THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 132, February 2024
Dog of the month: Poppy Vin Neuf, Stratford-upon-Avon
Indies told: it’s our final chance to stop duty chaos Wine duty easement ends in just under a year, and next month’s budget is the last hope of keeping it, WSTA warns
T
he wine trade has one last chance
next month to avoid the “complete
madness” of duty reforms, the Wine
& Spirit Trade Association has warned. Director Miles Beale believes that, if
the new system goes ahead as planned in February 2025, it’s highly unlikely to be
reversed even if a Labour government wins power in the forthcoming general election. At present, all wines between 11.5%
and 14.5% abv are taxed as if they were
12.5% – a temporary arrangement known as the wine easement. But next year, the
new system will tax all wines according to
their exact alcoholic strength, adding costs and bureaucracy for wine importers and retailers.
“We think this budget on March 6 is
the last chance to keep hold of the wine easement,” Beale says.
“The new system is all about taxing
according to strength. And bluntly, I don’t think the government understands the impact it will have for wine.”
He adds: “Eighty per cent of wines on the
UK market are between 11.5% and 14.5% abv. That’s our estimate.
“Defra have made some changes that
mean you can label to one decimal point
[of alcohol]. So that now means that wines could be at one of 105 different rates or payment points.”
Continues page 2
Sarah Helliwell and Abi Tregenza have been learning as much as they can about cheese ahead of the launch of The Stores, their new venture in Frome. Story: page 6.
NEWS
Inside this month 4 comings & Goings Latitude Wines and Yapp Bros are both moving to bigger premises
12 david perry The death of the high street has been greatly exaggerated
WSTA urges indies to tell MPs permanent duty easement is vital From page 1
“Our argument is they should keep the
easement,” Beale says. “That is not going to reduce the amount of revenue to the
17 bright ideas Weddings can be big business, but watch out for freeloaders
21 the burning question How excited are we all about pintsized Champagne bottles?
exchequer, so there’s no bad news for public funds.
“It will be a hell of a lot better for
businesses, particularly small ones. The smaller the business, the more the red
tape, effort and cost ramps up. We know independent merchants have, on average, a hell of a lot more
24 david williams Rising Burgundy prices are also a problem for traditional producers
31 neighbourhood watch Why indies worry about Majestic moving to their neck of the woods
34 merchant profile The Sampler, Islington: part of wine trade lore, and law
40 focus on new zealand How the Kiwis overcame challenges to enter the big league
67 Q&A: laurie webster The Ucopia Wines boss and failed novelist faces our interrogation
SKUs and lines than the
The WSTA is urging all independent
merchants to write to their MPs to make
them aware of how badly the duty reforms will affect their businesses.
“That’s the only way to get this campaign
off the ground – we need a minimum
amount of noise to allow us as the trade
body to put the squeeze on the government to make this change,” says Beale.
“And if they don’t do it at this budget,
I don’t think there’s much chance of
them doing it before the easement ends on February 1 next year, because I
don't think they’ll do it in the
autumn. And if there’s a new
supermarkets. So it’s
government, the response
complete madness, if
will be ‘it’s not our fault, it
you’re trying to support
was the last lot’.”
small businesses.”
The WSTA has produced
He adds: “It’s much better
for consumers as well. So
to us, it’s a bit of a no-brainer,
but the government really don’t
a draft letter setting out
the arguments it believes
merchants should be making
and is encouraging retailers to add
understand it.
extra detail of their own.
vintage, there could be quite a large
have to do it now,” says Beale.
“For a bottle of gin or beer, you control
the abv. With wine, from vintage to
variation in the strength, even if it’s made in exactly the same way by exactly the
same person with grapes from exactly
the same vineyard. Government really doesn’t get that and certainly the new
duty system doesn’t account for it. So it is
a much bigger additional burden for those involved.”
“We’re saying it’s now or never: if you’ve
never written to your MP before, you really “We think there are almost two
independent merchants per constituency out there. So every MP should be getting a couple of letters from independent
merchants, and that will make a massive difference to this campaign.”
• Miles Beale interview: pages 26 to 28.
THE WINE MERCHANT MAGAZINE winemerchantmag.com 01323 871836 X/Instagram: @WineMerchantMag Unit 45a Newhaven Enterprise Centre, Denton Island, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 9BA Editor and Publisher: Graham Holter graham@winemerchantmag.com Assistant Editor: Claire Harries claire@winemerchantmag.com Advertising: Sarah Hunnisett sarah@winemerchantmag.com Accounts: Naomi Young naomi@winemerchantmag.com The Wine Merchant is circulated to the owners of the UK’s 1,006 specialist independent wine shops. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2024 Registered in England: No 6441762 VAT 943 8771 82
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 2
Sager launches Hackney hybrid
and the winemaker.”
CA Rookes to fight on despite ruling
Sager + Wilde wine bar founder Michael
more price sensitivity with retail,” he says.
Stratford-upon-Avon wine merchant CA
Sager will open Bruno, a hybrid shop in Hackney, east London, later this month. Sager says the location was key to his
decision to add a retail element at the new site. “Victoria Park has some significant small retailers rather than the usual supermarket stuff,” he says.
“It felt like a no-brainer because it really
is a village. I know Bottle Apostle have been here for about 12 years, but they
aren’t selling the same wines as I will be.” Sager is well known in the trade as a
champion of biodynamic and organic wine. Bruno will have a focus on natural wine,
and Sager is confident the neighbourhood will have an appetite for it.
“Natural wine is not a trend, it’s a
lifestyle change that’s more sustainable for the planet and for everyone,” he says.
“Just like I cannot imagine organic foods
disappearing off supermarket shelves, natural wine is not going to go away.”
The wines in the bar and shop will be
almost exclusively imported directly by
Sager acknowledges the differences
between on-trade and shop sales. “There’s
“If you’re talking about gastronomy, people
just want to have what’s great, and they are
Rookes, founded in 1939, continues to
you’re expected to spend money, because
business in November.
have a gander and not have to spend. And
from John Freeland
happy to pay a fair market value for it.
trade despite a compulsory striking-off
“When you sit down in a bar you know
order which dissolved the
“But when you walk into a shop you can
who bought the business
that’s just the unwritten contract.
if there’s not enough wine under 30 quid, people will most likely think you are an
expensive shop. That’s a problem really
caused by the supermarket culture we have in the UK.
“There will be plenty of stuff on our
shelves that more price-sensitive drinkers
can take home. We will always have bottles open in the shop for people to try, which
Dan Abbots (pictured),
in 2021, says he is
now operating from the same premises
but as a sole trader
rather than a limited company.
• J Wadsworth in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, has announced its closure. Its statement
adds to the value as it makes a different
says: “Due to increasingly tough market
talk about it with someone knowledgeable
of trading in the town. We would like to
buying experience.
conditions, we have taken the difficult
in a shop and potentially taste a couple of
thank all of our customers for their loyal
“Wine is deeply personal, so it’s better to
things so you get an idea.”
decision to close down after over 150 years
support over the years.”
Sager but he says there will also be some from “famous winemakers, wines I can
maybe get on allocation, that I don’t import myself, but are kind of nice to have”.
He adds: “We’re looking at 150 to 180
references from our own book, and that will be ever-changing as we have the option to rotate around 600 wines.
“Over the past 10 years the wine bar
has taken on its own life; it has its own
dynamic. If someone wants to come in and spend £150 on a bottle of Roulot or they want to have an old Barolo, they can.
“But with Bruno we are really going to
be focusing on who we have cultivated
relationships with over the last few years since we started importing.
“We know the winemakers, we work
with them directly. There’s not a single
degree of separation in between the shop
Michael Sager launched the first Sager + Wilde restaurant and bar in Hackney in 2012
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 4
Bacchus Chris expects less trouble at mill
Is any body there?
Latitude Wine in Leeds is to swap its often leaky railway arch for a former mill as Chris Hill relocates just down the road this spring. “There’s always been a hybrid business
model on the backburner,” says Hill.
“It was only this time last year that I
really felt the motivation to do it. I thought, rather than maintain this shop and find
a bar, why not move the whole business
somewhere where we could build a bar as well?
“Before I moved to the railway arch and
The new premises is three times bigger
set this business up almost 16 years ago,
30 and once we transition from a shop in
that we’ve generated over the years
as well. We’ve always had a pretty good
I was helping to run a group of bars in
Leeds, and a lot of the wholesale business has come from the local independent hospitality community.”
The move means that the business will
also avoid disruptive maintenance work scheduled by Network Rail.
Latitude will soon be operating from
an 1,800 square foot space – three times the size of the current shop – within an
industrial complex originally built in the 1930s along the River Aire.
“We’re splitting the unit into three,” says
Hill. “The front area is going to be our retail space, the middle part is going to be the
bar and the seating area, and we’ll have the kitchen, toilets and office at the back.
“We’ll have permanent seating for 25 to
the afternoon into the bar in the evening, we can make use of the rest of the area
market for tastings, but we’ve never had a great venue.”
With the longer opening hours, Hill says
he will be recruiting. “We haven’t started
that process yet,” he says, “but we’re in the
thick of a community of hospitality staff, so the plan is to draw on those contacts and find the right people.”
So will all that extra space soon be filled
up with more wine? “One thing we will
always do is widen the range,” says Hill. “We have run out of shelf space under the railway arch, so we’ve had to lose
something to gain something. I’m already planning on the tastings I’m going to –
we’re always on the lookout for new stuff.”
Ann et Vin on the hunt for new owner Ann et Vin, the Newark-on-Trent independent which has been trading for 20 years, is on the market. Ann Hayes, who has run the business
from the beginning, is planning to retire
and hopes to hand over the reins this year. “It’s a great little business – we turned
over £650,000 again last year – and the
potential is there to expand it, without a doubt,” she says. “We’ve got a nice
wholesale trade but we don’t open on
Sundays or Mondays, and we close at six, so there’s definitely an opportunity for a new person to come in and grow it.
“We’ve got a good reputation and people
love the place.”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 5
Perusing the plans of the recentlypurchased 300-year-old West Yorkshire building from which he’s been operating Ripponden Wines for the past two years, owner Ray Nicholls made a creepy, but ultimately useful, discovery. “The drawings came through from the solicitor, and I was looking at the outline of the building and I realised there’s an extra cellar,” he reports. “It will be me that gets the sledgehammer out and the hard hat on to knock through. God knows what we’ll find when we pull that wall down. Hopefully it’s nothing too disastrous. If there’s a possibility of finding a dead body or some treasure, knowing my luck it will be a dead body.”
Old wines in Planet’s orbit
It’s hard to believe the decades have flown by so quickly but this year sees the 20th anniversary of Planet of the Grapes. Owner Matt Harris intends to mark the milestone with a ticketed event at which wines from 2004 will be poured. He’s been in contact with regular suppliers and is hopeful of tracking down some Bordeaux, Barolo and Riesling from that vintage, and is in the market to do some more business if the right offers come his way. No freebies are expected: guests will be paying something like £250 a head to join the fun.
Spuds you don’t like
Poor old Duncan McLean was still in recovery mode when we bumped into him at the Liberty Wines tasting in London. The Kirkness & Gorie owner, and regular Wine Merchant columnist, was still slightly dazed and confused after a suspected bout of listeria, caused (he believes) by some dodgy vacherin cheese. Hallucinations included being attacked by dauphinoise potatoes. “They were flying through the air towards me,” he declares. All solid material for a future column, surely? Duncan’s not convinced. “People would think I was crazy,” he says.
A Frome fanfare, and a farewell
“We will start to get some things booked
in with a few people who we want to work with to do a pop-up supper club, where
chefs will bring in food and we can pair the
Sarah Helliwell and Abi Tregenza
wines.”
launched their new venture in Frome
Currently there is capacity for 12 covers
just before Christmas.
and room to grow in the future. “We’ve
got a big space out the back which is our
The Stores, situated on Stony Street, has
prep and storage area,” explains Helliwell,
a range of around 200 wines as well as a
“but if things go well, we will convert that
cheese counter. Helliwell is a familiar face
and open up for more tables and maybe
on Stony Street as she has spent the last
another collection of wine too.
few years working at the neighbouring
“The idea is to keep our wine range really
Eight Stony Street, the wine bar and
fluid so when we sell out of something
restaurant owned by Kent Barker, which
we’ll probably swap it out for something
has now closed.
“Kent and I worked together for nearly
eight years,” says Helliwell, “and he’s
200 wines will be available at any one time
always known I wanted to do this. We
talked about it a lot and it’s all been very amicable and supportive.”
She adds: “Abi and I became friends
as well as she does is really important.
during lockdown. As we were having
“We’ve really enjoyed learning about
over 10 years ago while working together at Jascots. She moved back to Somerset dinner one day, I told her my plans and
she said she wasn’t that keen to go back
to work in London after taking maternity leave.
“Going completely on your own is pretty
scary, so having someone there with
me who understands the wine industry
We’re friends, and we know we work well together.
cheese and we’ve been on a couple of courses at The Academy of Cheese.
“Customers can buy from the counter
to take away or they can choose a cheese
board to enjoy with a glass of wine. We’ve got olives, bread and oil, so things to go with wine, but no cooked food as such.
else. We’ve got six or seven major suppliers and a few that we’ve bought little bits and pieces from, and some comes direct from local vineyards.
“We have five wines by the glass that
are open and, again, we’re changing those
weekly at the moment. There’s just the two of us, so it’s really just as and when what
feels right, and what people want and what we want to showcase.”
Meanwhile, Kent Barker explains that
Eight Stony Street, which he established in 2019, had been “heavily affected by a downturn in customer spending in the
restaurant and bar area”, resulting in a reevaluation of the entire operation.
“The wine merchant side actually works
quite well,” he says. “But it is part of a
bigger thing and if the bigger thing isn’t
working so well, or being a bit of a pain, then it doesn’t work.”
Barker owns the freehold of the building
and has found a tenant, so is ready to move on to his next project.
“It’s a good move because actually I
make more money renting it out than I will operating in it, without any of the hassle,” he says.
Barker runs Wilding, his restaurant bar
and wine shop in Oxford, and says his
next venture, for which he has already
potentially found premises, will be “very much more wine merchant and less restaurant”.
Cheese is an important part of the mix at The Stores
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 6
“We’ve been able to hold meet-the-buyer
sessions with the Welsh government and some Welsh food and drink wholesale
suppliers so that we can wholesale on their behalf. And we’ve held meetings like the North Wales Fine Food & Drink Cluster. “We’ve already held two tastings for
about 80 or 90 people and the next one
sold out within a couple of hours, so this
space is seriously useful and the welcome back that the community has given is so positive.”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 7
Acton stations for Vindinista buyer
Side street site is perfect for Harris
Vindinista in Acton, west London, has
Planet of the Grapes is set to open a
changed hands.
hybrid shop in East Dulwich, and owner Matt Harris is happy to report the
Initially launched by Paola Tich in 2013
as Park+Bridge, the business expanded to
include a second site before retrenching to
Halle Stephens
the original shop and trading as Vindinista.
in various wine shops while studying and
Stephens.
her way.
At the end of last year Tich, who has
moved to the Kent coast, sold up to Halle
A Canadian native, Stephens grew up in
Okanagan Valley but for the last 25 years her home has been west London.
“I’ve kind of been around wine my whole
working life,” she says. “I picked grapes for
university money, and then as a break from a corporate job I started managing a wine shop in Ealing and fell down the rabbit hole.
“I started studying and I thought, ‘gosh,
the wine back home was really good,’ and I opened an import company so I could bring Canadian wines to the UK.”
Stephens continued to work part-time
operating Okanagan Roots, her importing business, before a new opportunity came
“When Paola and Mike hinted they may
be moving on, I threw my hat in the ring
because Vindinista is a lovely wine bar, a real community hub,” she says.
“For me the priority is serving the
community, making sure that people have
what they like and have grown accustomed to.
“Because I am a Canadian wine importer,
there will be some Canadian wines on
the shelf but no more than Australian or South African or Georgian. My focus on
the import side is the high-end restaurant industry.”
business has “turned a corner”. Planet of the Grapes was hit particularly
hard by the pandemic and the rail strikes.
But Harris’s approach is nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
“I thought if we keep having issues that
affect hospitality, then why not make the new business old-school, and go back to
our roots by having a retail shop?” he says. Friends, rather than banks, were
approached for finance. “We’ve decided
to go for investment from within,” Harris explains.
“Banks make you jump through more
hoops than you can possibly imagine so it
is much easier for me to go to friends with money who love wine and say: ‘do you
want to be part of Planet of the Grapes?’ Or ask people who have already successfully
invested to put a bit more money in and do it internally.”
The new venture is expected to speed up
throughput of stock. “With the bars there’s
less of a turnaround as we buy lots of wine at the premium end. Having the shop will mean buying more ‘affordable’ wines,
rotating those and getting new things in,
which is part of the fun of owning a wine company,” Harris says.
The new premises, which has seen a
number of incarnations including as a
garage and a bakery, will have room for around 24 covers.
“It’s cosy,” says Harris. “As is the case
Jackie Sugden’s Grassington Wine Shop in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has been put up for sale. The store has a central location in Grassington, which has seen a tourist boom since being used as the filming location for the fictional town of Darrowby in Channel 5’s remake of All Creatures Great and Small. Sugden, who has run the business since 2012, is reluctantly selling up due to family health issues. Five years remain on a 15-year lease. She can be contacted at shop@grassingtonwine.co.uk.
with most of the Planet of the Grapes we’ve had over the years, it’s not a glass-fronted modern shop on the high street, it’s an unusual space on a side street. But it’s quirky, and that’s how we like it.”
Allowing for refurbishment and the
creation of a bespoke mural, Harris hopes to open in May.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 8
Wine Barrel is on a roll in Brighton La Superba is the nickname of the Italian city of Genoa. It’s also the inspiration for the name of the wine and drinks importer Superba London Wines, run by Gianluca Berardi and Dino D’uva, who have taken on The Wine Barrel shop on Brighton’s bustling Western Road. Having met while working at a
restaurant in London, Berardi from Genoa, and D’uva, a Sicilian, created Superba in 2017 to champion small independent
producers from Italy and other European countries, mainly Spain and France.
The Wine Barrel was Superba’s first
customer in Brighton and this eventually led to Berardi and D’uva taking over the shop.
The Italian duo have transformed
a former off-licence into a vibrant
independent wine merchant. Inspired by
a good Christmas trade, including the sale of 200 panettone directly imported from Sicily, they now plan to create outside seating and a bar for drinks and light Italian dishes.
Gianluca Berardi and Dino D’uva
to take to dinner and drinks parties have
now switched to English sparkling wines,” Berardi says.
Hercules Wine tourism trips to Italian vineyards during harvest. “Educating customers about wines enters a new era Customers will also be invited on wine
is key to sales,” says Berardi, who studied wine in the UK.
Hercules Wine in Sandwich is under
wines, retail between £10 and £24. It
Dodd established the business with her
Most of The Wine Barrel’s wines,
including organic, natural, and biodynamic sells wines from Piedmont, Burgundy and Bordeaux as well as Portugal, Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Georgia and Lebanon. Local artisanal beers and ciders account
for about half of all sales. “Among our best
sellers are the organic pet nats and orange wines,” says Berardi.
The Wine Barrel champions
Franciacorta, red sparkling wines and a substantial range of Sussex wines.
“Customers who once bought Champagne
new ownership. It’s been almost two decades since Sarah
late husband Kevin and she’s now looking forward to an early retirement.
Now owned by a private investor who
is committed to growing and developing
the business, Hercules Wines is managed
by Sarah Forde, who has a background in
events for the sports industry, including a long spell at the Football Association. “I became good friends with Sarah
Dodd,” explains Forde, “and she introduced me to the new owner who asked if I’d like
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 9
to be the manager.
“It’s really the perfect match. I moved
from London to Sandwich almost three
years ago and living and working here is lovely.”
Forde says the plans include a total
rebrand, with the premises closing later this month to allow for a full
refurbishment, and then work will start on developing more of a profile.
“Sarah [Dodd] realised that the
business needed to go to the next level,”
says Forde. “There isn’t really any social media presence or anything like that. So
we are kind of going to shake things up a bit, but obviously still aiming at the local community.
“There’s a beautiful room at the back,
which will be brilliant for wine tastings
and things like that,” she adds. “Once we
re-open, I’ll be putting an events calendar together.”
Sarah Dodd’s retirement plans include
travel and voluntary work.
Yapp is upbeat about relocation After 50 years trading from its premises in Mere, Wiltshire, Yapp Bros is on the move.
Halle Stephens
To accommodate growth and offer a
more comfortable working environment for its expanding team, the business will be relocating to Sparkford, which is just a 15-minute drive over the border into Somerset.
Jason Yapp admits that while he is
“wistful” about leaving the current site, which is still owned by his parents, he remains pragmatic.
“It is time to move on,” he says. “It’s
served us really well for many years, but
we’ve undeniably outgrown the premises. There are things that are quite charming,
The Mere site has been home for 50 years
As the relocation isn’t likely to happen
but they’re very anachronistic.
until May this year, things are very much
store wine in and work in. It’s not very
of the new site. But Yapp expects the
“Victorian warehousing, which is quite
pleasant to look at, is not so pleasant to
friendly to artic lorries: that’s something
we’ve always had to work around, so a bit of modernisation is probably overdue.”
He adds: “The really good news is that
we’ve retained the entire team, which has also been growing; we’ve recruited new people this year already.”
Tivoli finds new use for library Tivoli Wines in Cheltenham has announced the closure of its Wine Library in its current format. The first floor above the shop
was designed as a tasting
room, with three banks of
Enomatics. But faced with
some technical faults, which owner David Dodd reports
“will cost thousands of pounds
to repair and significantly more
a “work in progress,” when it comes to
specifics such as the public-facing element retail space will be more prominent and customer-friendly than it currently is.
“The parking is much better, for a start,”
he says, “and we’ve arguably got a much
better catchment. It’s on the A303, which is logistically very good, and we’ll not
only have the Sparkford area but we’re
to replace,” he’s decided it’s time to ring the changes.
“I’m quite upbeat about the closure,” he
near Castle Carey and Yeovil. It’s probably a denser population, but we’re still in
the right catchment in terms of delivery and fulfilment for any of our existing customers.”
With three times the footprint of the
current site, Yapp says the move to
Sparkford will afford Yapp Bros a “good decade of expansion potential”.
“That’s really key to a business of our
size and age,” he adds. “We don’t want to be moving often, that’s for sure.”
ARGENTINA WINNERS Three lucky independent merchants are
says. “I feel that, for us at least, the allure
off on an eight-day visit to Argentina in
and public wine education has accelerated.
recent competition to find the best
of the Enomatic machines has diminished over time, while the demand for private
“The Wine Library will continue as an event space – with an
March, taking in Mendoza and Patagonia, after being judged the winners in our promotions for Argento and Otronia wines. Congratulations to:
increased capacity, once we’ve
Penny Champion, Champion Wines,
events planned for this year,
Kirby Bryant, Cambridge Wine
removed the machines – and we’ve got over 40 public
excluding private education
requests.”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 10
Chislehurst Kat Stead, Brigitte Bordeaux, Nottingham Merchants, Royston
DAVID PERRY
A while back a fruit and veg shop
suddenly closed – in that case it wasn’t
business failure, it was heart failure. Both premises are now different, new, thriving
businesses with younger, healthier owners. You expect churn. Churn is good.
Irregular Thoughts Independents around here are doing OK. It’s the chains that are leaving ugly gaps
W
hy do people fixate on a
handful of empty shops and
ignore the scores of thriving
independent businesses?
There was a time when our little town
came second in a league of healthy
towns, having only one small, empty unit. There are currently three empty shops.
Unfortunately two are quite prominent, like missing teeth in an otherwise charming smile.
It was national retailers who collapsed,
so we can’t really be blamed. The premises are too large and too expensive for an independent start-up.
Smaller units don’t stay empty long.
There has always been a healthy churn of smaller shops and the town has a
reputation for independent businesses. It
is true that we have seen a few prominent closures and each time it happens I hear people, who have never run a business, explaining how the local economy is
collapsing. I have to correct them, of course. We used to have a very big, old fashioned
shop selling haberdashery and soft
furnishings. No one alive today could
remember a time when it wasn’t there. And then it closed. “Oh,” said people. “What a shame. I suppose it’s all the competition
from online”. No, he was 92 years old, for God’s sake! He’d done his time.
Businesses come to a natural end (we don’t
have a Radio Rentals anymore), the owners move, retire or die, and very quickly someone new comes in with a fresh
business. Nothing lasts for ever. It’s not the death of the high street – it’s continuous rebirth.
Opposite one another, the two ex-
nationals remain an eyesore, though.
One was Edinburgh Woollen Mill, whose
ownership is a long way from the original Langholm Dyeing & Finishing Company
owned by Drew Stevenson in 1946. It had, at one point, been owned by Grampian
Holdings. They sold it as a management
buy-out to Phillip Day (backed by Rutland Fund Management and funded by Bank
of Scotland). Although now hailed as an “independent, family-owned business”, it is hardly a small family concern. On
the way they acquired several big names
including Ponden Mill, Austin Reed, Jaeger, Bonmarché and Peacocks. The holding
company is called Spectre Holdings, and Day is now a billionaire living in Dubai
and not, disappointingly, in a hollowed-out volcano. He reportedly spends fewer than
10 days a year in the UK, so I doubt he has seen his empty shop on our high street.
I see it every day. It is huge and double
fronted with an expensively useless second floor and two empty flats on the third. The building was run down and it apparently
took £100,000 to make it handsome again. It was initially advertised to let in an
obscure estate agent in the back streets
of Bournemouth, 30 miles away. It is just
another line on a spreadsheet. I’m guessing the rent dictates the value of the building, so while it’s empty it sits as a valuable asset on a balance sheet. Buddleia is growing out of the walls again now.
The other was a traditional hardware
shop decades ago. People still get dewy
eyed and nostalgic about it and rue the day it was “forced to close”. The reality is that Another gramophone emporium forced out of business by internet rivals
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 12
Ray wisely sold it to Woolworths, hung up
his brown cotton overall, and retired early
and gracefully having trousered more than enough money to live in comfort for the rest of his years.
Woolworths collapsed and M&Co quickly
took up the space. Then they collapsed. The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is moving in, so that’s good news; at least for the moment.
Peter Black was born Hans Schwarschild
in Germany in 1908 and built a business making clothes and shoes in West
Yorkshire. He opened the original factory shop in 1969 and rapidly expanded. The Black family sold the chain in 1988. It is now owned by Duke Street Capital who
bought it off Barclays Equity. It is widely rumoured they are punting it about the
market. I doubt it will see out the decade.
T
hat’s the problem with big
chains. They start out as a small, independent shop. Then they
borrow money and expand. Then they
go public or the lender sells them. Before long they are owned by an investment
bank, sweating the assets for shareholder dividends. Then they collapse because
OUR JUDGES ARE WAITING THE WINE MERCHANT TOP 100 IS NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES This is the only competition for wines that are just sold in the independent trade, judged by independent wine merchants themselves. Visit winemerchantmag.com for full details and an entry form, or email claire@winemerchantmag.com
no one spent any money keeping them
relevant. Then they leave an ugly gap on our high streets.
It’s a stark lesson. Remember when
lots of small chains were gobbled up by Peter Dominic who were taken over by
Threshers and then merged with Victoria
Wine to form First Quench? They were sold to Japanese private equity firm Nomura
Holdings who quickly sold it on to Terra Firma Capital Partners.
They picked up Unwins along the way
before selling to Vision Capital. Two years later they were gone – over 3,000 small
wine shops, all closed! The familiar names were all gone too. Well almost: the names of Threshers, Bottoms Up, The Local and Victoria Wine were bought by Dave’s
Discount Group*. An ignominious end.
I’m probably going to retire before I’m
92, but I dearly hope that this cycle of
merging and corporate acquisition is not
repeated. I hope that we all remain small
and beautiful and still on the high street for much longer than the big national chains.
* I’m not Dave
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 13
TRIED & TESTED
Great Heart Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Delheim Wild Ferment Chenin Blanc 2022
Great Heart is an admirable empowerment project
Chenin Blanc from South Africa encompasses such a
all its winemaking, with this Cabernet in particular
from old vines in Simonsberg, combines richness with
owned by Mullineux & Leeu staff, working to the same low-intervention principles. There’s a deft touch to
what to expect from an unfamiliar bottle. This one,
a keen acidity, with lees ageing adding extra warmth
exuding vivacity and freshness, the six months in old
and depth to the stone-fruit and honeysuckle flavours.
oak barrels contributing softness but not vanilla. RRP: £28.99
huge spectrum of styles that it can be hard to know
RRP: £18
ABV: 14%
ABV: 13.5%
Delibo Wine Agencies (01993 886644)
Liberty Wines (020 7720 5350) libertywines.co.uk
delibo.co.uk
Pitchfork Shiraz 2022
Montes Colchagua Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Made by Berton Vineyards, this isn’t the most
complex Shiraz you’ll ever taste, but as a bridge
Eduardo Stark, representing Montes at the Liberty
a useful niche. The winemakers haven’t simply
is a pretty impressive work in progress, with the fruit
tasting, believes “there’s still a lot to be done with
between underwhelming supermarket fare and the
Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile”. If that’s the case, this
pricier Aussie stuff that most indies offer, it occupies
benefiting from more canopy shade than in the past,
played the juicy fruit card: there’s a sprinkle of spice
and less new oak influence. Very pleasant indeed.
too, and enough acidity to hold it all together. RRP: £10.49
RRP: £16.99
ABV: 14%
ABV: 14.5%
Liberty Wines (020 7720 5350)
Cachet Wine (01482 638877) cachetwine.co.uk
libertywines.co.uk
Domaine Guillaman Colombard-Sauvignon 2022
Mauricio Lorca Natural Cabernet Franc Malbec 2022
This progressive Gascony estate, run by the Ferret
We assumed the “natural” bit in the name was some
now still wines are top of the agenda and this lively,
with balsamic tang, a gentle green crunch and plenty
family for generations, once channelled its energies
kind of marketing device, so clean and funk-free is the
into grapes destined for Armagnac production. But
juice. But no, it’s all wild-ferment and sulphur-free,
fruity and slightly tropical blend is a great advert for
of concentrated red fruit goodness. Great value, and a
the talents of this environment-conscious producer. RRP: £8.99
convincing example of this dual-varietal blend.
ABV: 12%
RRP: £22
Daniel Lambert Wines (01656 661010)
ABV: 14%
Ucopia Wines (01482 638877)
daniellambert.wine
ucopiawines.co.uk
Izadi Rioja Selección Blanca 2022
Gergenti Grillo Sicilia 2022
High up in Rioja Alavesa, Ruth Rodriguez and her team
Italian Wineries, with organic fruit from various
are on a mission to produce wines that are aromatic
as well as gastronomic. Selección claims to be the first white Rioja to blend all six indigenous varieties. So
there’s a lot going on here, but the competing flavours reach a very enjoyable and intriguing accord. RRP: £20.99
ABV: 13.5%
Liberty Wines (020 7720 5350) libertywines.co.uk
Made by Buckingham Schenk’s sister company, Schenk Sicilian vineyards, this is a bold white that’s definitely
at its best with food. There’s a gentle rasp and a stony mineral grip, some ripe fruit flavours and lemony
acidity, and a firm, moreish finish that conjours up olive brine and bitter herbs. RRP: £12.50
ABV: 12.5%
Buckingham Schenk (01753 521336) buckingham-schenk.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 14
Rising Stars
Millie Walsh The Old Liquor Store, York
B
en Williams founded The Old Liquor Store last year. He needs staff who can work across all aspects of the business to ensure the restaurant, deli and wine shop combo reaches its full potential. Millie came from a hospitality background, which Ben says made her the ideal choice for the role – and he’s already considering her promotional prospects. “Millie is my assistant manager for the restaurant and the off-sales,” he says. “We’re utilising the fact that we have a Michelin-trained restaurant team to do great food, which we then pair with wines from the shop and have someone do a talk. Millie is involved with this and she’s progressed really well, taking on more responsibility. We can certainly see a promotion to restaurant manager in the coming months. “You often find that younger people are either really keen and enthusiastic and want to learn and progress, which Millie is, or they are the absolute opposite. Customers are just as likely to ask where Millie is as they’d ask about where I am. She remembers everyone’s name, their dogs’ names and what they like. She’s generally amazing and we couldn’t do without her.” Millie’s first introduction to wine was while working in bars and restaurants, as her parents don’t drink wine. “I was never really exposed to it in the way that some of my friends were,” she says. “I was doing my WSET when I tried an Italian Primitivo and it was like something just clicked in my head. So I kind of came in from exploring reds first, then whites and then sparkling. “If I was only going to have one drink, I’d choose sparkling wine. It’s such a broad category and I’m happy to try new styles but obviously you can’t beat Champagne, can you? I love trying different houses and grower Champagnes and exploring the flavours between the different blends and regions.”
I
ntroduced to Ben by head chef Mark Leivers, with whom she’d previously worked, Millie realised the The Old Liquor Store was going to be “a really exciting venture”. She adds: “After meeting Ben I knew that working alongside him was going to be a really good opportunity. I’m still quite new to this but I really love the customer service side of it. “All the wines that we have for retail are completely
different to the ones we serve in the restaurant, so it’s nice for customers to try something while they’re sat here and then, if they like it, we’ve always got something else to recommend. Whether it’s the same grape or region, it’s always a good conversation starter.” As she is fairly new to the wine trade, Millie is yet to go on a wine trip, but she has plans to organise one this year under her own steam, and Italy is firmly in her sights. “For food and wine, I think anywhere in Italy, but I’d choose Tuscany first because whenever I read about it or see photos, it just seems amazing,” she says.
Millie wins a bottle of Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Cap Classique Brut Reserve 2024 courtesy of Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies If you’d like to nominate a Rising Star, email claire@winemerchantmag.com
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 16
ight ideas r b
52: Let’s get married
Penny Edwards Cellar Door Wines, St Albans
In a nutshell: Weddings can be a lucrative
Are there any perennial pitfalls when it
base.
they will pair each course with lovely
comes to weddings?
gig and Penny has been looking at ways to attract brides beyond her loyal customer
People have this glamorous idea that
Are weddings big busines for you?
appearance-driven. For this market I look
wines, but the reality is, it’s all budget and
It’s something I’m trying to grow as I know
for wines with fairly classic but attractive
it’s a good way to sell volumes of wine.
labels. Nothing too wacky because you
There’s a hotel in St Albans that’s a
have to appeal to a wide audience and at
popular wedding venue and they allow
weddings there will be older generations.
wedding parties to supply their own
wine and we’ve done about half a dozen weddings with them.
I’ve set up a gift registry too. Guests can
choose from a range of budgets to buy a
case of wine or just a bottle from a case of the couple’s choice that can be laid down
A lot of people go crazy on the wine
bombarded! I don’t think wedding fairs, in this format anyway, are the way forward. What are the main concerns of a
for a few years.
wedding client?
year. Tell us about that.
have to remind them that although it is
You set up stall at two wedding fairs last I paid about £200 for each event and
maybe it would have been worthwhile if there had been more footfall.
I think young people who get married
these days don’t necessarily use wedding fairs to plan their events. It’s a bit of an
old-fashioned concept and the way they
advertised it was very much the bride in
the meringue dress toasting a groom in a
tuxedo. They got it wrong from a marketing point of view.
Did you have wine open on the day? Yes I did and that attracted the freeloaders. I was next to the cake lady and she was
The first thing is budget and then we’ll
look at their preferences. Sometimes we
when they’ve already organised a cocktail bar. There’s so much booze and perhaps
only 120 people and then you look at the venue and 70% of them will be driving.
Customers will want the option of sale
or return on their wine so you have to be strict with your policy on that.
Are customers trickier when it comes to weddings? Have you met a bridezilla?
their wedding, they need to get wine that is
Thankfully a lot of our weddings have been
might mention things like Whispering
an issue. But I have met a few grooms that
universally appealing for their guests.
A lot of people are brand-driven so they
Angel and then you have to point out that their budget doesn’t allow for that. But
we can use that information to steer them
towards a more affordable option that they will like.
Often, the family is involved and I either
do a Zoom call with them or invite them to the shop to do a tasting together. Rather
than bombard them, I present them with a
few options that I know are appealing from both a label and a budget point of view.
existing customers who have come to us
because they know us, so that hasn’t been have been pretty controlling. One man sat
down at the tasting and said: “I only drink Meursault and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.” I
said: “Well it’s great to know what you love but as your budget is £10 a bottle, I’ll try to match your taste preferences as best I can.” He ended up having Meursault and
Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the bridal table
only. I’ve also been to a wedding where all
the guests had Roederer but only the bride had Cristal.
Penny wins a WBC gift box containing some premium drinks and a box of chocolates. Tell us about a bright idea that’s worked for you and you too could win a prize. Email claire@winemerchantmag.com
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 17
RIM COLOUR? W H O A C T U A L LY C A R E S ?
Independent merchants sell the best wines in the country. If yours are among them, make sure they're tasted by our judges in The Wine Merchant Top 100.
CORKAGE IT'S REALLY NOT THAT don't overthink wine COMPLICATED. just tell customers that it tastes nice BUT FEEL FREE TO ASK STAFF TO EXPLAIN IT. AGAIN. issued by the wine marketing board
Email claire@winemerchantmag.com
NOT YOU AGAIN!
ISSUED BY THE WINE MARKETING BOARD
customers we could do without
54. Charles Smeeching I told him to drop his CV in around September time but you know what students are like, too much information being processed in their young minds, and perhaps he forgot or possibly you mislaid it … well anyway I said I’d put in a word, as I was passing this way … his course is full-time in theory but there’s definitely space for a paid job to help save up for a car and all this year’s music festivals … no, he doesn’t really have any wine credentials as such but I’m sure it can’t be too complicated for a
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
media studies undergraduate … yes, physically fit but never quite the same since the rugby injury so it’s just
QUIZ TIME
lifting anything that would be a problem, or standing for any length of time … good little driver, actually, still waiting for his fifth test date but he has magnetic L-plates that could probably go on your van … available any weekends except when Arsenal are at home or there’s a televised game … here’s his mobile … actually take mine instead, he can be pretty monosyllabic on the phone, that
1. How much vitamin C would you expect to find in a glass of red wine? (a) 0% (b) 0.25% (c) 0.5% (d) 1% 2. What grape, sometimes known as Lucido, is the most widely-planted white variety in Sicily? 3. Which wine writer is @littlestjames on social media? 4. How many US states have active wineries? 5. In which county is Chapel Down vineyard? Answers on page 57
is if he picks up at all …
THE THEWINE WINEMERCHANT MERCHANT february october 2021 2024 18
THE WINEMAKER FILES //
Larry Cherubino Cherubino Wines What kind of year was 2023 from a winemaking perspective? 2023 was a smooth harvest to navigate. We had a great spring with plenty of rain, and we saw a return to some good crops, which is great after low-yield years. Quality was excellent. You also picked up more awards and critical acclaim. Which ones meant the most to you? The acclaim was a validation of the hard work that the team has put in over the last 20 years. It takes a long time for a vineyard’s potential to be realised, and we feel like we are just beginning.
How are you feeling about Western Australia these days? Is it fulfilling the potential you always believed it had, both generally and for you personally? It’s early days for WA wine. Having good partnerships around the world with people who are passionate about Cherubino is such a significant milestone for us. We are just getting started and are working hard on farming to make the best wines. Which varieties are you enjoying working with most at the moment? Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, and our recently planted southern Italian whites.
Ad Hoc Cruel Mistress Pinot Noir 2022 RRP £16.65 Pinot Noir is a fickle variety and is sometimes referred to as a cruel mistress. In the making we rely heavily on the regionality to be the most important aspect of the wine.
The award-winning and family-owned Western Australian business was established in 2005 by Larry and his wife Edwina, and is now widely recognised as one of Australia’s most successful and innovative wine producers. Wines imported by Hatch Mansfield Why is your clone project so important to you and what’s the latest news on that front? We are seeing extraordinary results from the clonal plantings. We can achieve greater detail on flavour, texture and nuance in the wines without losing the unique Western Australia regional detail. It’s early days, but we are 15 years in, and many plantings are just starting to show their true potential and are making their way into our best wines.
As a winemaker, do you feel you get to a point where you feel on top of your game and confident to work in a settled style, or does the evolution and learning
Uovo Cabernet Nebbiolo 2021 RRP £22.65 Uovo is our north west Italian project and we love Neb, which is well matched with some old and new winemaking techniques.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 19
keep going at the same pace as it always does? I don’t think we will ever be on top of our game. Wines that win awards and accolades are old news, often bottled years before. We keep evolving and pushing how we farm, aiming to be better.
What are you hoping to achieve in 2024? And what would you like to achieve beyond that? It’s early days with Hatch, and we have some big opportunities we want to work hard on. Our focus is on export, and we see that we have unique wines that compete on a world stage, offering excellent drinking and value.
Cherubino Laissez Faire Riesling 2022 RRP £22.65 Riesling was the first wine we made under the label. Riesling is such an expressive, delicate yet tough grape and lends itself so well to the philosophy. It speaks truthfully about where it comes from.
BITS & BOBS
Favourite Things
A research team at the University of Cambridge carried out a study in 21 licensed premises to see whether removing the largest serving of wine by
South Africa has blamed a reduced
impact on how much wine is consumed.
harvest and competition at the cheaper
After adjusting for factors such as day of
end of the market for a 17% fall in wine
420ml of wine sold per day per venue,
wine in 2023, down 16.9% on the previous
the week and total revenue, it was found
exports last year.
which equates to a 7.6% decrease.
year, according to Wines of South Africa.
Teresa Wighton
Favourite wine on my list
total daily revenues, implying that
Valdebaron Blanco Rioja. I love this wine because not only is it great value, it’s an elegant white Rioja. Some can be quite heavy with too much oak, but this is beautifully balanced and has a long finish.
There was no evidence that it affected
participants did not lose money as a result,
perhaps due to the higher profit margins of smaller serving sizes of wine.
University of Cambridge, January 18
Favourite wine shop
Moreton Wine Merchants in the Cotswolds. We met these guys last year and love their set-up. The shop has a great variety of wines, and they host events, which offer a friendly welcome.
Where did £1.3m worth of wine go? Wine worth more than £1.3m has
inspiration for the film Ratatouille. The loss was discovered during a routine
inventory of the 300,000 bottles. No
evidence of a robbery has been found. BBC, January 29
Favourite wine trip
Favourite wine trade person
Just Drinks, January 29
Paris’s most famous restaurants and the
For me it’s an Alsace Pinot Gris with a curry. I love the slight sweetness you get from the wine to balance the spiciness of the food.
Paul Robinson from Hallgarten. He is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and supportive. He listens to what we are trying to do and has an excellent strike rate when bringing us new wines.
The country shipped 306.3m litres of
vanished from La Tour d’Argent, one of
Favourite wine and food match
It must be one of the trips I’ve made to South Africa. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Hemel-en-Aarde (which means heaven on earth) are all just stunning and very approachable. The scenery and wines are incredible.
South African exports fall 17%
the glass for four weeks would have an
that this led to an average decrease of
Alteus Wines, Crowborough, East Sussex
Magpie
Smaller glasses but no loss of profit
Smuggled Penfolds Now we know how seized in China Customs authorities in Shenzhen’s much MPs drank Study showed sales dipped by 7.6%
Dapeng District seized over 4,000
The government consumed more than
smuggled bottles of Penfolds wines,
1,400 bottles of wine and spirits at the
which had been falsely declared under a
taxpayer’s expense and topped up its
different name.
cellar with £27,000 of fresh stock during the two years of the Covid pandemic from 2020 to 2022, figures show. The report was published after repeated
delays. It showed that 130 bottles were
consumed during the year to March 2021, while a further 1,300 were drunk during the year to March 2022.
The Guardian, January 23
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 20
At the cargo checkpoint, officials grew
suspicious of batches of imports labelled Jubilee of Moon Centenarian Old Vine
Wine. Upon examining the importation
documents, they found that these were in fact smuggled Penfolds wines, including
3,096 bottles of Bin 28 and 972 bottles of Bin 407.
Vino Joy News, January 19
Organic producer used chemicals
?
THE BURNING QUESTION
Are you excited at the prospect of pint-sized wine bottles?
�
We’re always excited to see new developments within the world of wine. I think pints in particular could bridge the gap in the alternative packaging sector between single-serve cans and full bottles. We’ve seen a big uptake in 500ml carafes being sold for wet sales so it will be interesting to see if that carries through into domestic consumption. I think it could play very well into the culture of drinking less but drinking better.
At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Naples, over €520,000 in assets have been seized in an investigation into fraud involving EU agricultural funding aimed at supporting a wine producer’s conversion to organic farming.
Sam Shaw Wolf Wine, Bath
During checks carried out by Italy’s
Institute for Ethical & Environmental Certification, chemicals that are not
allowed in organic farming were detected in the soil of the company whose legal
representatives attested that it had carried out the conversion to organic methods of cultivation in order to received funds cofinanced by the EU.
European Public Prosecutor’s Office,
�
I’m not sure I’m fussed either way. The more I think about it, the more I think I must be missing something. If I had a pint bottle of wine, I would be thinking: where’s the rest of it? Now we are going to have another duty rate for 568ml bottles. What’s wrong with the existing 500ml size? Feels a bit Brexity, but maybe I’m missing the point. When I’m in a pub, can I now order a pint of wine, in a pint glass? That’s exciting.
”
January 26
Henry Butler Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton
Pope celebrates the joy of wine
�
We’ve just been speaking to Pol Roger about this and Winston Churchill’s history of enjoying their Champagne from a pint bottle. ‘Excited’ is not the word that would describe how I feel about this prospect. Economically it will be difficult to stack up with the price of glass, and why break what doesn’t need fixing? It seems like more of a political statement to me. I can’t see it working in the shop and making any difference to bottles flying off the shelf. Saying that, they might look fantastic!
Pope Francis has said that wine “is a gift from God” and “a true source of joy” for its consumers – words that have been immediately embraced by Italian wine producers who have fought against
”
European health warnings. Francis made the comments during
Peter Langton H Champagne winner H Priory Wines, Lymington, New Forest
a private audience at the Vatican with
winemakers from across Italy. Welcoming his audience, he joked: “This seems like a
drunk pope,” before going on to say: “Wine, land, agricultural
�
Pint-sized bottles of wine would be a great move. Who wouldn’t like a pint of wine? Wine is very traditional, so I think mixing things up is always positive and would create a good talking point on social media.
”
Simon Cocks Once Upon a Vine, Leeds
skills and
entrepreneurialism are gifts from God – the creator has entrusted them to us because,
with our sensitivity and honesty, we make them a true source of joy.”
”
Champagne Gosset The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584
The Guardian, January 23
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 21
DUNCAN MCLEAN
notice years ago that Aligoté is having
A Moment? Maybe it’s already past the Moment stage and is A Thing. It might
even be past the Thing stage; maybe high quality, highly priced Aligoté is the New
Normal. That certainly seemed to be the
Northabout Aligoté goes down a storm in London after some wild weather here in Orkney
way of it at Liberty’s Burgundy tasting in
Lincoln’s Inn Fields. But it was new to me and, I have to say, quite exciting.
We have one Aligoté on our shelves,
and it fulfils the stereotypical image of the wine: cheap, tart, and not worth drinking
without a good slug of cassis. It does its job as a kir base perfectly well, which is all I or anyone else have ever asked of it.
Not anymore. Now I know Aligoté can
produce richly textured, multi-layered,
seriously rewarding wines. Jean-Claude
Boisset’s Les Moutots, new to Liberty’s list, was a standout. From 50-year-old vines
near Chorey-lès-Beaune, it suggested not just minerality to me but salinity. A great
seafood wine (and we need a lot of those). Grégory Patriat, winemaker at Boisset,
reckons it’ll age for 15 to 20 years. He’s
been exploring the possibilities of Aligoté
for some time, he says, and is convinced it’s
I
capable of great things. On the basis of this may be late to this party. To be honest
I’m just glad I made it to the party at all. We’ve had the most extraordinary
period of severe weather, with heavy snow and strong winds drifting over
every road in Orkney. When an ambulance needed to travel a dozen miles to attend an emergency, a series of JCBs had to be arranged, each clearing three miles of
road – which was as much as they could do before the path filled in again.
Staff who live in the country had no hope
getting to work. Our shop manager lives in town, so she was able to walk in and
We have one Aligoté on our shelves: cheap, tart and not worth drinking without a good slug of cassis. It does its job as a kir base perfectly well
open up. For four days she was rewarded
with takings of less than £100, but at least she was left in peace to get on with the stocktake.
Eventually the wind swung round to the
south, bringing rain and an almost instant thaw. There followed 24 hours of eerie hush, before the arrival of Storm Isha,
which brought severe gales, with gusts
of 106mph recorded. Luckily I managed
to slip out of Orkney in the calm between storms, and make it down to London for the first trade tastings of the year.
Whew! A few years ago, my flights
south for a major portfolio tasting were
so delayed by weather that I arrived in the tasting room at 4.15pm. I raced around
the tables tasting whatever hadn’t been
emptied or packed away. Not a good look. But it was that or a round trip of 1,500
miles for nothing. Now I always leave two days early, so as not to be late.
The party I may be late to is a wine-trend
party: the Aligoté party. Did everyone else
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 22
example, I’m tempted to agree.
Others I enjoyed included Domaine
Perraud’s, from down in Mâcon, with some nice aromatic fruitiness (the generous
2022 vintage showing through?) as well as
minerality. And another one new to Liberty, Etienne Sauzet’s, from grapes sourced west of Meursault. Unlike the others, which had seen a little oak, this was fermented and
aged in sandstone vessels similar to, but not to be confused with, amphorae. My
notes say the vessel is called a grès. Can
that be right? That just means sandstone,
doesn’t it? Maybe I’m late to the grès party too, and everyone’s been talking about them for years …
It’s unusual for me to come out of a
Burgundy tasting with notes that aren’t
just “amazing, but far too expensive”, or “affordable – quality OK, I suppose”. To
be genuinely surprised and excited by a
previously overlooked appellation is worth celebrating. Get out the party poppers!
Duncan McLean is proprietor of Kirkness & Gorie, Kirkwall
Ciaron Gray
Feature sponsored by Alliance Wine For more information about the company, visit alliancewine.com Call 01505 506060
On the Road ciaron is alliance wine’s Area sales manager for south east england and Northern Ireland
My first job at the age of 15 was washing
I halved my salary to get my first job
Wine retail in Northern Ireland is a little
in the wine trade but it was incredible.
bit like travelling back in time. They’re
Laymont & Shaw gave me a box of wine
and I just thought, “what other job in the
world would you get greeted with a box of wines and told to drink them and educate yourself?” I got myself a Renault Laguna and an old brick phone and hit the road
selling wine into shops and wholesalers. I
often stayed in really dodgy places, much to the amusement of my friends. I’d try to find the worst ones and give them ratings.
It’s tricky right now with the cost of
still going with the model we had in the
90s in England with the chains, but there
are some really, really good independents.
There’s Rosalyn Magee, who is quite brave in introducing a few more natural wines and things that are new to consumers in Northern Ireland. They are quality-
led rather than price-led and I think all
independents who operate that way are doing well.
A long time ago I was hosting a dinner
up in a pub and I became a licensee at 18
living and I see my customers going for
with a winemaker and he set himself
previously a really rough pub and I actually
stellar quality rather than just going with
during the morning tasting. I found him
when I got a pub in Brighton. After that I
opened a bar called The Sidewinder. It was
had a knife pulled on me the first day. Later I became a sort of mini area manager for a chain of pubs in Brighton before getting a bit bored and moving to Cornwall.
I wanted to be a chef so I went to Falmouth, got a job in a restaurant and learned how to cook fish. I was in the kitchen for about six months and I
ended up running the restaurant. It was
a lovely place to work. We entered a few
better value wines where maybe the grape
on fire. Before picking him up, I had been
things that people know. The supermarkets
having a few beers with someone he had
isn’t so well known. Then they can have are selling Chablis and Merlot at lower price points and the value is in the
knowledge that an independent wine
merchant has and the ability to hand-sell something. I live near Quaff in Brighton
and I often see people buying Court Garden because it’s just over the hill, so there is also that appeal of wines being local.
I’ve been with Alliance for eight years
competitions and I’ve actually got a medal
now and I joined because it didn’t have all
might go for a bit of hake with some sauté
and invests in finding a region or smaller
for my front of house service, but not for my cooking! If I was cooking at home, I
potatoes, a little bit of crispy bacon, a little bit of salsa verde and pair it with an aged Albariño, something like Pazo Señorans.
these big established superstars: rather, it champions the next up-and-coming thing
producers who are doing something really special.
Camí del Drac from south
When I was studying for WSET I had an
west France is very exciting.
amazing Chardonnay and that was my
The range, which includes a
epiphany moment. Suddenly my eyes
were open to the mad possibilities of all these different flavours of food and the
potential that you could just elevate it with the right wines. I’ve never looked back.
Carignan Blanc, is showing
really well; it has the quality of that untapped vineyard with its rocky and chalky soils.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 23
warned that he’d been drinking, not spitting, just randomly met, who I then had to buy a drink for before I could get our guy to
the restaurant. The seating in the window was quite low and he sat, not noticing the
nightlights, and one just caught the back of
his shirt. I heard someone scream, I turned and saw he was on fire. He was such a big
man, he couldn’t reach round to pat it out, so all the customers put him out. He then carried on hosting the rest of the dinner
with a huge burn mark down his shirt, as if nothing had happened. He was hilarious.
When I need to unwind I play the guitar and the banjo. I try to do it when people aren’t here. There’s a
band called Caamp who
I love and I do really bad versions of their songs. My neighbours told me how bad it sounds so I
think my kitchen could
be a bit echoey – I might have to go into the attic to play …
The tragedy of Burgundy
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 24
JUST WILLIAMS Burgundy drinkers have been priced out of the market as their favourite wine has become another investment vehicle. But, as David Williams reports, traditional Burgundy producers are also suffering
I
n the Académie du Vin Library’s
the small, family producers that made it
– and other prominent lovers of small-
contribution by Roy Richards, the talented
“cascade into an increase in the value of
they just resistant to change; inveterate
rather wonderful recent collection of
essays On Burgundy there’s a brilliant
wine buyer and importer who, with his partner Mark Walford, made Richards Walford one of the best UK importers
around in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s,
before selling up to Berry Bros & Rudd in 2012.
Richards’ piece is something of a lament.
Like many of us, he’s saddened by the
region’s transformation into a producer of “financial instruments” rather than wine for drinking, a development which, he
argues, was a direct consequence of the greed of the Bordelais.
As he explains: “With the release of
the 2010 Bordeaux vintage into an Asian market flushed with the added value of
the previous vintage, the Bordelais made a misjudgement, allowing their greed to
overrule their market intelligence. There was no room for growth and profit –
indeed, quite the reverse. Disillusioned,
that Asian market switched, albeit slowly, to the smaller volumes – and hence
rarer wines – of Burgundy with, sadly,
catastrophic results for the traditional Burgundy drinker.”
But Richards’ piece is much more than
another whinge about Burgundy’s evergrowing wine prices: a genre that has
exploded in recent weeks with the release
of the wonderful, but extremely expensive, 2022s. His concern is more to do with the social effects in Burgundy itself than it is about access to a few dozen in-demand wines for wine lovers like him and me.
A
ccording to Richards, the knock-on effect of Burgundy’s dizzying rise to the top of the Liv-ex charts has
been to make life increasingly difficult for
such an enchanting place (and its wines
so special) in the first place. Rising prices viticultural land, and indeed vice versa”, Richards explains. “The relationship is
symbiotic, an accelerating upward spiral, as high bottle prices attract vineyard
investment, and high vineyard prices
require higher bottle prices to render the investment profitable.”
The issue is compounded by a tax system
that penalises independent vignerons with crippling inheritance taxes based on the
inflated value of land – taxes which in many cases force them to sell up to institutional
investors who have no such concerns. The transformation has been so swift and so
profound, Richards says, that a “traditional, family way of life that has remained
unchanged since the French Revolution
[…] is now rapidly disappearing; another generation or two, and viticultural Burgundy will be unrecognisable”.
It’s not just in Burgundy that the classic
French récoltant-propriètaire is retreating. Recent figures about production in
Champagne suggest the balance in what remains the world’s most important
sparkling wine region is also tilting away from growers towards investor-backed houses.
According to data from the Comité
Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne, at their peak at around the turn of the
millennium, Champagne’s growers had more than a quarter (26%) of the total
Champagne market. A quarter-century of
enthusiastic press coverage and sommelier
cheerleading about the “rise of the grower” later, however, and the growers’ market
share has actually fallen significantly, to 17%.
Should we be worried? Are Richards
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 25
producer Burgundy such as Jasper Morris MW – right to raise the alarm? Or are
nostalgists who can’t bear to see a new way of French wine rising out of an inefficient and unsustainable old?
A
t the risk of being accused of the same backward-looking
sentimentality, I certainly hope
they’re wrong. It’s not that corporate
producers are incapable of making fine wines. Certainly, in Champagne, no one could sensibly put the likes of Krug, DP
and Ruinart, all parts of one of the world’s biggest multinationals, at anywhere other than the very highest point in the region’s rankings.
Similarly, in Burgundy, a producer such
as Domaine de l’Arlot has only gone from strength to strength since joining the
wine portfolio of French insurance giant
AXA Millésimes (a company that has also
transformed the fortunes of, among others, Châteaux Pichon Baron and Suduiraut in Bordeaux, and, further afield, Quinta do
Noval in the Douro and Disznókő in Tokaj). Such examples are, however, just the
exception that proves the rule. When I look
back each year at the wines that have really stood out, what the French would call my coups de coeur, the vast majority (and
not just of those made in France) are the
work of exactly the kind of producer that Richards describes.
But there’s more at stake than that.
Small producers are what give a region its soul, its personality, its inimitable texture. And, while it may be hopelessly romantic,
given the choice I’d rather have wines that connect me to a person, a tradition, and a
way of life, than the sterile fluctuations of a balance sheet.
INTERVIEW Brexit: maybe less painful under a Labour government How big an issue does Brexit remain for the WSTA and its membership? I think it’s difficult to talk about, actually,
in some ways. We as an organisation were opposed to Brexit; we supported remain.
The man who talks to
The Wine & Spirit Trade Association is the industry’s direct link to gov wants more independents to sign up. Talking to Wine Merchant editor the benefits might be, and considers some issues that indies would lik
But we are where we are now.
The difficulty now is that we have, de
facto, as a country, chosen to be outside the single market, and therefore we have lots
of problems. The WSTA spent an enormous amount of time trying to make sure that things are as close as possible to where
they were when we were a member of the single market.
It’s very, very difficult to import small
batches of wine, because you have all of
the costs and all of the paperwork that’s required: you can’t bundle it together. That’s a real problem.
We have had some successes. We’ve now
got to the point where you are now able
to have a single label that works for both
the EU market and the UK. That means you don’t have to add a sticker.
But it’s all relative success. I think the
overall impact on the market is that choice for consumers is narrowing. It definitely is. I think choice for consumers is still
Small-scale wine imports
much broader within the UK than it is in
example with green and red lanes. There
sell their wines to businesses in the UK.
the board.
of regulatory affairs] says we’re probably
for making that work, rather than the
most markets, maybe any market, but it is
narrower than it was, and you see it across We inherited EU rules, and we’re trying
to stick to them and make things work. But actually, now we have got some examples
of where the EU is changing its regulation, and we would prefer to keep the old
European regulation. It means that you’ve got divergence in regulation, which is the thing that we always warned about, and
why we feared Brexit. So the cost of doing business has gone up, and it has got more complicated.
The other thing worth mentioning is
all businesses, and all members of ours,
have trouble with changes at the border. Northern Ireland’s the most obvious
are very complicated new computer
systems. David Richardson [WSTA director not looking at anything like business as
usual at the border until the late 2020s.
Now, it may be that it looks better in 2028 than it did pre-Brexit. But that’s a hell of a
long way off, and you can’t plan a business waiting for things to get better, can you? The only bright spark on the horizon,
And actually, there won’t be political
interference, there’ll be political support opposite. So that could be good news.
WSTA membership: a better deal is coming for indies Independents have asked what’s in
perhaps, is I think were we to get a Labour
it for them to be part of the WSTA
relations with Europe would improve; it
businesses. How many independents
You still have lots of French and Italian
may actually be fewer, depending on your
government or a Labour-led government
and whether you could look at a less
will be easier to have conversations about
are currently members?
and Spanish producers who want to
definition. We know that we’re doing
after the next general election, our
expensive membership fee for smaller
difficult trade issues.
We’ve probably only got 30 or so and it
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 26
o ministers
vernment, and director Miles Beale Graham Holter, he discusses what e to see on the WSTA agenda
attractive enough, to enough independents,
interventionist. They want to make a bit
employ a new team to solely look after
industry doing?”
to get that number in. If every independent in the UK joined, then I’d be able to
independent businesses. But we aren’t
there. So the question is, how do we change it?
The WSTA board have given me not
only permission but a clear instruction
that we must investigate how we change
this. Simon Cairns, who used to be drinks category director at Co-op, is acting as a
consultant to the WSTA and talking to lots
of independent businesses to try and work out how we do it differently. He’s working to put together an offer that we think will be interesting for independents.
We recognise that it’s got to be at a lower
cost. What we can’t quite yet do is work out what that cost is, and what that offer is. Later this year, we will certainly be
rolling out what we might end up calling an entry-level membership, which will
be lower cost. It won’t be the full suite of
services, but we want to provide something that’s useful, and easy for us to deliver.
Can we provide a platform or forum for
have become “a real problem” since Brexit, Beale agrees
things that independents support or would find beneficial. We also know that they
people to talk more often? Can we perhaps provide surgery sessions, which we do for other members, but specifically for
much for membership.
might not want to join any club which
members, we’d be able to do more for
have to make this case, but I think we’re a
its membership? Can you see why they
always been if we had more independent
Look, it’s a great question. You know, I
Choice for consumers is still much broader in the UK than it is in most markets, but it is narrower than it was
under-age drinking. We’ve now launched almost 300. If you join the WSTA, you are
effectively making a contribution towards all that stuff.
Where our lobbying element comes in,
we know what’s coming next, and we’re able to influence it. Defra is working on
this thing that they call extended producer responsibility. It’s basically us paying for
glass collection and recycling. Well, we’re part of designing that scheme.
It means Defra is taking us very
seriously. So that, I think, is quite a good
example of something where, as a small, independent merchant, you’re very
unlikely to have any purchase on the
development of that sort of policy, but
you’re damn well going to be paying the
costs and have to deliver it at the end. So
through us, I hope you’ve actually get a bit of a say, whereas you have no voice at the moment.
association that has multiples among
deep pockets or aren’t prepared to pay as
them. But we don’t have an offer that is
The WSTA helped set up Community
Alcohol Partnerships, which drives down
What do you say to independents who are wary of joining a trade
The chicken-and-egg thing for us has
question will be, “what are you as an
independents?
don’t have as much time as a lot of our
other members, and they don’t have such
of a difference on public health. So the
includes their biggest rivals?
completely neutral platform. We’re quite good at taking positions on behalf of all
of our members, but also different parts
of our membership. We very rarely have
issues where our members disagree. We
sometimes have issues where some of our
members don’t care and others do. But we don’t find that very difficult to deal with. Let’s say there’s an incoming Labour
government: they would likely be more
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 27
Miles Beale
INTERVIEW
European workers: £38k salaries don’t work for indies
would certainly be welcomed by hybrid businesses like his. What’s the WSTA
Any other business: waste surcharges and train strikes
line on this? Independent merchants have raised the problem of employing skilled workers from the EU. The Good Wine Shop in London spent a long time obtaining a licence to sponsor European workers on a salary of £26,000, but the government raised the minimum to £38,000, which is unrealistic for our industry. Is this issue on the WSTA radar? Yes it is on our radar. We do a lot of work with other trade associations. So in this
case, UK Hospitality, which is run by Kate Nicholls, is definitely leading the charge
Again, we’ve done quite a lot with UK
Vindependents members have been
support to it.
Harris of Planet of the Grapes says
would be for the on-trade only.
recycle their waste, so the surcharge
part of our lobby. But to be honest, it’s not
surcharge is. I think the thing that we’re
Hospitality on that. They have campaigned
on orders they import as a group. Matt
consider it at the moment, but if it did, it
refuse companies to dispose of and
benefit of helping hospitality recover, so it’s
You know, at least Matt knows what his
I don’t think government’s likely to
members already pay councils and
We certainly have talked about the
means losing another chunk of margin.
one of our top three asks at the moment.
concerned about at the moment is some
on the lobbying of government and we
Business rates: will a new government solve the problem?
A lot of wine merchants are really
Phil also mentions putting pressure on
missing the French, Italian and Spanish
the government to continue the current
staff that used to bring so much to
business rates discount for smaller
their businesses, even if they were just
retailers. In the longer term, he argues
passing through.
that there needs to be wider reform of
We have talked to ministers about that
the system so that bricks-and-mortar
Probably the route through this is around
I would say that’s higher up on our list. It’s
question of whether they can stay or not.
actually others on this.
support their campaigning.
directly. It’s technically unskilled labour,
shops can compete against their online
student visas. A lot of these people
again another very difficult one, and again,
but they’re skills that our industry needs.
rivals.
certainly start as students, and it’s a
we’ve done a lot with UK Hospitality and
You know, if you’re running an asylum
policy that’s about exporting people
to Rwanda, part of it is about putting
migrants off. And that that has definitely
happened. I think on the other side of the general election, that will change, and I
hope the UK will become more attractive
to European migrants. But it’s certainly not going to go back to where it was. That, I’m afraid, is the bad news.
VAT: a 10% rate for hospitality venues would be welcome Phil Innes of Loki Wines in Birmingham raises the point about a 10% VAT rate for the hospitality industry, which
hit with a 4% waste packing surcharge
on that very directly, and we’ve lent our
Government agrees but can’t work
out what to do. They want to change the
of the stuff being brought in by stealth. The WSTA’s focus is going into having conversations with Defra about what
future arrangements should be, and to make sure they’re as fair as possible. Matt’s got a problem already. But I
think if you bring an extended producer responsibility scheme, let’s say midway
through the next parliament, that, I think, will trump all of this – it’ll all get washed into that.
And again – and I would say this,
wouldn’t I – I think Matt and indeed lots of your readers would be better off having a
trade association, where a number of them are represented, and where we can really lobby on their behalf.
Matt also asks if the WSTA could do
business rates system. At the moment,
more to spell out to government how
look like.
I do not think that the WSTA is going to
the system entirely. But it’s not gonna
UK Hospitality. And Kate Nicholls goes at
there’s kind of a discount, but they can’t
badly rail strikes have affected the
quite decide what the new system should
hospitality industry.
have a look at business rates and change
is part of our kind of joint platform with
An incoming government might want to
happen before then.
We do have online-only retailers in our
membership, so it is one of those rare
make a difference lobbying on that, but it it quite hard. She comes out with “train
strikes the run-up to Christmas have cost the London or UK hospitality sector X
issues where it’s difficult.
amount”. We echo that with lots of social
and lower business rates in places where
had more members, and we knew there
I don’t think there’s a silver bullet.
Having a different business rates system
they’re trying to revitalise the high street:
that is definitely a campaign that’s ongoing.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 28
media reposting. I think our lobbying could become broader and more effective if we was a section of our membership that wanted particular outcomes.
S
unny Hodge has been an
independent wine merchant and bar owner since 2018 when he
established Diogenes the Dog in Elephant & Castle, south London. The Aspen &
Meursault wine bar followed in 2021 and
Hodge also finds time to work as a mentor within the drinks industry.
Meet your mentor
Having worked for The Drinks Trust’s
Drinks Community networking group,
Hodge has now turned his attention to Drinklusive, a mentoring programme
founded by TV presenter Aidy Smith and backed by The Independent and Jancis Robinson, among others.
“When I grew up, London to me
was crazy diverse, especially within
hospitality,” says Hodge. “But post Brexit, post pandemic, a lot of non-UK residents have moved back to their own countries.
“In my bars I try to really recreate what
London once was, because it was such
a dynamic mix of sexualities, opinions,
cultures – everything. My team have said that our bars are the most diverse bars they’ve ever worked in.
“We haven’t actively hired that way,
it’s just something that has naturally
developed through us wanting to work
within a team where everyone has a mix
of cultural backgrounds. It makes it a more
How Sunny Hodge plans to help nurture the next generation of wine professionals
interesting place to work.”
H
odge will be assigned a mentee from the programme in the
coming weeks, and he’s looking
forward to getting to work.
“Within my business I’m constantly
training the teams and everyone is
developing but I’m the only independent operator within my workspace,” he says.
“So from a selfish perspective, I get most enjoyment from sharing that knowledge and experience that I don’t normally get to do.”
He adds: “A good example is with
commercial planning use. If someone
is looking for a property and they don’t
understand how it works, I can help. But
it’s a rarity that I will need to explain that to someone other than a mentee. It’s not
what you do all the time, it’s just stuff that you’ve had to do to achieve other goals,
so it’s nice to refresh those concepts for
yourself while you teach people about
trade in the first place.”
own mind.
trade is welcoming for all?
these things. Verbalising it and revisiting it for someone else helps concrete it in your
“A lot of the consulting I’ve done before is
in streamlining how operations work and
making a business more automated, more
fluid, so that you have time to invest in your guests. It’s about helping people do less of the boring bits and more of the enjoyable
stuff that were the reasons they joined the
“The world will be a more inclusive place when we don’t think twice about there being a black sommelier” THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 29
That sounds like a practical win-win for
all concerned. But how can we ensure the “With inclusivity and diversity, I think
the more we dwell on that as an issue, the
more it becomes an issue,” Hodge says. “So the world will be a more inclusive place when we don’t think twice about there
being a black sommelier, or the wine bar
owner not being the sort of stereotypical white male character.
“From a personal point of view, I don’t
feel like I have ever been affected by being a minority, or been disadvantaged within
the industry. But I would love to help those who feel they are. Rather than focus on a
problem, we’ll focus on how to get beyond it.”
The independent trade’s problem with Majestic by Graham Holter
M
that they’re going to use it as a distribution
lot of my customers are already Majestic
experience watching foxes digging a den
which are just up the road, which are much smaller than this one.
They would have gone to Gloucester
ajestic Wine is not a neighbour
that any independent merchant wants. New branches are
greeted with the sort of unease that rabbits beside an ancient warren.
It’s a scenario that more indies are going
to have to come to terms with. Majestic is on the march again, with a published
shortlist of 76 potential new locations, 29 of which are within the M25. Branches have recently shot up in Chippenham, Crouch End, Monmouth and Newark;
Christchurch and Marlow will follow soon.
The company is bullish about its expansion programme, which will likely include
smaller-format stores as well as its more familiar warehouses. Already, it claims,
88.7% of the population lives within 10 miles of a Majestic branch.
Despite all the reservations, for many
indies, sharing a postcode with Majestic is
no big deal. In fact research commissioned by The Wine Merchant a decade ago
found that some of the most successful independent wine merchants in the
country are fishing from the same pool as their corporate rival. In some cases, Majestic got there first.
Even so, having the local peace shattered
by a new Majestic store is not something any indie would sign up for.
It’s happened to Tom Innes at Fingal-
Rock in Monmouth, a town of around
10,000 people, where he already holds his own against a nearby Waitrose and M&S Food Hall.
He’s a Burgundy specialist, with a
national client base, so he’s not completely reliant on walk-in trade. Even so, is he
nervous that sales could be affected? “Yeah, of course. Very nervous. But so far, touch wood, it hasn’t happened.”
That’s remarkable given that the
Monmouth branch is said to be its second
biggest in the country. “It’s enormous – five storeys,” says Innes.
“My reasoning, which I think
subsequently turns out to be correct, is
hub for the general area. They’ve got
shops in Hereford and Gloucester, both of “In Monmouth, you load the van and
you’re out of town in two minutes. If you’re in Hereford or Gloucester, to get across
town can take you 40 minutes. So to have it as a distribution place make sense.
“There are a lot of empty shops in this
street. So I have no doubt that they got
themselves an extremely advantageous deal.”
I
t’s often observed that, when a Majestic opens, locals unleash
unprecedented affection for their
existing independent.
That was the case with Ann Hayes – who
has run Ann et Vin in Newark-on-Trent for two decades – when Majestic pitched up down the road last September.
“There was this massive outpouring
of love for Ann et Vin, which was totally overwhelming,” she says. “People were saying, ‘why do we want to go to a big
corporate giant? We’ve got Ann!’” (She also reports that, for some locals, it was the
first time they had noticed there was an independent wine shop in town at all.)
Hayes was already planning to sell the
business this year, prior to Majestic’s
arrival. “But I’m very tempted to say, right, I’m staying now, to see them off,” she says.
“But, you know, there’s room. It’s a growing town and they’re building like mad everywhere.”
Innes at Fingal-Rock has also been
buoyed by local support.
“People say, ‘oh, we hate that Majestic –
how dare they come and queer your pitch! I’m gonna come and buy wine from you’. That’s definitely happened. And I think
there might have been some new faces in
my shop: people who have maybe come to
Majestic and then popped across the road. I’m not sure.
“I suppose the other thing is, actually, a
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 31
customers anyway. You know, I’m not an exclusive supplier to all my customers. or Hereford and now they come to
Monmouth. So what? Same difference.
“I think they’ve actually taken a lot of
business from Waitrose and M&S. Well, I
know they have: people who go to M&S and Waitrose also go to Majestic. So that makes sense to me.”
O
ne independent merchant,
operating in a small town on Majestic’s hit list, is keeping
fingers crossed that the mooted new store never materialises.
“To be honest it’s not something that I
would view as being good news,” he says. “Any competition in a town of our size
from a big brand with a hefty marketing
budget would make me nervous as there is only so much business to go around. I would anticipate a potential drop-off in
sales, at least in the short term, as people are interested in trying something new.”
That said, he’s hopeful that locals would
see that “what we are offering is vastly different from Majestic, particularly
because, as they look to expand, they
appear to be more and more focused on price and discounting, rather than the quality of the product”.
He adds: “On the face of it, they have
far more in common with Waitrose than
us these days, so I do wonder if our local Waitrose would suffer more.
“We have bult a strong and loyal
customer base over the past five years so would be in good stead to deal with the
challenge. The onus would be on us, more than ever, to highlight our key principles
around product quality, customer service,
the personal touch and the events we host.” It’s a rallying call for all independents.
But he sounds a note of caution that resonates just as much.
“It’s tough out there. So the longer
Majestic are not in our town, the better.”
THE WINEMAKER FILES //
Bodega Bouza was established in 2000 by Juan Bouza, who restored a historic winery first built in 1942. Eduardo Boido has been a partner and winemaker since the beginning, widely regarded as a leading expert on Tannat but who is also achieving great things with Uruguay’s first Albariño.
Eduardo Boido Bodega Bouza, Uruguay
Wines imported by Jeroboams Trade You brought Albariño to Uruguay! What persuaded you to make that gamble? One of the main reasons was our desire to incorporate Spanish varieties, reflecting the Spanish origin of the Bouza family and Albariño was chosen as it is a Galician grape. Studying the characteristics of Uruguay’s climate, we found similarities due to its Atlantic climate. We decided to experimentally plant one hectare to see how it behaved. Have the results surprised you? We are very pleased with how well it adapted. It maintains typicity with good acidity, while also expressing the characteristics of this region.
What are the challenges of working with Albariño, where you are? Our country presents significant challenges regarding fruit management due to its humid climate, but Albariño adapts well to these conditions, requiring careful harvest timing, especially in sunnier years, to avoid the loss of its characteristic acidity. Where we planted it is in the south, in Melilla and Las Violetas, with influence from the Rio de la Plata. The soils are loamy, with more clay in Las Violetas and smooth rolling hills that allow good natural drainage. Tell us about the journey you’ve been on
since 2000 and what the project hoped to achieve. We always aimed to produce quality wines in limited quantities, paying close attention to the process. Having 100% of our own grapes to understand each parcel, managing them throughout the process, has given us good results. We’ve succeeded in making wines that represent the vineyards’ characteristics and which appeal to consumers.
Tannat can be a variety that challenges some palates. How do you make it approachable and attractive? Tannat is a variety known for its high colour intensity and tannin content. Proper vineyard management and necessary time for ageing processes make it a much more attractive variety that pairs well with a variety of foods. However, its primary companion is always lamb or beef – preferably Uruguayan! Tell us about the vineyards that you’ve bought and how this expands the range.
All our vineyards were planted by us. In recent years, we’ve tried to expand the regions where we are planting to compare the expression of the same variety in different areas. We’ve also chosen to plant some varieties based on the particular characteristics of a region, such as Riesling and Pinot Noir in the east.
You’re building a new winery. What effect will that have on your production? The new winery will be small, designed to process the production from Las Espinas and part of the Pan de Azúcar vineyard. We hope to facilitate the winemaking process due to the proximity of the winery to the vineyard, improving processes during harvest. We don’t plan to significantly increase total production, but it will allow us better control over some processes. Are your wines proudly Uruguayan, or are you using your own template? Vinifications have been carried out with minimal intervention to preserve the fruit’s characteristics, maintaining the unique features of each variety and vintage, which vary in Uruguay. Therefore, while we work with typical varieties that have always been vinified in our country, such as Tannat, our winemaking practices have evolved, differentiating them from traditional wines.
Bouza Albariño 2023
Bouza Riesling 2022
Bouza Tannat 2021
RRP £27.50
RRP £29.95
RRP £28.95
This mouthwatering Albariño combines a soft, floral nose with juicy peach flavours and perfectly balanced acidity. 10% of the fruit is fermented in French oak barrels and the wine spends four months on lees for a textured palate.
A wine of great power and tension; the unique soils and fantastic diurnal temperature range at Pan de Azucar allow the Riesling vines here to develop excellent acidity and flavour. Orchard fruits, a moreish mouthfeel and impressively long finish.
A blend from vineyards in Las Violetas (Canelones) and Melilla (Montevideo). The vines are on clayey-loam soil with a high percentage of limestone. Fermentation in stainless steel, concrete and oak, with 16 months in barrels. Textbook Tannat with spice, dark fruit and velvety texture from expertlymanaged tannins.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 32
CAT BRANDWOOD The Long Run I’m good at making plans. But an island ultramarathon defies all spreadsheets
A
t some point I must address the
elephant in the room and I guess
it probably has to be now. You may
recall that last year I did something stupid
and signed myself up for an ultramarathon around various Scilly Isles. Well, those
chickens are finally bloody well coming home to roost.
By the time you read this I’ll be around
four months from race day. What did I
spend the last seven months doing since
I signed up, you ask? Well, not perhaps as much as I should have. I booked flights,
accommodation and thought about all the
running I need to do. But it’s OK, I do have a plan.
I love writing a plan, organising my
thoughts and finding a sensible, coherent
way forward. And much like every business
to accept that my business planning is not
what actually happens. I don’t know, maybe the rest of you out there are amazing at this, but there’s always some spanner
(good or bad) that throws my planning off course, yet I still devote this time to
planning. Every. Single. Year. My day-to-day work has a habit of getting in the way of progress if I don’t set aside this time.
Oddly, for someone who clearly likes a
plan, the chaos of a global pandemic was
genuinely an exciting time for the business. I was forced out of my usual mindset and
into riding the wave. I thought about things differently, I changed so much and for the better.
I had considered a similar “fuck, it
let’s see” attitude to this race but I am
too terrified for that. I have to do 60km
within a very specific timeframe. There is
very little room for injury, illness or being tired. There also no room for me to have seasickness, and that one causes a lot of concern after I got seasick recently on
the Thames Clipper. Yes, this genuinely
happened, much to the amusement of Mr B. So, how is my training going? Well,
I’m in luck, it’s my favourite time of year for running, Hampshire is an absolute
mud-bath and I love it. The sheer joy of
whooping like a child as I run through yet
another muddy puddle/lake; Mr B waiting outside the house when I get home with a bucket of soapy water and a disapproving look.
Am I that lean, strong running machine
I promised myself I’d be? Haha, no. It’s winter and I’m carrying my so-called
“hibernation weight”. If I were going to
make excuses, which I’m not, it is bloody
cold in my north-facing shop at this time of year. That blubber keeps me warm.
I’ve started planning routes named after
the various islands I’ll be hitting – this
weekend my running club (not so much a running club as an eating club with a
running problem) ran a “Tresco”. So that’s one island down, only four more to go.
Cat Brandwood is the owner of Toscanaccio in Winchester
plan I’ve ever written I expect this plan will be somewhat “subject to change” as the weeks progress.
Being in business has always felt like a
moving target, and doubly so since 2016.
There is so much that is outside my sphere of control, so many unknowns. I’ve come
It’s winter and I’m carrying my so-called ‘hibernation weight’. It is bloody cold in my northfacing shop at this time of year. That blubber keeps me warm
Muddy hell, or perhaps heaven
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 33
one
Charlie Jones, Bedminster, November 2023
is fun
why dawn mannis is happier than ever now that the sampler is back to a single store in its original north london heartland by graham holter THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 34
Merchant Profile: The Sampler
I
slington is a word that is abused, misunderstood
cheap back then. We used a lot of it to fund the shop.
thing.
that was all down to Jamie. He wanted to take things
It did really well. We were the first people to have
and ridiculed in much the same way as “woke”.
these machines. And then we got investment, and
Indeed for some people, the two mean the same That’s really a matter for Daily Mail columnists
forward for us. It was not my idea: I wanted a quiet life. I thought we had really nice thing here.
and their readers. In the independent wine world,
And so then we opened in South Kensington; we
Islington is synonymous with The Sampler. True,
got some investment there. And that was good. That
there are plenty of other merchants in this north
was really good fun for five years. And then they
London borough which can make a claim for our
put the rent up and there was no way we could stay
attention. Yet The Sampler is ingrained not just in
there. Then the investors wanted to open another
wine trade lore, but the actual law.
place.
When established in 2006 by Jamie Hutchinson
and Dawn Mannis, the shop, on bustling Upper
Who are the investors?
Street, was in the vanguard of the new wave of
Keith Prothero [a director of Mullineux Family
indies that was about to add vibrancy to a market
Wines] is one, along with some of our customers.
that desperately needed an alternative to the
They wanted to expand more, and I was dead
supermarkets and what was left of the chains.
against it. It wasn’t my thing. But anyway we opened
The Sampler certainly offered that. But its real
point of difference was technological. For many
people – public as well as trade – it was the first
time they had encountered an Enomatic machine. Or, rather, machines: Hutchinson and Mannis
installed 10, encouraging their clientele to load up
their cards and experiment to their hearts’ content. Local authorities took issue with Enomatics,
arguing that only 12.5cl measures could legally be
sold, not the 2.5cl and 7.5cl pours that customers at The Sampler (and Selfridges) were enjoying.
Eventually the Weights & Measures Act 1985
was subtly modified, meaning that sample sizes are
“I realised, you know what, we’ve got a good thing here and I don’t want to be doing anything else. So I talked to the investors and sort of got my way”
up in Putney, and it was OK. It was more cheese and wine, which is what a lot of people do, but I have
no interest in that at all. Loads of my friends have
got restaurants but I don’t understand why anyone wants to be involved in food.
Putney was doing absolutely fine but Jamie
was living in France. During lockdown everything was really good for independents and I realised, you know what, we’ve got a good thing here [in
Islington]. And I just thought, I don’t want to be
doing anything else. So I talked to the investors, and I just sort of got my way. I’ve got the best job in the world, because it’s what I always wanted to do.
now allowed – though only if merchants make no
specific reference to the quantity (unless served in
The Sampler became iconic almost straight
an approved glass bearing an official stamp).
That all feels like ancient history now. But the
away. Everyone seemed to know it very quickly.
business experimented with expansion but has now
was where they got into wine. We give a discount to
Enomatics are still central to what The Sampler
And they still do. So it’s funny because when I go to
happily retrenched to a single store.
students who are doing their WSET or sommelier
restaurants, sommeliers tell me that The Sampler
is all about, even if much else has changed. The
exams. I like it that people come in here to learn and
It’s a lovely place to spend a late November
do their training.
afternoon, and Ulster-born Mannis is clearly in her element, free to run the show in a way that feels is much more in tune with what she was imagining when it all started.
Tell us about how The Sampler got established. I started the company with Jamie, who later moved to France. We started by using our stock that we
had collected when we were students. He was in
venture capital; I was in TV production. Wine was
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 35
There’s a lot of pressure on indies to expand and diversify. But you’re proving it can work just by being a one-shop wine specialist. Yes. I think that a lot of people lose focus. I think you
Mannis is happy to dip into the secondary market to hunt for some bargains and rarities
have to just focus on your customer base and forget
about expanding. If you lose sight of people who are buying your wine, I think that’s a big mistake. Often, it’s better just to go back to basics. And the thing that you’re actually good at is selling.
You’ve obviously got lower expenses now and less HR hassle. Are margins better too? Of course, it’s so much easier. I think it really
depends on the fact that we have this really big
database that we’ve managed to get over the years. I send out a marketing email every other week.
We get loads of sales from that. About 70% of our business is from London, but then we have those
other bits and pieces that come along and they’re really important to the business.
Some people worry that with Enomatics you
Do customers who are on that list feel they’re in
customers.
an exclusive sort of club?
I would say it’s the opposite because you can give
don’t get to have so much interaction with
Maybe. I don’t know. I think we’ve never been
them samples and we’ll talk about some of the
trendy. I’d like to think that we sort of avoided all
wines. If someone comes in and says, “I’m looking
the trends. It’s all about the quality of the wine.
for this for a party” and then when you give them
a sample they’re like “no, that’s actually not what I
Well, you did start a trend with Enomatic
wanted”, it’s better that way.
machines.
How much wine do you import yourselves?
Yes, yes. And they’re still really good for us. Now we do half-price sampling from Monday to Wednesday.
We’re very boring, in that we tend to keep the same
I’ve talked to so many people over the years who
Champagne. We’ve worked with Coutier since we
They’ve been brilliant for us. I know other people
sort of proportions. So we use the Vindies for like
have had them and it hasn’t worked out for them.
cheap stuff. We bring in pretty much all our own
have asked my advice. And I’m like, I don’t know:
began. One of the things that we sort of specialise in
we’ve always had them. So I can’t imagine having a
is grower Champagne.
shop that doesn’t have them.
I love buying older vintages that we pick up on
the secondary market; and people sell us their
For a while, the narrative seemed to be that
cellars.
every independent should follow The Sampler
We’ve been doing en primeur, but we only do it on
and invest in Enomatics. But the vast majority still don’t have them. I can imagine they’re expensive. They break down. It’s funny, because some of these machines are the original ones we’ve had for 17 years, but every piece has been changed.
You have to love them, and you have to
understand them. We look at all our data and
it works for us. You need to have lots of people coming in and trying, I think.
“Enomatics have been brilliant for us. I can’t imagine having a shop that doesn’t have them. But you have to love and understand them”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 36
Burgundy. People are always selling us back what
they bought from us, because they’ve got too much wine.
We have a new cabinet, which is for the fancier
kind of stuff. That’s a small proportion, but it’s nice
to put them on machines, and get people to come in and try things.
Do you have lots of places to explore on the secondary market? We only buy small effects. But actually over
Covid we had an amazing thing happen. This big restaurant went bust and they had millions of
wines and they just wanted to sell it all and we
bought so much wine, like pallets and pallets, and we got it so cheap.
Is all your storage here or is some off-site? EHD as well. We store everything there. We have the storage downstairs, but everything’s kept
in bond. The first time we did en primeur was
“It’s that magic point, £10 to £18, that we’re really good at. People are surprised at how many of the cheap wines we sell”
So what wines are really rocking your world at the moment? We’ve been doing a lot of old Rieslings and they’re really good value. This one is £25 for a 2005 wine. Italian wines are very popular at the minute, so
Piemonte is really big for us. And we’ve taken on a lot of wines from Greece.
People around here are going to have a few quid. What would you say is your average selling price?
Bordeaux in 2010. There are still people who have
Around £25. We’re lucky. But it’s really that sort of
Would it be fair to say you have a thing about
are always really surprised at how many of the cheap
magic point, £10 to £18, that we’re really good at.
never paid their storage fees and who have really
Actually, that’s what we’re known for as well. People
just never contacted us since then.
wines we sell.
Burgundy?
Is there wine you can still sell for £10 or even
We love Burgundy and we sell loads of it. And you can still get value. We get an allocation of wines
lower that you’re proud of?
not too much. Our customers really enjoy it.
choices. And also for the machines, it looks really
No, not now, but you can still find stuff around £15.
every year from Berry’s. We buy some through
You can’t ignore those customers; you have to give
Vindies and we do a little bit ourselves as well, but
The Islington store: South Kensington and Putney are long gone
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 37
Customers can hire out the shop in the evenings for private parties and are encouraged to bring their own food
“I keep saying, you don’t need to spend a load of money but, you know, if you spend 20 quid you’ll get something really characterful”
bad if everything you’ve got is like £20 to £80.
Have you noticed any changes in customer
You need to show wines at a range of price points
behaviour recently?
you know, if you spend 20 quid you’ll get something
would be the main difference that I’ve noticed. But I
and then you can really see the quality levels. I keep
To be honest, it’s quite similar every year. I would
really characterful.
think maybe in London, it’s a wee bit of a bubble.
saying, you don’t need to spend a load of money but,
Is Islington orange wine country? We were one of the first people to have orange
wines, but we don’t make a big deal about it. Some orange wines are terrible. I was in Georgia this
summer. I’d definitely recommend it. The problem is getting there: it took us 22 hours. You can’t fly
direct, you have to stop in Romania or Greece. But once you’re there it’s absolutely fascinating.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 38
say maybe there’s less corporate stuff around – that I think people understand that wine’s gone up in
price over the past few years because of Brexit and whatever. So I think people are willing to spend a bit more. But I really do emphasise to customers
that you don’t need to spend a fortune on a bottle of wine to get something nice. You really don’t.
Where do you think the best value comes from at the moment? South Africa is a name that
knives and bread and do it all. It’s really interesting.
tends to come up in these conversations. There’s not that many South African fans around
How big is your team?
here. I think we sell less South African wine than
most other independents. I don’t know why that is,
We’ve got a very nice team; very small. Mario looks
would say, with lighter styles of wines. We sell a lot
well. We all buy together. I’ve got another person
after everything for me and he does all the finance
because we’ve always had a nice range. I still think
stuff and everything. Yassine and Tom work here as
Spain’s quite good value, and Italy too – at least, I
helps us out as well. Everyone we employ has to
of those.
be a wine enthusiast, that’s the main thing. Wine is very much our hobby.
Where do you think customers get their wine
I want people who want to go on trips and who
education from?
want to read about wine, because that’s what our
I ask myself that as well. It’s funny how things
customers expect. When they come in, they want to
come in trends, which we’ve always avoided. We’ve
talk to you about where they went on holiday, what
always sold all these kinds of wines, but we just
wine they had, which restaurants they’ve been to.
never sort of get involved with things like that. I
Customers send me wine lists when they’re on
think I’m just a bit rubbish.
holiday. And then I have to say, “go for wine number
We’re lucky to be established. I wouldn’t want
three”. My husband’s always complaining: “Just tell
to be starting out right now. So much competition
them, you’re not at work.” But I like doing that sort
everywhere. Everyone’s selling wine and the
of thing. I’m still enthusiastic.
amount of variety that is available to people ... the
I’m very lucky because I’ve got a good team and
amount of wine you have to stock, compared to
I don’t need to be here all the time. All our staff
what we started out with – it’s so different. And
have their own customers who come in. We do
yeah, I think people are much more informed about
everything together. People stay for a long time and
wine as well.
I’m still very friendly with people who’ve left.
What kind of business are you doing online?
You obviously enjoy being in the shop and being
Very small: 5%. We always think we’re gonna do
more but, to be honest, you have to spend a lot of
the face of your business.
fancy from WineSearcher. So it’s one of those things
things I keep getting told that we need to be better at.
Yeah, I do, I love being here. I’m not keen on social
money to get it. And the people who buy from us
media, and all that sort of stuff. That’s one of the
are either local, or someone who’s got something
It’s not like we don’t make contact with
where you can get an extra few per cent, but is it
customers: we make contact all the time, we do a lot
actually worth it in the end?
of direct mail. I’m better at that. People laugh at us
and say we’re the worst on social media, and I don’t
Then there’s the perennial problem of couriers.
mind that. We love the wines but we’ve never been
We’ve got a brilliant delivery driver. He’s been
slick. I can’t pretend we’re something we’re not.
a customer since we began and he’s a black cab
driver. During Covid he didn’t have any work, and
so he started being our full-time driver. We’ve kept him on so everyone gets their wine delivered by a black cab driver in north London.
Tell us about your “bring your own food” policy. That works really well for us. We’re open till seven,
Sunday to Wednesday, and people can hire the shop after that.
People can bring whatever they want and we just
ask them to clean up after themselves. They bring
in the most beautiful platters and we’ve got a lovely Italian deli around the corner.
People really go to town. They’ll bring their
“Customers send me wine lists when they’re on holiday. My husband’s always complaining: ‘Just tell them, you’re not at work’”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 39
FOCUS ON NEW ZEALAND
N
ew Zealand’s wine producers had a
challenging start to the 2020s. As well as dealing with the logistical perfect
storm of rising costs and delays that engulfed
wine producers everywhere, the New Zealand
government’s famously draconian approach to Covid made for a particularly tough pandemic,
with severe labour shortages causing persistent
problems in both vineyard and winery, and with
wine tourism (an important source of income for smaller producers) non-existent.
Add to that a measly 2021 harvest (down 19%
on 2020), which forced importers to look for
alternative countries to satisfy their Sauvignon Blanc demand in 2022, and you could see why
many involved in the industry were asking if the seemingly remorseless growth of New Zealand wine of the previous three decades might have come to an end.
But any doubts about the underlying strength of
New Zealand wine were soon put to rest by what
A small cou
happened in export markets during 2023. With
stocks boosted by the bumper 2022 harvest (which, at 532,000 tonnes, was New Zealand’s largest ever, up by 44% on 2021’s 370,000 tonnes, and by 16% on the previous record, 2020’s 457,000 tonnes) New Zealand wine enjoyed a vintage year, with
New Zealand’s wine industry has overcome
total exports rising by a quite remarkable 23%
in value to NZ$2.4bn (£1.9bn) in the year to June
2023, the most the country’s wine sales have ever grown in a 12-month period.
There were strong performances across the
board, but they were particularly notable in what are comfortably the two most significant export
destinations for New Zealand wine: the US and the UK.
The US, which has, over the past two years,
eclipsed the UK as the biggest market for New
Zealand wine by volume, having long held the title
by value, grew by more than 25% in value in 2023, taking its total exports to NZ$870.5m (£431m),
while the UK added 24% in value to take its Kiwi
New Zealand is now the world’s sixth largest wine exporter by value, eclipsing Australia and behind only France, Italy, Spain, Chile and the USA
wine imports to a record NZ$537 (£266m).
Still pricing at a premium More than the sheer scale of New Zealand’s export growth, what is perhaps most striking about the latest data is what it says about the structure
of New Zealand wine – the types of wines the
country’s producers sell and the way they go about selling them.
Two statistical nuggets are particularly telling in
this regard. The first – that New Zealand exports around 90% of its wine production, more than
any other wine-exporting country – is perhaps not
surprising, given that this is a country of just over 5
The jump in sales made for a significant
million people.
milestone: New Zealand is now the world’s sixth
The second, however, is undeniably eye-catching:
largest wine exporter by value, eclipsing Australia,
the country has reached number six on the global
and behind only France, Italy, Spain, Chile and
wine sales charts by value while producing less
the USA. Now what was that about a crisis? Did
than 2% of the world’s wine.
somebody round here say something about a crisis?
New Zealand has, in other words, managed
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 40
The island of Symi, in Dodecanese
Dusk in Auckland
untry in the big league
e daunting obstacles to take its place among the elite, reports David Williams
Of course, those figures represent a period largely
to hold on to its precious image as a premium
producer, with consumers in general prepared to
before the latest duty hikes took effect in August.
for example, the average price of a bottle of New
Winegrowers, point out in the organisation’s latest
But, as Clive Jones and Fabian Yukich, respectively
pay much more for New Zealand wine than they
the chair and deputy chair of New Zealand
are for wines from other countries. In the UK,
annual report, published last autumn, New Zealand
Zealand wine has long been the highest of any
has generally proved resilient in times of global
country and is still way above the norm: £8.62
financial stress.
versus a market-average £6.85. But, even amidst an
“Short-term economic uncertainty and inflation
ongoing cost-of-living crisis, that reputation has in
are having an impact on consumer confidence in
no way inhibited sales. In a declining UK off-trade
key markets,” they say. “Quite how (if at all) this
wine market, New Zealand grew by just a tad under
impacts demand for New Zealand wine is not clear.
10% in value and by a little over 4% in volume in
To date New Zealand wine sales have continued
the 12 months to September 2023, according to
to perform well, while over the past two decades
Nielsen.
our sales have consistently outperformed during
Given that this market researcher bases most of
market downturns.”
its data on supermarkets, and that New Zealand
For now, however, back home in New Zealand the
has historically overperformed in the independent
premium that consumers around the world
sector, that figure could be significantly higher.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 41
FOCUS ON NEW ZEALAND
are prepared to pay for New Zealand wine is
feeding back to the country’s grape-growers. In
2022, the average price per tonne of New Zealand grapes was NZ$2,261 (£1,120), which was the
highest in 10 years and 11.7% higher than it was in 2021.
Great v small?
The number of grape growers fell to its lowest in a decade in 2023, while the land devoted to vines grew
All successful wine regions have their own
Marlborough Wine for future generations to enjoy and provide assurance to consumers who seek
wines of provenance, authenticity and integrity”. Specifically, they see a threat from “the
proliferation of players [and] range of quality
expectations” that have emerged as Marlborough’s star has risen – the sort of larger producers who
are more interested in high-volume production and short-term shareholder value than they are in the
ecosystem based on producers of different sizes
carefully cultivated Marlborough image of “purity
– an interdependent relationship to which the
and flavour intensity”.
larger companies are supposed to bring their
The AMW trademark is specifically reserved for
bigger marketing budgets and longer distributional
producers using 100% Marlborough fruit, with all
reach, and the smaller players their innovation and
wines bottled in New Zealand – stipulations that
emotive artisanal authenticity, and from which both
rule out the many larger producers who specialise
benefit, and where any changes in the balance of
in sourcing private labels for supermarkets and
power can have enormous effects on the wine style,
who prefer to ship in bulk and bottle in the UK.
quality and brand image of the region (cf, most
But if the AMW, which now comprises
visibly in recent times, Rioja).
53 member producers including most of
New Zealand is of course no exception to this rule
Marlborough’s standout names (from Greywacke
and, while a big part of the country’s success has
and Dog Point to Clos Henri and Villa Maria),
been down to the way producers great and small
represents one line of development for New
have bought into the same essential “Brand New
Zealand wine (a movement towards European-style
Zealand” message, there are inevitably times when
appellationism that you can also see in Central
their different priorities come into conflict.
Otago and Gimblett Gravels, among other places),
This is perhaps most obvious in the case of the
the flipside is the continuing internationalisation
country’s most precious, or at least largest, asset,
and consolidation of the industry.
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The smaller guys,
According to Winegrowers of New Zealand data,
as represented by the Appellation Marlborough
the number of grape growers fell to its lowest
Wine organisation formed in 2018, are, in the
number in a decade in 2023 (681) while the land
words of the AMW website, looking “to safeguard
devoted to vines grew (by 1.3% to 41,860ha),
which points towards fewer producers working
larger areas. Meanwhile, in November, Australian
multinational Treasury Wine Estates expanded its New Zealand interests, which already include the Matua and Squealing Pig brands, by snapping up
what it called “a substantial Marlborough premium vineyard” in the Wairau Valley, taking its vineyard holdings in the country from 505ha to 750ha. It's further evidence of New Zealand’s
attractiveness to large foreign corporate investors,
which between them control many of the country’s biggest and most famous brands, from LVMH
(Cloudy Bay) to Pernod Ricard (Brancott Estate, Stoneleigh, Church Road), Gallo (Nobilo) and
Constellation (Kim Crawford). As sales continue Dog Point is part of Appellation Marlborough Wine, a collective of smaller producers
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 42
to boom, notably in the USA, it will be fascinating to see how the ecosystem of New Zealand wine evolves – and whether it can manage the
A Marlborough vineyard
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 43
FOCUS ON NEW ZEALAND
increasingly divergent interests of producers
In many ways, New Zealand has been ahead of
great and small in a way more in keeping with
the curve in its commitment to environmental
2023 vintage: Cyclone Gabrielle and climate change
Zealand scheme, which was launched as far back
Champagne than the latter-day Australia.
sustainability, with 96% of the country’s vineyard now certified by the Sustainable Wine New
as 1995. New Zealand Winegrowers has also
While New Zealand wine’s healthy balance sheet
invested in research into “new planting material
has justifiably contributed to an upbeat mood
to meet the challenges of a climate-altered world”
among the country’s winemakers and growers,
and is “exploring new vineyard growing systems
the past year has not by any means been entirely
to lift productivity and make more efficient use
plain sailing. After the bumper size and impressive
of resources in future” via its much-admired
quality of the 2022 vintage, 2023 was a somewhat
subsidiary, the Bragato Research Institute, while
different beast, with one event above all standing
this year, the organisation will be publishing a
out as a salutary reminder of the essential fragility
detailed “climate change roadmap” for members
of winemaking as a business and a lifestyle.
which will set out how the grape and wine sector
Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through New Zealand’s
can decarbonise in future.
North Island in early February 2023, with 100mph+ winds, widespread flooding and landslides
Grape varieties by area (2023)
displacing hundreds of thousands of people, killing 11 and leaving an estimated NZ$13.5bn (£6.7bn) clean-up and repair bill.
Sauvignon Blanc
27,084ha
Pinot Noir
5,678ha
Chardonnay
3,149ha
Pinot Gris
2,797ha
Merlot
1,061ha
Riesling
595ha
Syrah
443ha
Cabernet Sauvignon
204ha
Gewürztraminer
192ha
Malbec
95ha
vineyards that avoided the mudslides.
Sauvignon Gris
73ha
Cabernet Franc
92ha
slightly smaller 2023 vintage (down 6% on 2022)
Viognier
63ha
for the country as a whole. But rather than dwelling
Other varieties
334ha
wine producers seem much more focused on the
Total 41,860ha
longer-term consequences and implications of
Figures courtesy of New Zealand Winegrowers
The wine business was very much in the eye
of the storm, with many producers losing their
entire year’s crop and, in some cases, seeing their
vineyards destroyed for good, buried in a thick tide of mud.
According to New Zealand Winegrowers,
production in Gisbourne was down by 43%, while
the significant losses in Hawke’s Bay were slightly
mitigated by a better fruit set than in 2022 in those
Rebuilding vineyards and infrastructure after Cyclone Gabrielle will take years and millions of dollars
The Gabrielle effect inevitably contributed to a
on this short-term inconvenience, New Zealand’s
what is generally considered New Zealand’s biggest natural disaster of the 21st century.
For many growers in the affected regions, it’s a
question of rebuilding vineyards and infrastructure, a process that will take years and millions of dollars (and which has taken up a significant part of the
activities and budget of New Zealand Winegrowers
over the past year). For the country’s wine industry as a whole, meanwhile, this unusually extreme
weather event seems to have redoubled attention
on the impact of the climate crisis and what can be done to mitigate its effects.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 44
“It’s just what we do”
Working sustainably is second nature for Lawson’s Dry Hills
L
awson’s Dry Hills has been producing
wanted to go further. “We constantly evaluate
wine in Marlborough since 1991, making
our environmental sustainability performance,
it one of the oldest producers in the
even asking questions of our suppliers and
region.
service providers, sponsorship partners,
Over that time, its wines have been recognised as some of the finest in New
importers and distributors,” Barnsley explains. “As our strongest core value, it is important
Zealand. But the company is just as fixated
that we work with companies whose
on being a leader when it comes to
sustainability values are aligned with ours.”
environmental issues.
Sponsored feature lawsonsdryhills.co.nz
Lawson’s Dry Hills wines are available in the UK from a range of wholesalers, or direct from London City Bond.
Email belinda@lawsonsdryhills.co.nz
The environmental ethos is shared with
As the first New Zealand producer to put all
all employees. “We involve and inspire our
its wines under screwcap, Lawson’s Dry Hills is
team to ensure everyone has ownership and
no stranger to taking bold decisions.
feels as if they can make a difference,” says
“We started working with the industry
Barnsley. “We also hold team events such as
programme, Sustainable Winegrowing New
restoration of wetlands and native plantings at
Zealand, at its inception in the mid-90s, but
our vineyards.”
soon felt that, whilst it was a good start, we
an exceptionally robust environment
T
management system that covers every detail
everything they can to mitigate it.
could, and should, do more,” says general manager Sion Barnsley.
he work that Lawson’s Dry Hills does is arguably its own reward – after all,
So the business adopted ISO14001,
of its activities, from vineyard activities to shipping.
it points out, climate change is a real
issue in Marlborough and wineries need to do Even so, it was gratifying to be recognised in the recent Sustainable Business Awards,
Next it signed up for
where Lawson’s Dry Hills was commended in
ISO14064, which helps
the category of Climate Action Leader. Then,
businesses monitor and
at the New Zealand International Business
reduce greenhouse gas
Awards, it won the Excellence in Sustainability
emissions. Lawson’s
Award.
Dry Hills is now
Barnsley says: “Receiving these awards is
certified as a carbon-
true recognition of something we’ve been
zero organisation.
doing for well over a decade. It’s just what we
Still the company
do.”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 45
Some sustainability milestones for Lawson’s Dry Hills • 200 solar panels on the winery roof supply up to 30% of energy requirements • Landfill waste reduced by 40% over three years • Rainwater collection has led to a 44% reduction in water drawn from the aquifer • Heat exchanger means the winery refrigeration system can also heat water • Minimum 64% recycled glass in bottles, which are predominantly lightweight • Packaging only uses FSC paper products and those made from recycled or recyclable fibre.
A
uthenticity is a word that’s often used
in the wine world. But rarely is it more
appropriate than in the case of Tohu Wines.
One of New Zealand’s leading wine producers,
Tohu also has the distinction of being the world’s first Māori-owned wine company – and it’s that
Made by māori Chanzy has been on an upward trajectory for several years. Its 2022 releases are a perfect illustration of what this progressive Burgundy house is capable of producing
ownership that gives the company its profound and
authentic sense of connection with the land and the people it serves.
It's a connection that is symbolised by the
name Tohu, which translates as sign, symbol,
distinguishing feature or signature. And it’s a
connection that has deep roots. Founded in 1998,
Tohu Wines belongs to Kono, the food and beverage arm of parent company Wakatū Incorporation, a business owned by more than 250 families
descended from the customary Māori landowners of the top of the South Island. A long-term view is,
therefore, deeply embedded in the culture of Tohu
and the wider company: the top of the South Island
(Te Tau Ihu) is the owning families’ tūrangawaewae, or “standing place”, and the company is committed to protecting it for the generations to come.
“As a group, we are guided by a 500-year plan, Te
Pae Tāwhiti,” says Tohu’s chief winemaker Bruce Taylor. “In Māori, Te Pae Tāwhiti translates to
‘towards the distant horizon’ – a constant north star, a guide to everything we do on the land. As a wider business, our purpose is to preserve and enhance
our taonga [treasured possessions] for the benefit
has taken the shape of a stringent and wide-ranging
Sustainability leader
between people, place and business” and “leave the
“land wellness” programme, Whenua Ora (literally
of current and future generations.”
“land health”), which aims “to restore the balance
land and water in a better state than we inherited”.
A key part of Te Pae Tāwhiti is a far-reaching
commitment to sustainability that makes Tohu an industry leader on green issues, even in a wine-
producing country that has always been ahead of
the curve on environmental matters. As ever with Tohu, this commitment is about more than good corporate practice. “As a Māori-owned business, we believe we are all part of a legacy. We have
been entrusted with the well-being of our people, our lands and our waters, and we are honour-
bound to protect them. We call this kaitiakitanga [guardianship],” Taylor says.
“Kaitiakitanga is a term in te reo Māori [the
The ambitious programme sees the company
“We are guided by a 500-year plan, Te Pae Tāwhiti – a constant north star, a guide to everything we do on the land”
aiming for carbon net zero in 2028 and net zero
Bruce Taylor
including significant plantings of multi-species
waste to landfill by 2029, and to that end it has
signed up with Toitū Envirocare’s Carbonreduce
certification programme “to measure, manage, verify,
and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions inventory”. But Whenua Ora’s initiatives touch on every
aspect of the Tohu operation. Among the most important achievements so far has been the introduction of thousands of native plants,
cover crops in Tohu’s two vineyards, Whenua Awa in Marlborough and Whenua Matua in Nelson,
indigenous language of New Zealand] that is often
all part of a bid to boost biodiversity, as well as
used to reflect sustainability and caring for the
protecting local ecosystems, improving soil health
environment. It is a reciprocal relationship between
and structure and attracting beneficial insects, and,
people and the environment, and it is important to
in Taylor’s words, “moving away from monocrops
us that it isn’t just a concept, but that it underpins
and nicely mowed strips of grass”.
everything we do.”
In practical terms, Tohu’s notion of kaitiakitanga
Tohu was also among the early adopters of the
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 46
Tohu Manaaki range – sub-regional wines • Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc (UK stock) • Tohu Wairau Valley Unoaked Chardonnay (UK stock) • Tohu Awatere Valley Pinot Noir (UK stock) • Tohu Awatere Valley Pinot Gris (UK stock) • Tohu Nelson Rosé • Tohu Hawke's Bay Merlot
Tohu Whenua series – single vineyard wines • Tohu Whenua Awa Sauvignon Blanc (UK stock) • Tohu Whenua Awa Pinot Noir (arriving summer 2024) • Tohu Whenua Awa Riesling (arriving summer 2024) • Tohu Whenua Awa Chardonnay (arriving summer 2024) • Tohu Whenua Awa Pinot Noir • Tohu Whenua Awa Riesling • Tohu Whenua Awa Chardonnay • Tohu Whenua Awa Pinot Blanc • Tohu Whenua Matua Albariño • Tohu Whenua Matua Chardonnay • Tohu Whenua Matua Pinot Noir
Tohu’s guardianship of its land is rooted in the culture of New Zealand’s indigenous people groundbreaking Sustainable Winegrowing New
Tohu Rewa range – Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wines • Tohu Rewa Blanc de Blancs • Tohu Rewa Rosé
Those vineyards are the beating heart of Tohu’s
Zealand industry-wide certification programme,
business – and its wines. First planted in 2005,
regenerative practices that draw on our traditional
Pacific Ocean and Tapuae-o-Uenuku mountain in the
and it is now in the process of transitioning from,
Whenua Awa is an idyllic site planted on stony river
Taylor says, “conventional farming practices to
terraces at 200m above sea level with views of the
systems and knowledge. We are looking at ways we
upper reaches of the Awatere Valley. With a cooler,
can eliminate the use of herbicides – we’re in year
drier climate than other parts of Marlborough,
one of a five-year programme.”
the Awatere has a longer growing season and long ripening, creating vivid, intensely flavoured wines
Authentic wines and vineyards
of great purity.
Tohu’s winemaking philosophy is very much a
In 2005 Whenua Matua was planted in Nelson’s
continuation, and expression, of the company’s
Moutere Hills, a gently rolling terrain with clay soils
core principles: as Taylor says, he looks “to create
laced with gravel. This warm, predominantly north-
wines that capture the flavours of each region’s
facing vineyard has proved particularly adept at
unique environment, while upholding respect and protection of the land for future generations”.
These are terroir-driven wines, in other words,
which, since 2012, have been produced at the company’s winery in Marlborough’s Awatere
Valley, largely from grapes grown in the Tohu-
owned Whenua Awa and Whenua Matua vineyards, with some fruit sourced from a small group of
supportive partner growers in the Upper Awatere and Upper Moutere Valleys.
producing succulent, richly flavoured (and award-
Published in association with North South Wines northsouthwines. co.uk 020 3871 9210
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 47
winning) Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
Planted on ancient Māori land passed down
through the ancestors of the families behind Tohu
for hundreds of years, Whenua Matua translates as “significant land”.
No surprise, then, that the vineyard has a special
place in the affections of a company with roots that
go far back into the past, but which has its sights set far into the future.
SPONSORED FEATURE: HEAPHY
Welcome to the family Heaphy Vineyard in Nelson, New Zealand, is now one of four properties around the world owned by Boutinot. Deborah Brooks tells us how the deal came about, and what indies can expect from the wines It’s been a year since the Boutinot
own around the world, from the soil up.
philosophy is to be relaxed, yet precise, in
It’s been a busy year! Eric Monnin, who
The vineyard in Upper Moutere is pretty
eye of Kelly Le Frantz, and with minimum
and specifically the Heaphy vineyard sited
South Island, planted by Hermann and
acquisition. What’s been happening in that time? oversees all our wineries, has been getting to know the beautiful region of Nelson on the aptly named Sunrise Road. We
appointed Andy Nicole in early 2023 as
general manager of Heaphy to strengthen the winemaking team. Emma David and
Neil Todd both have great experience and knowledge, and have guided us through the last year.
Back in the UK, the Heaphy team got
to work with immersing themselves in all that Tasman Bay and Nelson has to
offer to create a new brand identity and hand-crafted labels. The inspiration for
the look (and feel) of Nelson comes from
the crystalline lakes, expansive skies, wild nature and the general laid-back vibe of the region.
Heaphy is now one of four properties we
What was Heaphy doing before Boutinot? historic, notably because it encompasses
the first modern commercial vines in the
our approach. There’s diligent vineyard management, now under the watchful intervention in the winery.
And how would you describe the wine
Agnes Seifried back in 1973. These two
style, if it’s possible to generalise?
part of the 10 hectares we have today.
Mapua sandy loam are both local to
hectares of Riesling and Chardonnay,
planted over 50 years ago, are an integral More recently, Heaphy has been run
by Greg and Amanda Day, who acted as our distributor in New Zealand for the
past couple of decades. They worked with Heaphy wines mostly on the domestic
market. In 2022, Greg expressed a wish to
hand over the reins and it was a no-brainer for us to invest in this great little winery. How would you describe the Heaphy winemaking philosophy? With Eric’s deft hand and knowledge of winemaking throughout the world, the
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 48
Heaphy is fortunate to benefit from a
unique soil structure. Moutere clay and
Heaphy Vineyard, giving the wines great
fruit density, signature minerality and fine tannins in the reds.
The Waimea Plain, where some of our
partner growers plant fruit, have more gravelly elements.
Due to the ancient river system that
flows down to the Tasman Bay, vineyards in Nelson have good water retention,
which allows most of them to be dry-
grown. It also means that as temperatures rise under Nelson's 2,500 hours of
sunshine, there remains enough moisture
in the soils to aid ripening, keeping
should land in time for our portfolio
our portfolio tastings, and feature at our
What do you have in your vineyards –
50-year-old vines, amphora vinified) which
Riesling and a smattering of barrel Nelson
concentration in the fruit.
and how much fruit do you buy? Heaphy has total plantings of 10 hectares:
a “garden” vineyard comprising Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Montepulciano,
alongside the low-yielding and old-vine Riesling and Chardonnay. Nelson is
relatively small, with only 25 working
wineries, mostly independent. To augment
tastings. We will also be showcasing the Upper Moutere Old Vine Riesling (from will land in the spring.
What’s on the horizon for Heaphy in 2024? Well, we need to get our customers to
try the wines! They will be launched at
stand at Wine Paris and Prowein. Over the summer, we will be shipping the Old Vine Chardonnay, and maybe some oddities
that the Heaphy team create. They made a bonkers Montepulciano Rosé this vintage, all sold domestically.
And we’ll continue to get to know Nelson
more … and drink in its energy!
and blend with our fruit, and for our
associated labels (eg Te Merio), we work with some great local Nelson growers.
How are things looking at this stage for the 2024 vintage? 2024 is looking good. We’ve planted wild
meadows to increase beneficial abundance of insects and create more biodiversity, so it looks even more like a garden! Budding
Heaphy Vineyard, Nelson
has been good and conditions encouraging. As Kelly reports: “It’s pretty dry in
Nelson but there’s still some powdery mildew pressure to contend with.
Potentially, with the dry conditions, fruit
will ripen earlier. We’re expecting a good vintage with intense flavours.”
How well are the wines doing in the UK and what are the best sellers? We’re eagerly waiting for the ship to land with our first releases – Heaphy Nelson Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. These
Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2023 RRP £14.99 A crisp, textural thing, sourced from Heaphy’s clay blocks of Sauvignon Blanc with a judicious marriage of the more gravelly Waimea Plains fruit. This is an expression of Nelson’s bright acidity, with generous depth of fruit and teasing salinity in the finish.
The Heaphy team
Nelson Riesling 2023
Moutere Old Vine Riesling 2023
This expresses fruit from Heaphy’s 30-year-old clay blocks. It’s juicy, tangy and lifted with notes of green apple and lime, gentle richness of body at roughly 7g residual sugar but quickened with our regional salinity in the finish.
This celebrates the 50th harvest of Heaphy’s most venerable blocks, aged in a single 1,000-litre amphora. Very dry, racy, and firm and yet opens up with lively jasmine and white tea floral notes over a structured palate and intense, mineral finish.
RRP £14.99
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 49
RRP £19.99
THE DRAYMAN
their origins in the States, but in this case
have travelled less than a single food mile.
They’re dried, vacuum packed and put in a cold store within 24 hours of picking.
That gives the beer a vibrant freshness,
Eco-friendly brewing If you’re looking for green beer, you might find it right under your nose
S
o keenly have people’s antennae become attuned to detecting
unsubstantiated environmental
claims by businesses that it’s a brave
operation that makes green issues the core of its being.
Brewdog was recently adjudged by the
Advertising Standards Authority to have run a misleading advertising campaign suggesting that its carbon negative
status meant it made “beer for your
grandchildren”. It tripped up not because
it couldn’t substantiate its status, which is
audited as such by Positive Planet, but that
it didn’t put enough information about this in its ad.
So the decision by Surrey’s Hogs Back
brewery to call its new green-living
offshoot One Planet Brewing seems like a bold step. The brewery, which shares the parent company’s site in Tongham,
claims to have made the UK’s first beer
using 100% solar power generated on site,
short-term it may need to use hops from elsewhere, but Hogs Back is testing new
varieties in its hop garden with the aim of becoming fully self-sufficient in time.
Hogs Back managing director Rupert
Thompson says it is “working hard on the
next steps to take One Planet beers as close to zero carbon as we practically can for all
the elements that we can control and with the minimum of offsetting, ideally within
the next year”. That includes the use of an electric dray and reusable packaging, the first of which might be easier to achieve than the second. For now, the off-trade
version will be a 44cl single-trip aluminium can, as it delivers a lower carbon footprint than using glass bottles.
O
ne Planet’s first brew is a hazy IPA loaded with Cascade, Citra and
Ekuanot hops, varieties that have
which is enhanced by dry-hopping with El Dorado, Simcoe and yet more Citra hops. On paper it sounds like an unruly hop
riot, but the blend arrives at an agreeable
spicy-citrus softness, and there’s a decent
bit of malty sweet offsetting going on, while the use of oats in the grain bill provide a creamy mouth feel.
So, what’s the catch? Well, in line with
its carbon-busting ethos, the beer is only
going to be offered to customers within a
30-mile radius of the brewery, which rules out the eastern half of London, anywhere
north of High Wycombe, west of Newburyish and most of Kent.
But that in itself is an important message
for retailers: instead of grabbing at the
next big noise in green marketing, seek
out the local producers who are making a difference.
That might be One Planet in southern
England, or brewers such as Black Isle in the Highlands, an organic brewery
which pays well over the odds for hops and barley from farms that encourage
abundant wildlife, or Stroud Brewery in
the Cotswolds, which uses a combination
of solar panels and other renewable energy sources, organic ingredients, labels made
from a wood pulp-based bio-film, harvests rainwater to flush toilets and has installed swift and bat boxes on its building.
supported by plenty of techy information. There are, for example, 120 Trina Vertex panels with a capacity of 50 kilowatts
per hour, about 10 times that typically generated by panels on a house.
One Planet will use home-grown hops
from next to the brewery “wherever
recipes allow”. It acknowledges that in the
Instead of grabbing at the next big noise in green marketing, seek out local producers
Probably not coming to a pub near you
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 50
My wife Laurence and I met in Lyon while we were studying. We discovered wine through rock climbing, because the places where you could climb around Lyon were all places where you had very good wines: Mâcon, Savoie, Cornas, Gigondas. So we started, in the early 80s, to buy wines that we loved. And so I was a wine nerd for 15 years before I started to be a grower. Most of the growers that we met at the time were very old-school, real farmers, and not at all like the modern oenologists. So very quickly we understood the connection between terroir and wine.
I discovered Brézème mostly because of books. Back then there was only one grower left, François Pouchoulin. But books from the early 20th century all mentioned Brézème as a very special spot in the northern Rhône, where Syrah and Roussanne had a unique expression. When I met Pouchoulin, in ‘95, or ’96, I had trained as a vigneron in Bordeaux. I was looking for a place where I could begin something. Brézème is really a pain in the ass. Honestly. It’s extremely steep, very rocky and difficult to work. Farmers went for producing peaches and apricots, and made a very decent amount of money. Viticulture was not really worthwhile unless you were passionate about wine. When I started working for Pouchoulin I was doing quite modern winemaking. He told me once, “you’re making a decent Syrah”, which in his mind was really something very bad. Because for him, making a wine that tastes like Syrah in Brézème was kind of useless. If you’re in Brézème, you make wines that taste like Brézème, not like Syrah.
Eric Texier Chat Fou 2022 Traditionally, in the northern Rhône, grapes like Syrah or Viognier produced wine to sell, but the farm wine for everyday drinking was made from “lesser” grapes, field blended, with very light extraction and almost no ageing. This is Chat Fou, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Clairette fermented for only a few days with the skins and aged six months in concrete.
In Brézème we have cooler nights, so the vine doesn’t really lose energy trying to breathe, especially at the time of veraison in August. So we keep a lot more acidity. Northern Rhône white wines were not my cup of tea, because they’re mostly based on Marsanne or Viognier, which are two grapes that I don’t really like. But Brézème and Hermitage were once considered to be some of the best white wine terroirs. I thought, maybe I have the opportunity to bring back wine wines that deserve to be on the scene.
Biodynamics is not for me. I’m a book guy; I read. I’m quite rational. I’m not into esoterical thinking. So when I read Steiner, it was too much for me. I mean, if today Steve Bannon wrote a book saying how we should approach farming, I doubt I would buy that. So I don’t see why I would buy what Steiner is saying. His writing is weird. I enjoy reading Masanobu Fukuoka and Bill Mollison: the first people who conceptualised permaculture or regenerative agriculture. This is something that I can understand and try to implement. We have a new challenge: global warming. We are probably living through the last vintages of Roussanne in our places. The vine is doing well, but it’s not producing grapes anymore. Shadowing it from the sun may be an option; we are also exploring over-grafting, changing the varietal. One solution is to bring up southern Rhône grapes: Clairette or Bourboulenc. Maybe Grenache Gris. Why not? Maybe we’re no longer in a situation where we should do monovarietal wines. Maybe blends are a better option.
THE WINEMAKER FILES //
Eric Texier Former nuclear engineer Eric Texier switched to a career in winemaking in 1992, later reviving two almost forgotten and remote outposts of the Rhône valley. He has 5ha of vineyards in Brézème, on the southernmost edge of the northern Rhône, and 7ha in Ouvèze, in the Ardeche, all farmed organically. Importer: Alliance Wine alliancewine.com The Ouvèze Valley was very well known before phylloxera for making sparkling wines out of Clairette. It’s a very complex geological place. The topsoil, most of the time, is granite. But the bottom soil might be totally different. It’s like a fantastic playground, in terms of what you can do. We started to do experiments with regenerative agriculture right away. It’s a kind of a paradise for people like us.
Eric Texier Brézème Rouge 2021
Eric Texier Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2019
Brézème is one of the very few limestone terroirs where Syrah is grown in the northern Rhône. This wine is a unique expression of Syrah with the strong limestone influence on both the structure and palate. Bright acidity, with deep and complex aromas. Quite a Burgundian Syrah.
Grenache Blanc and Roussanne are two wonderful grapes in the context of the 80s and 90s, but now, because of early ripening, the wines are lacking complexity and have high alcohol. So we now concentrate on Clairette and Bourboulenc only, producing a unique and fascinating Rhône white wine.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 51
REGIONAL FOCUS
F
ruit-forward, food-friendly wines
with vibrant acidity. That’s as good a generalisation as any for what
Oregon’s vignerons are producing right
now. But the broader truth is that this is
a dynamic part of the winemaking world, where the offer has become increasingly
A small region in the
Oregon punches far above its weight in terms of awards and critical ac important export destinations, with artisanal wines that are perfect fo
diverse in recent times.
Wine production has been pretty much
tripling in size every decade as confidence
grows and investment pours into the state. But despite the attention that Oregon has been drawing to itself, this is still a land
of small-scale production rather than big business.
It’s been calculated that 75% of Oregon’s
wineries produce fewer than 5,000 cases per year. The state accounts for just 1% of all wine produced in the USA. But in
terms of the awards and accolades it’s been collecting, it punches way above its weight. Bree Stock is an Australian-born Master
of Wine, now based in Oregon, who
consults for the Oregon Wine Board.
“In the past 15 years, we’ve seen a lot of
growth, with California and Washington producers coming in; French producers
coming in as well,” she says. “Price per acre is still quite low, so there are few barriers to entry. We’re not short of water, so a lot
of our vineyards are dry-farmed; you don’t necessarily have to plan with irrigation in mind, which adds to costs.”
O
regon’s modern winemaking
journey began in the 1960s when academics started exploring its
potential for late-ripening Alsatian and
Burgundian varieties. Gradually the state
burnished its credentials as a serious cool-
climate wine growing region. Farmers have let their imaginations race as they explore
new terroirs and wrestle with the ups and downs of climate change.
“We’re seeing people diversifying,” says
Stock. “We now grow more than 75 grape
varieties. If you take the Willamette Valley specifically, it’s still planted to 90% Pinot
Noir for red grapes. But we’re seeing more Gamay being planted, Cabernet Franc as
well, because it gives you a protracted
But our Mediterranean growing season is
Lumber forests dominate the Oregon
and tannin and anthocyanin development,
growing season. We even have Mencia planted now.”
landscape, with fruit farmers occupying the plains that are too fertile for wine grape production. Vineyards are filling in the spaces in between.
“A lot of our vineyards are surrounded
by forest and have deer and elk wandering through,” Stock says.
“It’s a northerly region, and we are on
the coast. While we have a low-lying ridge of mountains that sort of buffers us from
the cold Pacific, we still get those maritime influences.
“By the very nature of our shorter
growing season, we do have more
restrained, more medium-bodied wines.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 52
very warm and dry. During the summer
months, we get more of that fruit ripeness
because of the extended UV light hours we
get. In the summer we get about two hours more daylight than Napa Valley does. “Burgundy gets cloud cover during
its growing season and regular rain
increments. We will be bone dry from the middle of June until the middle of
September. So we see a tendency towards sustainable, organic and biodynamic production.”
The highest vineyards are about 370m
above sea level. “So not incredibly high,”
Stock admits. “But as the climate warms,
you’re seeing intrepid producers looking more for elevation gains.”
e big league
cclaim. The UK is one of its most or independent merchants.
see their wines out there with the best of them. We’re starting to see a grouping of
people with ambition, really wanting to be known as premium producers.”
Margaret Bray is the Oregon Wine
Board’s international marketing manager. “The UK is a very important market for us,” she says. “We started to do some
programmes here about 15 years ago. We
have over 60 wineries represented. We sell about 70,000 cases a year to the UK, and that’s a significant number for us.
“We’re seeing a few importers who are
specialised in Oregon, which is exciting.
Obviously, we go with some importers who have a lot of California in the portfolio.
I would say there’s probably a good 15 importers who are really active with
Oregon. Some only have one or two wines; some have a larger representation. I think
we’re getting to the point where they see it as a gap if they don’t have some Oregon in their portfolio.”
Bray adds: “This is actually one of the
few markets where we focus on consumers as well, because we feel like we have
enough wines in the market to create that
pull. So we’ve just finished our sponsorship
T
he Oregon public have developed
quite a thirst for their local wines;
indeed only 4% of what’s produced
is exported.
“There are producers in California and
Washington that produce more than the entire state of Oregon,” Stock says. “But
there’s definitely an appetite for export,
especially among ambitious producers who have travelled the world and really want to Published in association with
with the London Restaurant Festival, which takes place from June to October. And then we’re doing Wines from the Edge, which is
an annual event that we organise with New Zealand.”
A
s for the winemakers themselves, the learning curve continues,
despite the critical acclaim that’s
already flowing in their direction.
“The collaborative and small nature
of Oregon, with producers sharing their
wines, and discussing problems within the cellar or in the vineyard, has meant that
the quality has notched up a lot faster than some other regions,” says Stock.
“I think they’ve always thought the
quality was there. But it’s definitely being hammered home now. And I think, just
oregonwine.org
because they are so collaborative, quality will continue to grow. But they are still pretty humble.”
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 53
OREGON WINE REGIONS Willamette Valley Oregon’s oldest wine region is home to twothirds of the state’s wineries. It’s a vast and varied appellation that includes 11 nested AVAs: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, Laurelwood District, Lower Long Tom, McMinnville, Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon, Ribbon Ridge, Tualatin Hills, Van Duzer Corridor, and Yamhill-Carlton. In addition to the flagship Pinot Noir grape, wineries also produce Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Gamay. Sparkling wine production is growing. Rogue Valley The most southerly of Oregon’s wine is comprised of three distinct valleys with progressively warmer microclimates. The influence of mountain ranges and rivers can create some huge diurnal ranges, promoting wines with impressive depth and balance. Umpqua Valley This land of 100 valleys is located between Rogue to the south and Willamette to the north. Growing season temperatures vary dramatically from north to south, creating a gradient of opportunity for winemakers and wine drinkers. Pinot Noir thrives in the north, while Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot perform well in the south. Walla Walla This AVA straddles south east Washington and north east Oregon. Today there are more than 100 wineries working in this warm and distinct climate, producing some of the finest Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot in the world. Columbia Gorge Located on Oregon’s northern border, this region includes cooler, rainy areas but also has desert-like conditions to the east. A wide range of classical varieties are grown.
The Vindependents tasting takes place on March 21
W
e are now IDing people born in
of … what even is Time? Did we cover this
2006 which makes me shiver
in one of those physics lessons when I was
– or maybe I’ve just forgotten
standing on the bench while the daughter
a layer of thermals? – and it is quite clear
of a Portaloo magnate wept into her pass
that I am getting Old. What with the IDing and the dodgy hip. And the lack of jaw
definition. Someone with a defined jaw was
notes and Dr Dunn (who incidentally,
sucking a spoon on Instagram so I do that
37. GETTING OLDER
Lady Chic, tempered with staying out all
Phoebe Weller of Valhalla’s
sometimes now.
In 2006 I was doing a thing called Old
night, rollies and Febreze, cheesemonging and ironically listening to Radio 2 which I am not re-engaging with now how very dare you, no matter how many
times I accidentally tune in and enjoy it.
Popmaster on my walk into cheeseland was
Goat in Glasgow was born at the wrong time. But at least she has access to a proprietary spray that neutralises malodorous molecules
a highlight, because in 2006 it was a gas to pretend I was an Old Lady, and Ken Bruce
wasn’t a Cultural Icon then. Is he now? He seems to be having a moment. Or is that
just because I’m Old and don’t understand anything anymore?
Glasgow will always be the same,
someone who doesn’t live here anymore oozed at me the other day and I thought what shite that is, both in good ways –
the removal of the Jimmy Savile statue from my local swimming baths (in the
last decade, Scotstoun Leisure Centre has
removed that and the bar, and looks likely
intrinsically cooked me an Amazing Lunch
last summer) tried to discourage my bench standing? That was over 25 years ago,
three entire regenerations and just shy of 10,000 lunches.
I
don’t want to talk about those
10,000 lunches, I want to talk about Time. More specifically I want to
write down the names of some Glasgow nitespots that I fear may be lost forever to Time (?) unless someone catches
them in ink and rolls them over paper. Or to lose the capacity for actually being open within the next year) – and in bad ways:
nothing having substance to it anymore, a
cardboard set piece of Glasgow Style, flimsy and prefabricated and sweary and not
Edinburgh, made for travel supplements and as easily disposed of.
I have been thinking about the passage of
time again, what with the passing of time and of course Amazing Lunch’s pivotal,
nay, intrinsic, role in the tick-tocking flow
digitally impresses them, whatever. One
Amazing Sexy Monday Lunch (soup), Ann revealed details of the unlikely Tuxedo Princess, ex-carferry turned sticky-
floored Clyde-moored loveboat under the Kingston Bridge. Tony verified its
existence and expounded on the 12 bars and revolving dancefloor. What a time they had in the 80s! Solid! Miserable!
Sweary! Not Edinburgh! So began a back and forth between Ann and Tone with
me as the weird, Old (but not as old as
them, please!) Lady spoon-sucking go-
between, exchanging Zanzibar (The Hottest Nightspot North of the Equator!) for Ultra Theque (Rod Stewart favourite!), Panama Jax (where T “met” Rhona Borthwick ;))
and Henry Afrikas (where A “met” Claire Grogan).
As I get older, I hardly know anything
anymore. The places I went to in the
noughties (ugh) were shite early millennial nothingness, four of us in drinking
vodkalemonades for a pound dancing to
the Smiths and William showing us his lack of pubic hair.
I was born in the wrong time, but am at
least grateful for the existence of Febreze in mine.
10,000 lunches on the conveyor belt of time
THETHE WINEWINE MERCHANT february MERCHANT march2024 2023 5454
MAKE A DATE
Orchard Wines presents naturally
lower-in-alcohol products made by artisan
producers covering both still and sparkling styles. Highlights include “soapbox
masterclasses” and the chance to meet
Alliance Wine celebrates its 40th
producers.
anniversary with events in Edinburgh
Wednesday, February 28
large and small and traditional to more
Contact alistair@cideriswine.co.uk.
London Cru Urban Winery 21-27 Seagrave Road London SW6 1RP Chris Porter of Kukla Beverage Logistics
Direct Importing Masterclass
Pascal Chatonnet & Friends Tasting
The Wine Merchant has teamed up with
Pascal Chatonnet, owner of three
Kukla Beverage Logistics to present a
Bordeaux châteaux, is also a consultant
practical guide to importing wine direct
oenologist who oversees winemaking at
from producers.
numerous wineries around the world.
The session, hosted by well-known
This tasting will bring together a number
logistics expert Chris Porter, will explain
of the wineries the self-styled “wine
wine into the UK.
Partnership. Admission is strictly by
everything a first-time importer needs to
know to bring their own consignments of The free masterclass is also open to
merchants who have existing experience
of importing and need a refresher on postBrexit admin and suggestions of how the
process can be streamlined and simplified. There will be a chance to put questions
to the presenters and to hear from a
Alliance Wine Portfolio Tasting
craftsman” works with, including Cos
d’Estournel, Vega Sicilia and The Fladgate invitation only.
For details of the venue and to request
an invitation, contact alison@dillonmorrall. com.
Thursday, February 29
and London. The tastings will feature wineries both
experimental, with a running thread of sustainability.
Turn to page three to register via the QR
code or contact marketing@alliancewine. com.
Monday, March 4 Mansfield Traquair 15 Mansfield Place Edinburgh EH3 6BB Wednesday, March 6 Oxo Tower Wharf Barge House Street London SE1 9PH
THE WINE MERCHANT TOP 100 JUDGING DAY IS MONDAY, APRIL 15
London venue
merchant who is already making direct importing a key part of their business. Registration is essential: contact
charlotte@winemerchantmag.com. Thursday, February 22 10.30am Zoom event
Orchard Wines & Spirits Tasting Taste premium drinks made with 100% juice from apples, pears and other fruits produced in this fast-growing and ontrend sector.
Pascal Chatonnet
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 55
MAKE A DATE
Blashenwell Wines Scotland Uncorked North South Wines Portfolio Tasting Tasting Portfolio Tasting Representing a wide range of small
Matthew Clark and Bibendum will bring
North South was founded in 2014 and
producers, this recently established
together more than 200 wines from
is branding this event as a “Ten Years
company will present old world wines
around the globe.
Young” celebration.
with an emphasis on France, Italy and Luxembourg. For more information or to register,
contact soren@blashenwellwines.com.
Several producers will be present,
pouring a selection of wines covering a wide spread of price points.
Contact jsalter@bibendum-wine.co.uk.
Monday, March 4
Tuesday, March 5
5 Pembridge Villas
Trades Hall of Glasgow
London W11 3EN
85 Glassford Street Glasgow G1 1UK
Spring Tasting Up North Hosted by The Modest Merchant, Yapp
Jeroboams Portfolio Tasting Meet the producers, taste their latest
tasting will feature a range of wines
releases and make new discoveries,
chosen for the warmer months ahead,
including some rare and limited wines.
alongside some bestsellers. For more information and to register,
contact rob@raymondreynolds.co.uk. Monday, March 4
Upstairs at Ad Hoc 28 Edge Street Manchester M4 1HN
Welsh Wine Tasting Wineries from across Wales will be showcasing their award-winning wines. Join the producers to hear their stories
and discuss the pioneering strategy for Welsh wine.
Register early as spaces are limited.
Contact lauren.smith@levercliff.co.uk. Tuesday, March 5
the company’s roster of producers, the
tasting will include a selection of wines from the 2014 vintage.
For more information and to
register for the event, contact events@ northsouthwines.co.uk. Thursday, March 7
The Crypt on the Green
Brothers and Raymond Reynolds, this
including a selection of new imports
As well as showcasing new releases from
Contact events@jeroboams.co.uk.
Clerkenwell Close London EC1R 0EA
Festa Wine Portuguese Portfolio Tasting
Wednesday, March 6
The tasting will include new listings
The Stables – Unit X
from red Vinho Verde producer
40 Earlham Street
Constantino Ramos (Monçao and
London WC2H 9LH
Melgaço) and Entre Pedras (Açores) and
Pinot Noir Explored Tasting Lallemand Oenology presents a series of masterclasses at 67 Pall Mall. Moderated by Peter Richards MW,
international speakers confirmed to date include Richard Kershaw MW (Kershaw Wines), Sam Harrop MW (Sam Harrop
Wine), Gerd Stepp (Stepp Wines), Dirceu Vianna Jr MW (Vianna Wine), Anthony
Silvano (Lallemand Oenology) and Matias Rios (Cono Sur).
Contact gemma@spritzmarketing.co.uk.
latest releases from Titan of Douro and Hugo Mendes (Lisboa and Tejo). These will feature alongside more
established producers including
Churchill’s, Rui Reguinga (Portalegre), Quinta do Gradil (Lisboa) and Poeira (Douro).
Chef-turned-winemaker Vitor Claro
will join the tasting to show new vintages of his minimal-intervention range from Portalegre, Lisboa and Carcavelos.
For more information and to register
for the tasting, contact andy@festawine. co.uk.
Monday, March 11 Bar Douro
The London Welsh Centre
Wednesday, March 6
London Bridge Arch 25b
157-163 Grays Inn Road
67 Pall Mall
85b Southwark Bridge Road
London WC1X 8UE
London SW1Y 5ES
London SE1 0NQ
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 56
Vindependents Portfolio Tasting With 20 producers attending and 300 wines on show, this tasting offers the opportunity for both current members and those who would like to join to try the Vindependents range. The selection will include bestsellers,
new producers and some new wines to discover.
For more information and to register,
contact jessica@vindependents.co.uk. Tuesday, March 12 Cecil Sharp House 2 Regent’s Park Road London NW1 7AY
The 250 Tasting H2Vin and The Wine Treasury present a joint trade portfolio tasting, with 250 wines from around the globe to discover and taste. As well as new vintages, there will be
some new producers and exclusive underthe-radar gems. A handful of producers
arriving direct from Prowein will present
Villa Papiano winemaker Francesco Bordini
Sette Ciele, Cupano, Baraldo, Cigliano di
email info@passionevino.co.uk.
Santoccio; Franciacorta: Andrea Arici
The Light Bar & Dining
Sopra, Coste del Vivo; Marche: Contrada Contro, La Staffa; Valpolicella: Monte Colline della Stella, Faccoli; Emilia
Romagna: Villa Papiano, Lambrusco
Bergianti Terrevive; and many others.
For more information and to register
contact robin@swig.co.uk. Monday, March 18 67 Pall Mall St James’s
Monday, March 18
233 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6PJ
Hallgarten & Novum Wines Tasting Hallgarten & Novum Wines is hosting
London SW1Y 5ES
events in Leeds and Edinburgh. For more information and to register,
their wines on the day.
Passione Vino The Apennine Tasting
winetreasury.com.
Discover the essence of the Apennine
2 Infirmary Street
Wednesday, March 13
mountains with wines from an exclusive
Leeds LS1 2JP
St Martin’s Hall & Lightwell
selection.
For more information and to register,
contact orders@h2vin.co.uk or orders@
Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JH
Swig Italian Portfolio Tasting Meet and taste with winemakers from all over Italy. The offerings will include wines from
Barolo: Gian Luca Colombo, Crissante,
contact sarah.charlwood@hnwines.co.uk. Monday, March 18 Aspire Leeds
Nine regions and 43 producers will be
Tuesday, March 19
represented at the tasting, with newcomers
The Rooftop Garden
For more information and to register,
Edinburgh EH1 3AA
to the portfolio appearing alongside the existing boutique and small wineries.
The Glasshouse Hotel 2 Greenside Place
QUIZ TIME Answers to questions on page 18 1. (a) 0% 2. Catarratto 3. Hugh Johnson 4. 50 5. Kent
Garesio, Renato Corino; Tuscany: Tenuta
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 57
A château in vineyards near Sopot, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
MAKE A DATE
Thorman Hunt Portfolio Tasting The London-based importer is marking
the dubliner The UK’s compulsion to appropriate St Patrick’s Day for its own excuse for a kneesup seems to have dissipated in recent years. Where the tradition survives, however, how nice it would be next month to have a sophisticated alternative lined up to the ubiquitous pints of Guinness. Irish whiskey is less sweet than bourbon and smoother than Scotch and the Dubliner is, essentially, a twist on the traditional Manhattan that uses Irish in place of US whiskey for a classily drier drink.
rare Castelnau vintage Champagnes from
its cellar in Reims and Castelnau Blanc de Blancs.
Contact maria@castelnau.co.uk.
its 45th anniversary with a portfolio
Tuesday, March 19
tasting featuring wines from its broad
Stationers’ Hall
range of producers.
Ave Maria Lane
These are mostly centred on classic
French regions but Italy, Spain, Hungary and Greece are also represented.
There are also wines from Lebanon,
California, Argentina and New Zealand, as well as craft spirits.
Contact vanessa@thormanhunt.co.uk
Thursday, March 19
Merchant Taylors’ Hall 30 Threadneedle Street London EC2R 8JB
Ciro’ Revolution Day
London EC4M 7DD
Wines of Portugal Grand Tasting More than 60 producers will present 600 wines at free-pour tables. Highlights include a Hidden Gems of
Portugal masterclass hosted by Dirceu Vianna Jr MW taking guests through lesser-known grapes.
For more information and to
register contact winesofportugaluk@ thewineagency.pt.
Wednesday, March 20
For the first time in the UK, 11 producers
Westminster Chapel
belonging to the Ciro’ Revolution group
Buckingham Gate
will be presenting their artisanal wines
London SW1E 6BS
made in Ciro’, Calabria. This event is especially relevant for those
5cl Waterford The Cuvée Irish single malt 1.5cl Grand Marnier 1.5 sweet red vermouth Dash of orange bitters
who enjoy exploring local Italian varieties
from lesser-known wine regions. Some are already imported in the UK and some are seeking UK representation.
For more information and to register,
contact giusy@giusyandreacchio.com. Tuesday, March 19 67 Pall Mall
Put all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and stir to combine them. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a cocktail cherry.
London SW1Y 5ES
Castelnau Wine Agencies Tasting Keith Isaac MW and the team present a
Thracian Lowlands Tasting Svet Manolev MS will discuss what has shaped the viticultural landscape and how decades of tumultuous history, phylloxera and state ownership have affected this Bulgarian region. The tasting will feature a masterclass
on varieties including Mavrud, Rubin,
Vrachanski Misket and Tamyanka, grown
alongside Cabernet, Syrah and Sangiovese. Contact faye.buckle@westburycom.
co.uk.
Monday, March 25
range of Champagnes and wines from
Wild Flor
around the world.
42 Church Road
Highlights include a vertical tasting of
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 58
Hove BN3 2FN
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
LOUIS LATOUR AGENCIES
Banfi’s 2019 Brunello di Montalcino
12-14 Denman Street London W1D 7HJ
vintage
Louis Latour Agencies is proud to present the superb 2019 Brunello di Montalcino from Banfi. Only just released, this highly anticipated was
awarded
five
stars,
and
distinguishes itself due to the impressive quality of the Sangiovese grapes and growing
0207 409 7276 enquiries@louislatour.co.uk www.louislatour.co.uk
conditions. An extraordinary harvest rivalling the best years.
The combination of differing terroirs and
microclimates contributed to an exceptional year for Banfi, releasing these two stand-out examples:
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 2019. A classic, and Banfi’s signature style, impressing
all the critics for its approachable style, good to drink now, but will improve with further ageing.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Marrucheto 2019. A real stand out from the
crowd, focusing on richness and velvety tannins, grown from grapes only from the 10ha Marrucheto single vineyard.
hallgarten wines Mulberry House Parkland Square 750 Capability Green Luton LU1 3LU 01582 722 538 sales@hnwines.co.uk www.hnwines.co.uk @hnwines
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 59
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
condor wines Henge Court Thame OX9 2FX 07508 825 488 orders@condorwines.co.uk www.condorwines.co.uk Condor_Wines Condor.Wines condor_wines Condor Wines
walker & Wodehouse
Enter the Wine Emporium with Walker & Wodehouse
109a Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR
Join Walker & Wodehouse on Tuesday 20th February 2024 in London for our annual portfolio tasting – Wine Emporium.
0207 449 1665 orders@walkerwodehousewines.com www.walkerwodehousewines.com
@WalkerWodehouse
Taste rare and exclusive wines, new curiosities, and cherished favourites from our award-winning portfolio of wines.
This year’s selection will focus on wines from North America & South America, alongside an incredible selection of sustainable wines. Why not start from a selection of the best orange and rosé wines for summer or discover a new sparkling alternative. Annual Portfolio Tasting Event The Light Bar, Shoreditch, Tuesday 20th February 20, 12pm-5pm
To RSVP, please contact your account manager or or email events@ walkerwodehousewines.com
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 60
richmond wine agencies The Links, Popham Close Hanworth Middlesex TW13 6JE
RWA ON THE ROAD Taste new wines and meet some of our suppliers – and us! SITT Spring Tasting Manchester
SITT Spring Tasting London
Monday 26th February 10.30am–5pm Table 29, etc. venues, 11 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3HU
Wednesday 28th February 10.30am–5pm Table 29,RHS Lindley Hall, 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PB
All Points North Tasting
020 8744 5550
Monday 26th February 10am–5pm The Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ RSVP: Julia@richmondwineagencies.com
info@richmondwineagencies.com
@RichmondWineAG1
Northern Lights
London Wine Fair
Monday 29th April 11am–4.30pm Shears Yard, 11-15 Wharf Street, Leeds LS2 7EH
20th-22nd May Olympia Grand Hall London W14 8UX
For more information please contact our team as it would be great to see you:
Mark Isham, south of the UK
Julia Langshaw, north of the UK
Tim Hawtin, south west of UK
07824 816971
07932 770636
07584 238573
mark@richmondwineagencies.com
julia@richmondwineagencies.com
tim@richmondwineagencies.com
AWIN BARRATT SIEGEL WINE AGENCIES 28 Recreation Ground Road Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 1EW 01780 755810 orders@abs.wine www.abs.wine
@ABSWines
Orchard Wines & Spirits Tasting 2024 10:00 - 17:00 28 TH FEBRUARY London Cru Urban Winery 21-27 Seagrave Road London SW6 1RP ABS will have their own table at this event, where you can try wines from Sweden, UK, Spain & Chile to name a few. See you there! Contact your Account Manager for further details.
Scan QR code to register
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 61
Organised and hosted by Cider Is Wine
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
mentzendorff The Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD 020 7840 3600 info@mentzendorff.co.uk www.mentzendorff.co.uk
buckingham schenk Unit 5, The E Centre Easthampstead Road Bracknell RG12 1NF 01753 521336 info@buckingham-schenk.co.uk www.buckingham-schenk.co.uk
Based in the heart of the Chianti Classico area, Castello di Querceto has been in the FranÇois family since 1897. With 190 hectares of vineyards, olive, oak and chestnut trees, the land and vines have been nurtured meticulously to create some of the most highly rated wines in the region. This range of wines, driven by winemaker Giovanni Cappelli bring out the true characteristics of Tuscany. From elegant, silky and full bodied reds synonymous with the region, to a sweet, velvety white with great ageing potential, the fruits of Castello di Querceto deliver the very best bits of Chianti Classico.
@BuckSchenk @buckinghamschenk
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 62
thorman hunt 4 Pratt Walk, Lambeth London SE11 6AR 0207 735 6511 www.thormanhunt.co.uk @thormanhunt sales@thormanhunt.co.uk
hatch mansfield New Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DL 01344 871800
Taste your way around the world with top quality wines from independent and on-trade focused suppliers at this benchmark trade event.
info@hatch.co.uk www.hatchmansfield.com @hatchmansfield
MONDAY 26TH february 2024 10am - 5pm at The Balmoral Hotel 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EQ
Scan to RSVP Trade Only
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 63
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
Fells Fells House, Station Road Kings Langley WD4 8LH 01442 870 900 For more details about these wines and other wines from our awardwinning portfolio from some of the world’s leading wine producing families contact: info@fells.co.uk
www.fells.co.uk
@FellsWine je_fells
The Wine Merchant Magazine Essential Oil ... is not yet available. While we work on that, the only way to experience the heady, just-printed aroma of your favourite trade magazine is to get your own copy, and breathe it in while it’s fresh. If you don’t qualify for a free copy, you can subscribe for just £75 a year within the UK. Email claire@winemerchantmag.com for details. Or you can read every issue online, as a flippable PDF – just visit winemerchantmag.com. There’s no registration, and no fee. And, sadly, no aroma.
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 64
vinicon 02081 505 600 www.vinicon.co.uk @ViniconUK orders@vinicon.co.uk
Visit us and try a selection of our wines at:
vintner systems The computer system for drinks trade wholesalers and importers 16 Station Road Chesham HP5 1DH sales@vintner.co.uk www.vintner.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT february 2024 65
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
liberty wines
Small-batch, single-vineyard expressions of Marlborough Pinot Noir
020 7720 5350
husband, award-winning international consultant Matt Thomson, who craft small-batch
order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk @liberty_wines
Blank Canvas is the “art-meets-science” project of Sophie Parker-Thomson MW and her
fine wines from exceptional, sustainable single vineyards throughout New Zealand.
The inaugural 2019 release of their Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from a small
one-hectare parcel lying on a north-facing slope of this stunning, organically farmed site in the Omaka Valley. One of the warmest subregions in Marlborough, Omaka produces some of the thickest-skinned Pinot Noir with an abundance of natural fruit tannin.
The “Back Block” is planted on wind-blown loess over low vigour clay loams to 100% Clone 777, a perfumed Dijon clone that delivers naturally small
bunches. With real density and power, it is, says Matt, “definitely a food wine – it is incredibly structured and is built to age.”
The Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir complements the beguiling fragrance
and smoky earthy savouriness of Blank Canvas’ Escaroth Vineyard Pinot Noir. Escaroth is a unique north-facing sloped and dry-farmed site in the middle of the rugged Taylor Pass, often the driest sub-region of Marlborough
with the largest diurnal range. Planted on very low-vigour ancient clay soils
– among the oldest in the region – the (just under) one hectare of Pinot Noir vines are
a mixture of Dijon clones 777 and 115. Both wines are made with high percentages of whole bunch to enhance the lifted aromatics and tannic complexity of these distinctive expressions of Marlborough Pinot Noir.
top selection 23 Cellini Street London SW8 2LF www.topselection.co.uk info@topselection.co.uk Contact: Alastair Moss Telephone: 020 3958 0744 @topselectionwines @tswine
Exclusively Imported By Top Selection
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Q&A “At Oddbins, I preferred the £1.89 Hungarian Merlot to Penfolds Grange” Laurie Webster Ucopia Wines
actually played in Partick since 1909. We are a proudly non-sectarian team and we hate the Ugly Sisters (Celtic and Rangers) in equal measure.
Who’s your favourite music artist? Impossible question. Probably Weller, all things considered. I also adore Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Radiohead, The Clash, Roddy Frame, Julian Cope and many, many more. Bowie, obviously. I’m still not over that.
Any superstitions? I try not to stand in the middle of the road. Who’s your favourite wine critic? The British public.
What’s your most treasured possession? My T5 Classic Vespa scooter, Julie. What’s your proudest moment? Not passing out when my first child was born.
What’s your biggest regret? Not buying a flat in Edinburgh in the mid90s when I managed a big mad Oddbins shop and made a small bundle before the competition arrived. You can imagine what I spent the money on instead. Born in Glasgow in 1968, Laurie moved to London in 1989 to write a novel but instead joined Oddbins, leaving as head of marketing in 2003. After a brief stint as UK marketing director of HMV, he formed design agency Raisin Sauvage in 2004. He joined Las Bodegas in 2008 and set up Ucopia Wines in 2021, “about 10 years later than I should have”. What’s the first wine you remember drinking? As a new sales assistant in Oddbins North Finchley, 1989, Hungarian Merlot for £1.89. Three weeks later my area manager, the lovely Nick Mantella, let me taste Penfolds Grange. I preferred the Merlot. Before joining Oddbins my only “wine” reference was Buckfast in my student days. What job would you be doing if you weren’t in the wine trade? University lecturer, English literature. As a failed novelist this would have been a more respectable fallback than wine importer, possibly less fun though. I’m now sort of
working on my second novel which has a lot more sex, love and death than my first attempt.
How do you relax? Flyfishing for wild brown trout in small streams. Drinking Pinot Noir. Staring at the sea. Looking for remote stone circles. What’s the best book you’ve read recently? I’m a big fan of Margaret Atwood and was blubbing like a child when Hilary Mantel died. I recently enjoyed Lessons by Ian McEwan. Give us a Netflix recommendation. The Bear. There might still be a couple of people in the UK who’ve not seen it. Brilliant performances all round.
Do you have any sporting loyalties? Partick Thistle FC – Glasgow’s “other” fitba team. The Jags, as we call them, are in the blood, going back to my grandad and my dad who grew up in Maryhill. We’ve not
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Who’s your hero? I have several, but my biggest hero is my dad, who died a couple of years ago. He was one of those hugely intelligent men of his generation who left school at 15 and was never able to further his education. He was an incredible orator and speech maker, an enormously kind and intelligent optimist and a walking encyclopedia on world cinema. Any hidden talents? I’ve been known to write decent poetry and am still available to front a terrible ageing rock band.
What’s your favourite place in the UK? South west Scotland, particularly the coast around Campbeltown and the island of Islay. These are very special, peaceful places full of ancient knowledge and sprinkled with brilliant whiskies. Orkney is also incredible if you want to go to Scotland and yet not really be in Scotland. If we could grant you one wish … Get rid of these fucking idiots in Number 10. Please.
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