29 minute read
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Sister stores are 50 miles apart
Johns Wines of St Ives is set to open a second shop in Fowey, Cornwall.
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Brothers Sam and Tom Hanson took ownership in St Ives almost a decade ago, but in fact the business was established in 1894 by their great-great grandmother, Elizabeth Johns. “We are the oldest family business in St Ives!” says Sam.
After her fisherman husband died at sea, Johns started a shop in her house. “She had six kids to support, so she opened up her front room as a greengrocer,” Sam explains.
Over the years the shop has had various guises but always remained trading and in the family. The brothers took over in 2013 and decided to focus on alcohol.
“We completely gutted it, but it’s quite cool as we’ve still got the mast from our great-great granddad’s fishing boat in the cellar, holding up the shop floor,” Sam says.
“We specialise in spirits and craft beers. We’re really into our whiskies.
“I am in the process of having a big overhaul of our wine list. There’s been a change, in that people around us are getting more excited about wine and they are prepared to spend a bit more and treat themselves. The under-£10 section of wine dropped off a lot with us, and the £10 to £30 range has jumped massively, which is fantastic as there is much more scope for me to buy interesting stuff in that bracket.”
The two stores are about 50 miles apart. So how will that work in practice? “Tom and I run everything from our office/ warehouse in St Erth,” says Sam, “and have a manager who runs the daily operations of the store – and will do the same with Fowey.”
In addition to working with suppliers including Alliance, North South and Fells, Sam is just about to start working with Sip Champagnes. “They did a great tasting
Johns Wines, “the oldest family business in St Ives”, is opening in Fowey
with us in the shop; they have some lovely artisanal grower Champagnes and so I’m going to get some of those in this year,” he says.
With the new premises about “six times” the size of the St Ives store, the brothers are full of plans. “It will be fun to have some space to play with for a change,” says Sam. “We could have wine tastings and all sorts going on.”
The first floor, initially earmarked for a wine bar/café, will most likely house a second branch of their restaurant, Beer & Bird, while the ground floor will be dedicated to wine and spirits.
Getting bigger in Bridge of Allan
The relocation of WoodWinters’ Bridge of Allan store just a few doors away has increased retail space considerably.
The shop has moved from number 2 to 24 Henderson Street, and the team couldn’t be happier with the result.
Commercial director Rodney Doig says: “It’s a much bigger location, so we’ll have more room for tastings and have more stock better presented in a better space.”
Woodwinters co-owns the new premises, which it now shares with offices and a wine bar. “It’s been about three years of work between us and the other owners to change it from a hotel into three separate businesses,” Doig adds.
A lovely building, even if it’s wonky
Vino Gusto has operated in different ways over the past two years as it has evolved during Covid times. Now, the wine shop that was initially launched in a pub is really hitting its stride with a new premises in Bury St Edmunds.
The Gusto Pronto group consists of five pubs and a brewery, all owned by Rox and David Marjoram. It was in the pub, The One Bull, that Jake Bennett-Day opened Vino Gusto back in spring 2020, effectively turning the dormant space into a shop.
“Since being able to trade properly as a pub again, our wine shop moved online,” explains Bennett-Day.
He was able to run the online business from the brewery, which is based just outside the town.
Last October he signed the lease for a premises in Hatter Street, and Vino Gusto Limited, a partnership between the Marjorams and Bennett-Day, was born.
“It’s a listed building in a conservation area but it’s bang in the middle of town just off the main high street, says Bennett-Day.
“It’s a lovely old building, a bit wonky, but we’ve been given permission to open up the cellar to the public. We’ll have a shop trading across the cellar and the ground floor, and the first floor will be a tasting and training facility.
“We’ll be able to host evening tastings and we’ll be working with Nick Adams MW, who will be hosting WSET there as well.”
The partners were hoping to open before Christmas, but the unexpected discovery of asbestos soon put paid to that.
“We’ve had contractors in there for months,” reports Bennett-Day. “We really have put a lot of time and money into it. We’re being as sympathetic to the building as we can, and we’re keeping it clean, simple and modern, with white walls and floors and industrial lighting.”
As well as the first floor tasting room, there will be an eight-bottle Enomatic unit. “We won’t be open as a wine bar, but the Enomatics will allow anyone to come in at any time and buy a card for the machine so they can taste.
“Speaking as someone who not only loves wine but needs to sell it, to be able to offer wines to taste is the best opportunity to sell,” he says.
Vino Gusto is set to open this month. The the team have been keeping busy with the online aspect of the business as well as climbing the podcast charts. “Essentially it’s us sitting down with a glass of wine at the end of each week,” he adds. “It’s just Rox and me, as Dave refuses to take part, having a rambly chat about shop comings and goings.
“It’s not necessarily wine focused, but for us it’s a nice, easy and fun way to keep people up to speed and engaged with what we’re doing. While we haven’t been on the high street, being able to have content that’s regular and fun has worked wonders for us.”
Pulp fashion
French leather maker Planet of the Grapes (no relation) has started creating grape leather from dried grape waste.
Most of us would applaud such an eco-friendly idea, but there’s something rather underwhelming about the bags from the mind of New York based designer Meng Du.
We present Old Petrol Can and 1970s Girl Guide Money Belt. Fashionistas, form an orderly queue.
Beware of the chairs
Whenever there’s a planning proposal for a new wine shop or bar, it’s pretty commonplace for objections to include dire warnings about antisocial behaviour.
That was certainly the case in Chilham, Kent, where the council has just kicked out an application for a wine venue which was to be called The Tudor Peacock.
The problem wasn’t just perceived to be louts going berserk on the Hush Heath and Domaine Evremond wines that the owners were hoping to make a speciality.
What was going to make life in the village “unbearable”, it was claimed, were outside chairs, and the “distressing strain” these would have on residents’ mental wellbeing.
One fearful local spluttered: “All chairs, moved across a stone surface, will produce a high-pitched screech, which will be difficult to subdue.
“This screeching cannot be regulated,” he continued, “and will provided a constant and distressing strain on the mental health of any neighbouring resident.”
Worth busting the budget for
Beeswing is set to open as a wine bar and shop in Manchester’s vibrant Kampus site next month.
A collaboration between Anna Tutton, previously of Vin-Yard at Hatch, and chef Joe Maddock, Beeswing promises to be a welcome addition to an area which has been described as “an intimate garden neighbourhood with secret streets, gardens and terraces”.
“I just can’t wait to actually get open and be ourselves, rather than people in building clothes,” says Tutton. “It’s quite stressful dealing with all the building work, the electricians and plumbers.”
Since Tutton was forced to move from her previous premises (“I got kicked out of Hatch so they could take over the wine bar”), she has been trading online and working with Maddock on this new venture. She says that with the rising costs of building materials and the unexpected outlay of £10,000 for the cooker extractor, their joint investment of £130,000 is almost depleted.
“Putting a kitchen in definitely makes things more complicated,” she says. “It’s a bigger premises than I had last time, and we’ve got an outdoor area to kit out as well.
“Last time the concept was simpler, and
Kampus – “an intimate garden neighbourhood” in Manchester
this time we’re going bigger and better. We’ve had to compromise on a few things but luckily the designer is a friend of mine and she’s been able to prioritise the things we really can’t skimp on, such as the lighting, whereas a polished concrete floor is no longer an option.
“We want to look like we’ve made an effort. We’ve gone for quite a bold look with aubergine colours, and metal – lots of textures and some rugs on the floor to break up and soften the industrial feel.”
With budget being an issue, the pair are considering turning to crowd-funding to allow them to complete the project. Tutton believes that their location and type of business will appeal to many potential backers.
“We are trying to bring that neighbourhood feel to the city, and have a friendly local, community vibe. So I hope it’s what people will want to invest in.
“Also we are right next door to the Gay Village, which is a big community in itself. They are lacking a wine bar so I think it will be really good for those guys. Between them, our friends, the Kampus community and people who generally want to support independents, I hope to attract some final investment.”
Maddock will show off his skills with seasonal plates to accompany the wines, which will all be available by the glass.
“That’s my point of difference,” Tutton explains. “I get annoyed when you go to a bar and only a few wines are available to have by the glass. Sometimes you only want one or two glasses and you might want to drink something different to your friends.
“I’ve got a Coravin and I’m looking at Le Verre de Vin, but that’s more money I have to find. I want to go off-piste with some of the wines as there is so much good stuff out there. I’ve always loved Liberty and I’ll have a good chance to show off their wines, and Hallgarten have some really amazing things.”
There will be space for 48 covers inside, and there’s a terrace area too – a suntrap overlooking the water – and the Kampus gardens. Tutton says: “For me, it feels like a grown-up area – a bit of peace and quiet in the city.”
Broadway looks for franchisees
Broadway Wine Company has its sights firmly set on growth and has partnered with Taylor Made Franchising to help achieve its goals.
“If you want to grow your business quickly then franchising is one of the best options,” says Doug Brown, co-director of Broadway Wine.
“Our shop [based in Broadway, Worcestershire and established in 2009 by James Kemp] is a very small part of our business,” continues Brown.
“Our wholesale arm is the part that has shown rapid growth over the years and it is that part of the business we are franchising. Currently our brand is very localised, but there’s no reason why it can’t be operating in Leeds, Newcastle, Kent and Cornwall, for example.
“Franchisees will run their own business under The Broadway Wine Company banner. They’ll have a branded van and uniform and access to our wine range.
“Basically they will have all the tools
The retail business in Worcestershire
necessary to run the same business we have in the Cotswolds in whatever location they happen to be based. If, at some stage, one of the franchisees wants to open a shop within their territory then we’ll help them with that as well, but it’s not the mainstay of the business.”
Brown says full training will be provided, so franchisees don’t need to have previous experience in the wine trade. “Above all they need to be a salesperson,” he says. “It’s a people business and a sales-driven business model.”
Kemp and Brown had been considering this option for some time, but hadn’t found the right partner until they were introduced to Darren Taylor through the Franchise Association.
“Taylor Made Franchising offers its expertise in how to start a franchise and recruit franchisees – that is what they are bringing to the party, and we have the wine knowledge and the business model,” says Brown.
Brown has identified a gap in the market, which he believes gives this uncharted territory considerable legs. “Smaller local convenience stores have never really offered or focused on a premium wine range,” he says.
“We’ve done some work with small, regional franchises of Spar, Londis and the Co-op and put a premium range in those stores, and that seems to be where our growth is coming from.”
Success, explains Brown, will be measured in the number of franchisees and turnover. These figures have been agreed upfront with Taylor Made Franchising. “If in two years’ time they don’t achieve the agreed set targets, then you can choose to simply part ways,” he says. “Hopefully that won’t be the case as the whole idea is to quickly build our business into a larger business.”
Plans for Cheshire wine bar and shop
Macclesfield could soon have a new wine shop and bar if councillors approve plans to transform a vape outlet in the Cheshire town.
Emily Wilson, of Stockport, has submitted plans to open the business in Church Street.
The application reads: “The shop will sell speciality and fine wines from around the world.
“The business is to include a small wine bar where customers can enjoy good wine in an intimate and comfortable space while enjoying some cheese and charcuterie platters.”
Partners in Wine
hatch mansfield & Esporão
Esporão, one of the most visionary and well respected winemakers in Portugal, with wines from Alentejo, the Douro and Vinho Verde, has joined the Hatch Mansfield family. It’s a very good deal for both parties
Ben Knollys, managing director, Hatch Mansfield
We first started taking an indepth look at Portugal three years ago and Esporão very quickly stood out to us as the producer we would most want to work with. When we take on someone new, we like to dedicate a lot of time to getting them bedded into the portfolio, taking our team out to meet the family, vineyard and winemaking teams and to get to know the estates and wines as if they were our own.
There is so much to love about Portuguese wines. Modern winemaking approaches are producing incredibly attractive, approachable, food-friendly wines that massively appeal to the engaged consumer; the diversity of regions and grape varieties offer so much to be discovered; the price/ quality ratio is superb. You only have to look at the ever-increasing breadth of Portuguese wines in indies to see that this is a country which is really capturing the imagination.
RANGE HIGHLIGHTS
Herdade do Esporão Reserva Red 2019 RRP £21.00
Ameal Loureiro 2020 RRP £15.00
Quinta dos Murças Minas 2018 RRP £18.00
João Roquette, chairman, Esporão
Recognition takes time. Portugal has always had unique natural conditions: a great diversity of excellent terroirs, with old vineyards, unique topography and soils, and an enormous variety of native grapes.
Since the 90s the Portuguese wine scene has developed skills and resources and is now capable of competing with the best.
Time will tell, but I expect these developments to accelerate and Portugal’s reputation as a high-quality niche wine producer to be consolidated.
The UK is certainly a crowded market, but also a diverse and open-minded one. There’s an interest in organic wines here, and Esporão is a leading player in this category.
We believe that with the expertise and market reach of Hatch Mansfield we will be able to capture key opportunities in the premium and superpremium level that in the past were not accessible to us.
Published in association with Hatch Mansfield Visit hatchmansfield.com or call 01344 871800 for more information
Cantine di Ora Amicone Rosso 2014
Grapes from the Venetian hills – you’d guess an increasingly popular location as sea levels rise – are picked in October and dried in wooden boxes for 120 days to concentrate the sugars. The result is a deep, luxurious wine, with rich dark fruit flavours, a sprinkle of spice and a breezy freshness.
RRP: £13.30 ABV: 14% Buckingham Schenk (01753 521336) buckingham-schenk.co.uk
Spioenkop 1900 Pinotage 2019
Hallgarten is busy expanding its South African portfolio and this Elgin producer, founded in 2008 by engineer and sommelier Koen Roose, could be a bit of a find. The vines work hard in nutrient-poor soils and are packed densely to control yields. Here we find curls of smoke, ripe berry fruit and coffee notes, sealed with a savoury, lip-smacking finish.
RRP: £26.99 ABV: 13% Hallgarten & Novum Wines (01582 722538 ) hnwines.co.uk
Tormaresca Calafuria 2020
Negroamaro from Puglia’s Adriatic coast lends itself beautifully to a rosé with genuine character, several notches up from many of the Provence-alikes on the market. The strawberries-and-cream nose is followed by a palate that’s far more zesty, suggesting cranberries and raspberries, but there are deeper, slightly darker depths and a more herbal, savoury tinge.
RRP: £18 ABV: 12% Berkmann Wine Cellars (020 7609 4711) berkmann.co.uk
Vidal-Fleury Cairanne 2019
The oldest continuously operating wine producer in the Rhône Valley can be trusted to know how to get a tune out of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan. It achieves just that in a wine whose scribbled tasting note begins, as the best of them do, with an excitable “lovely”. Rich plum and cherry fruit entwines with chocolate, and the finish is satisfyingly firm.
RRP: £17-£18.50 ABV: 14.5% Louis Latour Agencies (020 7409 7276) louislatour.co.uk
Banfi Chianti Classico 2019
Do we want quirkiness from our Chianti Classico? Do we want mavericks tinkering with a winning formula? Not especially. Banfi is a proud guardian of one of the world’s benchmark red wine styles and this iteration is fluent and accomplished. There’s a confident subtlety and a precise depth to the fruit, and a meatier note on the finish. Classic Classico.
RRP: £19-£21 ABV: 13.5% Louis Latour Agencies (020 7409 7276) louislatour.co.uk
Beronia Viura 2019
With all this excitement about northern Spanish white wines it’s easy (and silly) to overlook what’s been going on in Rioja for quite a while now. Most people seem to enjoy Viura when they encounter it; here it’s demonstrating its ripe pear characteristics in an enjoyably buttery, oily wine that also suggests autumnal crumbles.
RRP: £11 ABV: 12.5% Gonzalez Byass UK (01707 274790) gonzalezbyassuk.com
Niche Cocktails Brazilian Lime Margarita
Few people agree on what exactly constitutes the perfect margarita, but perhaps most of us can agree that making the things is a faff. Niche’s readymade solution is light years away from those underwhelming and underpowered supermarket RTDs, with a naturaltasting citrus bite and an earthy tequila undertow.
RRP: £3.50-£5 ABV: 10% Niche Cocktails (020 7720 5350) nichecocktails.co.uk
Haras de Pirque Hussonet Cabernet Gran Reserva 2018
Haras de Pirque in Maipo, at the foot of the Andes, is famous as a breeding farm for thoroughbred racehorses. Now owned by Antinori, it certainly knows how to make a winner out of Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s coolness on the palate here rather than heat; it’s juicy and chocolatey, with a minty lift.
RRP: £17.50 ABV: 14% Berkmann Wine Cellars (020 7609 4711) berkmann.co.uk
A JEWEL OF NAPA JOINS POL ROGER PORTFOLIO
Bryant Estate is a specialist in Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends, working biodynamically to produce world-class wines
Pol Roger has welcomed a “jewel” of Napa to its portfolio with the addition of Bryant Estate.
Since owner Don Bryant purchased the Pritchard Hill vineyard almost 30 years ago and replanted a 13-acre parcel with Cabernet Sauvignon, Bryant Estate has quickly established itself as a producer of world-class wines.
Under the stewardship and guidance of David Abreu, Michel Rolland and winemaker Kathryn “KK” Carothers, the wines remain true to the vision of Bryant and his wife Bettina.
Bettina Bryant is quoted as saying how the team feel “deeply responsible for the stewardship of the land”, and this is reflected by the estate’s organic and biodynamic methods, with chickens providing natural pest control and fertiliser for the vines. The wines are harvested, blended and produced entirely by hand.
The vineyards are located 750 to 1,000 feet above sea level, facing westward on the north side of Pritchard Hill. Rocky, exposed and with enough afternoon sunshine to bask the vines with heady warmth, the property requires a steady grower’s hand and expert winemaking. Yields are kept low, with annual production of the flagship wine ranging between 300 and 1,000 cases.
Of the three wines produced, only one, the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Bryant Family Vineyard, comes from the Pritchard Hill site alone. BETTINA, named for Bettina Bryant, is sourced from Abreu’s plots in Madrona, Thorevilos and Las Posadas and DB4 is a blend of fruit from all four locations.
Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was first released in 1992. Made to capture the core of the hillside estate, it has flavours of vibrant cassis, black cherry and blackcurrant with savoury infusions of graphite, sage, tapenade and tobacco.
BETTINA is a beautifully layered and complex blend of four Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Deeply aromatic with notes of blue and black fruits, violets, camphor and crushed rocks, the profile is exquisitely nuanced, persistent and finessed. Originally released in 2009, DB4 has been described as a hidden gem of Napa Valley. The aromatics are of fresh red and blue fruits, rhubarb and menthol. The palate is concentrated, refined and elegant, and gives way to a balanced and polished finish. Young, playful, silky and supple, it is infinitely pourable. As a long-time admirer of Bryant, James Simpson MW, managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio, says this new relationship strengthens the company’s position as a Napa Valley specialist. “We are delighted that this, one of the jewels of Napa, is to join the Pol Roger family of outstanding producers,” he said. Bryant Estate now sits alongside the outstanding stable of familyowned producers represented by Pol Roger Portfolio, including Napa counterparts Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Staglin Family Vineyard, Abreu, Gallica, Kinsman Eades and TOR, as well as Casanova di Neri, Dal Forno Romano, Domaine Vacheron, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Domaine Josmeyer, Bodegas Artadi, Grand Tokaj and Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt.
For more information visit www.polroger.co.uk or call 01432 262800 Twitter: @Pol_Roger
Rising Stars
Liam Plowman understands the value of having a great team of staff and says that having two reliable and talented full-timers has accentuated the positives.
“Like most independent wine shops, we had big growth during the pandemic, and mainly that’s through deliveries, and a little bit of wholesale,” he says.
“Lily and Brendan have made it possible for me to pursue those things as well as having some time to work on our website to make it a bit more navigable.”
Lily has been with the business on a part-time basis for almost three years and became full-time last August.
“She’s got a real appetite for learning and has completed her WSET levels 2 and 3,” says Liam. “Lily is a trained chef, so she has an excellent palate. She’s really adept at communicating with our customers and, of course, she can recommend the perfect food pairings. She’s used to running restaurants so she’s pretty unflappable. She’s good at making customers feel comfortable and dealing with all sorts of situations.”
Initially a Wild + Lees customer, Lily invited Liam to do tastings with some of her clients and they began to work together. “When Lily mentioned she was looking for a change of direction and asked if there were any part-time opportunities, I just knew she’d be a good fit,” says Liam.
Officially known as wine pedlar – “we do keep our job titles quite informal as there’s only the three of us and that’s the title she chose,” Liam explains – Lily is really happy with her career change.
“I worked my way up the ranks to becoming a head chef,” she says, “but found the higher up I got within the kitchen, the further away I got from continuing to learn about different aspects of the culinary world. When I took a step back, it became clear that wine was one of the areas I wanted to dive into headfirst.
“When Wild & Lees opened in Herne Hill it became a community hub that we didn’t know we needed until it appeared.
“One of my favourite things about working here is its position within the community and seeing the customers who come and want to listen to really good music, drink some delicious wine and have some good conversation.”
Lily Ferguson-Mahan
Wild + Lees, London
Liam is also very appreciative of Lily’s flower displays. “They’re fantastic,” he says. “It’s probably not a very wine merchant thing, but she has a real skill and we love having them in the bar area.”
Lily says one of the things that drew her to London from her native Chicago was her appreciation of flowers. “Well, my name is Lily,” she says, “and my mother is a landscape designer. The addition of flowers makes me feel that a space has been shown a bit more love.”
So what is a favourite wine and food pairing of Lily’s? “I have a lot of love for Gamay,” she says. “I’m a vegetarian, so pairing a Gamay with a veggie tartlet of some kind, or some goat’s cheese … those garlicky Mediterranean flavours go well with a light and fruity red.”
And what’s next for the green-fingered wine pedlar? “My dream is to eventually have a space of my own that will combine the love that I have for wine with baking,” she says. “For the last couple of years I’ve been delving into viennoiserie. I’ve found the bakery and wine communities in London to be really friendly and encouraging – very supportive and not competitive in the way that some parts of the culinary world can be.”
Lily wins a bottle of Pol Roger Vintage 2015
If you’d like to nominate a Rising Star, email claire@winemerchantmag.com
Hamish Bredin On the Road
HAMISH IS A SALES MANAGER AT GONZALEZ BYASS UK, WHOSE PATCH COVERS THE NORTH OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
It’s always been wine – it’s all I’ve ever done, and I’ll probably stay in the trade
forever. I started when I was 18 at Corney & Barrow in their little shop in East Anglia. I continued to work my holidays there during university and then slowly started migrating north with Majestic.
My first job beyond retail was with Enotria and it was really eye-opening to go from talking to people who were coming in because they wanted to buy wine and switching over to the much harder job of knocking on people’s doors and saying “buy my wine”. It definitely took a couple of months to get used to it and I learned a lot in the two years there before joining Gonzalez Byass seven years ago.
I love the autonomy. I’ve always worked well independently and I’m very motivated. Every day is different, there’s no job like it.
Geography matters! In the north, it’s not quite like taking someone out in London where you can see 10 people in a day. Instead, you might have only three meetings with a long drive between each. I once had a visiting producer who hadn’t warned me he suffered from travel sickness, and navigating the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales on a foggy day had him gripping the “Jesus handle” – that’s the handle above the window – and looking a bit green. We had to stop off a couple of times, but we made it to all our appointments without serious incident.
The independents I work with are just as different from each other as you’d
expect. I have customers who are tiny village shops and some who are large, well-known indies and everything in between. As our heritage is fortified wine, I think people come to us for our famous Gonzalez Byass sherries and Quinta do Noval port, which has a cult following, and then get to know our wider portfolio. In addition to the nine Spanish brands that we own, produce and distribute ourselves, we are the UK agent for a select mix of quality producers from around the world. Our portfolio is not colossal: rather, a nice concise selection.
We are passionate about sherry, and it is the perfect drink any day of the year
– it’s not just for the festive season! We host numerous events, including many nationally, to promote Tio Pepe En Rama, which is an annual limited bottling of unfiltered fino that is released in the spring. It can be challenging for an indie to cover the whole fortified category, but we are here to help them plug the gaps in their ranges.
It’s been really sad not to have our producers over for the last couple of
years but on the flip side, we involved them in our virtual tastings. I did loads of tastings for customers where the producer joined us. The technology side of things has been marvellous, and having a producer join a tasting makes it really special.
Feature sponsored by Gonzalez Byass UK
For more information about the company, visit gonzalezbyassuk.com Call 01707 274790
We adapted during lockdown and used that time to get better at things that we weren’t doing so much before, like e-commerce. We also looked at how we could support from a distance. For example, we donated all our En Rama profits for two years to The Drinks Trust and did prize draws and donated raffle prizes to shops and restaurants.
I’m delighted with our new indie exclusive, Beronia Rioja Tempranillo
Joven 2019. Young Tempranillo can all too often be uninspiring and lacking in any depth of flavour, but this really does pack well above its price point and will no doubt surprise in a good way. It has a great concentration of classic Rioja flavours and it’s from one of Europe’s most sustainable wineries.
I enjoy wine and music in equal
measure. For Sherry Week I paired a sherry a day with a different album, I suppose I’m a bit nerdy like that. However, I’ve never seen more enthusiasm for Depeche Mode than when I was driving one producer after an evening event. It was late and I could tell he was quite sleepy, so I put some music on quietly. I was not expecting to see such energy for that type of music. He was singing, waving his arms and doing whatever dancing you can do while wearing a seatbelt. And he knew all the lyrics. It was very impressive.
NOT YOU AGAIN! customers we could do without 32. Kathleen Wimbleditch
… curtain hooks are what I was after, I don’t suppose you … oh, bless my soul, it’s a wine shop now, yes, I see … well, there’s been a little hardware place here for donkey’s years and they’ve always been so helpful … let me show you what I mean … these little plastic hooks that go into the eyelets on the sliding doodahs on the curtain track … nothing like that at all, you say … well that does put me in a pickle … the other thing I needed was a tin of Brasso, but not the larger size … right, you haven’t got that either … a wine shop now, yes, I understand … Mr Jarvis often had extra stock through that door just behind you but I expect you’re busy … I can come back later … right you are, only wines now, yes, I see … now, have you got such a thing as a pair of secateurs, mine are as blunt as a budgie’s whatsit … no? … how much is that broom? Not to worry, I’ve come out without me chequebook again anyway, I’ll pop back tomorrow … what’s that you say? A wine shop that only sells wines … yes, I get the picture …
Supplier of wine boxes and literature
• 12 Bottle carrier box with dividers • 6 Bottle carrier box with dividers • 12 Bottle mailing box with dividers • 6 Bottle mailing box with dividers • 4 Bottle mailing box with dividers • 3 Bottle mailing box with dividers • 1 Bottle mailing box with dividers
01323 728338 • sales@eastprint.co.uk • www.eastprint.co.uk Congratulations to the five Wine Merchant reader survey respondents whose names were drawn at random and who each win a Coravin, courtesy of ANAGRAM TIME our partner Hatch Mansfield.Can you unscramble these grape varieties? If so, you win a horse with no name. Peter Fawcett, Field & Fawcett, York Anthony Borges, 1. Plain Merlot The Wine Centre, 2. Old LegoGreat Horkesley, Essex3. Atheist Pier Zoran Ristanovic, 4. Eton Vermin City Wine Collection, London5. Belly Canvas
