunashvili says, the Soviet era cast a dull spell over Georgia’s
vineyards. The evocative wine names were replaced, in Orwellianwas geared towards industrial quantities of indifferent quality. Wineries were vast production facilities, disconnected from
vineyards geared entirely to high volume and where Georgia’s remarkable varietal diversity (Uzunashvili says Georgia has
around 1,400 grape varieties, of which 537 have been identified
in recent years), dwindled, in the 1970s, to a handful of the most
productive Vitis vinifera or, in an act of perverse vandalism, newly introduced hybrids.
Meanwhile, many smaller-scale traditional wineries were left
to rot or sequestered for other more prosaic purposes (Alaverdi
became a tractor garage, the ancient qvevri filled with oil and fuel). The period after Georgia gained independence in the 1990s, was no less traumatic, albeit in a rather different way. After the grey certainties of the Soviet system, the transition to the new
Wild East of casino capitalism brought widespread unemployment and poverty – and a wine business not really cut out for exports to
a fast-changing Russia just emerging from a crackdown on alcohol, let alone finding a place in more sophisticated Western markets.
But it’s at this point that Georgia’s wine story begins to change,
and change in a way that feels very different to other post-Soviet
wine industries such as Bulgaria and Romania. The first step came when a range of local and international investors bought up the
large bankrupt or neglected Soviet facilities and, with the help of
flying winemakers and returning Georgians (such as Uzunashvili, who worked in Australia among other places before helping to revive the aristocratic 19th-century Château Mukhrani) began
quantity towards quality.
So far, so New, EU-loan-soaked Eastern Europe. But it’s what
one of the most fashionable wine producing countries in the
world, its wines joining the ranks of must-lists in the kind of wine bars and restaurants – from Barcelona’s Bar Brutal to New York’s Terroir and Copenhagen’s Noma – where the emphasis is all on natural approaches and a craving for authenticity.
The sudden change in Georgia’s reputation was based entirely
on a revival of techniques – specifically those used to make qvevri wines – that have been used throughout the country’s almost
unfathomably long winemaking history. As one of the leaders of
the qvevri revolution, the American painter, chef, philosopher and
self-taught winemaker John Wurderman of Pheasant’s Tears, puts it, it’s a quest for “authenticity, for a way past the homogenisation – the sterilisation – of wine in Georgia”.
It’s all part of a general reckoning in Georgia with the past, a
desire to revive, rediscover and recatalogue the hidden corners of
a culture that had been driven into the margins in the Soviet years. The lost polyphonic folk songs and poetry; the breads, yoghurts and cheeses; the herbs, spices and grape varieties.
All of which makes the experience of drinking the new
generation of qvevri wines an unusually powerful one. Herbal,
quince-flavoured, subtly tannic orange wine such as Wurderman’s Pheasant’s Tears Chinuri or the spicy, refreshingly grippy cherryscented Separavi such as those made by master qvevri craftsman Giorgi Dakishvili, are deeply satisfying, sensual and original. But
they’re more than that. In a part of the world where wine is woven through the culture, it’s not all that fanciful to think of them more as a kind of living history.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 25
The French connection for ind
Famille Helfrich offers an unrivalled portfolio from its properties all across France, which it for its growing band of independent customers. UK on-trade and indies sales director Chr why working with this dynamic family business makes perfect sense for indies
B We’re a family business
C Producer not agent!
Joseph Helfrich started Les Grands
This is the most common misconception
He established good relationships
try and rectify that.
Chais de France in 1979 with 5,000
francs, and is still at the helm today.
with many growers early on and was
probably the first in France to offer 25-
year contracts. It’s still about the people
with Joseph, which is why many of those families are still our partners today. He was innovative in other ways:
being the first in France to put a varietal on the label, experimenting with
bottle shapes and moving away from traditional-style French labels.
I’ve never known a family that works
so hard together to reach a common
goal, and we are now seeing the next generation with Frederic and Anne-
Laure continuing their father’s vision.
people have when discussing our
business and here is our opportunity to First and foremost we are a
winemaking business owning 40
properties (2,641ha of vines) across France, with over 30% of our total
workforce out in the vineyards each
other family-owned growers enables us to source great wine for our successful brands such as Les Vignerons and
Parlez Vous. Finally, our reputation and logistic platform means that we act
as a negociant for many other smaller
domaines and premium châteaux – for
example Château Laroque in St Emilion.
E Alsace to Aude
morning. When working with Famille
We produce wine in Bordeaux,
D Three in one
vinification site in each of those regions.
Helfrich you are working directly with the vineyard.
Our 40 properties are one aspect of
the picture, but we have two other key
elements that give us the diversity and
flexibility required to supply the market. Firstly, our long-term relationships with
Languedoc, Rhône, Burgundy, Loire,
Alsace and even Jura with at least one As a specialist it’s important for us
to maintain the connection with the
terroir and of course the people in those regions. It’s all about the terroir for Joseph, not the facade.
As an example, when we acquired
Château de Cleray in the Loire, Joseph was the only suitor that asked then
owner Pierre-Jean Sauvion to see the vineyard first.
It’s a testament to the relationship
that 10 years later Pierre-Jean is still
there, making the wine at his château as
part of our group; part of a wider family.
F Segmentation is key
When we first started working with
the independent sector, segmentation was highlighted to me as the number one issue. The common theme was that brand owners would use the
sector to build their brand value to
then chase the volume ticket and list
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 26
dependents Sponsored feature
consolidates on a single pallet ris Davies highlights the reasons
Don’t just take our word for it …
it at a supermarket. That’s really not
‘Turnaround time and accuracy impressive’
and ultimately results in delists!
independent-focused UK team have a real understanding of what indies need to
what we’re about as it doesn’t build
relationships, it only causes bad feeling
“Famille Helfrich are almost unrecognisable from the company of old. The
relationships; we are lucky enough to
no shortage of these wines in their extensive portfolio.
and independent portfolio consists of
accuracy is impressive – a lot of UK agents could learn a thing or two. Whether it
Business has always been about
work in a sector where people still buy
succeed. We’re all about quality wines which over-deliver on price, and there is “As an independent wholesaler, channel management is vital, along with
from people. Our exclusive on-trade
flexible ordering. Given the stock is held in France, the turnaround time and
our channel under the name “Famille
team who know our business, and are focused on mutual growth and profit.”
over 700 wines, ring-fenced to protect Helfrich”.
G One stop We consolidate our range of wines at
the head office in Alsace and these can be ordered on mixed pallets with the minimum order being 240 bottles.
If you wanted to experiment with a
new appellation or wine it’s as simple as adding a case to your order. From house wines to Grand Cru Gewurtztraminer,
from ex-cellar to duty-paid, you can mix and match to suit your requirements.
be volume movers or fine Bordeaux, the range is immense. All this run by a small
John Chapman, The Oxford Wine Company
‘The wines invariably over-deliver on price’ “The Famille Helfrich portfolio offers exceptional value and quality, the wines are always well packaged and with the UK consumer in mind. They invariably overdeliver on price. The ability to group wines from all over France (and now Chile) and top up with some aged Bordeaux makes working with Famille Helfrich an easy option.”
Sam Howard, HarperWells, Norwich
‘An interesting and exciting portfolio’ “We have worked with Famille Helfrich for a number of years and have always found the portfolio interesting and exciting – from fantastic value easy-drinking wines to varied and quirky parcels from some of France’s lesser-known regions. The staff are all passionate and focused, and able to look at the market and react to provide things you just might never have considered.” Stuart Shenton, House of Townend
Make contact today: Email Chris Davies: cdavies@lgcf.fr 07789 008540 @FamilleHelfrich
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 27
@family_helfrich_gcf_wines
creative corner
The art of wine retailing Most wine merchants see beauty in the products they sell, but some also recocognise the aesthetic appeal of the buildings from which they operate. So much so that a few have even commissioned artists to capture the full glory of their premises for posterity …
Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton The image features Henry Butler himself and his partner and manager, Cassie Gould. “It was designed and drawn by artist Lisa Savory, who is local to our Queens Park Road shop,” says Gould. “She contacted us last year and asked if we’d be interested in having her draw the shop, which we thought would be fun. We also thought it would be great to use a local artist. “We only asked if Henry could be in the picture – the rest was up to her and the end result is all her design. “There are two actual people in the picture, Henry and myself, and the clay model of Henry’s head in the window is by a local sculptor caller Brian Ellery. He makes bronze busts and asked if he could do Henry’s head. Of course we said yes and it scares all the kids walking past. We have another one he turned up with for Easter with a bonnet and bird’s nest on his head! “There is also a mosaic of a bottle with flowers in, which another local artist did for us for nothing and is really nice. We’re lucky to be surrounded by so many creative types.”
Blakeney Delicatessen, Norfolk Appliqué artwork gives this representation of the seaside deli an on-trend warm and folksy feel. Owner Nick Howard feels he is very lucky to have commissioned the “multi-talented” Rachel Tappin early on in her career. “She used to work with my wife at the local school, then she left to be a full-time artist,” he says. “We probably got mates’ rates, and I know a lot of people contact her after seeing her work in our shop.” Howard and his wife keep the original at home and have hung a digital photo mounted on canvas, supplied by Tappin, in a prominent position in the store. “People think it’s the real thing,” he says.” They touch it and can’t believe it’s not textured.”
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 28
Vino Vero, Leigh on Sea, Essex Co-owner Charlotte Brown has a family who were only too happy to contribute their professional artistic talents to the business. Her cousin Stu McLellan is responsible for the company’s logo, which has been part of the business since day one, and her mother, Elizabeth Myfanwy Clough, produced an illustration of the shop a couple of years ago. The original hangs in Brown’s dining room but she says: “We've used this picture a bit, especially in our social media – it’s our profile picture on Facebook.”
The Wine Parlour and Vintage 1824, London The striking line drawing of the Wine Parlour, by designer and illustrator Tom Norman, started life as the retailer’s house wine label.
Owlet Food & Wine, York
Owner Chix Chandaria says: “Now we have our second venue, Vintage 1824, and are potentially to go for our third, we’ve
Clarrie O’Callaghan is proud to admit that her wine shop, which runs alongside her restaurant, The Rattle Owl, is “probably the smallest wine shop in the world”. Using work by architectural illustrator Ronnie Cruwys, for Christmas cards among other things, is a clever marketing tool as
changed the label but we use it for our Twitter handle and on our website. “It works brilliantly – he pretty much nailed it straight away. The person in the doorway I think is supposed to be me. It gives a sense of place as soon as someone sees that.”
the charm of the Grade II listed building is an integral part of the Rattle Owl’s brand.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 29
cotes du rhone masterclass
Everything you wanted to know about the Rhône … but were afraid to ask Wine writer and Rhône expert Matt Walls led a recent masterclass for Wine Merchant readers taking part in this year’s Côtes du Rhône retail promotion. Here are some of his words of wisdom …
T
he thing I love about the Rhône
is really that you get two regions
for the price of one. They’re both
defined by the river and share some grape
varieties but in most other respects they’re really quite different.
The Southern Rhône makes 95% of
the wine. It’s quite a broad, flat expanse of
land with some gentle plateaux. The classic soil that you see is rounded pebbles or
can be quite subtle. You sometimes get a
strawberry sensation or it moves towards plum or damson and you may also get some Provencal herbs.
Syrah provides colour, acidity and
tannins. It can be quite a dominant grape. Mourvèdre likes hot, sunny weather
and water and I think we’re going to see more of it as the climate gets hotter. It
contributes blueberry, violet and earthy aromas.
Cinsault is really underrated. It’s a
fantastic grape variety with a lot of lift and freshness.
Forty-eight per cent of the wine from the region is Côtes du Rhône. There
are 171 villages producing 1.5m hl of wine.
It’s one of the oldest wine-producing
regions in the world. Stylistically, because Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues
puddingstones. They’re quite emblematic of the Southern Rhône.
Twenty-one grape varieties are allowed,
and the wines of the Southern Rhône are almost always blends.
Grenache is the most important and
the most widely planted grape in the
Rhône. Although they’re considered to be big, strong wines, Grenache is sometimes called the Pinot of the South because it
it’s so big, it’s hard to generalise – it
depends on the soil, terroir and house
style. But what you tend to get with Côtes du Rhône is something that’s really easy to understand, and easy to drink, with generous fruit; very good value as
well. They tend to be a good choice for people who are beginning to
show an interest in wine, because they’re really consistent.
It’s also quite a good gateway for
people who are interested in New World
wines but are looking for something with a bit more history and detail.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 30
For Côtes du Rhône Villages, yields are
lower, there’s a bit more concentration and finesse generally.
There are now 20 communes classified
as Côtes du Rhône + Named Village. It’s
kind of like a training camp between Côtes du Rhône Villages and the Crus. If a village
has several producers that are consistently making good wine, and there appears to
be a stylistic consistency emerging, this is
the point they can apply to be put into this level. They can often be very good.
There is amazing value to be had in the
Rhône. There’s real variety of style, and
whatever you’re going to eat you will be
able to find some wine to go with it, and
the people and the wines tend to be authentic and
unpretentious.
Puymeras, part of the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation
Register now for this year’s Côtes du Rhône promotion Taking part in this year’s Côtes du Rhône promotion is simple: visit www. rhoneindies.com to register and to get details of the extensive POS kit available to independents. The pack includes aprons, corkscrews, a map of the region, postcards, a poster and
bunting – and a downloadable leaflet with advice on how to run a successful promotion. Indies at the masterclass discussed a number of tactics that have reaped rewards in
previous promotions. Offering increased listings for Rhône wines, perhaps with enticing discounts, is one tried and tested approach. Another is a Rhône takeover of a dispensing machine, allowing customers to experience a range of styles they might not have tasted before. The idea of a prize draw for customers buying Rhône wines was also discussed.
As Matt Walls points out, November is a perfect time to host Rhône-themed tastings and
dinners as many winemakers from the region find themselves in the UK for trade events during that month.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 31
TOP PRIZES TO BE WON Two great prizes will be awarded by Inter Rhône to the retailers with the most creative, innovative and successful promotions.
1st prize Trip to the Rhône valley 2nd prize A Coravin Feature sponsored by Inter Rhône. For more information about Côtes du Rhône wines visit the website at www.rhone-wines.com
12
exercises for wine merchants
Cancel that gym membership!
The day-to-day physical exercise of a wine merchant is hardly Olympian, but there are some workouts to be had on the fly. As a little-known retailer once observed: every little helps
LUGGING CASES OF WINE
PLACING WINE BOTTLES ON THE SHELF
CLEANING THE FRONT WINDOW
If this activity is sustained for an hour (with no
Grab two 75cl bottles and position them on
If approached with some choreographic flair, this
breaks) your body will burn around 400 calories
a shelf above head height, and repeat. To
is an effective workout, which will engage your
depending on speed and intensity. To lift safely,
maximise the benefit of this activity, engage
abdominals and obliques. Make sure you turn
always bend at the knees, keep the
your calf muscles by standing on tip-toe with
your back leg along with your body to maximise
back straight and chin parallel to the
each upward movement. This will also benefit
each sideways stretch, regardless of the wolf-
floor. You’ll be working all kinds of
your deltoids, which are what
whistles this may generate
exciting muscle groups, including
gym types call their shoulder
from the butcher opposite.
the gluteus maximus (pert buttocks
muscles. Wear a vest if you
Let’s see the porky bastard
ahoy!), the quads and hamstrings.
think it will help. It won’t.
try this.
CHASING MR GIBBONS 50 YARDS DOWN THE ROAD WHEN HE FORGETS HIS WALLET
HAULING BOXES UP FROM THE CELLAR
SCHLEPPING ROUND LONDON TASTINGS
Not a massive calorie-burner but this is a pulse-
If you power-walk through the madding crowds
Fitness experts agree that an intense sprint for
raising exercise that will help to speed up the
and use the fast lane on the Tube escalators, this
as little as 30 seconds is a useful weight-loss
metabolism. Before any heavy lifting, do some
can be a calorie-burner and you can easily cover
technique. Maximise this short burst of activity by
preparatory shoulder-rolls and knee-raises to
three or four miles as you meander across the
indulging in a few celebratory star-jumps
warm up your joints, like this beardy bloke was
capital in search of the
upon your jubilant return. The run will
careful to do. To really work
perfect Nebbiolo. But
engage your hip-flexors and the star-
your shoulders, try holding
drink lots of water to
jumps, as a compound exercise, will get all
the box slightly away from
counteract any alcohol
your muscle groups working at once.
your body. Painful? Good!
(accidentally) consumed.
POTTERING IN THE SHOP
SWEEPING OR HOOVERING THE SHOP
DOING THE WHOLESALE ROUNDS
The body uses 300 muscles just to make it stand
Music to the ears of fat fighters everywhere – one
True, being stuck behind the wheel of the van
upright. Practising the perfect squat (booty out,
hour’s vacuuming can burn 300 calories. You’ll
isn’t physically taxing but the loading and
and getting as low to the floor as possible) will
also be engaging your calves, core, triceps, chest
unloading provides a whole-body workout
work your quads and hamstrings and gives the
and biceps. Increase your heart-
involving most muscle groups. Make time to do
added bonus of being able to disappear behind
rate first with a bit of jogging
some stretches before and after you visit your
the counter with Ninja-like speed
on the spot and you’ll burn
on-trade customers. The benefits
should you wish to avoid that
even more. Experiment with the
will depend on how intensely you
bloke wanting to know if you’ve
attachments (responsibly) to add
work, so set yourself time goals
tracked down his holiday wine yet.
some bonus upper-body action.
and speed it up each time.
INSTALLING OR DISMANTLING SHELVING
SETTING UP FOR A TASTING
FESTOONING YOUR SHOP WITH POS
Whether or not this makes you break out in a
While manoeuvring tables into position, our
Climbing a ladder will work your core and hip-
sweat is totally dependent on the weight of the
fitness consultant recommends engaging your
flexors. Step back and admire your handiwork
shelves and how complicated the kit is, but
pelvis and making a thrusting motion – great for
while deftly performing 21s: standing straight, feet
anything from Ikea is likely to
glutes but not so great if
together and slowly raising up on tip-toe, seven
burn up extra energy in sheer
there are people around with
times. Repeat with heels together and toes facing
frustration. A nice little workout
camera phones. Carrying a
out, and finally with toes facing inward. Now
for muscles in your shoulders,
foaming spittoon requires
award yourself three points and shout “hooray!”
chest and back; using a hammer
full engagement of your core
twice.
will work your biceps and triceps.
muscles to avoid spillage.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 32
Expertise, exclusives, and excellent su Gordon & MacPhail pioneered malt whisky as we know it today, and is the ideal partner for independents who want to capitalise on growing consumer interest in the whisky category as a whole. For more information visit www.gordonandmacphail.com or call 01343 554801
W
e all know which sector of the spirits category
has been seeing the most
explosive growth in recent times. But
before the gin boom, malt whisky was leading the charge in the premium
spirits sector, and it’s still seeing annual growth of around 5% in the off-trade. Not only have malts enjoyed
flavour profiles. We’d make sure you
Gordon & MacPhail started out in
and your colleagues understand the
1895 as a grocer, Italian warehouseman
your customers. Consumers put their
building long-lasting relationships with
products you’re purchasing, enabling you to confidently communicate to
trust in you so you want to recommend things that have a reason for being
and purveyor of fine wines and spirits from around the world. It has been
Scotch distillers to fill their hand-picked casks with new-make spirit ever since.
consistent long-term growth – Gordon & MacPhail argues we are currently
experiencing the “golden age” of malt whisky – but the category is taking
advantage of the adventurous nature of consumers who have been attracted to the spirits fixture by gin.
Gordon & MacPhail has established
partnerships with specialist
independents across the UK and has
helped countless merchants become
profitable and proficient in the whisky category as a whole.
“The first thing we do is try our level
best to understand your business,”
says UK sales manager Stuart Ellis.
“Our team of experts will look at what you are trying to achieve, understand
your current portfolio of products and identify opportunities for you.”
Typically, independents will be
encouraged to have a core range which will not be in national retailers.
“They could be blends or single
malts from well established brands
that your customers will recognise,”
says Ellis. “When it comes to the malt
category, cover off the regions and the
Stephen Rankin, part of a family that has run Gordon & MacPhail since 1915
there, particularly those products with provenance.
“We’d encourage you to start small
and grow your portfolio so you have something to talk about each month
as consumers come back to your store. Quality is key, as today’s trend is for consumers to drink less but better.” He adds: “Because we can offer
everything from a stunning cask-
strength or an award-winning eight
or nine-year-old whisky to the oldest,
most luxurious whisky in the world, we do have something to suit everyone’s palate and pocket.”
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 34
“Our philosophy gives us complete
differentiation from every other
independent bottler,” explains director Stephen Rankin.
“To this day we still hand-select casks
and match each one to the style of newmake spirit from each distillery. Every
cask has a destiny for us and we’ll bottle it at the appropriate time.”
Gordon & MacPhail can offer rare and
exclusive bottlings of a wide number of malts in a range of styles. Its own
distillery, Benromach, even offers malts
finished in Château Cissac and Sassacaia casks.
upport for merchants Sponsored feature
Perhaps the company is best known
“Today we continue to bottle
for its Connoisseurs Choice range, which
distillery-labelled malts like Linkwood,
distilleries to people who likely had
still have stocks from many distilleries
celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. “This range introduced over 50
never heard of these places,” says
Rankin. “Many well-established brands
of today were first seen on the market as Connoisseurs Choice bottlings.
Mortlach, Glentauchers, Miltonduff,
Glenburgie, Scapa, Imperial … and we that have unfortunately closed.”
Gordon & MacPhail is happy to
support in-store tastings as well as
festivals and more formal events that its
customers are involved in.
Snobbery around whisky has given
way to a spirit of experimentation.
“There are so many things that go well with whisky,” says Ellis. “Including
cheese and chocolate. There is a real versatility to whisky as a drink, and
there is no right or wrong way to drink it – it’s down to the individual.”
Be bold at Christmas with your whisky offer Christmas is a crucial time for whisky, especially in England and Wales,
your range up to £500 for the Christmas period. Be selective and go
where 65% of all off-trade whisky is bought and sold during the final
for some that are recommended by experts. It’s important to have a
two months of the year.
bit of confidence at Christmas and make sure that you do have things
Gordon & MacPhail’s UK sales manager Stuart Ellis encourages independents to think about the gifting opportunity, whether that comes
that can become almost like a halo product in your store.” Ellis cites the recent example of The Vintage House in London, whose £10,000 Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant Collection dating
in the form of single bottles or added-value gift packs. “At Christmas, we always see consumers increase their spend so it’s really important for independents to have key price points covered off,” he says. “Make sure you’re really well represented around £50, £80
from the 1950s became something of a tourist attraction and sold out within 10 days. “Products like this give a focal point to your store and not only boost your image but your margins too,” he says. “At G&M we offer
and £100. “At higher price points, sales staff need the knowledge and
mixed-case delivery services for any number of products, even single
confidence that we can help provide through an extensive catalogue
bottles. You’ll get top advice from our sales executives so that you
of tasting notes, tutored tastings and training, amongst other services.
can create the ideal portfolio for your establishment that will appeal
This is vital to guide customers towards a whisky that will suit the tastes
most to your customers. If you want a £100 whisky, buy one of them
of the recipient.
and if it sells, buy another one.
“Many consumers will quite happily spend £100 because whisky is an outstanding gift,” Ellis says. “Don’t be frightened to have whiskies in
“Don’t feel you have to take a case of three or a case of six. We’re not like that – we want to support you.”
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 35
reader visit to the RHONE
A family resemblance Laure Colombo is a multi-tasking ball of winemaking energy. Her project in Saint Péray, in the Northern Rhône, is producing wines that may take inspiration from her illustrious father but are distinctly her own. We took a group of eight independent merchants to catch up with progress
J
ean-Luc Colombo is described as “the winemaking wizard of
the Rhône Valley. His 30-year-old daughter Laure is not merely living in the shadow of her illustrious parent, but carving out
her own reputation as winemaker, with her own distinct style. The Cru vineyards of the Northern Rhône are among the
steepest in France, as our first stop at Côte Rôtie confirmed.
Gingerly following Colombo’s export manager, Anna Soret, and peering down at the vines growing vertiginously at the side of
the road, we half expected to see ibex skipping about. The Syrah
grapes on these south-east facing slopes get long hours of sunlight, which is why the area is referred to as “the roasted slope”. The
peppery dark fruits of the Côte Rôtie La Divine 2013 that we’d
earlier enjoyed over lunch was perhaps the perfect expression of this terroir. As a result of inheritance laws, the plots are tiny and
interspersed, and a neighbouring producer appears and gives us
a quick demonstration of how he has to walk down and across the slopes to harvest.
Another member of the Jean-Luc Colombo team, Delphine Gelly,
collects us all in what she describes as the “Monster bone-shaker”, aka a Land Rover Defender. The Colombo family owns the only
two Defenders in the area and this was apparently why we were regularly regaled by car horns: the locals are just saying “hello”,
hectare per year.”
Jean-Luc and Laure Colombo own 18ha in Saint-Péray now,
acquired over the past 11 years. The regulation for the planting in the area is tightly controlled and they only expand the vineyard in sustainable way.
Laure herself has a Masters in Management and Oenology and
joined the family domaine in 2010 and settled in Saint Péray just three years ago. She likes to make her wines with “not too much
alcohol, which is OK in the north but in the south it is more tricky to get the balance right. I have been vinifying for three years in Saint-Péray and every year it is changing.”
Global warming is at work. “My parents have been working
in Cornas for 30 years and in the early years they used to add
sugar! There is no need for that now. In the Northern Rhône most appellations are moving to higher altitudes. The AOC will have to evolve. There is no problem to produce Viognier at 600m.”
We start our tasting with Les Pins Couchés, 2016, a Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre blend. “It’s similar to a traditional
Provence rosé, but we keep more colour and more flavour,”
or at least that was what Delphine maintains as she expertly negotiates our path up towards Domaine Lorient.
The homestead of Laure Colombo sits among the remote Saint-
Péray vineyards. Laure later tells us that the road leading to her house was originally a train track so wasn’t even designed with
cars in mind, and certainly not cars travelling in both directions.
Walking with Laure around her vineyards, we realise how just
how much love and care goes into the land as they painstakingly replant. “All the landscape was shaped with stone walls and
terraces and so we have planted according to the shapes these
made,” she explains. “We try not to plant too much, just under one
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 36
The view from vineyards at Cornas
in association with
Laure explains. Arancha Lopez from Brighton’s 10 Green Bottles approves: “Sometimes rosés can deliver on the nose but the
flavour doesn’t live up to your expectation. I think this rosé has both and it’s a great price.”
We move on to the red and white Colombo et Fille Côtes du
Rhône 2016. Laure describes the white (a Clairette/Roussanne
blend) as being “more grassy than just fruits,” and it does have a
freshness to it that becomes a recognisable theme in all her wines. “I like freshness in white wine. The granitic soil contains iron
oxide and that acidity brings the freshness to the wine,” she says. The fruity red (a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah) is
described by everyone as “easy-drinking”. Laure says: “My dad is very strict about the way he makes wine and I wanted to make a
more simple, easygoing wine. It’s not a wine to blow your head – it’s just to drink.”
Laure’s wines have a delicate and feminine style, and don’t
necessarily require food, but we are nonetheless delighted at
the appearance of local goats’ cheese served with home-grown
tomatoes. As we survey the sheep and geese from her terrace, we
learn that not so long ago Laure also kept pigs. However, they were now in the extremely delicious saucisson (made by Laure), which was proving a perfect match for the Cornas.
The Saint-Péray La Belle de Mai has concentrated flavours of
peach and quince with a pleasant zest. This sells well for Julia
Jenkins at Flagship Wines and she’s delighted to be able to drink it in the surroundings of Laure’s terrace.
Laure apologises for not cooking for us all personally as she
takes us out for dinner to the restaurant of a family friend. She
has a three-month-old baby, and various livestock to look after in
addition to her vineyard and winemaking duties, so frankly we just delighted that she’s able to join us for the evening.
SHOES ARE ABANDONED the following morning on the slopes of Les Ruchets, the first vineyard bought in Cornas by the family
and planted in 1986. We try the Cornas Les Ruchets which Julia describes as “very complex, intense yet elegant with ageing
potential”. The Cornas Pied la Vigne with its hints of violet and liquorice is “fabulous” according to Jane Taylor from Dronfield
Wine World, who is now thinking of getting this in for Christmas. Our bones are well and truly shaken on this terrain as Anna
takes her turn at ferrying us about in the Defender. The sight of
Laure Colombo: her wines typically have a fresh, delicate style
a petite, chic French woman coolly steering a huge vehicle full
of eager wine merchants through the sweltering vineyards is a
memorable one, as is the one of Anna slowing down enough for us
to reach out and pick some luscious figs from one of the many fruit trees in the surrounding hedgerows.
We cannot leave without a visit to Hermitage Hill, the birthplace
of Syrah, before a final lunch and our flights home. We stop outside the famous Chapel of St Christopher and drink in the magnificent views over Tain and beyond.
Over lunch in Tain l’Hermitage we have Côte du Roussillon Les
Palomettes, “a really nice winter red that will fit very nicely in
our range,” says Heather. The St Joseph Les Lauves really strikes a
chord with Gill Mann of Devon merchant Jaded Palates: “a stunning wine with so much depth and character,” she says. “Retailing at £26, that’s a really good price for us.”
We leave the Rhône full of admiration for Laure and her team,
who have the harvest ahead of them. Far from living under the
shadow of her trail-blazing patriarch, Laure is steadily, modestly and competently creating her own winemaking legacy. The Colombo name is in very safe hands.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 37
Retailer views on pages 38 and 39
reader visit to the RHONE Heather Smith, The Solent Cellar, Lymington
Sam Howard, HarperWells, Norwich
I’ve never been to the Rhône and hadn’t realised how small the
I thought Laure’s own wines were excellent, the Côtes du Rhône
northern appellations were. The Colombo wines really are boutique;
really good value, exceptionally well made and a really good retail
small vineyards, all hand-harvested, and that surprised me.
proposition at £11.95.
I particularly loved the Colombo et Fille range; the restrained style
The Colombo & Fille Saint-Péray really stood out for me. I thought it was true to type: she said she uses more Roussanne so it had
with less oak. I found them more approachable. We stock the Picpoul in the shop and wholesale it too. The
a nice richness to it but it remained light and the fruit was in the
Collines de Laure is a new wine for us this summer and that’s gone
foreground as opposed to being masked by oak
really well. We did it by the glass for all our events. We also took
or anything else. So it was just a very modern interpretation, and would sit on our shelves quite
the Saint-Péray Colombo et Fille at the end of the
comfortably.
summer, and I really loved tasting that one on the trip. At about £22 it was an easy sell. We’ll
I think Laure’s wines are very much of the
be ordering more of that and we are hoping
moment. I know Colombo in the past has been renowned for quite modern winemaking and I
to feature it in our Christmas brochure
thought it was an interesting evolution, given
because I think it will be a great match
how modern the reputation is for his own
with turkey. We’ll definitely be getting
wines. I thought Laure’s were again moving
some samples in to taste with the
forward and were light years ahead of some of
team. To taste them in the place where
her competition in the area.
the grapes are grown and to see the soil and the herby hedgerows puts the wine into context.
Julia Jenkins, Flagship Wines, St Albans Arancha Lopez, 10 Green Bottles, Brighton It was great to see Laure in her environment and it’s nice to be able I love the organic practices. Seeing the combination of the forest
to put a story behind the wines and talk to people about them – that
with the vineyard and how they interact together made you fall more
was fantastic. I will be looking at the ones we tasted and get some
in love with the wine. These are the kind of wines I want in the shop.
prices to see what’s happening for Christmas.
If they follow organic principles they tend to give a better sense of the place and the wine tastes how it’s supposed to taste. Cornas tends to be something you’d keep for a long time and maybe it’s not that approachable for my customers because people come in to buy something to drink on that night, but the Cornas Colombo et Fille was something everyone can enjoy – not too big
We do quite a few of their wines – we already list the Cornas Terres Brûlées, Les Fées Brunes Crozes, Les Forots Côtes du Rhône, Condrieu and Saint-Péray and will continue to do so with one or two additions. It’s good to see a particular producer – where their
and bold that maybe you need to
vineyards are, how they work
keep for a while: it is the sort of
them to produce the best
thing that will help people get more
quality fruit and how they use
familiar with the appellation.
that fruit and how they can
I know that 95% of my customers
maximise the opportunities
buy wine to drink that night – they
they have in their own
want something that doesn’t require
circumstances. And to drink
a big steak. They want something
the wines in the vineyard,
easy-drinking and I think the new
surrounded by the vines where
approach that Laure is bringing is
the grapes have come from …
more consumer-friendly.
that’s a lovely thing to do.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 38
in association with
Dee Wellings, Last Drop Wines, London
Andrew Lundy, Vino, Edinburgh
The wines were exceptionally good and I actually favoured Laure’s wines very much. She’s a great young winemaker and her wines really excited me. She has such a passion and that’s why it works. All of them were very easy drinking. We’ll
Since Hatch took on Colombo wines, we’ve been on board from day one – the wines just speak for themselves. I’m a big fan of Laure’s wines: she has a really exciting way of winemaking, with a lot of expression. The Côte du Roussillon Les
certainly be looking at stocking some of them.
Palomettes is such a cracking wine. It’s a shame that we didn’t taste
The St Joseph Les Lauves really stood out for
the Picpoul – the pair of those wines offer such fantastic value. I
me. We do have a lot of clients who would
think they are both incredibly approachable but you can tell there’s
spend out on Cornas, especially with
real quality to them – they are really well rounded, pretty versatile
the Christmas season approaching.
and you can taste how well made they are.
The terrain surprised me. I knew it was
If we put the Cornas Les Ruchet on a tasting with customers, it
steep but actually seeing it and walking it
runs out every time. On the trip I thought the Côte Rôtie la Divine
made me realise the amount of work
2014 was epic – it really sang with lunch.
that’s involved in that particular
For me the sustainability of
area, particularly harvesting, it must
vineyards is important and I think
be incredibly hard work. The manual
Laure in particular showed
labour that’s involved is tremendous. I
us that just walking around
was very impressed.
her plots. It’s a little bit more wild and natural and organic and moving in a biodynamic direction. They choose
Gill Mann, Jaded Palates, Devon
to work with such small
We are at the moment extending our Rhône range so this trip was perfect timing for us and we’ll seriously be considering incorporating some of these wines. The rosé was incredibly good value, we’re
production, and credit to the growers and the association that they are not being over-planted: that’s where the quality side comes from.
slowing down with that now but it’s something I’ll be thinking about next year. I thought the quality of the wines was superb with so many
Jane Taylor, Dronfield Wine World, Derbyshire
different styles and variations. There wasn’t a wine I had that I didn’t think was lovely. The biggest thing for me is the connection with
They have a genuine love for the wine and love for the terroir. What
the growers, to find out about their philosophy – it connects you to
I particularly found interesting is the way they are recovering the
the wine. For us we have always concentrated on small producers
old vineyards – in the Saint-Péray appellation where they are slowly
– and Colombo are relatively small – and I love the fact that they
reclaiming back the old original terraces. I’m definitely going to
care about the vines, they look after their environment. That is really
be ordering some of the wines. Saint-Péray Colombo et Fille was
important for us and our customers. These wines
absolutely fabulous, the Marsanne and Roussanne blend. It definitely
tick the box in that respect.
helps that I’ve been there and visited the winemaker,
You can see why there are such concentrated and interesting wines coming out of the region
that story will help to sell it. I’ll definitely be stocking the Colombo et Fille Côtes
– it’s a very dry, hot landscape, and Jean-Luc
du Rhône we tried at Laure’s house. It was
doesn’t employ irrigation. You felt the vines were
so elegant and light and tasted much more
far more left to their own devices. I loved the fact
expensive than they retail at. The Côte du
that there were trees between various plots and
Roussillon Les Palomettes that we had with
pieces of land that they hadn’t farmed. I thought
lunch was particularly good and I’ll be revisiting
that was fantastic.
that with the intention of listing it.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 39
country focus
argentina in 12 wines
There’s a lot more going on in Argentina than me-too Malbec. David Williams picks out 12 wines that between them paint a picture of a fast-maturing wine scene
Zorzal Eggo Franco Cabernet Franc, Tupungato (Hallgarten) You won’t always see it on the label, but Michelini is perhaps the hot name in Argentinian wine right now, shared as it is by three winemaking brothers – Matías, Gerardo and
Juan Pablo – who sometimes work together, and sometimes on their own individual
projects, but always achieve interesting results. Argentinian specialists Las Bodegas
have been keeping tabs on the fraternity for some time, and bring in an eclectic bunch of different labels that are all worth seeking out. But the brothers’ shared natural-
minded (if not quite “natural”) philosophy is also summed up succinctly in the set of concrete egg-fermented wines Matías and Juan Pablo make under the Eggo label at the Zorzal winery in Tupungato (which is imported by Hallgarten Druitt & Novum Wines). The range includes a Bonarda, a Pinot Noir, a Sauvignon Blanc and, of
course, a Malbec, but it’s the Cabernet Franc that really stands out for me, with its herbal-inflected red and black currant crunchiness, full of trademark Michelini drinkability.
Familia Zuccardi Emma Bonarda, Altamira, Uco Valley (Alliance WINE) Reliable but hardly exciting … if I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting all that much from either producer or grape variety when I tasted Zuccardi Emma Bonarda in Mendoza late last
year. But then that only goes to show how I needed to update my view of both. While still presiding over a vast collection of well-made commercial bottles, winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi has been busy building on his father José Alberto’s work at the family firm,
taking it into the 21st century with some genuinely exciting smaller-production bottles.
He’s also spearheaded a mini-movement of Argentine producers keen to make something
more than just a juicy easy-drinker from an underrated variety – Bonarda – that was until recently the most planted in the country. From cool vineyards high up in Altamira in
Mendoza’s Uco Valley, it is expressive, silky, deep-filled with the purest cherry in a way that recalls Mencía and cru Beaujolais.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 40
focus on argentina Riccitelli Semillon, Río Negro, Patagonia (Hallgarten) Matías Riccitelli comes from Argentine winemaking royalty: his father Jorge Riccitelli had been chief winemaker for big-gun Mendoza bodega Norton for 25
years until his retirement in June. The family connection is referenced in
one of Riccitelli-fils’ brands, The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree, but
Matías has chosen a somewhat different path to Jorge, earning a reputation for risk-taking and experimentation in the ever-burgeoning portfolio he’s developed under his own name. Having started out in 2009, Riccitelli’s
sensitive winemaking signature can be found throughout a range of Malbecs that goes from the joyous entry-level Hey Malbec to a variety of single-vineyard bottlings from
various vineyard sites in Mendoza. But his natural curiosity has also seen him explore
other varieties and regions, with this elegant, subtle, herbal, floral Semillon the product of very old vines found down in Patagonia.
Susana Balbo Signature White Blend, Uco Valley (Las Bodegas) Susana Balbo is the undisputed queen of Argentine wine, with a career now spanning the better part of four decades. The first Argentine woman to earn a degree in oenology, she made her way to the top of an industry not always known for its enlightened attitude to
gender equality via a string of high-profile winemaking and consulting positions and a spell as head of Wines of Argentina. Today she is making arguably the best wines of her career under her own label in Lújan de Cuyo in Mendoza,
where, as well as making some of the country’s most refined Malbecs, in recent
years she’s developed a blend that makes the most of Argentina’s sometimes-neglected
potential for white wine. A combination of Torrontés, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, aged
in a mixture of concrete egg and first and second-fill oak, it has something of white Graves in its tangy pure grapefruit and crackle of minerals, but with the floral perfume from the
Bodegas Caro ‘Caro’, Mendoza
Torrontés making it very much its own distinctive thing.
The luxury joint venture between celebrated international fine wine producers and big local players was a marked feature of the development of the wine industries on both
sides of the Andes from the late 1990s on. Almaviva (Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro), Cheval des Andes (Château Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de los Andes) and Seña (Mondavi and Errazuríz) were all set up to prove that Argentina
and Chile were capable of making first-growth quality, the association with top Bordeaux or Napa bringing a little marketing stardust and a few extra digits to the price tag. The idea can seem a little passé when so much of
the excitement in both countries is in younger winemakers experimenting with different terroirs, grape varieties and fermentation techniques. But,
as the vines and winemaking operations mature, it has to be said that some of the wines produced by JVs are highly impressive, with Caro, the powerful but refined flagship
Malbec-Cabernet blend of Bodegas Caro, a collaboration between the Rothschilds of Lafite and the Catena family founded in 1999, very much among them.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 42
HISPAMERCHANTS The UK’s leading specialists in ARGENTINA & more since 2002
sales@hispamerchants.com
www.hispamerchants.com THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 43
focus on argentina Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, Río Negro, Patagonia (Lea & Sandeman) Like Bodegas Caro, there’s a starry European name behind Patagonian Pinot specialist Chacra. But this is no luxury JV: Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, the grandson of Sassicaia
founder Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, was drawn to the cooler green wilds of Patagonia by
the old ungrafted Pinot Noir vines dating back as far as 1932. Working biodynamically, the project now makes five distinctive Pinot Noirs, each of which have helped bring a justified reputation as the best expressions of the variety in the continent. The single-vineyard
Treinte y Dos and Cincuenta y Cinco have so far attracted the most plaudits, their names
referring to the year their respected vineyards were planted (1932 and 1955). But, as well as making a natural Pinot with no added yeast or sulphur and a further single-vineyard wine from another recovered old vineyard (Lunita), Chacra also makes one of the bestvalue Pinots anywhere in Barda, from younger vineyards planted in the 1990s.
Bodegas y Cavas Weinert Carrascal, Lújan de Cuyo, Mendoza Coverage of all New World wine countries in the UK has a tendency to dwell on the recent past, the period from the 1980s on when exports from Australia, New Zealand, Chile et al began to transform British wine-drinking habits. But if the wine scene in every New World country has changed beyond recognition in the past 30 years, it’s not as if they grew from nothing. Argentina has a long pedigree of wine-production, and Bodegas y
Cavas Weinert is a living link to that past. Like Lopéz de Heredia in Rioja or Biondi-Santi
in Brunello, this is an unashamedly traditionalist bodega, its Lújan de Cuyo headquarters
a shrine to the large oak foudre and a winemaking recipe that demands gentle extraction, long ageing and a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with Brettanomyces. In the bargain
Carrascal blend of Cabernet, Malbec and Merlot, this results in a savoury, softly engaging mellowness that is reminiscent of trad Rioja or old-style claret.
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard River Stones, Gualtallary, Uco Valley (Bibendum) No article on notable Argentine wines can go without mentioning Nicolás Catena Zapata. Since taking over the family firm in the mid-1960s, the great patriarch of modern
Argentine wine has been at the forefront of most of the innovations that brought the
country to prominence on the world wine stage in the past half century: the move away from oxidative winemaking to Californian-inspired cleanliness and rigour; the focus
on Malbec; the shift to higher altitudes. Today Catena still dominates Argentine wine
in a similar way to Concha y Toro across the Andes, thanks to a genuine commitment to quality, whether the task is an own-label Malbec for Tesco or the top-of-the-range Cabernet-Malbec blend of Nicolás Catena Zapata. With daughter Laura Catena now
managing director, the firm continues to impress, nowhere more so than in its range of wines from various terroirs in its stunning Adrianna vineyard high up in Gualtallary in Tupungato Alto in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, of which the floral, mineral River Stones Malbec is a personal favourite.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 44
Kaiken Terroir Series Cabernet Sauvignon/ Malbec/Petit Verdot, Mendoza (Liberty wines) The wine industries on either side of the Andes have taken different directions since both began to take exports seriously in the 1980s and 1990s. To oversimplify somewhat, Chilean producers have in
recent years been more varietally and geographically adventurous,
while the Argentines are of course best known for exploring a single variety (Malbec) and region (Mendoza) in great detail. But there has been a fertile cross-pollination of ideas between South America’s most important wine countries, thanks not least to the serious
investment from Chilean firms in Argentine vineyards. Among the notable names are the Claro Group (of Viña Santa Rita) with Doña
Paula, Concha y Toro’s Trivento and the authors of Montes’ Kaiken
operation. Proving, in this case, that a variety more associated with the Maipo than Mendoza, Cabernet Sauvignon, can be every bit as
good in the Agrelo sub-region, the Montes team uses it as a base for
a typically bold but balanced southern hemisphere Bordeaux blend.
Viticultores de Gualtallary Volare de Flor NV (Indigo wines) Edgardo del Pópolo and David Bonomi are another experienced pair with long track
records working for big producers who have joined forces to make something new and different for their solo project, Perse Wines. The Malbecs they make are very much
expressions of the cool Gualtallary sub-zone of Tupungato with its stony and alluvial soils, and they’re characterised by a herbal wildness that recalls the more fragrant end of Northern Rhône Syrah. But their experiments don’t end there. Having been fascinated by the vins jaunes of the Jura, they decided to try ageing a Chardonnay
under flor, leaving it for 10 years in barrel. The result, though tiny in production, is
utterly beguiling and, for the meantime, unique in Argentina: salty, spicy, with a cut of orange citrus and notes umami savouriness – a vino amarillo.
François Lurton Piedra Negra Reserve Malbec, Mendoza (Lurton UK) There were two persistent criticisms of the big-name flying winemakers who were such a feature of the expanding
global wine scene of the 1990s and 2000s. First, that they never put down roots:
they were like rock stars, travelling so
much and with so many clients, they were never really sure if they should be saying “hello Bolgheri!” or “hello Bulgaria!” And second, that this peripatetic life led to a standardising effect with wines that
could come from anywhere. Something about Argentina seems to have had an
opposite effect, however. Alberto Antonini
Zaha Toko Vineyard Malbec, Altamira, Uco Valley
(Altos Las Hormigas), Paul Hobbs (Viña
Not the least of Catena’s roles in the Argentine wine revolution is to act as a finishing
all built established projects of their own
school for some of the country’s finest wine talents. Alejandro Sejanovic and Jeff
Mausbach, the duo behind 55Malbec, for example, are both graduates of the Catena
academy, Sejanovic learning his trade as winemaker and viticulturist, and Mausbach in sales and marketing. For their solo project they’ve gone on to make some of the most delightful small-production Malbecs around, from two sites in the Altamira district of La Consulta in the Uco Valley: Tomal, which features vines dating back to 1940,
and Toko, which was planted in the early 2000s. They like to include a little Cabernet
Franc and Petit Verdot in their blends, co-fermenting for extra complexity, tannin and
lift. The Zaha Toko exemplifies their style: plump, succulent but so very pretty, it’s the
antithesis of the heavyweight, oak-laden Malbec that dominated Argentina during the 2000s and early 2010s.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 45
Cobos) and the biggest name of them all, Michel Rolland (Clos de los Siete), have of real longevity in Mendoza. But the
longest-lasting has been that of Bordeaux winemaking aristocrat François Lurton,
who started making wine in the country with his brother a quarter of a century
ago, and bought his first 200ha of land in Alta Uco Valley in 1996. The fruits of his commitment are deliciously evident in
two fine Malbecs from his Piedra Negra
label: the refined Gran Malbec and the ripe, succulent Malbec Reserve.
make a date
Alsace Wines Tasting
16-18 Ramillies Street London W1F 7LW
Nebbiolo Day
This year’s London event will showcase Crémant d’Alsace, Riesling
More than 80 producers and
and Gewurztraminer and feature a
winemakers will be in London,
masterclass hosted by Sarah Abbott and
presenting their wines from all
Simon Woods.
19 Italian Nebbiolo-producing denominations.
Crémant d’Alsace is the most popular
In the absence of a generic body to
sparkling wine in France, after Champagne. The CIVA’s export marketing manager
promote Italian wines, this is the first
interest in sparkling wines in the UK over
producers together under one roof.
collaboration between Walter Speller and
Foulques Aulagnon believes it’s perfectly
Hunt & Coady to gather the many Nebbiolo
positioned to capitalise on the surge in the past few years.
The UK is currently Alsace’s eighth
market in terms of volume and value
exports. Aulagnon reports that Crémant
d’Alsace has seen an 85% volume increase in the UK over five years, with sales value more than doubling in that time. He says that Gewurztraminer,
Riesling and Pinot Blanc are leading the Alsace charge in the UK market, with
The Alsatians are here on October 23
tasting of around 100 winners selected by the judging panel. To register, contact Bettina Hepburn:
email Bettina.hepburn@thisisphipps.com. Tuesday, November 7
Gewurztraminer alone accounting for just
Hoxton Arches
masterclass, contact Alison Mann: email
Joseph Drouhin 2016 Cask Sample Tasting
over half of imports in 2016.
To register or to book a place on the
alison@ew-pr.co.uk.
Monday, October 23 Chandos House
London E2 8HD
2 Queen Anne Street London W1G 9LQ
Wines of Germany ‘Get it On’ Tasting The winners of Wines of Germany’s yearly competition for as-yet unrepresented wines in the UK market take centre stage at this free-pour
The day will showcase the variety’s many
expressions that originate from northern Italy’s diverse terroirs.
For a full list of participating producers
or for more information, contact Tina
Coady: email tina@huntandcoady.com. Monday, November 13 Lindley Hall London SW1P 2PE
H2Vin Rhône 2016 En Primeur Tasting Showcasing the company’s selection of Rhône 2016 En Primeurs, this tasting
A selection of cask samples from the
will also offer the opportunity to meet
family’s 2016 vintage will be available
some of the producers.
to try. The event starts at 10.30am with a walk-
around tasting for the Villages and Premier Crus, followed by a tutored tasting of the
Grand Crus hosted by Véronique Drouhin. RSVP to Freya Miller: email Freya.
miller@polroger.co.uk.
The final selection of wines on show
was being made as we went to press so
for more information or to book a place,
contact Antoine Salley: email info@h2vin. co.uk.
Wednesday, November 15 Dukes Hotel
Thursday, November 9
35 St James’s Place
The Photographers’ Gallery
London SW1A 1NY
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 46
supplier bulletin
LOUIS LATOUR AGENCIES
Champagne Gosset releases New Blanc de Noirs Cuvée Gosset Champagne, the oldest wine house in the region, has released a special limited-edition wine
12-14 Denman Street London W1D 7HJ
in time for the coming festive season.
0207 409 7276
Premier Cru vineyards, as with all the main range
enquiries@louislatour.co.uk www.louislatour.co.uk
of Gosset Champagne, Grand Blanc de Noirs has no Aged for nine years on its lees, the dosage is only
100% Pinot Noir from the finest Grand and
ML, maintaining the house’s signature freshness.
5g/l, resulting in a wine of exceptional freshness and elegance.
Golden yellow with a fine mousse and complex
aromas of white stone fruits, baked apple and
patisserie on the nose. The supple, balanced palate reveals notes of honey, beeswax and candied citron, followed by a fresh, lively finish with an almost iodine tang.
Gosset cellarmaster Odilon de Varine says: “This limited-edition cuvée is a tribute to
the finesse and elegance of Pinot Noir used in our other Gosset wines. We wanted to
share this unique experience with our fellow Champagne connoisseurs and followers.” For full details and pricing, please contact your sales person or email Rebecca.Fraser@louislatour.co.uk
roberson wine
Kings of California
21-27 Seagrave Road London SW6 1RP 0207 3817097 off-trade@robersonwine.com
www.robersonwine.com @robersonwine
Roberson Wine is delighted to be crowned USA Specialist at both the IWC and Decanter Awards for the fifth year running. We have crafted a superb selection of America’s hottest winemakers and this year
the judges paid particular attention to some of our new agencies. Kicking of with Vinca
Minor, producing very high quality, small-batch wines from Mendocino. Closely followed by the wines of Seth Kunin, a prolific figure in the Californian wine circle making some of the best Syrah we’ve tasted in Santa Barbara. Finally, we’ve had a great time showing the Hunt and Harvest wines from Napa Valley, which have been a massive hit for their well-priced Cabernet Sauvignon and Loire-esque Sauvignon Blanc.
For pricing and more information, please contact off-trade@robersonwine.com.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 47
supplier bulletin
new generation mckinley 14 Kennington Road London SE1 7BL
The festive season is almost upon us and New Generation McKinley is again your one-stop supplier for all your Christmas wishes this year. Why not try the award winning Champagne Janisson? With offers across the
range (including the Wine Merchant Top 100 Awarded Grand Cru NV) you can select a different cuvée for each member of the family.
Our magnum offer includes wines from Alpha
Domus, Brancaia, Cousiño Macul, Guerrieri
T: 020 7928 7300 london@newgenwines.com www.newgenwines.com
Rizzardi, Kalleske, Rive della Chiesa and
Château Tournefeuille. But if magnums are
not your style, we have a fantastic floor stack
offer with volume discounts available on wines
from Domaine Gayda, Guerrieri Rizzardi and William Robertson.
For the cocktail lovers among you, we have our
famous spirits offer which this year includes ABK6 Cognac, Ekiss Organic Vodka, Bristol Spirits
Rum, Christian Drouin Calvados Gift Packs and the stunning Van Brunt Moonshine.
Or, if gin is your thing, we’ve got the classic ‘Le Gin’ from Calvados Christian Drouin and the newly launched ‘Cask Aged Edition Le Gin’ – definitely worth a try.
For further details of all our Christmas offers please email london@newgenwines.com.
southern wine roads info@southernwineroads.com
On the road to bring you the best examples of the ambassador grape varieties of the Greek vineyard – without compromise! Tasted and distinguished in the UK Sommelier Wine Awards in 2017.
www.southernwineroads.com 33 indigenous Greek grape varieties in stock – hand picked!
GOLD: Chrisohoou, Xinomavro 2013, Naoussa, trade price £9.38 “Bold and dark with crunchy fruit, lovely spice and black mineral character with a taut tannin structure balanced by bright acidity” – Laura Rhys MS “Really complex with an intriguing nose, savoury leather and bold hedgerow fruit, power, concentration and length but still freshness and complexity” – Mike Best, WSET
COMMENDED: Aivalis, Nemea 2014, Agiorgitiko, Nemea, trade price £10.63 “Dry, structured and long. Very youthful. A serious Neméa when many are just soft and fruity” – Julia Harding MW COMMENDED: Markou, Kleftes Natural Savatiano 2015, Attica, trade price £7.69 “Aromatic with floral, citrus aromas and fresh crushed apples. A refreshing wine, quite pure yet full of flavour” – Christelle Guibert, Decanter
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 48
supplier bulletin
ehrmanns WINES
New Feuerheerd’s Ports – just in time for Christmas Ehrmanns is delighted to introduce Feuerheerd’s, a brand new
Unit 23 The Ivories Northampton Street London N1 2HY
range of Ports.
020 3227 0700 info@ehrmanns.co.uk
became famous for its vintage Ports, which in England became known as ‘Anchor Ports’,
@ehrmannswines ehrmannswines
In 1815 German trader Dietrich Matthias Feuerheerd founded
the company, by the same name, in Oporto. Here, in the bustling Portuguese city, he
selected and aged the finest blends before shipping them to Northern Europe. The brand due to the distinctive Feuerheerd’s logo.
In 2010 the brand was acquired by Barão de Vilar, giving birth to a new
partnership between the Van Zellers and the Barros family, who were determined to revive the long tradition of quality Feuerheerd Ports.
Today, the wines are crafted by head winemaker Álvaro van Zeller, who
focuses on creating first-rate aged-Ports.
The following Ports are available now exclusively to independents: • Feuerheerd’s LBV 2013, RRP £16.99
• Feuerheerd’s 10 Years Old Tawny, RRP £19.99 • Feuerheerd’s Colheita 1999, RRP £34.99
Please contact your account manager or info@ehrmanns.co.uk for more information.
negociants uk
Negociants UK is pleased to introduce a new icon wine from Margaret River’s founding wine estate, the multi-award winning Vasse Felix.
Davenport House Bowers Way, Harpenden Herts AL5 4HX
The 2013 Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec has been released to coincide with the
01582 797510
50th anniversary of Vasse Felix and Margaret
neguk@negociants.com orders@negociants.com
Its UK release follows significant critical acclaim for the wine in Australia
Twitter: @NegociantsUK Facebook: NegociantsUK
River, and named after its founder (pictured).
earlier this year including 98 points and inclusion in Australia’s ‘Best of Best by Varietal’ in James Halliday’s 2017 Wine Companion.
The Tom Cullity is a single-vineyard evolution of the estate’s icon, the Heytesbury. Its creation follows a
decade of viticultural and winemaking development at Vasse Felix.”
For more information please contact Negociants UK orders@negociants.com
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 49
supplier bulletin
berkmann wine cellarS 10-12 Brewery Road London N7 9NH info@berkmann.co.uk www.berkmann.co.uk London, South, Midlands, South West 020 7670 0972 North & Scotland 01423 357567
buckingham schenk 68 Alpha Street South Slough SL1 1QX 01753 521336 sales@buckingham-schenk.co.uk www.buckingham-schenk.co.uk
@BuckSchenk
Phebus from Bodegas Fabre Made by multi award-winning winery Bodegas Fabre, Phebus is a range of Argentine wines aimed specifically at the on-trade and independent sector in the UK. A family-owned company set up and run by husband and wife
Hervé and Diane Joyaux Fabre, the winery was established in the early 1990s when Malbec was viewed as little more than a blending partner.
Hervé’s Bordeaux background dictates an elegance and subtlety
to his winemaking and since 1992 he has dedicated all his savoirfaire and passion to his wines, being one of the first winemakers to elaborate a single-varietal Malbec in Argentina.
The Phebus range of wines combines Argentina’s purity of
fruit and clear varietal expression with elegance and complexity. Underpinning all of this is Diane and Hervé’s unshakeable belief that their wines should express the local terroirs as elegantly as possible.
We are pleased to announce that Phebus Patagonia Reservado
Malbec 2015 is now available in the UK – this wine was awarded the Patagonia Malbec Trophy at this year’s IWC.
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richmond wine agencies
Three new Rioja Alta producers join forces with RWA!
The Links, Popham Close Hanworth Middlesex TW13 6JE
has 700 hectares of vineyards spread over more than 1,000
020 8744 5550 info@richmondwineagencies.com
@richmondwineag1
Bodegas Taron is the northernmost winery in Rioja Alta and small plots. The oldest vines are over 100 years old which go into making their premium wine, Cepas Centenarias.
Finca Nueva was bought in 2014 by Miquel Angel de Gregorio,
owner and winemaker of the renowned Finca Allende. They use sustainable viticulture practices in the vineyard and do not fine their wines, making them suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Hacienda el Ternero dates back to 1077 AD, when it belonged to the Santa Maria de Herrerea Monastery. They have 60
hectares of vineyards in one of the highest areas of Rioja and
sit at an altitude of 650m. ‘Ternero’ is Spanish for ‘calf’ which inspired their label design.
Our Festive Offers are now available and all three producers are included. Please contact us for your copy.
mentzendorff The Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD 020 7840 3600 info@mentzendorff.co.uk www.mentzendorff.co.uk
New vintages for old favourites The latest vintage of Petit Frere from Anwilka Vineyards has arrived. The 2014 is crafted from 65% Syrah, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot from Stellenbosch’s prime Helderberg region.
Located just 7 kilometres from the ocean, this microclimate, together with the old ferricrete soils, produces rich and focused wines.
The Bodegas Roda Reserva 2012, recently awarded 95 points by James Suckling, is
comprised of 89% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano
and 2% Garnacha from bush vines over 30 years old. Climatically 2012 was an excellent vintage, resulting in intense and very expressive fruit
with notes of fine spices, mineral character and perfectly integrated wood.
For details and pricing on either of these wines, or any others in the portfolio, please contact your account manager.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 51
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liberty wines
Five years with Charles
by David Gleave MW
020 7720 5350
Champagne Charles Heidsieck joined our portfolio five years
order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk
enjoyed as one of the most highly regarded of all the Grandes
@liberty_wines
ago. It had just been bought by the Descours family, and was
determined to climb back to the position it had previously Marques.
Since then, Charles Heidsieck has been one of the most
garlanded of all houses. This is largely due to the quality
of the Brut Réserve. We view it as a prestige cuvée at a
premium non-vintage price due to its 2008 base wine supplemented by 40% of reserve wine with an average age
of 10 years. Even as it moves on to a 2010 base wine later this year, it remains exceptional as a NV which has been laid down for seven years before release, and includes reserve
wines dating back to 1988. You can check the back label for both the ‘Mis en Cave’ and disgorgement dates.
As Jancis Robinson said of it recently: “Not that many
houses have a seven-year-old NV on the market! Real
bullseye for the Charles style. Tastes readier than the 2008 base – a real standout.”
department 33 Frazer: 07557 053343 frazer@department33.co.uk Chris: 07515 555807 chris@department33.co.uk www.department33.co.uk @department_33 @department33.co.uk @department33wines
Department 33 et la France WINES OF BORDEAUX -
Introducing our Autumn Winter 2017 List So after well in excess 500 wines tasted, more Easyjet flights than is probably healthy and definitely one trade show too many, we’ve found:
• Vintages, old and new
• Formats, large and small
• Quality Claret to the £15 shelf price
• An ever-widening range of styles and appellations
• And a whole heap of wooden boxes.
Do get in touch if a copy would be helpful. Department 33. We do import over
100 contemporary French wines from
independent producers for the independent sector.
We don’t have large minimum orders or awful terms.
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walker & Wodehouse 109a Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR 0207 449 1665 lmcgovern@walkerwodehousewines. com www.walkerwodehousewines.com
Christmas Gifts from Walker & Wodehouse Eden Mill’s 12 Gins of Christmas is a limited-edition gift, containing unique and seasonal gins alongside old favourites from the core range. Paul Miller, co-founder of Eden Mill, says:
“Our distillers love this time of year, when
they have the freedom to create some really
special gins which then become available solely within this set.”
Each pack includes 12 x 50ml gins in Eden Mill’s distinctive swing-stopper bottles,
two bespoke gin glasses, and a booklet explaining the thoughts behind each one and how to best serve them.
This year’s seasonal and limited gins include After Dinner gin, Mulled gin and not
for the faint-hearted, Juniper Trio gin. The perfect gift to give and receive!
The 12 Gins of Christmas will be available from Walker & Wodehouse from the middle of October and is priced at £185 ex VAT for a case of four gift sets.
AWIN BARRATT SIEGEL WINE AGENCIES 28 Recreation Ground Road Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 1EW 01780 755810 orders@abswineagencies.co.uk www.abswineagencies.co.uk
@ABSWines
Christmas offers from Awin Barratt Siegel Château Fontesteau: Purchase four cases of Château Fontesteau 2014 and receive one free magnum of Château Fontesteau 2010. Stanton & Killeen: With every order of 24 bottles of any S&K Topaque, pay for 23 and receive a box of six stencilled tasting glasses free. Conditions apply.
Campbells of Rutherglen: Purchase 12 bottles of qualifying wines and receive two bottles of Rutherglen Muscat free.
Allram: Purchase any six cases from the Allram range, get one free case of Grüner Veltliner Strass.
Tamar Ridge, Devil’s Corner and Pirie: Purchase seven cases of any Tasmanian Estates wine and receive an eighth case (least expensive) free.
Quinta do Portal: Buy a selection of any six cases of qualifying wines and get an additional case free (of the least expensive product).
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 53
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Famille Helfrich Wines
Famille Helfrich is the independent specialist arm of Les Grands Chais de France ... yes, still a family – with real people! Joseph founded the company in 1979 with 5,000 fr and we have grown to become
1, rue Division Leclerc, 67290 Petersbach, France
the leading producer and exporter of French wines and spirits.
cdavies@lgcf.fr 07789 008540
the best terroir France has to
@FamilleHelfrich @family_helfrich_gcf_wines
Don't let the size put you off, it has helped us create an independent portfolio of
over 400 wines and we now own over 45 domaines and châteaux across some of offer.
Having the infrastructure
allows us to consolidate all of our wines at one central
location in Alsace, where you
can either come and collect or we can deliver a single mixed pallet to you.
REMEMBER, we are a
producer, a family producer, not an agency as some people think.
Working with Famille Helfrich Wines gives you the ability as an independent to buy
direct from a producer from appellations all over France, with one delivery.
A perfect solution to help you grow and experiment with France and all it has to
offer ...
EMPORIA BRANDS The Church 172 London Road Guildford GU1 1XR 01483 458700 info@emporiabrands.com www.emporiabrands.com
Emporia Brands is a spirits importer that
Distil No. 9 is the craft premium vodka
ingredients and process.
vodka belt, famous for its fertile black
seeks out, around the world, distillers who
respect artisan traditions of quality in both St Lucia Distillers has been awarded eight trophies in seven years, including Rum
Producer of the Year in 2015. Their flagship Chairman’s Reserve is a highly regarded blend of pot and column still rums.
Casco Viejo is produced by the Camarena
brothers, whose privileged access to agave from the premium highland region creates
100% agave tequilas of exceptional quality.
from Staritsky & Levitsky. It is created from 100% wheat from the Ukrainian
earth, copper distilled using a 100-year-
old process, with crystal clear water from Carpathian mountains.
Gabriel Boudier is a family-owned
company in Dijon, the traditional home of liqueurs. Their 100% fruit liqueurs are regular trophy winners in the UK competitions, and have been named
Supreme Champion Spirit two years in a row.
Rum: Chairman’s Reserve; St Lucia Distillers; Ron Prohibido. Tequila: Casco Viejo; La Cava
de Don Agustin; Maracame. Vodka: Distil No. 9; Staritsky & Levitsky; Polugar. Gin: Mayfield;
Jindea; Saffron; Hoxton; Koval. Brandy: Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva Brandy de Jerez; Armagnac
Lauvia; Armagnac Marquis; Cognac Jules Gautret; Nardini Grappa. Calvados: Père Magloire. Irish
Whiskey: The Irishman. US Whiskey: Koval. Liqueurs: Gabriel Boudier; Salvatore Liquore di Limone. Aperitifs: Pastis Henri Bardouin; Absinthe Grande Absente. Sherry: Osborne VORS.
THE WINE MERCHANT october 2017 54
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hallgarten
with ovators
Inn
Dallow Road Luton LU1 1UR 01582 722 538
altitude
Decanter, 92pts – Estate Malbec 2015 “Mellow and soft, with a core of intense bright fruit and touches of minerality.”
Viña Echeverria, Curico Valley
sales@hdnwines.co.uk www.hdnwines.co.uk
Dona Paula, Mendoza
James Suckling, 93pts – Pinot Noir Gran Reserva 2016 “Berry and tea leaf character here with hints of incense. Medium body, firm and lightly chewy tannins and a fresh finish.”
Matías Riccitelli, Luján de Cuyo & Patagonia
@hdnwines
James Suckling, 95pts – Vineyard Selection Malbec 2014 “Lots of stone and dark-walnut aromas here. Blackberries. Full body; this is very much a Malbec in character.”
Oveja Negra, Maule Valley SWA, Gold – Winemaker’s Selection Chardonnay Viognier 2015 “Delicate grassy notes on the nose with an herbaceous, citrus fruit character on the palate.”
Tim Atkin, 95pts – Old Vines Semillon from Patagonia 2016 “Low yields and a partial barrel fermentation have produced a tangy, mealy beeswaxy stunner.”
hatch mansfield New Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DL 01344 871800 info@hatch.co.uk www.hatchmansfield.com @hatchmansfield
replace 2016 was a tense year for growers in Burgundy, where conditions swung relentlessly between rainfall, cool weather, violent hailstorms, heat spikes and drought. Despite these challenging conditions, what grapes remained resulted in wines with lot of intensity, elegance and silky
structure. Do not miss on an opportunity to taste a selection of wines from Louis Jadot and get your hands on this scarce vintage. To register your interest, please email info@hatch.co.uk.
Our portfolio: Champagne Taittinger · Louis Jadot, Burgundy · Joseph Mellot, Loire · Jean-Luc Colombo and Colombo & Fille, Rhône · C.V.N.E, Rioja · Viña Errazuriz and Caliterra, Chile · Domaine Carneros, USA · Robert Oatley, Australia · Villa Maria Estate, Vidal, Te Awa Collection and Esk Valley, New Zealand · Kleine Zalze, South Africa.
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