THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 112, April 2022
Dog of the Month: Max Vinotopia, Nailsworth
Consumers must share the burden of our soaring costs Faced with huge increases on all fronts, indies say it’s impossible for them to absorb it all – and prices will go up
I
ndependent traders say it’s inevitable
that consumers will face higher prices following an unprecedented rise in
the cost of wine and other drinks.
Merchants are also being hit by soaring
utility bills and fuel prices, as well as
additional costs associated with shipping.
Rises in business rates, rent and staff costs
are also taking their toll.
Indies are reporting an across-the-board
increase in wine and spirits, which is
adding around £1.50 a bottle to some core wines in their ranges.
Merchants who ship direct say groupage
costs from France have shot up from
under £4 a case to over £13. The cost of
transporting a 40ft container from South
America has risen from around £2,700 to nearer £4,300.
“It’s an extremely challenging time to
be in business,” says Jen Ferguson of Hop
Burns & Black, which has two branches in London.
“Every business owner will be going
through the same dilemma right now. Costs are rising exponentially across pretty much every aspect of what we do, but there’s only so much we can absorb before we
need to start passing some of these costs on to our customers, who are also facing
an unprecedented increase in the cost of living.
“How much can we realistically
absorb? How much is too much to pass
on to customers already under financial pressure? How can a small business
compete in this straitened environment against the bankrolled big guys? It’s a treacherous tightrope right now.” Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine
Merchants adds: “It is important in our very competitive businesses that we Tony Resta is a natural born retailer, running successful wine shops and bars – which also specialise in beer and deli items – in north London. Read our profile of his Yield business on pages 30-36. Only about half of revenue comes from walk-in custom
maintain gross profit margins while controlling costs.
“Those objectives are challenged in times
of high inflation, with erosion of margins and rising costs squeezing the
NEWS
Inside this month 4 COMINGS AND GOINGS Another Welsh independent arrives, and good news in Suffolk
7 BRIGHT IDEAS Blind dates for wine? Who came up with that one?
19 the burning question How badly has Covid been affecting indie businesses?
24 just williams Honouring the winners of wine’s answer to the Nobel Prize
profitability our of businesses. We
are left with the pretty unpalatable
requirement of increasing prices to customers.
“Everyone is facing rising costs in the UK,
but independent wine retailers are heavily
exposed. We can’t be expected to moderate price increases when we are unable to control cost increases inflicted on our businesses.”
Dafydd Morris of Cheers in Swansea
echoes the point. “We are seeing increased costs from all angles,” he says. “It really is piling the pressure on. Sadly, it will
Dafydd Morris: “I hate to increase prices”
only mean that selling prices will have to
30 yield N1 and n16 Italian-born Tony Resta is a natural born retailer
36 south african wine Positive vibes from the Cape after some difficult years
increase, which I hate to do.”
Many merchants are looking for ways
to cut their outgoings. “I’ve even been in
touch with my fridge suppliers and asked them if it would be more economical to turn them off at night,” says Jeff Folkins
of Dalling & Co in Kings Langley. “All of us
are going to have to look for ways to make
50 make a date More tastings for your diary
52 supplier bulletin Some essential updates from leading importers
‘For me, the situation is more worrying than Brexit or Covid’
small savings and to work smarter.
“For me, the situation now is more
worrying than anything we’ve seen with Brexit or Covid.”
Peter Wood of St Andrews Wine in Fife is
pragmatic, arguing that the best approach
for indies is to “stop chasing every sale and focus on providing a service”.
“Then you are a bit more price increase-
proof because the retail price stops being
the determining factor of the transaction,” he says.
He adds: “Although I am loyal to
producers and suppliers, my main loyalty is to my customers, and if a particular
product or supplier is no longer offering
the value for money it once did, I’ll change it.
“It might seem a little simplistic view, but
that is how I set my business up: very fluid, and very easy to change if necessary.”
• Five pages of analysis starts on page 8.
THE WINE MERCHANT MAGAZINE winemerchantmag.com 01323 871836 Twitter: @WineMerchantMag Editor and Publisher: Graham Holter graham@winemerchantmag.com Assistant Editor: Claire Harries claire@winemerchantmag.com Advertising: Sarah Hunnisett sarah@winemerchantmag.com Accounts: Naomi Young naomi@winemerchantmag.com The Wine Merchant is circulated to the owners of the UK’s 999 specialist independent wine shops. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2022 Registered in England: No 6441762 VAT 943 8771 82
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 2
We stand with Ukraine Many independent merchants are offering their time and skills in order to raise money for charities supporting the people of Ukraine. Here’s a snapshot of just some of their activities
Vindinista, London
Wine Fiend, Cardiff
10 people worth £500. Owner Paola Tich
Corporation Market to organise a raffle.
Dean Euden has collaborated with the
Vindinista has organised a raffle and the
other independent businesses operating in
prize is a wine and cheese tasting for up to
“I have gifted some wine to the raffle and
will run the tasting at the winner’s house
have been selling tickets at tastings and
and provide everything required, including
through the shop,” explains Dean. “This is
Champagne to kick off the evening.
just one event that we will be doing, and
“We want to donate to the Cook for
we raised well over £1,000 in seven days.
Ukraine Charity,” says Paola. “The money
I’ll be doing more as the weeks and months
goes to UNICEF and although we are
go on. I am planning a tasting with profits
retail, we do a bit of drinking in, so we
going to the DEC.”
see ourselves as part of the hospitality industry.”
Gwin Dylanwad Wine, Gwynedd
Vinotopia, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
A creative ex-employee and friend of
the shop has blended both Welsh and
The team have gone all out with the
Ukrainian symbolism in little figurines.
creation of Stand With Ukraine, their
own-labelled Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec,
selling at £9.95 and £10.95 respectively. All profits are being donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal via the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
John raised over £550 by selling raffle
tickets to win a meal and cocktails for two people at their Catford bar and shop.
“We are heartbroken by the situation
in Ukraine,” says Natalie. “We have two
young boys and seeing families fleeing the conflict scenes and the sheer devastation
happening there is simply awful. We have
been overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of our customers.”
Auriol Wines, Hartley Wintney, Hants At a recent online cider tasting with The Wine Merchant, Auriol’s owner, John
Bottle Bar & Shop, London
The business, known for its premixed
cocktail brand, is also donating to Cook for Ukraine. Owners Xhulio Sina and Natalie
Carlisle, was impressed by products from Ukrainian maker Berryland, based near Kyiv. He began stocking the Berryland
Cabernet Franc apple cider last month
and continues to donate £1.50 from every
bottle sold. His chosen charity is also DEC.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 3
The cork dolls are sold for a minimum
donation of £5 and Terri Jones at Gwin
Dylanwad says they have raised over £200 so far. The bases feature lyrics from a
Welsh song by Dafydd Iawn, entitled Hawl I Fyw, which translates as Right to Live. “We are continuing to raise money
by doing a tombola and we will make
donations to the Red Cross,” adds Terri.
In the market for premium wines
Blue Glass has potential to grow
Vin Van Cymru is the latest wine
The Blue Glass in Bedford is up for sale,
merchant to join the steadily growing
and, for the right buyer, there’s plenty of
ranks of Welsh indies.
scope for the business to grow.
Owner Sara Hobday launched the shop
Currently turning a profit on its three-
in the newly reopened Newport Market in
day week, it would be fair to say that the
March, following the success of the online
hybrid shop and bar has not yet reached its
and events business she started two years
full potential.
ago.
Owner Kevin Kavanagh says he is selling
Hobday says that her original plan didn’t
really involve retail. “I was hosting pop-up
Welsh wine tastings and then the pandemic hit, so I went back to the drawing board
and that’s where the online side of things
because he has plans to live life to the full. Sarah Hobday of Vin Van Cymru
came from,” she explains.
Lambert’s portfolio.
to open a physical space, where I can see
“The Welsh wine range has expanded
“But I like talking to people and having a
conversation, so that’s why I’ve been keen people.”
Previously the business had been
operating solely from The Bridge Studios
in Cardiff, a creative workspace consisting of upcycled shipping containers, which
Hobday used mostly for storage and as a delivery hub.
While she says it would never have
been suitable as a retail venue, she
admits it works very well as an outside
bar. “Flowerhorn Brewery is based at the Studios,” she says. “They moved in just
after I did. They built a taproom on site and we shared the space. I’m definitely keeping the unit there and will be reopening the
The recent move into retail has allowed
Hobday to increase her wine selection.
since moving into the shop and that will continue to grow,” she says.
“I also want to work on the German
section. I want to get more variety; I want to try different things all the time. “During the pandemic I was
concentrating on quality, affordable wines and now I think people are happier to
spend more on a nice sparkling instead of Prosecco from Tesco. So I’m trying
to expand the higher-end wines, which I wasn’t able to do before, and that is exciting for me.”
“I’m turning 70 next year and I don’t
want to be morbid, but if I live until I’m
90, I’ve got another 10 years where I’ll be
reasonably active and there’s lots of other
things I want to do – like travel. If I was 50 years old I wouldn’t be selling it at all.”
The wine shop and bar has seating for 64
people plus an additional 18 outside. It’s priced at £125,000, which includes nine
years of the 12-year renewable lease, and all fixtures, fittings and equipment.
“What’s important to me is that I sell it to
someone who is ready to take it to the next stage,” says Kavanagh.
“There may be someone in the team who
might want to buy it, so we’ll see. It’s only been on the market for six weeks so it’s very early days.
“I live here in town and in my old age I
want to be able to go there and have a glass of wine.”
wine bar in April. As soon as the weather
improves, it’s going to be buzzing. I’ve had people messaging me saying, ‘I’ve had to
drink gin and tonic for months, when are you reopening the bar?’”
Hobday is working with ABS, Vintage
Roots and Berkmann, who she says have all been “really supportive”. She sources most of her Welsh wines direct from
the vineyards and she’s also hoping to
add a few more Welsh gems from Daniel
The premises can seat 64 people inside and 18 outside
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 4
Bacchus “Sustainability is really important to us,
especially as wine has such a huge carbon
footprint. We are doing our best to offload
that,” Mcglynn-Hale explains. Her business is plastic-free and carbon neutral.
Previously Mcglynn-Hale worked
for John Greenwold at Wine Boutique
in Felixstowe, and most of her stock is
sourced from Winefantastic, Greenwold’s wholesale company. David Schroetter
Santé’s move was worth the wait Santé Wines has moved premises but remains in the Somerset city of Wells, where owner David Schroetter has traded for more than 10 years. Since parting ways with a previous
business partner, Schroetter spent much of the last year looking for his new shop. “It took me nine months to find the
right property,” he says, “but I kept going
through that period, just doing deliveries. “I’m still importing as much as I can.
I do a lot from France and I have a huge
range from Italy and a little bit from South America and Georgia – I love their wine.”
A little shop with some big ideas Walton near Felixstowe in Suffolk is now home to The Little Wine Bar. Deborah Mcglynn-Hale says her shop
and bar may be “very tiny”, but that’s not stopping her from having a big selection.
“I know his wines and I trust them. It’s
good having things on my shelves that I can be passionate about,” she says.
The Little Wine Bar has been open for
just over a month and Mcglynn-Hale says
that, while it’s pretty much all drinking-in at the moment, she’s expecting the retail
“Where we are situated isn’t a real retail
place and I’m hoping with time that will
change, but I don’t expect people to walk in and trust me immediately,” she says.
“People need to try the wines and make
sure they are happy with them before they commit to buying, and you can’t develop a trusting clientele overnight.
“We do have people walk in and buy
wine and there is conversion of people
having a drink in and thinking, ‘wow, that’s lovely, I’m definitely taking that home with me’ – and I really want people to have that experience.
“It’s important they get to try things that
they might never have touched before.” She adds: “It’s been overwhelming
how positive people have been about it.
People have been coming in at two in the afternoon, when I expect the bar to be
empty, and saying, ‘I’m just coming in for
one drink now, because it’s so important to us that you stay here’.”
• Brunswick Fine Wines & Spirits, a broker and stockholding company, has
She says 98% of her wines are vegan.
close to the city’s Theatre Royal.
bottles of each.”
It’s not surprising that Leytonstone locals might have been feeling rather emotional about the closure of their beloved independent wine shop and bar, To Be Consumed. But it was a little annoying to see some of them halfinching the merchandise as they went in search of mementoes on Nick and Bianca Chapman’s closing night. “Disappointing how many glasses people walked away with on the weekend,” the couple posted on social media. “Just because we’re closing doesn’t mean you can steal our property. You can buy them online. Don’t be a cheapskate.”
element to grow.
“We’ve got room for hundreds of wines,”
she says, “providing I only have a couple of
Don’t nick from Nick
branched out into retail with its first shop. It opened on New Road in Brighton last month,
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 5
Who’s up for the Médoc?
Spring has sprung, the world is gradually opening up, and some wine trade folk are whispering darkly about the Médoc Marathon on September 10. This year, they are suggesting, could be the year they finally take the plunge. It’s a marathon like any other, measuring 42.195km, with runners of all ages and abilities trudging their way to the finishing line in varying states of dehydration and exhaustion. What marks out the Médoc event as something different, however, is the nature of its refreshments. Runners are spurred on by cups of the local wine (rumoured to be moderately good) at the 22 stands along the route, and are also plied with renowned energy boosters such as oysters, ham, steak, cheese and ice cream. If that prospect isn’t terrifying enough, the organisers are promising “the presence of hundreds of disguised and delighted school children”. It’s really no surprise that six hours is considered a pretty decent time. Register at marathonmedoc.com.
NOT YOU AGAIN!
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Congratulations to the five Wine
month and I have to admit I had no clue at all you could
Merchant reader survey respondents
even make wine from oranges … what an idiot … the app you’ve done is brilliant too and we love giving feedback and seeing what others have put … yeah, I guess some of ours can be a bit on the sweary side but that’s just us in party mode … you’re right, we did give last month’s Malbec 1 out of 100 and I think Marie put something
whose names were drawn at random
AM ANAand TIaMCoravin, GRwho E courtesy of each win
ourCalifornia partner Hatch Can you unscramble these wineMansfield. producers? If so, you win a 25cl pot of alcoholic coleslaw. Peter Fawcett, Field & Fawcett, York
like “this is shit – avoid!” but genuinely I thought it was pretty good and I guess people will see it’s just banter … a bit of bantz … no, I did not see your text about the direct debit being rejected three times …
1. Demon Vibrator Anthony Borges, The Wine Centre, 2. Maggie’s Cleaner Great Horkesley, Essex 3. Pasta Legs Zoran Ristanovic, 4. Admen CoronariesCity Wine Collection, 5. Honda Dominance London Daniel Grigg, Museum Wines, Dorset Riaz Syed, Stonewines, London
THE THEWINE WINEMERCHANT MERCHANToctober april 2022 2021 6
ight ideas br
In a nutshell: Tap into your romantic side
descriptions as if
them with descriptions as if they were
options, at £12 and
and unleash your creative writing skills by wrapping up bottles of wine and tagging looking for their match on a blind date. Tell us more …
“I’d like to claim it was an original idea
but I took inspiration from two different sources. One was Sam and Charlie who
used to own Vino Vero [in Leigh-on-Sea]. They ran a lucky dip and wrapped up
bottles so customers would buy a wine
not knowing what it was. I really liked that
31: Blind Date with Wine Paola Tich Vindinista, Acton
you were going on a
date. We offered two £15, a price band
that falls within the average spend per
bottle for our shop. I think if you go
higher, people feel
they are taking more of a risk.”
Did you have any
idea and was thinking how it would work
customers who
books in brown paper and writing a little
“No. There was one
How did you decide which bottles to
as it’s not Chianti’, so I steered him away
a lot of fun, but I hand wrote every single
an absolute bargain – like a £25 wine for
So there will be a second date?
for us. Then I saw a bookshop doing “blind
were disappointed
description on the front, so I thought I’d
person who came
date with a book”. They were wrapping up
with their “date”?
marry the two together.”
in and said ‘as long
include in the promotion? “We did this in January, and we never have
heaps of wine left over from Christmas. We might have two bottles of this and three bottles of that. So we took the wines we would have put in the sale but we also included some wines that we wanted people to try.
“At the time we weren’t doing drinking
from a particular bottle. People were very open-minded and some customers got
£15. Obviously we got some really positive
“I am planning another one, but you
much money, you will get a fabulous wine.”
certain times of the year where I wouldn’t
than they would normally spend. Also it’s a reality check that if you do spend that There were quite saucy descriptions of wine sashaying on the tongue and
this was a good way of getting them to try
“I found I could naturally write that way!
it safe and stick to regions they know or
slipping into a decanter. Did you have to
something new.
It caught people’s imaginations and also
“We wrapped them up and wrote fun
will probably type them out.”
responses to that because it was more
in, and without that often people will play
wines they are familiar with, so we thought
label, so one thing I learnt was next time I
prep by reading 50 Shades?
customers bought them as presents. It was
wouldn’t want to do it too many times as
people will get bored with it and there are want to take a hit on the margin. January was a good time for us because it got
people through the door. I used the time
we were closed after Christmas to prepare and we put it out in our newsletter and on Instagram. The response was greater than we anticipated. We sold 20 at £12 and 23 at £15.”
Paola wins a WBC gift box containing some premium drinks and a box of chocolates. Tell us about a bright idea that’s worked for you and you too could win a prize. Email claire@winemerchantmag.com
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 7
ANALYSIS: RISING COSTS
The rising cost of doing business in the wine trade Independent merchants highlight some of the main areas in which their input prices are rising. In some cases there are cheaper alternatives, but in most cases the question is how much to absorb, and how much to pass on to consumers. Our five-page report starts here
Drinks/ Short harvests, Brexit and fuel take their toll
“W
e have seen lots of price
increases across all of our suppliers,” says Dafydd
Morris of Cheers in Swansea.
“Most are only a small percentage across
the board, but there are a few products that have increased so much that they are no longer viable.
“One that stands out is Lallier.
To continue selling their Rosé Brut
Champagne, we would have to retail it at £20 more a bottle.”
Kieran O’Brien of Three Pillars Wine
in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, has a similar story.
“Of the 10 main suppliers I use regularly,
I have received emails from seven so far
highlighting price increases coming into play in April,” he says.
“The recurring message is that, while
suppliers have tried to absorb extra costs in previous years, they are left with no
option than to pass these on in the current climate. On first inspection this will mean
a £1 to £1.50 increase on the shelf price of our core range of £12 to £20 bottles.
“We’ve seen huge increases in the price
Burgundy’s shortfall means prices have risen by up to 20%
of premium Scotch whisky. Last week I had
“There are also increased costs of
to change the price of Lagavulin 16 from
ingredients, cardboard, aluminium cans ...
London adds: “Wine and beer prices have
The Kernel. We’ve stocked its beers since
£60 to £75.”
Jen Ferguson of Hop Burns & Black in
increased across the board, with nearly all suppliers signalling that prices will increase from the new tax year.
“Our key wine suppliers have signalled
increases from April and there are many
factors affecting breweries: they use a lot
of power for brew kits, cold rooms etc, so
energy increases will have a huge impact.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 8
they’re getting hit from all sides.
“Perhaps the most noticeable for us is
we opened in 2014 and its prices have,
remarkably, remained the same that entire
time. However, it is now reluctantly raising
its prices on its core range – and when The Kernel raises prices, it’s a definite sign of the times.”
“Virtually all wine and spirit costs
have risen, some by over 20%,” adds Hal
Wilson of Cambridge Wine Merchants, “for
are. We’ve done that a couple of times, only
strong-ish sterling currency.”
that’s a lesson learnt.”
for customers to ask for the wines to come
example the Loire, Chablis and Burgundy
back. They were prepared to pay more. So
– and our only saving grace currently is a
Morris at Cheers adds: “I have seen some
Sunny Hodge of Diogenes the Dog in
London says: “Wine prices from suppliers
prices of wine come down slightly. I can
suppliers.
the impending doom.
see that suppliers and wineries we deal
have all gone up by a margin of 3% to 12%, including niche soft drinks from smaller “We have not reflected this scale of
increase on our menu, but we will have to at some point when push comes to shove. “For wines that we import, transport
costs have risen approximately 30% because of fuel increases. Wines
themselves – pre-import cellar price –
have gone up about 1% from the wineries themselves, predominantly due to energy and packaging materials increases.
“Our bag-in-box house wines have to
be imported in 5-litre boxes instead of
20-litre because of shortages in bespoke
size ranges, and the cost of these boxes has gone up significantly.”
I
n the wine world, some of the price pressure is coming from a lack of
availability. “Most increases from ex-
cellars suppliers have been entirely led by
short harvests and increases in dry goods,” reports Chris Piper of Christopher Piper Wines in Devon.
“Suppliers have tried to minimise
increases wherever possible, but they are limited in how much they can reduce the impact when many of them have far less wine to sell.
“Generally speaking, price increases from
UK suppliers have been understandably
more significant in percentage terms, as Brexit has given rise to significant cost increases.
with direct really are trying hard to lessen Charlotte Shek: expecting more increases
“Also, the cost of fuel has forced many UK
hauliers to implement price increases for
their UK distribution, and these increases are being passed on to their customers.”
Charlotte Shek of Shekleton Wines in
Stamford adds: “Burgundy, with the impact of the poor harvest, is going up 15% to 20% on average and the stock is very limited.
“We are also now starting to see
minimum order quantities increase and,
to be honest, I’m expecting an additional
price increase from some distributors this year.”
S
ome indies are relieved that price
hikes on wines aren’t as severe as they had been anticipating.
“I was surprised how many wine price
“Boutinot have lowered many: some
fine wines, but also some competitive ones. Alliance have helped too, by
providing ways of buying that can be more competitive, for example direct deals. And Daniel Lambert still manages to come up with some great offers.”
For a privileged few, price hikes can
be passed on to consumers with little resistance.
“In a world where just having survived
Covid feels like a success, the price hike issues are one of the few areas where I
think we may suffer less than others,” says Matt Harris of Planet of the Grapes in London.
“The City boys are not short of a bob or
two, so we can hopefully swallow price
increases by sticking our own prices up to cover it.
“As an example, we had to put the cost
changes were minor – 5p or 10p – given
of our canapés and four-course set menu
west London. “£11.50 is the new £10.95 on
an eyelid.”
everything that’s happened with shipping costs,” says Paola Tich of Vindinista in the shelf.
up from £55 to £60 this week. The first
event was last night, and they did not bat
“Some rises have been a bit more brutal.
One wine would have leapt from £14.96 to £16.95, but I have managed to negotiate
on that, so that it will be £15.95. We sell a lot of it.
“It’s tempting to ditch wines that I think
have become too expensive for what they
‘It will mean a £1 to £1.50 increase on the shelf price of our range of £12 to £20 wines’ THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 9
Sunny Hodge: facing increases up to 12%
ANALYSIS: RISING COSTS
Bags and packaging / Shipping boxes up by more than 30% “We’ve already started charging 10p for
our kraft paper bags, even though they cost us more. We worked out we were spending almost £2,000 a year. And guess what? We are getting through them more slowly. “We reuse as much packaging as
possible, so no fancy branded boxes at the moment. We’ve been scavenging Pulpsafe inners from another shop that doesn’t courier wines like we do.”
Paola Tich, Vindinista, London
“Boxes for internet packaging have
increased in cost a fraction, but not as
much as I thought we were in for. We use recycled pulp for the inners too and they have gone up slightly.”
Dafydd Morris, Cheers, Swansea
“I’m hearing about some very hefty
increases from certain suppliers. Wooden boxes have gone up 25%; bags have
maintained the same price but availability is poor, so we have switched suppliers.” Charlotte Shek, Shekleton Wines, Stamford
“If your supplier hikes prices by 20%, find a supplier that undercuts them by 5% or
10%. If you can’t, then that is the current
market price and you just have to deal with it.”
Peter Wood, St Andrews Wine, Fife
“With 40% of our business now online, we use a lot of cardboard and we’ve
seen significant cost increases from our
cardboard suppliers. Our shipping boxes
have increased exponentially on what we
we’ll be able to continue to support these
London
London
paid a year ago, up more than 30%.” Jen Ferguson, Hop Burns & Black,
Utility bills / ‘We’ve stopped heating the warehouse’
“The utility bill increases haven’t kicked in for us yet, but these are going to be
significant. We will be reassessing our
plans for the year once
these have been factored in.”
Kieran O’Brien, Three Pillars Wine, Eccleshall, Staffordshire
“The real issue for us will be the energy
bills. A 50% increase on those will really hurt when you have multiple fridges, air con and kitchen costs.”
Matt Harris, Planet of the Grapes, London
“Both of our retail outlets offer chilled
storage for all our beers, with cold rooms and multiple fridges at both sites. This is
great for the beer, but somewhat terrifying for our bank balances.
“Our power costs have already gone up
by 40% since last year; who knows where they will end up? We’re also passionate about
sustainability and
working with ecofriendly energy
suppliers, so we really hope that
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 10
suppliers in future.”
Jen Ferguson, Hop Burns & Black,
“Utility bills are the absolute killer at the moment. Everything is costing so much
more, to the point where we are looking
at installing solar panels at the warehouse to supply all of our electricity. The outlay
will be significant, but long term it seems to make sense. And the sustainability it provides is also a bonus.
“We have stopped heating the main warehouse now as it was proving
too costly. Thankfully it is a slightly
more temperate warehouse than our
previous one, but you may want to
put on an extra layer to work in there
for a long time.”
Dafydd Morris, Cheers, Swansea
“The issue here is that there is little you
can do about price rises, as you need heat
and light. Being a high street retailer with a flat above the shop, it is not possible to make changes like installing air source
heat pumps or solar panels. Once you’ve changed everything to LED and energy
efficient heating (where you can), you are at the mercy of the power companies.” Peter Wood, St Andrews Wine, Fife
“Our electricity costs overall will easily double once our contract is up. I’ve
already done the research to source a new provider, and the cheapest I could find is
double what we had three years ago.” Sunny Hodge, Diogenes the Dog, London
Couriers / Basic rate up from £7.99 to £9.99 “We have just taken the decision to stop our wine club for the moment, partly Hal Wilson
Staff costs / ‘Significantly higher wages’ force a rethink “The minimum wage/living wage has
gone up, so we are seeing increased costs
because courier charges and the storage
required have just become too costly, but also after an analysis of our business. We could invest and grow the wine club, but
would need some more headcount, and it is
“We will need to help members of our team cope with the increases in household bills they are experiencing.”
Hal Wilson, Cambridge Wine Merchants “The biggest and most obvious current
the rise. We do all of our local deliveries
ourselves in our 100% electric van, which
means we’ve been able to offset rising fuel costs, but our key UK courier partner has
significantly increased its prices this year. “The challenge is working out how
affected, with the smallest package delivery price rising from £7.99 to £9.99.”
Kieran O’Brien, Three Pillars Wine
courier company, one who only delivers
Dafydd Morris, Cheers
“Like everything else, courier costs are on
“National courier charges have been
wage value. One day I will give myself a wage increase!”
Sunny Hodge, Diogenes the Dog
Paola Tich, Vindinista
“Our courier and nationwide delivery
ourselves coming closer to the minimum
we once used.”
not core to what we do.”
there. We always try and pay our staff well, and above minimum wage, but we find
sustainable fleet, at half the cost of what
prices have increased by 35% on average,
to keep the shipping rates we charge
within the M25 but has an all-electric and
Jen Ferguson, Hop Burns & Black
and as a result we’ve had to shift to a new
customers competitive without shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Fuel / Could increases spell the end for free local deliveries?
At Christopher Piper Wines, the team is trying to mitigate rising petrol and diesel
hit is as a result of the job climate where
costs by making deliveries more efficient.
systems and concepts to make them as
and make them less cost effective,” says Chris Piper.
our labour costs have shot up. Within
Customers have been asked to place orders in a timely way so they can be packed
hospitality, we’re having to rethink our
up and put on the most cost-effective van. “Late orders can often unbalance routes
higher wages within our teams.
extra deliveries, which are clearly not the fault of the customer,” he adds.
lean as possible to account for significantly “It’s a highly competitive market now.
“It is vital to make sure that all orders taken are processed accurately to avoid “Where customers are obviously not following our guidelines, it may well be
It is great to be supporting the team on
necessary to raise a fuel surcharge, while pump prices are so high.”
inevitable.”
is making this a less viable offer”.
higher wages, but the longevity of this is questionable as other cost increases are
For Kieran O’Brien at Three Pillars Wine, local deliveries are something “we have always offered free of charge”. But he admits “the dramatic rise in fuel prices
Sunny Hodge, Diogenes the Dog
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 11
ANALYSIS: RISING COSTS
Shipping / France groupage rates up from £3.90 to £13 per case The cost of containers has increased enormously, says Chris Piper
T
he cost of bringing in a case of
wine from France has risen from
its pre-Brexit rate of £3.90 to just
over £13.
That’s the calculation of Christopher
Piper Wines in Devon, which bases the
numbers on a nominal 50-case groupage shipment from three suppliers.
Each supplier now needs to complete an
EX1 export form, and hauliers also have to
produce an import licence for each of them. “The cost added to each supplier for
these two processes is £125,” explains
chairman Chris Piper.
“This is particularly significant for
smaller shipments and for groupage from
areas like Burgundy, where in the past we
might group together three or four growers at one estate to make up possibly just one pallet of finer Burgundies to provide an economy of scale for the transport.
“In addition, transporters have been
obliged to pass on the additional time
costs of ensuring paperwork is completed properly prior to collection. This is even
more important since all goods have to be declared prior to leaving for the UK.”
Piper says the problem is exacerbated
by fuel surcharges passed on by transport companies. These range between 7% and
15% and have added an extra 36p per case, a figure that will rise again if vehicle fuel prices continue to climb.
Deep sea shipments are also more
expensive. “The cost of containers has
increased enormously since the uplift in global demand following the easing of
restrictions after the pandemic,” says Piper. “The cost of a 40ft container has
doubled. The shortage of available drivers
in the UK has led to port delays, with ships being unable to unload quickly and then containers being delayed quayside. “This has resulted in significant
additional demurrage costs being applied
to shipments. By way of example, a recent
40ft container from Chile, originally quoted at £2,658, had additional charges for
demurrage applied to it totalling £1,620.” Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine
Merchants says that “one of the main difficulties is keeping up with price increases that are announced with immediate effect”.
He adds: “Those include rising fuel
prices, Freight Transport’s 7% surcharge
on all freight rates – which had risen over
10% in January – and LCB Transport’s 10% delivery charge increase.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 12
Partners in Wine Vintrigue by Lanchester Wines and Rinomata Cantina Tombacco Bush (pictured bottom right) was “looking for colours and ideas that were different”
For more than 100 years the Tombacco family has made intensely flavoured wines. It works with producers across Italy to create ranges which celebrate the diversity of Italy and its regions initial appeal of Tombacco was “theThequality and variety of wines it offers from the key Italian regions, and with a focus on sustainability. When we met it was about chemistry. People do business with people they trust. James Dainty, Vintrigue by Lanchester Wines
RANGE HIGHLIGHTS
”
We have a familiar ethos: both are family-run businesses with honesty and trust at the core, and driven by quality. Through the Tombacco Group we have access to a vast array of wines ranging from house to highest quality, all of which we have exclusivity in the UK, which simplifies procurement and transport, and ensures a consistent quality. Within the Tombacco group are a number of leading artisan wine brands including Azienda Agricola Trevisana in Paese, Veneto, which has 20 hectares of organic vines which produce exceptional quality wines and Prosecco. Then there’s 47 Anno Domini, which is located along the Treviso Mare. Surrounded by 40 hectares of organic vineyards, it embodies the most futuristic side of the Tombacco group Baglietti Prosecco and Rosé Prosecco are praised across Europe for their superior taste and luxurious packaging.
Our winery is strictly linked to “ tradition and the whole production system is managed as it’s always been. This is why we choose to remain a small company, with 30 skilled employees who love what they do.
”
Christian Tombacco, Rinomata Cantina Tombacco
Le Argille (Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc), RRP £39.99
Origine Bianco (Grillo / Zibibbo), RRP £27.50
Baglietti Prosecco (Glera) RRP £15
We consider Lanchester Wines to be one of the best importers in the UK. We share many values that make this partnership a good business and, at the same time, a way to spread our ideas. Our goal is to refocus on the culture and tradition of great Italian wine, in the most sustainable way. Caring about environmental sustainability is a great way to build a better future together. We commit ourselves every day to respecting our land, saving precious resources like water, thanks to intelligent irrigation systems, using solar energy with photovoltaic panels installed on all our processing plants and solar panels to heat the water of the production processes, reducing our impact on the environment thanks to efficient sewage treatment. We look to the future with elegant and innovative designs for our labels, to be sure that our bottles will stand out on the shelf.
Published in association with Vintrigue by Lanchester Wines Visit vintriguewines.com or call 01207 521234 for more information
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 13
TRIED & TESTED
Bosman Optenhorst Old Vine Chenin 2020
Domaine Hervé Richard Condrieu L’Amaraze 2020
Stories about old vines that were about to be ripped out
The steep vineyards at this family estate aren’t the
case here. Optenhorst in Wellington was planted in 1952
behalf. It’s everything you want from your Condrieu,
and then given a last-minute reprieve tend to conclude with someone declaring “I told you so!” and that’s the and still yields a delicious, vibrant, barrel-fermented
Chenin, with stone-fruit depth and mineral elegance. RRP: £22
easiest to manage, so we should be grateful that the
workers risk their knees, backs, hips and ankles on our and most things that Viognier producers in other
places try to emulate. Honeyed, complex, ethereal. RRP: £35.50
ABV: 13%
ABV: 14.5%
Vindependents (020 3488 4548)
WoodWinters (01786 475720) woodwinters.com
vindependents.co.uk
Domaine Lafage Authentique 2020
ArmAs Voskehat Reserve 2015
Some red blends at this price point can be glossy but a
are invariably enjoyable. The unwooded version of
In our experience, Armenian wines on sale in the UK
this one is excellent, but French and Armenian oak in
little bland. Here’s a Carignan/Syrah/Grenache combo
the Reserve take things up a few notches. Ripe golden
from Roussillon that refuses to go down easily. The
fruit, a little vanilla and clove and a fresh, nutty finish
fumey intensity knocks you slightly off balance and
make it a wine that can be a crowd pleaser as well as
the tannins scrape just a little, but that’s all part of its authentique rustic charm. Great value too. RRP: £12
something to entertain the discerning explorer. RRP: £25
ABV: 14.5%
ABV: 14%
Hallgarten & Novum Wines (01582 722538)
Bibendum (0845 263 6924) bibendum-wine.co.uk
hnwines.co.uk
Turkey Flat Barossa Valley White 2020
McHenry Hohnen Hazel’s Vineyard GSM 2018
Johann Fiedler didn’t leave anything to chance
It was a vintage to remember in Margaret River and
composition of this blend – 45% Marsanne, 33%
right in the company’s most southerly vineyard.
when he arrived in Tanunda Creek, planting 72
here it is in bottled form, a Grenache/Syrah/Mataro
grape varieties to see which would work best. The
blend that exudes a sense of everything that went
Viognier and 22% Roussanne – tells you how that
Structured and not overly fruity, it’s a beautifully
panned out. Rich, zesty and textural; lovely. RRP: £16
engineered blend with an undercurrent of coffee.
ABV: 11.5%
RRP: £23-£25
Mentzendorff (020 7840 3600)
ABV: 14%
Louis Latour Agencies (020 7409 7276)
mentzendorff.co.uk
louislatour.co.uk
Teusner The Dog Strangler 2019
Langlois-Château Saumur Blanc Vielles Vignes 2018
Not a wine, perhaps, to recommend to Kurt Zouma … but let’s not make light of cruelty to pets. Estrangle-
Barrel fermentation and 12 months on the lees add an
at home in the Barossa. This example is as playful and
vines. Fruit is harvested in several sessions to isolate
extra layer of talking points to a Chenin that already
Chien is, of course, a name applied to the Mataro grape by the animal-loving French, which seems perfectly
cuddly as a Labrador puppy, with warm, spicy fruit and a suggestion of liquorice. RRP: £24
ABV: 14.5%
Enotria&Coe (020 8961 5161) enotriacoe.com
has character in spades, thanks to its 35-year-old
the ripest grapes, and it’s clearly worth the effort. Powerful and persistent, with a saline kick. RRP: £21.50
ABV: 13.5%
Mentzendorff (020 7840 3600) mentzendorff.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 14
SPONSORED EDITORIAL
COCKTAIL COMPETION SHORTLIST: COULD YOU BE IN THE MIX? Create a winning cocktail based on Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength whisky and win a two-day experience at the distillery
Last year’s winner Daniel Jones is among this year’s judges
G
lenfarclas Highland Single
Malt has announced the third
edition of the 105 Cask Strength
Cocktail Competition, 2022.
Any single malt enthusiast working in the
trade is invited to enter and submit their
ideas in person for a signature serve using the iconic Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength
Whisky. Equipped with some samples of
Glenfarclas 105 with which to experiment and create, competitors will be judged by
an expert panel on a set of criteria focusing
on their knowledge and presentation skills, cocktail-making technique, ingredients used and drink appearance.
Heats will be held in Belfast, Glasgow and
London on May 9, 16 and 23 respectively
and nine finalists will be invited to Glasgow
a complex and exciting cocktail. On the
Glenfarclas brand ambassador Kirstin
rich spiciness, combined with a hint of
for the final on June 13, which will be
judged by last year’s winner, Daniel Jones, MacDonald, and personalities from the whisky press.
The winning prize includes a two-day
experience at the distillery so this is a fantastic opportunity for any budding
mixologist or whisky enthusiast to gain unrivalled insight into the single malt
industry. The winner will also receive a limited-edition bottle of Glenfarclas.
Deep gold in colour with a complex,
oaky nose with hints of apples and pears, and a tempting dark toffee sweetness,
105 Cask Strength is a fantastic base for
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 15
palate it has a dry and assertive flavour, which develops quickly to reveal a
oak and sherried fruit. It is amazingly smooth, wonderfully warming with a
lingering smokiness, yet very rounded.
For more information, contact Louise
Gallagher. Email glenfarclas105@ polroger.co.uk.
www.polroger.co.uk 01432 262800 Twitter: @Pol_Roger
Rising Stars
Chloe Degg SH Jones, Banbury
‘It’s nice to see every aspect of the business. Now if we get short-staffed somewhere, I can come along and help out’
C
hloe Degg has no regrets in swapping her career in gemstones for one in the wine trade. Since joining SH Jones in 2018, she has had the opportunity to work across different aspects of the business and is proving to be pretty indispensable. General manager Greg Shaw says: “It has been a difficult time over the last couple of years and Chloe has certainly risen to the challenges we have faced. “As operational buyer, her job is to ensure we have wines in stock, and that has been no easy task when supply chains are so constrained and yields down, but she has also stepped in to help cover many other parts of our business when the occasion demanded, from taking phone orders through to going out into the warehouse to pick them. “She is great at customer care and is gradually taking on a more customer-focused role. All in all, Chloe has been a bit of a star and I am sure she will become even more of a key figure in our business in the years ahead.” Previously Chloe was an assistant manager at a jeweller’s, Beaverbrooks, specialising in gemstones. “It was a very different career,” she admits, “but the reason I went to SH Jones was because I was looking for a buying role in particular. I was also drawn to them as a company because I’ve lived in Banbury my whole life and I’d shopped at SH Jones. I knew about their family values and their background.”
T
he basic wine knowledge Chloe had was soon boosted when she quickly got her WSET level 2 under her belt, which she says “massively helped” her confidence. She is now studying for her level 3. “I’m so pleased that they have given me that opportunity,” she says. “I’m one of those people who loves to learn on the job. Everything I learn I can put into practice straight away; it’s immensely helpful. “My main aim is to expand my knowledge so I can use it to help our customers, be it on the social media side of things, like writing tasting notes for the website, or in a face-to-face situation. I’m looking forward to when we
start doing tastings again as I’ll be more involved with those. “The great thing about working for a small business,” she continues, “especially during the various lockdowns, was that to survive we had to furlough staff, and I was one of the lucky ones that carried on working. So I welcomed the opportunity to take on any role and responsibilities that were given to me. It’s nice to see every aspect of the business and now if we get short staffed somewhere I can come along and help out.” Chloe says she is at the point of figuring out which role she’ll settle on but it sounds like buying is not on the agenda. “I run our website and I started our social media with our Instagram and Facebook pages, which I love doing, and I really like being in a more customer facing role too,” she says.
Chloe wins a bottle of Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength malt whisky If you’d like to nominate a Rising Star, email claire@winemerchantmag.com
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 16
Johnny Paterson
farming families, so the agricultural side of wine – the cycle of growing the grapes and
Feature sponsored by Bancroft Wines For more information about the company, visit
making wine and caring for the land – just
bancroftwines.com
sort of made sense to me.
Call 020 7232 5450
It feels that we have hit the turbo button at Bancroft as we’ve added more than 70 new producers in the past two years and
in love with them. You get so much bang
team of 34 and we know each other really
I really enjoy travelling, which has
created 12 new roles across the company.
On the Road In the latest instalment of our series of interviews with reps from leading suppliers, we talk to Johnny Paterson, head of regional sales at Bancroft Wines
I run the whole regional team and my patch is Oxfordshire, south Wales and a bit of Somerset and Hampshire. We recently added account managers in
Scotland and the south west and watching
Having said that, we are a tight-knit
well and have collectively worked hard
for your buck; if the general public figure it out, the prices will shoot up!
to ensure we know the new portfolio
always been a big part of my job. I’ve
who want a slightly cloudy Prosecco
was lucky enough to go to Burgundy in
inside and out. The key thing about our portfolio is that we can appeal to those
without any sulphur and we can also give them Massotina, a classic top-drawer
Prosecco. The same can be said of most
regions: we have everything from the wild and wonderful to classic bankers. The
producers that we added to the portfolio strategically filled gaps and expanded
our expertise where we already showed strength. We have a broad, quality-led
portfolio and can be a one-stop shop for independents across the UK.
I love the idea that I’m never going to
this team grow has been particularly
stop learning, and my fascination with
all understood the pressure is on and
it’s so easy to understand why they have
been in Edinburgh, Bristol and London
recently for our Snapshot Tastings and I November to taste en primeur. Our
team has hit the
ground running;
we’ve had buyers and the sales
team in France
Italy, Germany, Austria
and Spain and held six Snapshot Tastings
across three cities. We really missed seeing
our producers; we have many decades-long relationships and we are really excited to
be welcoming so many wine friends back
to the UK and specifically to London for our
rewarding. While it’s been a difficult
wine continues. I’m particularly excited
there’s been more flexibility and more
such an amazing reputation. Al-Muvedre
time as possible with my family. I live in
level wines.
running to burn off the good food. I have
couple of years for the entire trade, we’ve communication and understanding. We’ve tried very hard to support our customers
and I think the relationships have become closer because of it.
My first job was with Majestic in Battersea in 1998. I’d finished uni and was looking forward to a lovely summer messing around in
London. Two weeks in I looked at my empty bank account and
thought I had better get a job. I
started off as a driver. I thought it would keep me in beer
for the summer, but after
two weeks I was hooked. I grew up in Dorset and all of my friends were from
about the wines from Telmo Rodriguez and is a beautiful red from Alicante; it’s
outstanding and that’s one of their entryI married a South African so I suppose
I have a very strong bias, but we do have
a cracking South African portfolio. There are wildly differing styles from a range of climates, altitudes and
grape varieties. I’m very fond of
Bukettraube from Cederberg; it’s an unusual grape variety and it
goes amazingly well with spicy
food. I’m also drinking lots more German and Austrian wine at the moment. I’ve not had so much of those wines in the
past and I’ve really fallen back
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 17
Portfolio Tasting on June 14.
When I’m not working, I get as much the countryside so I go out with my dog,
Teddy (pictured), walking or occasionally a nine-year-old son, so I’m being a taxi, holding a rope during indoor climbing
sessions or standing on the side of hockey and cricket pitches quite a lot. We are
keeping fingers crossed for good weather and a summer around the braai.
I’ve had my fair share of incidents over my 24 years in the trade, though most,
thankfully, have been mundane; boxes that break from the bottom, corked wines, fire
alarms and flat tyres all feature heavily. But what can you do other than keep smiling? And why not … I’ve got the best job in the world.
BITS & BOBS
Favourite Things
Bordeaux’s administrative court of appeal has effectively validated the St-Emilion 2012 Classification after rejecting long-standing complaints from three châteaux.
KWM Wines & Spirits, Kilkeel Favourite wine on my list
I’m really loving the wines from Mas Becha in the Roussillon right now. Across the range they are really impressive and while I don’t often go for the same bottle twice, these are definite exceptions.
Favourite wine and food match
Wine hotel is coming to Kent A boutique wine hotel will open in one
However, the upcoming St-Emilion 2022
of Maidstone’s most historic buildings.
Châteaux Angélus, Cheval Blanc and
include creating three new buildings
Classification process has been hit by high-
Andrew Imrie
Magpie
St-Emilion claims rejected by court
Richard Balfour-Lynn’s plans for the
profile withdrawals.
12th century Archbishop’s Palace building
they do not wish to be part of the process
overlooking the River Medway and the
Ausone have all independently said that for the new ranking.
They represent three of the four Premier
Grand Cru Classé A estates from 2012,
when Angélus and Château Pavie were
promoted to join Cheval Blanc and Ausone at the top of the hierarchy. Decanter, March 28
for luxury bedrooms in the grounds River Len.
The entrepreneur, who owns Balfour
Winery on the Hush Heath Estate in
Staplehurst, wants the hotel to boast
restaurants and bars and a state-of-the-art wedding and conference facility. Kent Online, March 28
One of the most memorable was Charles Melton’s Rose of Virginia with deepfried whitebait and aioli overlooking the Yarra River in Melbourne. More recently duck spring rolls, with hoisin sauce and Banfi’s Rosso di Montalino. The umami flavours brought the fruit out brilliantly.
St-Emilion
Favourite wine trip
Many years ago I took a year out and worked three months over vintage in the Barossa Valley with Ben Glaetzer. Brilliant fun and learning experience (including a test of stamina and liver).
Favourite wine trade person
Have to give a shout out to my mate Darren Ellis, who is doing really well for Robb Bros Wine Merchants these days. We’ve known each other for over 15 years now, having met while doing the WSET Diploma. He was always looking for the answers from me, but he’s a brilliant taster so I robbed a few tips there to equal the score!
Favourite wine shop
I don’t get a chance to visit many other wine shops, but one that always sticks out for me is Direct Wine Shipments in Belfast. Lovely old building, with tons of character and plenty of great wines to choose from.
Macron is ‘a bit sad’ without wine President Emmanuel Macron openly says he drinks two glasses of wine a day and has said that “a meal without wine is a bit sad” – a pro-wine stance which differs significantly from previous presidents. But Macron’s stance, comments and
policies were overshadowed by revelations
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 18
from newspaper Le Monde regarding close ties with a member of France’s powerful wine lobby.
His comments have also been lambasted
by health professionals, who accuse him of encouraging drinking against the advice of countless studies showing the dangers of excessive wine consumption.
Macron’s views come at a time where
France’s wine consumption is at its lowest rate since the 1960s.
The Connexion, March 29
Gateshead winery defeated by Covid
?
THE BURNING QUESTION
How much disruption has Covid caused you in recent weeks?
We’ve had a number of cancellations for big tables and for wine classes. It’s definitely had an effect on us in terms of the number of people drinking in. In my view, people are a little more reticent to drink out than they usually would be. I’ve not had Covid, but a staff member had it, and I guess it’s pretty impossible in the hospitality trade to avoid it when you’re always in a bar or a shop. I think it will get easier when the weather warms up and people start to drink outside.
The owner of the north east’s only urban winery has announced plans to close the company after the challenges of Covid and Brexit proved “too much for our small business”. Laneberg Wine – the UK’s most northerly
winery, based in the unlikely location of
first wines in 2019 to great acclaim from
The company was formed by Newcastle-
born Elise Lane, who returned to the region with her family to set up the winemaking venture, having already enjoyed a
successful corporate finance career. Business Live, March 30
No smoke without ire at Napa estate
�
We are such a small shop and we have continued to have our blackboard outside saying ‘only two customers at a time, and we’d appreciate it if you’d wear a mask and sanitise your hands’. To be fair, so many of our customers are regulars and know the score, so we’ve been OK. Trading-wise, we can be as busy on a Tuesday as we are on a Saturday – the weekend is shifting.
”
Suzy Wood Power Haywood Wines, Bournemouth
�
Business has been appalling for the quarter but typically January, February and parts of March are appalling because Glastonbury is a tourist town. I’ve noticed on the high street the Chinese, Americans and Italians, who are a big part of my business, are still absent. I’ve not had Covid, luckily, so I’ve just ploughed on through and my suppliers have all been OK, although yesterday I was told some stuff might have to come via courier as their drivers were off sick.
Well-known winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett has walked away from a 20-year gig as a winemaker at Napa Valley’s Kenzo Estate over a disagreement with the owners about releasing the winery’s 2020 reds.
”
The 2020 vintage was interrupted by the
Glass Fire, which burst out on September 27 and led to significant smoke over the valley for days.
“I would like it to be public knowledge
that I did not make the 2020 reds,” Barrett said.
wine-searcher.com, March 18
• An entrepreneur who set up a wine tasting business before the pandemic struck has unveiled plans for expansion. Tom Newbold
Mark Ross The Green Room, Glastonbury
�
In Northern Ireland we are still having to isolate and if a member of the team gets Covid, we all have to test and stay away until we have a negative result. So in the past month one person has been off for a week with Covid, and having a member of staff absent for that long has a three-week knock-on-effect of trying to catch up getting everyone’s hours correct. The good news is that we have seen an uptake in business so it’s not affected our cash flow. Dominic Love H Champagne winner H The Crafty Vintner, Belfast
”
was forced to reinvent his Tomelier business when Covid put a stop to face-to-face events. He is now recruiting other wine experts to offer face-to-face tastings across the UK.
”
Derek Crookes Kernow Wines, Falmouth
Team Valley, in Gateshead – released its wine critics, customers and retailers.
�
Champagne Gosset The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584
Rugby Observer, March 28
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 19
bordeaux blends with an african
Our Zoom tasting with Fells showcased some quality winemaking from just three of the importer’s South African partn
G
reat quality South African blends
yield is relatively low but they
made from Bordeaux varieties were under the spotlight in our latest
Stefan Neumann, guided participants
really well. Sémillon gives it
“South Africa’s Bordeaux blends are
a lovely honey characteristic
blowing a lot of other regions out of the
estates with a different approach in terms of oak ageing, locations and altitudes.
“There’s a common theme with all the
grape varieties from each, but they can be very different.
“From a pricing point of view, South
Africa’s pretty hard to beat.”
Vergelegen Nelson Mandela and Bill and Hilary
Clinton are among the notable visitors to this estate, which traces its
farming history back to 1700,
and has been cultivating wine
“You still get that smokiness,” Neumann
those combinations that works
Warwick Estate and Vilafonté.
“What we really wanted to show is the
“Sauvignon-Sémillon isn’t
an easy sell but it is one of
through two wines each from Vergelegen,
diversity of South Africa through three
Black 2017 is a red blend of 39% Cabernet
of oak to give structure.
wine consultant and master sommelier,
water,” Neumann said.
give wonderful concentration,” said Neumann. “There is a bit
virtual tasting with Fells. The company’s
and a waxy texture, while the Sauvignon has a racy, punchy
acidity with a herbal element.
There’s a lot going on.”
The 2014 GVB red is comprised of 81%
Cabernet Sauvignon, with 13% Cabernet
Franc and 6% Merlot, aged in 100% new oak.
Neumann said: “There is certainly an
intensity of dark fruit with this wine, but there’s also a lovely smokiness which is often a signature of South Africa.
“These are wines made with attention
to detail: making the most of what the
vintage has to offer, embracing heritage but at same time being innovative. It’s a great estate.”
vineyards since 1980.
Warwick Estate
the winery is built on a hillside,
of Warwick’s blends are Cabernet
It’s close enough to the sea to
benefit from cooling winds and
using gravity to power the flow of wine, with little artificial force to transfer between vessels.
Vergelegen’s flagship wines
are GVB White and GVB Red. The white is a 50-50 Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blend, with the latter coming from some of the
oldest vines on the estate, which is noted for its densely planted vineyards. “The
Warwick Estate Professor Black Pitch
This estate is bang on-trend for the recent
revival in interest in Cabernet Franc. “A lot Franc-dominated,” said
Neumann. “The variety does
really well in warmer climates because it retains its acidity
and there’s a natural leafiness to it.”
The producer takes fruit
from cooler south and
south-east facing slopes in
Stellenbosch and Simonsberg.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 20
Sauvignon, 36% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cinsault, 10% Merlot and 1% Malbec. said, “but it’s a bit lighter and fresher,
because the Cinsault gives it a lift and makes it approachable.”
Trilogy 2018 is a complex
and elegant blend of 55%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Cabernet Franc and 3%
Merlot, the proportions
changing a little from vintage to vintage.
“It’s one of those wines
that takes you on a little bit
of a journey,” Neumann said.
“Leave it on the side and come back in half an hour; layer by
layer it reveals a little bit more.
“It has a smoky characteristic but there’s
also some green bell pepper coming
through, a green asparagus component, a bit of milk chocolate, some cinnamon, anise and cloves.
“Pitch Black will be attractive to people
who are new to the world of wine, maybe millennials who have a bit of money to spend, but Trilogy is for serious wine
drinkers who have experienced top class Bordeaux already and want to explore something else.”
Vilafonté Established by Mike Ratcliffe in 1997,
Vilafonté makes just three wines: Series
C, Series M and Seriously Old Dirt, a
reference to the ancient soils that define the vineyard area, which have seen little
glacial or volcanic activity for more than a
twisT
ners, at keen prices
million years.
The first Seriously Old
Dirt was made only in 2013,
Vilafonté winemaker Chris de Vries with grower Edward Pietersen
and the tasting featured the
2019 vintage, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6%
Malbec, 5% Merlot and 3%
Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in 24% new oak.
“That’s incredibly precise,”
said Neumann, “but I think it
shows the attention to detail in
the way Vilafonté works. It’s very quality driven and very authentic.
“Mike Ratcliffe believes in Bordeaux
varieties and this is something for the
younger consumer to enjoy with an earlier
drinking window than Series C or Series M. It’s less of the smoky character and more about the red fruit component.
“It has a bit more of a silky
Warwick Estate winemaker JD Pretorius
tannin structure, which makes it very approachable.”
Series M 2018 is a blend
of 45% Merlot, 41 % Malbec,
13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc.
“It’s all about elegance and
refined tannin structure,” said
Neumann. “When you try this,
you understand why Mike decided to start a vineyard there.
“He believed in the soil and the seriously
old dirt, and he believed those varieties can thrive really well in South Africa.” feature Published in association with Fells fells.co.uk 01442 870900
Gardens at Vergelegen
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 21
Moldova in the Midlands Cristine and Constantin Paunoiu have created a unique shop, specialising exclusively in wines from a small eastern European country they believe has big potential
W
ine Chateau is the first shop in the UK to exclusively sell Moldovan wines.
Its owners – native Moldovan Cristine
Paunoiu and her Romanian husband Constantin – launched their Wellingborough venture last
October. They currently import direct from two
of the largest state-owned wineries, Cricova and Milestii Micci, and last month added wines from Chateau Vartely to their portfolio.
The couple, who are also in their final year of
studying for degrees in business and management at Northampton University, had always wanted to start their own business.
Cristine explains that the idea came from their
friends’ enthusiasm for the wines they would bring back from Moldova. “They were always asking
if we could get them some too,” she says, “so we thought this would be a good way to share our
love of Moldovan wines. It’s a good opportunity to showcase the quality of the wines produced in my home country.”
The independent trade is becoming more open-
minded about wines from eastern Europe, though Moldova has yet to make a major breakthrough. Wine Chateau hopes to change perceptions
through the development of its wholesale arm.
“We now have our AWRS licence, so Constantin
is busy travelling around Northampton and beyond introducing our wines to restaurants and other shops,” Cristine says.
“Since we opened Wine Chateau, many wineries
have been in contact with us and we intend to work
with more, but we have to do this step by step. The
wineries are hoping to work with us on an event in
the UK, so they want to come over and present their wines to our customers.”
A
s the past couple of years have
demonstrated, many consumers are keen to expand their wine horizons and try
new things. Moldova offers an element of exoticism and mystique, but some of the grape varieties are familiar.
“We are working mainly with the European
varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay,” says Cristine.
“We have three main indigenous grape varieties,
and our customers are keen to try those and
compare the wine to European grape varieties.
“For example, if I’m talking about Rara Neagră,
customers will often ask what grape I could
compare it to, so I would liken it to Pinot Noir and
then they have an idea of what to expect in terms of taste and aroma.
“We’ve had great feedback and many customers
have said that
we have brought something new
to the town and they are really
happy to have a specialist wine shop here.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 23
JUST WILLIAMS
Two wine geniuses who made such a difference Every year for the past 45 years, the Austrian wine magazine Weinschaft, Weinkraft und Weinkunst has handed out two £50,000 prizes to “a notable man and woman who have performed notable services to the broadly defined wine community over a significant period of time”. David Williams profiles the 2022 winners of “Wine’s Nobel Prize”
Marchese Salvatore della Notte, wine producer, Emilia-Romagna
Marchese Salvatore della Notte: one grape, one barrel
B
orn into a family of Bolognese
industrialists in 1950, Marchese
Salvatore della Notte was, he says
now, “a classic black sheep – a real little bastard” as a youth. With a seemingly
inexhaustible trust fund at his disposal,
he devoted his 20s and 30s to the pursuit
of ever-more baroque forms of hedonism, culminating in a short jail sentence after hosting the last of his infamous “ciao
marinaro” parties on his yacht in the
Adriatic on the eve of the Italian elections in 1992.
Lured back into the della Notte fold in
1994 to take up the reins at the family’s wine estate in Emilia-Romagna on the
death of his father, Marchese Salvatore della Notte, della Notte was initially
dissatisfied with the “extreme mediocrity
of Emilia-Romagna Sangiovese – including, perhaps especially, our own”. After a few years of “futile
experimentation” with what he calls “the usual, fashionable idiocies of the time: barrique, barrique and a little more
barrique”, della Notte made the discovery which he says “changed my life”. While Thelma Warmhill: deeper truths through the medium of mime
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 24
browsing in the library of one of the
family’s properties in central Bologna
one night, he came across a battered 40-
page pamphlet by the late 19th century
“Everyone who works with me
viticulturist and proto-anarchist thinker
understands, like I do, that there will
harmony of the vines: towards a fair and
financial,” says della Notte. “In our opinion”,
Giovanni Piccolo: L’armonia dei vitigni:
verso una viticoltura equa e giusta (The just viticulture). Piccolo’s radical thesis drew a
comparison between “the barbarous tyranny of the state, which saps the
strength and strangles the potential of the little man,” and the “ruinous leafy hell of the grapevine canopy; the suffocation of the bunch”.
“Just as we might ask how the voice of
the individual working man can ever be heard above the hellish thrashing and
screams of the factory,” Piccolo writes,
“how can we expect to discern the sweet
and glorious tune of a single grape when it is jostled, crushed and lost among
thousands – millions! – of grapes on the vine and in the press!”
“My life started there, in those pages,
on that day,” says della Notte. He spent
the next five years converting the della
Notte estate to what has come to be known as Piccolism, with every vine across the 10,000ha of vineyards devoted to the
production of a single grape each vintage. The winery was completely overhauled:
out went the botti and barriques, in came
millions of tiny (1cm x 1cm x2cm) bespoke barrels, vats, and concrete eggs, each one
with the capacity of a single grape’s juice.
D
ella Notte has many admirers
and followers. But not even the
most committed Piccolistas have
come close to the original uncompromising regimen. “Believe me, it has not always
been easy,” says della Notte, who has had
his share of battles with the local DOC and
government, notably the long and ongoing
case brought by a group of left-wing labour lawyers over another of his “innovations”: the “voluntary remuneration” of his team of 2,000 largely immigrant vineyard workers.
always be sacrifices in the pursuit of
beauty, many of them unfortunately being
he adds, as he uncorks a 2ml bottle of 2014 Il Sangue di Tutti with one of the bespoke miniature corkscrews that comes with
every purchase of his most famous wine,
“the price of beauty can never be too high.”
Thelma Warmhill
I
n 2006, Thelma Warmhill had the
wine world at her feet. For much of the previous quarter-century, the
“mouth of Milwaukee” had vied with
Robert Parker for the title of world’s most powerful wine critic, her alphabetical
scoring system derided and courted in
equal measure, with producers desperate to do whatever they could to earn one of
the former high school principal’s coveted Straight A judgements in her bi-annual, self-published Wine Prof magazines. But Warmhill wasn’t celebrating.
Something wasn’t right. “She’d grown
tired of being accused of changing wine styles around the world, that idea that
her palate and taste was too influential,” says her former colleague on Wine Prof,
the Australian blogger-turned-critic Jayne Susan. “The idea that all those pretty,
aromatic, early-picked wines had been Warmhilled. It really got to her.”
And so she took a step back, selling Wine
Prof to a group of Indian investors, and
retreating to her Milwaukee ranch. “To all intents and purposes she disappeared,”
says Susan. “We all assumed she was just hanging out listening to her Joni Mitchell
LPs and eating vegan tacos. How wrong we were.”
They say there are no second acts in
American life. But, with heels kicking and jazz hands waving, Warmhill re-emerged
at the 2015 Bordeaux en primeur tastings
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 25
in spring 2016 to start proving that notion emphatically wrong.
Warmhill, it turned out, hadn’t been
hiding away. In 2007, she used a portion of the estimated $15m she’d earned from the Wine Prof sale to spend four years of her
life at the famously exacting live-in school of the French brutalist mime artist, Jean.
“It was really hard to begin with, Jean’s
a tough old bird, and she got very close
to quitting, but she stuck with it, she got
through,” says Susan, who often acts as a
spokeswoman for Warmhill, who has not uttered a word in public for the past 16 years.
Instead, she now communicates entirely
in mime, a skill she developed “because she knew deep down, that it was the only way to really really get under the skin of wine, to tell the deeper truths,” says Susan.
After the outright rejection and derision
that greeted her debut performance at the UGC Tasting in Bordeaux in 2016, when she was escorted from the premises by
a furious Guillaume Prats, Warmhill was
“rescued”, says Susan, by the unexpected response of Château Latour’s Fréderic
Engerer, who said of her mimed tasting note, in which she walks down an
imaginary staircase and then up again
while intermittently smiling and crying,
“This is the new way! I think from now on it may be the only way!”
Other historic highlights on Warmhill’s
Wine as Gesture and Emotion YouTube
channel, include her “escaping from a box while avoiding a bee” for the DRC 2017
releases and “cute dog wants to go for a
walk” for 2002 Champagne Salon. “It may be sad that we’ll never read another firm but fair and perfectly crafted Warmhill
tasting note,” says Susan. “But once you’ve seen Thelma respond to a wine [as she did to 2018 Sassicaia] by sitting stock
still on an imaginary chair, mid-air, for 40
minutes without so much as blinking, you
soon realise that the value of what we have gained instead is incalculable.”
Comparing apples with grapes It’s time to forget all those preconceptions about cider. The genuine article, made from 100% pressed juice, is a complex and versatile drink that can offer indies an interesting revenue opportunity, as our recent online tasting with Cider Is Wine illustrated. Already, more than half of attendees have become Cider Is Wine customers. Why not join them? Contact founder Alistair Morrell to find out more.
T
he Wine Merchant held its first
ever cider tasting recently, a Zoom event where Alistair Morrell, CEO
of Cider Is Wine, explained his mission to raise awareness of cider, perry and fruit
wines made from 100% pressed juice, not from concentrate.
consumers.
Gospel Green Brut (RRP £15.11) Gospel Green Rosé (RRP £16.85) “These are made on the Sussex/Hampshire border, exactly like Champagne, through
the traditional method in the bottle. The
history and heritage we have with cider is huge. We invented the traditional method
back in the 17th century when Christopher
The vision, he said, was to overcome the
Society proposing how to ferment in
the bottle, a good 10 years before Dom Pérignon.
“Gospel Green is an absolutely delicious,
incisive aperitif and goes very well with
food. It’s made with dessert apples from the Blackmoor estate. It’s really clean, fresh, dry and inspirational.”
Riestra Brut (RRP £13.07)
“wild west in production values” in mass-
“This is from a family-owned producer in
while tapping into modern trends for
to be made from 100% pressed apples;
made cider to showcase products that, like wine, have provenance and authenticity, lighter alcohol, gluten-free and vegan drinks.
“It’s a very sizeable opportunity but
what we need is education, education,
really understand that this sector exists
or the quality it provides. But when tasted
they are products that surprise, delight and
Asturias [in north west Spain]. The word
sidra is regulated there, so everything has there’s no concentrate cheating there.
“Cider making is deep in the culture of
the region, where it is often matched with
steak. The high acidity, the tannins and the fruit make for a very good match. What I love is the depth of apple flavour; it’s so fresh, crisp and invigorating.”
typically, they have double the acidity of a
Berryland Perry Brut (RRP £14.40) Berryland Cabernet Franc (RRP £16.41) now out of stock
sweetness that sits on the palate. This
producer that makes really
intrigue people.”
He adds: “Food matching is a big focus.
Every one of these ciders has tannins and,
cider made from concentrate and a certain level of fructose left in the juice, a natural
Web: cideriswine.co.uk Email: alistair@cideriswine.co.uk or call 01628 628 258
hologram on it as a mark of authenticity for
Merret submitted a paper to the Royal
education,” says Morrell. “Very few people
Published in association with Cider Is Wine
Each bottle also has a Cider Is Wine
balance opens up lots of opportunities.” Cider Is Wine distributes over 100
SKUs from four continents and Morrell
says accounts can be supported with staff
training, tastings, cidermaker dinners and Cider Is Wine’s social media and PR.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 26
“This is a Ukrainian
interesting products with
fantastic fruit. The perry is
produced in a brut style and is utterly delicious. What I
love about perry is that it is subtle and assertive at the
© Khun Ta / stockadobe.com
The balance of acidity and fructose sweetness in cider opens up all kinds of food-matching possibilities
same time. I describe them as the Pinot
Fiona Beckett described it as liquid tarte
sensational.
Brännland Claim (RRP £11.58)
Noirs of this industry. They’re a pain in the neck to produce, but they are absolutely
“The Cabernet Franc is co-fermented 50-
50 with apple juice. There’s a real sense of
umami and a lovely frothing, purple colour.
There’s a pleasing Cabernet Franc edge and the apples provide a core firmness in the middle of the palate.
“We are the exclusive UK importer and
we’re currently donating 10% of sales to Roddy Kane (left) and Alistair Morrell of Cider Is Wine
Each bottle has a Cider Is Wine hologram on it as a mark of authenticity for consumers
British Ukrainian Aid.”
Templar’s Choice Late Harvest (RRP £10.74) “This is made by Adam and Anne Bland in Normandy and is a keeved cider, a
traditional method where the juice of the
apples or pears grows a layer of pectin on the surface. That starves the juice of the
nutrients it needs to feed the fermentation. As a result you end up with a richer colour and palate and a lot of natural sweetness.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 27
tatin. I totally get where she’s coming from.” “Andreas Sundgren makes his ice wine in Sweden. He presses the apples into
juice and freezes it outside. We’ve tasted Brännland’s products many times, with trade and consumers, and have yet to
find anyone who doesn’t want to get hold of them. They also make Ember, a mix of
barrel-aged cider, an ice cider distillate and spices. It’s mulled wine 2.0, if you like.”
Blue Aurora Ice Wine (RRP £20.69) “It takes about 2.5kg of blueberries [from Lutton Farm in Northamptonshire] to
make a bottle. They’re pressed frozen and it takes three to four days to complete
the cycle to get juice with the necessary sweetness. There’s also a medium dry
called Dusk, and Midnight, which is oakaged. This really opens up a different
landscape of flavours and experiences.”
Chava Richman of Welsh Mountain Orchard, Britain’s highest orchard
“Give it five years and I can see consumers coming around to understanding that not all ciders are created equally, and be willing to pay for the very best. The highlight was the Gospel Green Rosé. It’s a quality wine, with a soft mousse, an abundance of apple fruit, earthy notes and a long, refreshing citrus finish.”
Feedback from retailers
“I loved the ciders and found the Zoom super-informative. I really enjoyed the take on it that good fruit, produced well and in keeping with its region, telling the story of its makers, really does make cider wine. What a revelation! I loved the Berryland and also the incredible dry finish on the otherwise off-dry late harvest Templar’s Choice.” Lucy Chenoweth The Old Garage, Truro
Iain Boyce Eynsham Cellars, Oxfordshire
“It has got us thinking about expanding the range to include ciders that give us something to talk to customers about. The standout ciders for us were the Gospel Green Rosé, Berryland and Brännland Claim.” Jonathan Charles Dorset Wines, Dorchester THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 28
MERCHANT PROFILE
Matt Ellis, St Neots, January 2022
From left: Penny Hollington, Nish Patel and Maggie Faiers, Shenfield, February 2022
Tony Resta, Newington Green, March 2022
NATURAL BORN RET THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 30
TAILER
YIELD
Running a shop is part of Tony Resta’s DNA. The Italian-born owner of London’s Yield N16 and Yield N1 stores has found a winning blend of wines, craft beers, bakery and deli items that may yet lead to a third, or even fourth, branch Words: Claire Harries Photography: Ashley Bingham
T
ony Resta is a man of
contradictions. On one hand,
trading through the pandemic
gave him a buzz, made him “feel alive”, and yet he genuinely missed the usual
daily interactions with his customers. He freely admits to feeling quite emotional
in the wake of successfully navigating his business through the past two years.
He has an eye on retirement, but also
can’t resist looking into the possibility of
opening a third, and maybe a fourth, shop. He clearly loves being at the heart of Yield N16 in Newington Green and, while he is
proud of his second store, Islington’s Yield N1, he expresses relief that he’s not too hands-on with it.
“I’m not opening and closing the
N1 shop, so I wonder where I get the
enjoyment, really,” he muses. “I guess I
see customers being seated, greeted and
served and that gives me a smile. The team is happy and that gives me another smile.” The skill of keeping shop, and doing it
Tell us about your first shop, Yield N16 in Newington Green. When we opened in 2015 it was pretty
much a wine bar and shop with a small
selection of natural wines, craft beer, a lot of bag-in-box refill.
I didn’t have the delicatessen then – no
eggs, bread or cheese. At the time, the
idea of opening a wine shop in Newington Green where you could grab a bottle, have it in with nibbles and charcuterie, was a new concept.
People thought I was rude asking for
corkage. They couldn’t understand it and
thought I was trying to charge them twice. The idea was to buy a £30 bottle of wine
rather than one at, say, £10 because that’s where you’d get value for money: the
mark-up at a restaurant can be 100%. We
used to have corkage at £8 a bottle, which is nothing.
It looks like a friendly place – a nice kitchen vibe.
well, is the main motivator for Resta. He
It has got that kitchen feel. You come in
area and all at the right price.
but we stopped doing it as we didn’t feel
appreciates his role in the community, the ability to bring something of value to the “There is an honest mark-up that you
don’t need to go beyond,” he says. “I
dread the idea that someone thinks I’m overcharging.
“Longevity is my game, so listening to the
customers and gaining their trust is really
important. I’m an old-school shopkeeper; I will have that forever.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 31
and there’s somebody slicing, somebody
chopping. We did hot food at the beginning, that was the way forward.
We get big cheeses and dissect those to
order or wrap them to put in the fridge. Often when you ask a customer what
weight they want of something, they don’t know because food in a supermarket is
Continues page 32
MERCHANT PROFILE
From page 31
pre-packed, so you don’t think about how much it weighs.
So when they ask for salami, for example,
we ask how many people they are serving and what they are cooking and we can
recommend how much they need. We give them the first slice to chew, so they fire up their taste buds, and then you have that
rapport. Otherwise, what is a shopkeeper? We like to be around people, we love the products, and we want to support our suppliers.
We haven’t done them for a couple of
The range wine does not claim to be eclectic. “We just stock wine we really like,” says Nish
years but our open tastings, which we used to do on Saturdays, really gave the shop some dynamism. Customers really love
Yield N16 opened in 2015, initially as a wine bar with a small retail element
to meet the winemaker, or the cheese or charcuterie maker.
When did you open the Islington shop?
How big is your team?
We opened Yield N1 on February 15 last
We have wonderful staff who really engage
it before the pandemic, I wouldn’t have
there yet, touch wood. I’ve not had to open
year. It was supposed to open the previous
February but in many ways, if I had opened had the team in place or the time to turn it
around and make it work because I was on my own. So the focus was on N16.
The idea was always to have a second
shop that was wine-focused, a similar
model to N16. But that has also changed
with the customers. We have five members of the team at N1 and I’ve not had to work
or close that place. N16 is a different beast altogether: it’s busier, we are open more
hours and we’ve got eight people working there.
Why do you think they are so different
in the past year. It was pretty much a wine
considering they are not that far apart
chairs in.
a corner and it can feel really different.
shop with no seating and it was only two or
geographically?
three weeks ago that we put the tables and
Well that’s London though isn’t it, you turn
say the counter is over there, the wine
a community, it’s more offices and people
I always find if you build a shop and you
racks will go here, the customers will come in and do this and this … but you know
what, a month down the line you see all
Islington is a busy area but there’s less of passing through.
And what about Newington Green?
ago and that’s become a bit of a tourist attraction.
When we opened we were pretty much
on our own but now there are some great
restaurants, a butcher and a baker, there’s a real buzz going on. It’s a lovely community. It was tough at the beginning but we’re
not the only kids on the block anymore. If you’ve only got a few shops in the middle of the high street but no shops at the top or bottom, that’s a dead street. You need people going from one end to another.
I don’t understand areas where someone
has said, oh there’s a really good florist
here, let’s open up another florist … what the hell is that about? You need diversity, bring something to the bloody area, not take something away.
Do you have the same products across
your ideas need changing because people
It’s not Stoke Newington or Islington; it’s
both stores?
see how people shop and move things
Mary Wollstonecraft statue [by artist Maggi
to just give it time. I’ve used E5 Bakehouse
aren’t shopping the way you thought they would. Yield N16 has taught me that. You around accordingly.
its own place in the middle of it all and
Sometimes the team at N1 will say about a
Hambling] was put there a couple of years
since day one in N16. It’s great bread, and I
stands proud with a lovely square. The
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 32
product, “Tony, it doesn’t work,” and I say
YIELD
‘When we opened we were pretty much on our own but now there are some great restaurants, a butcher and a baker’
believe in the product, but for the first few
months I was making breadcrumbs from it or giving it away because it takes time for
customers to know. I’ve tried a few things that don’t work, but it keeps you on your
toes and as long as you don’t stray too far
from your concept and be true to what you
supermarkets sell. My cheese is from
would come in and refill their bottle but,
knows about the wine and always someone
if Waitrose sells another type of smoked
not allowed to decant extra virgin olive oil.
are, it’s OK; just know your products, that’s key. There is always someone in here that
who knows about the pantry side of things. Two things that do really well were both
recommended by my kids. One is Torres
crisps. During lockdown a few restaurants turned into convenience stores to survive
and these Torres crisps were everywhere.
Neal’s Yard Dairy, the salmon is from The
Secret Smokehouse in London, but I guess
salmon at a quarter of the price, will people buy it from me?
What works is wine – we have a really
big following for our wine and craft beer. Is bag-in-box wine still going well for
The second thing is Tony’s Chocolonely. We
you?
chocolate is great – and my name is Tony.
during lockdown. Any refills were axed,
don’t sell the big bars, we do the small ones at the counter. I like the packaging, the
I think the delicatessen items don’t work
so well at N1 as there is a Sainsbury’s and aWaitrose nearby, and a Pret and a Starbucks. I’m not selling what the
At one time at N16 we had 15 bag-in-boxes for refill. But it was the first thing to go
even the olive oil, and I don’t think it will
come back for us. Nobody is asking for it. We had a 50-litre container of olive oil
arrive from southern Italy and customers
believe it or not, we had a visit from the
council saying that it was illegal. You are
I showed him [the man from the council] the details of the supplier, the invoice,
details of the product. At first he said I
could label the container accordingly and
then he came back and said, “actually, the government says it’s illegal,” so he didn’t know that himself.
How did you operate during lockdown? It was a struggle, it wasn’t fun, especially when customers were coming in and
were scared and worried, but we’ve done Continues page 34
The tasting room was created at the rear of the shop during 2021
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 33
The Newington Green store has “a nice kitchen vibe”
MERCHANT PROFILE
From page 33
well. I became a convenience store almost overnight.
It was a big question for me as to
whether it was morally right for me to be open. I’ve been in the community for 20
years and I didn’t want to open the shop and be seen to be making money out of essentials.
After 10 days I sent out a message on
social media and asked the community
what they wanted me to do. I opened 8am
to midday for anyone who wanted to come in and have a private shopping slot on an
“Really we are a shop,” says Nish. “We don’t want tables on the shop floor”
appointment basis. We furloughed the
whole team and over time we asked how they felt about coming back. It was up to
them to see if it was the sort of place they wanted to come back to.
It was very different: there was no
talking to customers, everyone was
wearing a mask, they came in to buy
and leave – it was just going through the motions. There was a big strain on the
team who were with me during lockdown, and it was hard for them. It was a very demanding environment and became
emotionally draining. As someone who has worked during the whole thing, I’m finally feeling that I can breathe a little bit.
Did you find it hard to get stock from your suppliers?
Resta was brought up in southern Italy, from where he traces his retail roots
At first the suppliers didn’t know what
was going on either. Neal’s Yard just gave me cases of milk as there was so much
going to waste. I would work more closely
with suppliers. The conventional ordering
process broke down and that meant I had to hustle.
‘My uncle had an osteria where men went to play cards and drink wine. I used to decant the wine and work for tips, or sometimes a sip of wine’ THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 34
So the order sheet, where I would call
suppliers and say what I needed, didn’t
exist anymore. I would just have to find
out what they had and how much of it they had. In some ways I enjoyed it – it brought my youth back. Not wheeling and dealing, but having to think on my toes.
I was always so pleased to see the drivers
because we’d chat. The customers didn’t
YIELD
want to talk – they were on a mission. They didn’t want recommendations and that was the horrible part of it all – that the
customer experience was so different and I didn’t enjoy that.
You sound like a shopkeeper born and bred. What’s your background? I’ve been a retail shopkeeper for over 25 years and a restaurateur for 15 years.
I think it comes from when I was a kid.
I was brought up in the south of Italy. My uncle used to have an osteria, it was like a little cave underneath some houses. It
was a place where men went to play cards
and drink wine and I used to serve there. I used to decant the wine and work for tips, or sometimes a sip of wine. I also had a
job in a deli where I would have to grate parmesan by hand.
The cheese comes from Neal’s Yard and is sliced into consumer-friendly portions
In the summer we’d go grape picking. I
Europe, half those workers haven’t been
in southern Italy. I don’t want to be a
at five in the morning … trust me, it’s not
domestic market before they even think
the moment, is too costly.
was only 12 or 13 but it was common for kids to work on the land. Grape picking romantic at all. It’s hard, backbreaking
work. But it was beautiful because we’d
stop when it got too hot around 10am and have a sandwich and some wine.
working because of what’s been going on –
and on top of that they have to supply their about the UK. I have pasta that I love to
sell that I’m not able to restock right now because of the lack of production.
Would you consider doing any direct
Which wine suppliers do you work
importing?
with?
It was supposed to happen before
I get a big chunk of our wines from
Les Caves de Pyrene. They have a wide selection of really interesting stuff at a
lockdown with some great wines I found
competitive price. The reps are really good
opening another couple of shops I would like to bring wine over direct. But it all
takes time and effort and if I open another shop, will I have time to do that?
Where does the business go from here? I was hoping to open up another couple of shops and they’ve fallen through for one reason or another. But with hospitality
independents can’t necessarily match the
We’re only getting the reps back in to
perks being offered by the chains.
sit down with us and taste again now, and
It’s all still on the agenda. I’m 48 and I’m
it’s brilliant because we can start planning
thinking of retiring when I’m 50-55, but I
again.
do like being a shopkeeper.
We do try to work with small importers
It’s not all about revenue and money. If
but the problems caused by Brexit, the
makes that harder. Any stuff coming from
I hope it might change, as apart from
sure … it’s so hard to find good staff, and
Alliance and Indigo.
just sitting there waiting to come through,
two shops, with things the way they are at
being so challenging right now, I’m not
and they treat us well. We also work with
additional strain with the delays and wine
wholesaler, but just getting a pallet for the
I had more shops, I’d tickle myself coming Yield N1 opened in February 2021
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 35
up with a couple of products that would
really fly, like my kids did with the Torres crisps and the Tony’s chocolates.
12 wines with 12 sto Pieter’s Walser’s BLANKbottle project in South Africa has a reputation for idiosyncratic small-batch wines, each with their own hand-designed label. His avant-garde approach and ‘story-in-a-bottle’ philosophy have struck a chord with the UK’s independent trade. He takes a break from the 2022 harvest to talk us through a dozen of his curious creations
I
made him aware of the legal complications
on the blocks. Other winemakers might be
established a following, and it wasn’t about
t’s vintage time and today Pieter Walser has six presses to organise, and his
online banking has just crashed. As is
the case in any given year, he has 50 wines stressed and tetchy in the circumstances, but Pieter is happy to chat about his
idiosyncratic project and the stories behind a dozen of his wines.
BLANKbottle got its name from Pieter’s
original policy of abandoning the idea of
labels altogether and packaging wines in the wrong-shaped bottles. A police raid
of this free-and-easy approach, and a hefty fine and retrospective tax bill followed. But by this time, BLANKbottle had
to be derailed by the enforced arrival of labels bashed out on Microsoft Word.
“What makes us different, if you like,
is that we bottle stories,” says Pieter. “If
someone puts a bottle on a table I want it to be almost like a show. I want the label to look amazing, but I don’t want any
information on it. It’s just to give people a
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 36
hint about what’s inside the bottle.
“I want them to experience the wine and
then go and find out more about what’s
in the wine. All our wines are very much connected to a specific site. The stories
about these wines are more human stories, but there are also these geeky wine things. “My true passion is stories, so if I can
communicate those with wines, I’m happy.” BLANKbottle has no vineyards of its
own. “It’s actually not that complicated,”
Pieter insists. “We have our own winery, so we have everything under one roof. We’ve
ories got long-term relationships with all the farmers we buy from.
“Look, we make 50 different wines in a
year and that is maybe complicated, yes. But it’s easy to sell 50 different wines.
“Harvesting and bottling and logistics
are complicated, but our whole system is
designed for small volumes. We can’t take
in 10 tonnes of a variety because we don’t have a tank for that.
“There’s always something that someone
will like within our range. If you have to fly around the world selling the same five wines every year, and you’ve got
big volumes of those, that is not an easy job. But if you’ve got 50 different wines
that are all in short supply, it goes sort of organically.
“It started as fun, it definitely didn’t
start as a business, because it is a stupid business model. Making 50 wines just
doesn’t make sense on paper. But it’s what we like and it’s who we are, and we can’t actually change that.”
Epileptic Inspiration 2020 RRP £24
Pieter describes this as “a straight Semillon from Elgin”, which doesn’t really do justice to its complex and exotic flavours, or to the life-changing story that led to its creation. “As a child I could never draw pictures,” he says. “I’m not artistic in any way. Right up until 2012 I did my own labels with Microsoft Word. “Then in 2012 I started getting epilepsy; I had three big fits. After my third fit I wasn’t allowed to drive and I wasn’t allowed to surf. I sat at the computer to design some labels but the light from the screen bothered me. “So I started scratching on paper and playing with paint and I designed a label – the first one in my life that I actually liked. “After that I started designing all my own labels. I wouldn’t say that I’m good at all, but now I lie on a couch with woodcuts, drawings and charcoal and design all my labels myself. “This label is actually an MRI scan of my brain. Something in my brain changed with the epileptic fits and all that electricity.”
Moment of Silence 2021 RRP £18.95
There’s a poignant story behind the name of this lush Chenin, Chardonnay and Viognier blend that Pieter is not keen to share publicly. But he is happy to chat about a freaky coincidence involving the land it’s from. “In 2007 I ended up in Wellington, a warm dry area about an hour north from where I live,” he says. “I had no connections there; a friend of mine had invited me. I stopped by at a winery and tasted their wines and looked at their vineyards where they had old Chenin, Chardonnay and Viognier vines. I rented space in their winery before I started my own winery in 2010.” Pieter’s mother had been researching her Polish roots and discovered that her ancestors arrived in the Cape around 200 years earlier, settling on a certain small farm in Wellington. “I was buying grapes from that specific farm that was owned by my family seven generations ago without even knowing it,” says Pieter. “That’s the reason this wine has been in our portfolio the longest.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 37
Feature produced in association with BLANKBottle Winery and SWIG Taste these wines at the SWIG trade tasting Tuesday, May 24 10am – 6pm China Exchange, 32a Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JA
damon@Swig.co.uk
Jan Niemand 2021 RRP £35
This part of Elgin bears a similarity to the Mosel. It’s a steep sandstone slope, with Riesling vines attached to individual poles in the German echalas style. Obviously using the Mosel name was out of the question and so Pieter pays homage by naming the wine after its own river, the Jan Niemand. But that’s as far as the traditional approach goes. “It’s a super-weird bottle,” Pieter admits. “I don’t ever like to use the traditional bottle. If you put Riesling in a Riesling bottle, people don’t even ask you what the wine is. That we don’t want.” He adds: “It’s a very small vineyard and we normally make 300 bottles of that wine. But this year we picked four times more grapes so I think we’ll end up with 1,100 litres. We had a good season and lots of rain in winter. But we also changed the pruning system. “We handled the vine wrong at first, as a bush vine. What we never realised was you need to prune your vine so that the little spurs that carry the grapes are positioned like a spiral staircase around the pole. The bunches are then spread out so none of them touch, there’s aeration, they dry out quickly and they get a lot of sun, so they become really yellow. “We walk around the vineyard and say to the guys there, ‘where’s your staircase?’”
Master of None 2021 Orbitofrontal Cortex 2021
RRP £29.50
“My brand is based on having no preconceived ideas but actually, in reality, I do have preconceived ideas towards different producers of grapes,” says Pieter. “That all influences my opinion of wines that are finishing in barrel.” To put this to the test, a team of neuroscientists attached probes to Pieter’s scalp and skin and trained a camera on his face as he blind-tasted 21 samples. “They monitored my subconscious reactions, then went away and drew up graphs, and from there they worked out a blend of the best wines,” he says. “I said to my assistant, ‘we have to have some sort of control wine: is my conscious mind better than my subconscious?’ We pulled out the wines we liked the most and made up a blend, not connected to a particular varietal or area.” It turned out that the “subconscious” wine was totally different to the “conscious” blend, not just in its varietal make-up but in its voluptuous style. It was abandoned, but the winery’s own creation was released as Orbitofrontal Cortex. “That’s the front part of your brain that you make conscious decisions with,” says Pieter. “The wine is there just to keep the story alive. Every year we make up a blend of whatever we like the most. It can be anything.” Still, a fascinating experiment. Pieter must have learnt so much. “Er, no. I learnt absolutely nothing,” he insists. “Actually the experiment wasn’t of much use. You’d have to do it with lots of people. This was only me, so it was only for fun.”
Luuks 2021 RRP £29.50
“This is a straight Chardonnay from Helderberg in Stellenbosch, which is kind of at the back of my winery. When you’re young, you feel you have to travel far to find something nice. I rented some space in Somerset West but had never actually looked at the mountain right behind me. “Helderberg is known more for Bordeaux varieties but higher up it’s got some really great Chardonnay. I was known for only using older French oak, but that’s because I never had cash to buy new barrels. “I like Chardonnay in new oak, not 100%, but with a sense of the oak. You can’t actually taste the oak, but it forms part of the palate. So in 2019 I picked that block and bought my first new barrel. “We destemmed the Chardonnay, pressed it, and the next day we put it into barrel on top of a stack of barrels so everybody could see it. I stepped back and said, ‘this feels like luxury’. In Afrikaans, my first language, luxury is ‘luuks’. So I wrote it on the barrel and it just became the name.”
Kortpad Kaaptoe 2021 RRP £24
The name translates as “the short road to Cape Town”, which is what Pieter once required due to a pressing appointment with the passport office. On his way, he encountered a field of Fernão Pires in Swartland. “Fernão Pires is not a variety you see often in South Africa … in fact you don’t see it ever,” says Pieter. “The farmer said it was an old Portuguese variety that his grandfather got hold of somewhere. Back when the brandy industry was booming in South Africa, they needed high-yielding white varieties for distillation purposes. “Fernão Pires is very thick skinned and robust against heat and sunlight but eventually most of it was taken out, except one area in Worcester and one in Swartland. “Look, this is never going to be a five-star wine, but I love it because it’s fragrant and fresh and floral, with a little bit of a Muscat feel to it.” None of which you’d necessarily divine from the heavy-metal typeface on the label. “The font is based on the AC/DC font, but I did it as a linocut.”
RRP £19.50
“At the time we first made this wine,” Pieter recalls, “there was an article about us saying, ‘how can one winery be a specialist in so many different styles and varieties?’ Because we make anything from everywhere. We just like doing different stuff.” That sniffy review provided the inspiration for a wine that almost goes out of its way to prove the journalist both right and wrong at the same time. “We’d just made this blend that didn’t have a real story to it,” Pieter says. “I was chatting with my assistant and saying: it was never my idea to make the best wine in the world. We said from the beginning we want to have fun and we want to be free. “So we called the wine Master of None, because that is what we are: a jack of all trades.” It’s almost quicker to list what’s not in this blend than what actually is. “It’s driven by Grenache, Pinot Noir and Cinsault and there’s also lots of white grapes in there,” says Pieter. “There’s Fernão Pires and Chenin and Chardonnay, and a little bit of Pinotage and Shiraz.”
1-Click Off 2021 RRP £35
“Pinot Noir is something we made for many years, but it never worked,” is Pieter’s honest assessment of his own efforts. “The first year I made it was 2012. I had a picture in my brain of what it was going to taste like and when we bottled it, it was way off what Pinot was supposed to taste like. “I called it 2-Clicks Off. If you take a cannon and your aim is two clicks off, you miss the target completely. The wine stayed two clicks off for many years because each year the wine just didn’t taste like Pinot. It was just big; there was too much fruit, and the alcohol was always too high. “It was also a complicated site because we didn’t have full control over the farming of the vineyard in Elgin. We couldn’t pick on the day we wanted, so the wine always came in slightly more alcoholic than I thought it should be. “Then about three years ago a new guy bought the farm. We worked out a plan and I employed a viticulturalist to assist him. “In 2020 it started to get better. 2021 is the closest we’ve ever got to a proper Pinot, so I changed the name to 1-Click Off. I feel we’re pretty close to what we can get from that vineyard.”
Retirement @ 65 2021 RRP £27.50
This 50-50 blend of Cinsault and Shiraz comes from a once-neglected vineyard in Darling. “I first saw the vineyard in 2016,” says Pieter. “I was told it was a horrible vineyard, planted 64 years ago.” Its original owners had sold the grapes for blending but the site was in a poor state, and now only the resident birds seemed interested in its fruit. “It’s really hard to find old Cinsault vines like that so I said, if I buy nets to keep the birds out, maybe we can pick something from that vineyard,” explains Pieter. “We pruned the vineyard a little bit better, and it started growing. Then one Sunday this farmer phoned me and said his sheep had broken through the fence and eaten all the new shoots which were about 30cm long. There was nothing left. “The next year we netted the vines so they could recover from that. We didn’t harvest anything. “A fence around the vineyard kept the sheep out, and the nets kept the birds out, and the following year it was the first time anyone had made a vine from a vineyard that was now 65 years old.”
Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2019
Jaa-Bruu 2021 RRP £27.50
“I’ve got a friend, this really cool English guy, and when he picks up the phone he always says ‘jaa, bru’ which means ‘yes, my brother’,” explains Pieter. “This Malbec grows on his farm. I knew I would have to call the wine Jaa-Bru because with him it’s the first thing I think about. “The label is something different – it’s like this screaming mouth. In Afrikaans, the word mal means crazy, and bec is like a slang word for mouth, so in Afrikaans if you say Malbec it means crazy in the mouth. Afrikaans guys pick it up immediately and it’s quite fun. “It’s all in old French oak. Earlier versions had almost a minty chocolate kind of vibe, but in 2021 we had higher alcohols throughout the cellar and it shows in this wine quite a bit. “The 2021 is slightly more muscular, but still very fresh.”
RRP £35
Word had got round that a European-backed producer was forensically analysing plots in Helderberg on a mission to create South Africa’s answer to Screaming Eagle, but the project was shrouded in secrecy. “They started identifying rows that were better than the rest of the plot,” says Pieter. “The farmers had to sign big contracts and were not allowed to tell anybody who was buying their grapes. “One day I drove past a vineyard where the farm workers were busy picking and they had these white latex gloves on. I realised this must be this secretive fancy winery and I started calling them the White Gloves. “I decided I wanted to invest in Cab so I went to that farm and said, ‘I’d like to buy grapes from you, next to where I saw the White Gloves picking’.” Pieter struck a deal for the fruit on the neighbouring 10 rows, and after noting the distinctive markings on the White Gloves vineyard poles, was able to identify three sites that bordered premium land controlled by the enigmatic Europeans. Similar deals were agreed, and the result is a graceful yet earthy blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. “It’s my confession that I’m a White Glove chaser,” says Pieter, with no obvious sense of shame in his voice.
Familiemoord 2021 RRP £29.50
“Oh my word, this is a long one,” sighs Pieter. “I sort of got accused of killing my son. But I didn’t and he’s not dead.” To summarise: one Saturday night Pieter raids a large vacant neighbouring property, built on dunes, for sand to create a play pit for his son. Darkness is falling so work isn’t quite finished. Before leaving, Pieter playfully tosses the delighted boy into the hole, where he disappears from sight, and proceeds to cover him in more sand from his spade. Teenagers lurking in the street naturally assume they are witnessing a murderer burying his victim in a shallow grave, and before long the area is sealed off. It’s not until Monday that Pieter even notices the yellow tape, hears the news about the killing, and realises he’s almost certainly the man the police are looking for. “It was this huge misunderstanding, and a newspaper wrote a story about the mystery of the boy in the sandpit,” he says. “I wanted to preserve this story for the next generation, so I took an iPhone photo of the newspaper and put it on the label.” The wine has nothing at all to do with any of this, except for its name, which translates as “family murder”. “It’s a Grenache,” says Pieter. “We’ve tried different Grenaches over the years, but from the 2021 vintage I think we’ve been on the right track. “It was the first time we picked from this particular vineyard. We picked slightly later, and it was a warm season, so the grapes were a little bit on the ripe side. But it was the most beautiful Grenache that we could find.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 39
© Kushnirov Avraham / stockadobe.com
Buitenverwachting wine estate in Constantia
Ribeira Sacra vineyards in Galicia
A
ll wine-producing countries
have difficult periods from time to time. All have to deal with
the slings and arrows that come with
shifts in the weather and climate, politics, economics, consumer fashions and
regulations. But few wine industries – at
least in peacetime – have had to endure the sheer range of challenges faced by South Africa over the past four years.
The period began at the tail end of three
years of an extreme drought that greatly
depleted production: the 2019 harvest was the smallest since 2005.
By the time production had got back to
something like normal in 2020 (up by 8.2% on 2019) we were … well, we were in 2020, which, while evidently not an easy time
for anyone, was particularly hard on South African wine producers.
The severity of Covid-19 in South
Africa – by far the highest case numbers
caused a host of knock-on effects, with
government’s response. In the period from
other dry goods.
and fatalities on the African continent – was matched by the severity of the
March 2020 until New Year’s Eve, 2021,
when the last set of restrictions was lifted, the South African wine industry had to cope with four separate and complete
bans on domestic alcohol sales which, put together with the pandemic-long ban on
weekend sales in the off-trade, amounted to several months of lost trading.
This was coupled, in the early days of the
pandemic, with an on-off, on-again ban on the transportation of goods to ports. The de facto export ban lasted for five weeks
in total, shutting off vital streams of cash
flow to businesses already prevented from trading domestically (domestic sales and
exports generally account for around 50% each of South African production). It also
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 40
producers unable to get their hands on
vital materials such as corks, bottles and
With ports running at significantly lower
capacity even after the ban was lifted (as little as 25% of normal levels), exports
were constrained well into the autumn of 2020, since when South Africa has had to
contend with the same delays in the global shipping industry as the rest of the world.
At the same time, South African wine has
also suffered disproportionately from the effects of successive travel bans imposed
by domestic and foreign governments. The industry is unusually reliant on tourists
from the UK, the EU and the USA, both in terms of spending money on wineland hospitality, and in spreading the word internationally.
According to industry body VinPro, the
Positive vibes from the Cape After the turmoil of the past few years, David Williams finds South Africa’s wine industry in ruder health than might have seemed possible in the darkest days of the pandemic
combination of lockdowns and travel bans
According to a 2021 export report issued
directly led to a loss of 75,000 tourism jobs
by Wines of South Africa, exports of South
risk” by the restrictions.
R10.2bn (£500m) in 2021.
in the Western Cape in 2020, with a further 21,000 jobs in the wine industry put “at
On the way back up There is no doubt that the turmoil of the
past two years has placed enormous strain on the South African wine industry. The
loss of domestic sales has been disastrous
for those businesses – many of them small, a significant number black-majority-
owned – that have yet to build up an export presence. The process of rebuilding and
recovery – particularly in the wine tourism
and domestic markets – is clearly not going to happen overnight.
However, recent news coming out of
the country has been significantly more positive.
The end of all Covid-based restrictions
on the sale and export of alcohol accounts
for some of the tentative optimism coming out of the Cape at the beginning of 2022.
The return of tourists in what remains of
the country’s summer tourism high-season, after the relaxation of omicron-inspired restrictions by successive governments, has helped lift the mood.
What’s really helping South African
winemakers look forward to the future
with a measure of confidence, however, is the resilience of its exports, which
have survived and thrived despite the unprecedented conditions.
African wine grew by 22.1% in volume to
388 million litres, and by 12.1% in value, to The figures were particularly good for
the UK, which, the report said, had “been particularly supportive of South Africa’s
wine industry during one of the toughest times it has ever faced”, the support
trumping any fears that a combination of
Brexit and Covid would create a “negative impact”.
The UK’s imports of packaged South
African wine rose by 10% in volume
and by a remarkable 25% in value, with independents and “high-end multiple grocers” finding the Cape to be a
particularly attractive source of affordable quality wines, at a time when many other countries, in both Europe and the new
world, were struggling with rising prices and supply issues.
Other markets that have proved fruitful
include China, with the South Africans taking advantage of Australia’s well-
documented trade-war travails in that
Independent merchants are finding the Cape to be a particularly attractive source of affordable quality wines THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 41
country, while South Africa was the only new world country to see its exports of packaged wine to the UK in growth.
Bulk wine, meanwhile, had a more than
usually important role to play in 2021, helping to fill the vast gap lost by the
drastic fall in domestic sales. According
to WOSA, total bulk sales rose by 33.6% in volume, and 23.1% in value to 242.6 million litres and R2.4bn (£120m) respectively.
No less important in shaping a more
upbeat mood around South Africa is the quality and size of its recent vintages.
With the size of 2020 already a significant improvement on the drought-hit 2019,
2021 was seen as the year when the vines
seemed to have largely recovered: the crop was up by almost 9%.
Word on the ground is that the quality
is also high, among the best in recent
memory, which brings us to perhaps the single biggest reason to feel encouraged
by the prospects for South African wine in 2022.
Despite everything, the quality
revolution that has transformed South
African wine in the 21st century has not
slowed. The country remains arguably the most exciting and dynamic wine producer in the new world, with a cast of talented adventurous winemakers continually
finding new terroirs and stylistic avenues to explore. Making and selling wine in
the Cape may have its challenges. But, the prospect of what the best South African
winemakers will do with the fruit of one its finest recent vintages is mouthwatering.
COUNTRY FOCUS
Building a South African range Nine great producers representing the diversity of the Cape,
Iona Cool-climate is a term that is tossed round a little too easily in South Africa – too
often it makes sense only in relative terms for regions that would be considered
decidedly warm in Europe. That’s not the case for the genuinely special climate of Andrew Gunn’s Iona. Gunn’s vines are
often shrouded in the cool mists created
by their position at 450m above sea level,
as selected by David Williams
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Elgin Valley, protecting them from the direct blare of the sun, slowing down
ripening, retaining freshness and creating the clean lines and fine acidic backbone that define Iona’s decidedly restrained,
elegant Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and, in much smaller quantities, Nebbiolo and Syrah.
(Alliance Wine)
Lismore Estate The recent story of Lismore Estate is
like the recent story of South African Tammy Nell, David Nieuwoudt and Alex Nell of Cederberg
Cederberg
Leeu Passant
There’s remote. And then there’s
Chris and Andrea Mullineux were among
to 1,100m above sea level in the Western
royalty in the region’s wine capital
Cederberg Mountain. David Nieudwoudt’s
lonely operation, with vineyards from 950 Cape, is a model of sustainable, terroir-
driven winemaking, the fifth-generation farmer producing wild, beautiful wines, in a wild, beautiful place. His style is all
about effortless concentration and high-
definition purity. And if that’s something
that Cederberg has in common with other “mountain wines” from Argentina to
Trentino, there does seem to be something particularly distinctive in Nieuwoudt’s
Cederberg Chenin, Cabernet and Shiraz
(and rarities such as Bukettraube), while his Elim side project, Ghost Corner,
features the same light touch in a maritime setting.
(Bancroft Wines)
the original leaders of the Swartland
revolution, and are now winemaking
Riebeek Kasteel, where their eponymous winery is behind some of Swartland’s
most sophisticated, beautifully crafted
fine wines. Since 2013, the couple have
also been in charge of winemaking at the
Leeu Passant estate in Franschoek, which is owned by the Indian businessman
(and Mullineux investor) Analjit Singh.
Working with old-vine parcels found by
star Cape viticulturist Rosa Kreuger, the
couple’s Leeu Passant wines are every bit as exciting as their Swartland bottlings, with their sensitive winemaking style
uncovering particularly beautiful results from parcels of Cinsault. (Liberty Wines)
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 42
wine in miniature. Having battled to
establish, at great personal risk and cost, a fine reputation for producing some
of South Africa’s best Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in her estate far from the mainstream of South African wine in Greyton in the Overberg, Samantha
O’Keefe (pictured) saw her house, winery and much of her vineyard wiped out by a
fire in 2019. She was saved from disaster
by the support, help, grapes and facilities of fellow Cape winemakers, which have
helped her to keep the label growing while
the estate is rebuilt and replanted. She was able to return to her estate to harvest the 2021 vintage, meaning she’s once again one to watch.
(Hallgarten & Novum Wines)
THE WINEMAKER FILES //
Jeremy Borg, Painted Wolf Wines I don’t own my own cellar and I don’t have any vineyards. I have equipment and barrels and all the things that one needs to make wine. Really the most fundamental part of what I do is cultivating and nurturing relationships with people, and trying to make the people I work with part of the story. I came out to South Africa in 1993 to see my family and with the intention of going to Hamilton Russell. But my sister met some people who were running a safari camp in Botswana and they needed a cook and I’m afraid to say that sounded more appealing. It was a very happy thing. It was supposed to be a three-month sabbatical but it ended up being two years. Emma and I got married there and on our wedding day, we made a vow that we would do something to help conservation.
At the end of 1996 I was employed as an assistant winemaker at Fairview, but when I arrived it turned out Charles [Back] didn’t need an assistant winemaker but a Boy Friday type of a guy. I got incredible on-the-job training from this experience and I was there for about eight years. It stood me in incredibly good stead when I started doing my own thing. My friend was doing some accounting for a guy called Alain Moueix, part of the family from Château Petrus. He had some Bordeaux varietals and also some Shiraz and some Tinta Amarela, which is one of those weird ones. They didn’t need
the grapes and I was asked if I wanted to buy them. The first wine I made got stolen but the insurance paid out immediately, so I had enough money for the second vintage. Most of the obvious South African conservation ideas had been registered. Once we got hooked up with the African wild dogs I realised they would provide me with the template to write a business plan.
The wild dogs operate in a pack structure and are very effective. They are led by an alpha female, which is unusual. They’re funky and weird and much maligned. They are very rare, probably only 500 adult dogs in South Africa. I don’t work with the same varieties every year. For whites I vinify Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Roussanne and Viognier. I share a cellar with Chris Williams and he makes wonderful Grenache Blanc and sometimes he has more than he needs, so I buy some for blending. For reds I vinify Pinotage and a parcel of Rhône varietals: Shiraz, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre. I change my winemaking practices and strategies according to the conditions. My first choice is to ferment with wild yeast. I’m an unapologetic user of tartaric acid. I like wines that have low pH and have tightness and focus. I like to work as naturally as is reasonable.
The ability to work like this comes I think from having been a chef. You have
Jeremy Borg is a former chef who once worked at the Hampton Hill branch of Oddbins and has a diploma in wine business from Adelaide University. Working with growers in Swartland, Paarl and Stellenbosch, he relies on the generosity of friends for the space needed to create his Painted Wolf wines, which raise funds for wildlife conservation. Painted Wolf wines are imported into the UK by North South Wines 020 3871 9210 www.northsouthwines.co.uk to think on your feet and you have a lot of things going on that you have to manage or fix. I have a really enjoyable time, I love doing this, though I have to confess I would probably make better wine if I didn’t have to deal with all the complexity and was in just one space and not sharing equipment. But it wouldn’t be so much fun.
The Den Chenin Blanc
Guillermo Pinotage
Solo Roussanne
It’s warm climate Chenin. We harvest a portion at low sugar and do a very clean ferment in stainless, and a much riper portion to give that more textured character. The current vintage in the UK market, 2021, has grapes from a heritage vineyard planted in 1974. It’s a really commercially successful style.
A perfect fit with the image of the wild dog is the equally maligned Pinotage. The 20ha organically certified vineyard is super sought after. It produces Pinotage with a really distinctive Rhône feel to it. We vinify it in a very traditional way, small open ferment, hand punched, and I blend some Rhône varietals in as well.
Contrary to what a lot of people say, South Africa is a warm viticulture country. I want to be here in 20 or 30 years' time and it made sense to me to work with varietals that can cope with warmer conditions. The wine has great beauty, a freshness and vibrancy. Because it's a little bit unusual it has traction in the marketplace.
RRP: £10.49
RRP: £16.99
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 43
RRP: £16.99
COUNTRY FOCUS Kanonkop In the past decade, coverage of South African wine has largely focused on
the country’s new wave: the younger,
independent producers who broke away from the sometimes staid and stolid
traditional estates to found their own
small, experimental projects. As
important as their role has been
in creating the buzz around South
Africa, they shouldn’t overshadow the continued relevance of some of the Cape’s older, more classic names. With a first vintage in
wine. Bernhard Brendell was born and
country not short of them over the past
wave, natural-adjacent, low-intervention
vintages: you never know what he’s
raised on a wine farm near Stellenbosch. His own project is very much in the new mode, and they are beautiful examples
of the breed, based on fruit sourced from
parcels of dry-farmed old vines across the
Lower Helderberg, plus a single site on the remote edges of Klein Karoo. Highlights include ethereal – yes really – Pinotage
and Pinotage/Cinsault blends, and intense, complex Grenache Blanc. (Indigo)
decade. Walser owns no vineyards. And there’s very little continuity between
going to produce, or how many different cuvées, or how much of them. It all
depends on what he finds as he scours
the winelands for parcels of old vines. So far he’s worked with something in the
region of 70 different sites. The results are unpredictable, but always worth tasting, and often remarkable. (Swig)
1973, Stellenbosch’s Kanonkop is by no means the oldest of
Delaire Graff
immaculate, ageworthy Bordeaux-
style wines, and its ability to make
its life at around the same time as the
surfer-dude-old-vine model was beginning
the Cape’s wine estates. But its
Established in 2003, Delaire Graff began
Pinotage of first-growth standard,
to coalesce around Eben Sadie and his
mean it is still very much one of
acolytes. But the billionaire British
the best.
jeweller Laurence Graff – founder of Graff
(Seckford Wine Agencies)
Diamonds – had a different approach in mind: a no-expense-spared attempt to
found a new fine wine estate alongside
Waterkloof As the founder of one of the UK’s best-
loved and most successful wine importers,
Pieter Walser
Paul Boutinot’s career in wine would
have been remarkable enough even if his
The BLANKbottle Winery
terroir, which began in the early 1990s, had come up empty-handed. The subsequent
Pieter Walser’s unique and apparently haphazard approach to winemaking
search for a “new classic” winemaking
success of the wines he produced from
the terroir he found high up on the slopes of the Schapenberg from 2004 onwards is almost enough to eclipse his earlier
On paper it shouldn’t work. But somehow has produced some of the finest, most memorable bottles to emerge from a
five-star hospitality, an art museum, a spa, and several restaurants in a spectacular setting on the slopes of Botmaskop
Mountain in Stellenbosch. It’s a site that’s proved just as hospitable to grapes as
high-end tourists, with winemaker Morné
Vray producing a range of highly polished, sophisticated wines from the Bordeaux varieties and Chardonnay. (Armit)
achievements. Farmed organically since
2008, the various ranges and price points
are marked by pristine fruit and definition, whether it’s the affordable drinkability of Seriously Cool Cinsault or the fresh,
layered complexity of the Circle of Life red and white blends. (Boutinot)
Scions of Sinai A relatively new arrival on the Cape scene, Sons of Sinai is nonetheless the work of
someone with deep roots in South African
Morné Vray of Delaire Graff
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 44
. T H E D R AY M A N .
Bringing flavour to the table It’s worth taking a fresh look at modern interpretations of a beer style where alcohol is kept in check, but personality certainly is not
T
his month’s Drayman comes with a bit more oomph
changes in flavour profile, but there’s a definite house
than last time round’s look at no- and low-alcohol
style: spicy hops and refreshingly clean. It is, if it’s not
– about 2%-3% more in fact. Table beer is one of
too bold a claim, a modern classic.
those modern trends that turns out to be not really that
Manchester’s Cloudwater, also best known as an
modern at all, though contemporary iterations bear
IPA heavyweight, strikes a balance between body,
little resemblance to those that coined the term in
quaffability and tropical/citrus hop power with
medieval times. Then it was a light in alcohol, malt-
the 3.2% And Relax table beer. From the same city,
heavy, porridge-like brew consumed communally while
Track’s Tuya table beer similarly punches above its 3%
dining, as the name suggests.
weight.
It was codified to some extent in the late 18th century
London’s Pressure Drop pushes the top end of the
when it became one of three taxable tiers of beer, ranked
table beer strength spectrum with the 3.6% Just You
according to alcohol content between strong beer and
Wait, the name a fair indication of how its punchy
small beer.
hop intensity might exceed first-timers’ expectations.
When the table beer classification was removed in
Northern Monk in Leeds favours the description
the 1800s the name went out of fashion, only to be
“hazy light IPA” rather than table beer for its 2.8% abv
resurrected in the craft beer boom of the 21st century as a handy catch-all term for brews that fall in the gap between low-alcohol at sub-1% abv and genuine session beers at 4% or
Striding Edge, named after a ridge in the hills of the Lake District, beautifully illustrated below, but it does the same job with its fresh piney hop oil flavour. The 3% Tail Crush, from Burning Sky, has got the hop
more. In the US, it’s been applied to a spectrum from 3%-ish
intensity of its peers, and the use of wheat and oats in the malt
variations of Belgian saisons to Irish stouts, but in the UK the
bill backs up the flavour hit by providing extra body – a detail
table beer naming convention has mostly settled around lighter
that brings us full circle back to table beer’s porridge-y origins.
alternatives to IPAs and session pale ales, the favoured contemporary styles of the majority of discerning beer drinkers. These are table beers that allow comfortable midweek consumption of two or three pints, delivering alcoholic relaxation and the falling away of inhibitions without the sleep disruption or hangover. A pioneer of the modern trend, and still perhaps its greatest example, is London IPA specialist Kernel’s Table Beer, currently selling at 2.8% abv, though the strength can vary a little with each batch. The hop bill changes too, bringing subtle
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 45
M
it ever since. He also loves picnics, thermos
y dad phones me late when I’m
and kitchen roll neat in a bag and violent
collating the numbers for the
sandwiches seasoned with mustard or
week in the office downstairs. It
horseradish that burn your mouth in the
is very dark and cold and the screeching
way that a flavour might.
heater is screeching and making it difficult to find the £47 discrepancy from Tuesday. Are you at work? He says. Yes, I say.
17. HAPPY HORSERADISH
Well I have a voucher for my favourite
Phoebe Weller of Valhalla’s
We should meet for lunch this week! He
says.
restaurant, I say.
I immediately regret this because I
remember that my dad has a limited sense
Goat in Glasgow spends some important quality time with her dad
of taste and smell (not Covid!) and I do not been bringing fantastic bits of cheese and wine to him for years and it wasn’t until
Neighbourhoods in the World (2016), I
time now”. I always just thought he was
morning.
Christmas just gone that he said he hadn’t been able to taste anything for “some
unimpressed by my homecoming gifts.
Sad, too, that he is owner of a magnificent, massive beak that just goes to show. Or doesn’t.
Right then, Tuesday, he says, I will come
through on the bus, it’s free.
W
here is the restaurant in
relation to the bus station,
he says very early the next
morning, waking me from a dream about a new sink that we put in the shop which meant no one could access the till.
It’s in Finnieston, one of the Coolest
which is counterintuitively not a place you can park. The park in question is one of
those “Lizard Parks” with the Costa DriveThru and a whole bunch of empty office
parks and some twigs in the shape of trees. We get an angry beef and horseradish
sandwich, a party platter of sushi and a yellow label Bleu d’Affinois. I decide
against the can of Mojito. We drive the considerable distance to Arthur’s Seat
want to waste my free Amazing Lunch on my dear, Jam Shed swilling father. I have
We meet at Edinburgh Park station
say in my impressive I’ve-been-awake-forhours! voice that I can do first thing in the I could get a taxi from the bus station,
he says.
You could. It would be about eight quid. There is a sharp intake of breath, a
pause.
Or I could come and meet you from the
bus station and take you on another bus. Another pause.
Or I could meet you halfway in
Edinburgh and we could get a picnic. Oh that would be nice, he says.
He loves Edinburgh, fell in love with it
when he came to art college there in the
late 50s from the West Midlands, has loved
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 46
where dad lets slip he’s “not been terribly
well, recently” and I counter with babbling inconsequential shite because if he’s going to give me the Cancer Talk, which indeed
he does, I want to be somewhere beautiful to receive it, not in a traffic jam on the Pleasance.
T
he view from Arthur’s Seat is
amazing, the sky and the Forth almost exactly the same shade
of blue and I wish I’d bought the can of
Mojito for the picnic. A man with roller-skis passes us twice. We leave the blue side and my dad says there’s no parking space on
the other side but it’s his favourite bit so
we drive very slowly round the corner and Edinburgh is laid out in front of us, gold-
tipped, sun-bathed. I look at my dad and he is happy and full of horseradish.
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RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY MARGARITA
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Aveine smart wine aerator
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Aveine, this gadget is designed for the
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Place the aerator over the opened bottle of wine and scan the bottle. The accompanying app, which has a database of over 90,000 wines, will determine the right amount of aeration required for a particular wine and mimic the oxygenation time in an instant, meaning you can simply pour straight to glass. See aveine.eu/en for more information.
In these Pornstar Martini-times, it was a little surprising to see the Margarita named as the world’s favourite cocktail by Fentimans, whose methods included counting Instagram and Tik Tok hashtags, Google search data and using “a Twitter sentiment analysis tool”. The joy of the Margarita is its versatility; it can be adapted for any season, occasion or personal taste preference. This rhubarb-led version celebrates spring and nods to trends for rhubarb-flavoured spirits and pink drinks.
Priced from £350, available at Selfridges and Amazon. 2cm of rhubarb Three strawberries 5cl white tequila 2cl triple sec 2cl lime juice 1cl Campari
Coat the rim of the cocktail glass with the crushed salt. Muddle the rhubarb and strawberries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and the liquid ingredients. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass. Garnish with a trimmed mini stick of rhubarb.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 47
CHEERS FOR CHIVITE The Navarra producer has been family owned for almost four centuries but the business has never rested on its laurels. Our panel of independents was impressed by the Las Fincas range and the singlevineyard Legardeta wines, which show a finesse and complexity that makes them perfect for food. Feature produced in association with Enotria&Coe. Visit enotriacoe.com for more information or call 020 8961 5161
T
he Navarra family wine producer Chivite
This led to the creation of the Legardeta vineyard,
traces its history through 11 generations and
which makes Chivite’s single-estate wines to this day.
375 years. Its wines are consistently highly
Present-day export manager Patrice Lesclaux says:
rated by some of the world’s most influential wine
“He decided to create competition in the vineyard,
writers, and loved by the Spanish monarchy, which has
planting 6,000 vines per hectare in poor soil, forcing
included them in the wine lists of royal weddings and
the vines to grow vertically and quickly, so that they
state visits.
have the freshness and minerality that is characteristic
Julián Chivite Marco – grandfather of current
of Chivite.”
executive president Julián Chivite – founded the
Only around 103ha of the 245ha property is planted
Consejo Regulador of the Navarra DO in north west
with vines, mainly Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Syrah
Spain, and instigated a jump in wine quality in 1993
and Garnacha, in many small plots of different soil
when he employed Denis Dubourdieu, consultant to
types and orientations. The cool climate – for Spain
Bordeaux’s Château d’Yquem and Château Cheval
– is influenced by its position in the foothills of the
Blanc.
Pyrenees, relatively close to the sea, preventing overripeness and encouraging uniform bunch and grape
Julián Chivite
sizes. The Colección 125 range is Chivite’s flagship but a Zoom tasting for readers of The Wine Merchant, led by current boss Julián Chivite, focused on wines from its Las Fincas and Legardeta portfolios, kicking off with a rosé that helped change perceptions of pink wines from Spain.
The wine only has two or three hours of skin contact to obtain this colour. Then we keep it for six months on the lees for complexity and character
Chivite Las Fincas Rosé 2020 (RRP £17.95) This was created in partnership with Juan Mari, chef of the three Michelin-starred Arzak restaurant in San Sebastián, and is an attempt to create a “gastronomic rosé” to rank alongside the best that Provence has to offer. “After three trial vintages we went to market with this wine,” says Julián.“It’s a very pale wine and we were the first in Spain to vinify with this style and colour. “You have to take a lot of care because the grapes are very delicate.The wine has only two to three hours
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 48
of skin contact just to obtain this colour. Then we keep it for six months on the lees and that gives the wine more complexity and character. “It’s full-bodied and with good length, with a very pale colour, but with intensity and power on the palate. There is cherry and strawberry, but also a lot of white fruit like peach.” Abbi Moreno at Flora Fine Wines in London describes it as “a great food rosé with lots of character”, while
complex. We harvest in the first 15 days of September,
The acidity and balance is still present after three years. That’s interesting for Garnacha, which is a very oxidative grape
Jane Taylor, of Dronfield Wine World in Derbyshire,
which is not normal for white wines in northern Spain. “Usually we are the last to finish the Chardonnay harvest, and that is very important for complexity and acidity. The ageing potential of these wines is fantastic. Our Colección 125 is now on the 2007 vintage, which is unusual in Spain for white wines.” Abbi Moreno liked “the integration of fruit and oak on the Chardonnay”, adding: “I just automatically associate Chardonnay with Navarra and Chivite.”
says it is “very elegant and pure”. Legardeta Garnacha 2018 (RRP £17.95) Las Fincas Blanco Dos Garnachas 2019 (RRP
The only red in the tasting has a style influenced by
£16.65)
the fact that the Legardeta vineyard in Navarra is “very
The first of two whites in the tasting was a 50-50 blend
similar to the climate of Rhône,” says Julián.
of white and red Garnacha, that comes in a black bottle
He adds: “It is medium-coloured with ruby intensity.
– the contrast between wine colour and glass colour
There’s a lot of fruit with dominance of strawberries,
intended to reflect the unusual varietal mix.
which makes it a very easy-to-drink wine, but with a
“Dos Garnachas is a wine with a powerful and lively
texture that envelops the palate.
character,” says Julián.
“It is very elegant, with an acidity that is a common
Lesclaux adds:“The acidity and balance is still present
factor in all of the wines from this vineyard, and is very
after three years.That’s interesting for Garnacha which
important for ageing and freshness. Many years ago
is a very oxidative grape, but it shows this is a wine you
reds from here would have been very over-mature and
can keep.”
heavy.”
Aimee Davies, of Aimee’s Wine House in Bristol,
Lesclaux adds: “Legardeta Garnacha can be paired
says: “The Dos Garnachas white was a standout wine
with many tapas foods, mild ham, mild cheese, or even
for me; I was particularly impressed with how clean it
lamb. It’s a very versatile wine that certainly could also
tasted. Amazing wine.”
do very well as a by-the glass wine. “Because the terroir and the poor soil means
Legardeta Chardonnay 2021 (RRP £16.65)
the vines are in a struggle, and have been since the
This is a 100% varietal that Jancis Robinson once
beginning, the grapes are small. That gives elegance
described as the “Chablis of Spain”.
because we mix minerality and freshness with body.
Julián Chivite says: “It is a rich Chardonnay, with the
This is the beauty of Chivite; they are gastronomic
influence of the Atlantic climate making it very fine and
wines.”
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 49
MAKE A DATE
Wines of Georgia Trade & Press Tastings
Northern Lights Tasting
The tastings will include wines available
Gonzalez Byass, Hatch Mansfield, Marta
to order now from leading agencies
Vine, New Generation, Richmond Wine
A range of 120 wines will be on show,
and specialist importers, and a host
Agencies, Ucopia and Winetraders are
including new additions and latest
of unsigned talent to be found at a
back together for the first Northern
vintages.
free-pour table of wines seeking UK
Lights tasting since 2019.
Hallgarten & Novum Wines Edinburgh Portfolio Tasting
As part of the selection of new wines,
Hallgarten is excited to be showing wines
distribution. Sarah Abbott MW will be leading
from over a dozen producers which are
a tutored tasting of 10 wines that
Thursday, April 21
across the country’s wine regions.
new to the portfolio.
The Rooftop Garden at The Glasshouse Hotel 2 Greenside Lane Edinburgh EH1 3AA
Les Grands Chais de France Portfolio Tasting The family-owned business may be based in Alsace but its properties – and partners – are spread right across France and beyond. In the UK, the division focused on
encapsulate contemporary Georgian styles
and which highlight the native grapes from Register for the London event at swirl.
eventscase.com/EN/winesofgeorgiatasting and for Manchester at swirl.eventscase. com/EN/winesofgeorgiatastingmanchester.
Thursday, April 28 China Exchange 32a Gerrard Street
Importers Delibo, Dreyfus Ashby,
Highlights will include the new Tio Pepe
En Rama 2022 from Gonzalez Byass, RWA’s new Prosecco partnership with Delle Vita and the complete range from Château
d’Esclans including Garrus (the “world’s
best rosé”) as well as Chianti Classico from Castello di Bossi, which comes courtesy of Winetraders.
Hatch Mansfield is hosting Guillaume
Lafragrette from M Chapoutier and the
spotlight will be also be on Zuccardi, the
winner of the best vineyard in the world for a third year running.
For more information and to register,
London W1D 6JA
contact Julia Langshaw: Julia@
Wednesday, May 11
Monday, May 9
richmondwineagencies.com.
The Castlefield Rooms
The Tetley
18-20 Castle Street
Hunslet Road
Manchester M3 4LZ
Leeds LS10 1JQ
independents and the on-trade is better
known to many retailers as Famile Helfrich. Here’s an opportunity to get to grips with
one of the widest portfolios in the business, including a large range of crémants from all of France’s producing regions.
New vintages and a selection of Grands
Crus from Bordeaux will be on show.
For more information and to register
for the Birmingham event, contact chris. davies@lgcf.fr.
Wednesday, April 27 Birmingham Repertory Theatre 6 Centenary Square Birmingham B1 2EP
Home of the Northern Lights event on May 9
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 50
The Vindependents tasting takes place on March 21 Vineyards at Lake Okanagan
Washington State will see him guide
participants through a bespoke selection. To register and to book a masterclass,
contact Laure Tchiknavorian: ltchiknavorian@sopexa.com. Monday, May 9
Behind The Bike Shed 384 Old Street London EC1V 9LT
Swig Portfolio Tasting Swig will be welcoming many of its
Canada Trade Tasting
producers to the tasting including Duncan Savage from Savage Wines, Alex
Around 30 wineries, from British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario, will be represented at this two-day tasting.
Starey from Keermont estate, Isabelle Clendenen from Au Bon Climat and David Marques from Portugal Boutique
Canada’s cool climate and distinctive growing regions offer the ideal conditions for producing some bright, bracing and genuinely interesting wines from both vinifera and hybrid grapes. Book for one day only by contacting daniel.brewer@westburycom.co.uk or via the website: canadatasting.co.uk. Tuesday & Wednesday, May 10 & 11, Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London SW1Y 5BJ
Winery. Pieter Walser from BLANKbottle will
also be in attendance. The event will also be a chance to explore the wines of 10
producers from across Europe which have recently joined the Swig stable.
Email damon@swig.co.uk to register.
Tuesday, May 24 China Exchange
The WineBarn Annual Portfolio Tasting
Washington State Wines Tasting
An opportunity to taste over
is bringing 21 of its producers to
120 German wines and meet the
London for this event.
winemakers in person. Sekts, Spätburgunders, vintage Rieslings
and sweet dessert wines will be among the wines on show.
Monday, May 9 The Royal Air Force Club 128 Piccadilly London W1J 7PY
The Washington State Wine Commission
The walk-around tasting is an excellent
32a Gerrard Street London W1D 6JA
Wines from Spain Awards Tasting This is an opportunity to taste the top 100 Spanish wines from this year’s
opportunity to discover what’s available
Wines from Spain Awards as chosen by a
Gramercy Cellars, Milbrandt Estate, Terra
winesfromspain@otaria.co.uk.
presented by Jamie Goode: Washington
67 Pall Mall
from the state’s wineries, with brands
including 14 Hands, Betz Family Winery, Blanca and Woodward Canyon on show.
There will be masterclasses on the day,
State Core Varieties and Blends in
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 51
judging panel, led by Tim Atkin MW. Invitation only. Contact
Thursday, May 26
London SW1Y 5EZ
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0207 409 7276 enquiries@louislatour.co.uk www.louislatour.co.uk
Viu Manent’s new and exciting Tiny Trials project Viu Manent has been based in the Colchagua region for almost a century, and this
is the first of many micro-vinification projects in exploring and innovating from the most unique vineyard plots around Chile. Winemaker Patricio Celedón’s aim is to harness the area’s unique soil and climatic influences and “create wines with outstanding character”.
The Tiny Trials Chardonnay is produced in the Colchagua
Costa appellation, in the Litueche region. Being a mere 15km from the Pacific Ocean, the vines are grown on a granitic soil
that’s influenced by the cooling ocean breeze, creating a fresh Chardonnay that’s fermented in French oak barrels for 12 months.
This has received high praise in the 2022 Descorchados guide,
receiving 93 points.
The Tiny Trials Cinsault is from old vines that have almost been trapped in time,
untouched, surrounded by forests, and influenced by the Pacific Ocean’s breeze. This
is in the Itata Valley, a cool climate wine growing region, giving wines a fresh mineral sensation. This wine is aged in concrete eggs for seven months.
This also received 93 points in the 2022 Descorchados guide by Patricio Tapia.
Both wines will be available from UK stocks this May. Contact us for more information.
hatch mansfield
NEW
New Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DL 01344 871800
Hatch Mansfield 2022 Catalogue Now Available
info@hatch.co.uk www.hatchmansfield.com @hatchmansfield
For more information please email info@hatch.co.uk THETHEWINE WINEMERCHANT MERCHANTfebruary april 2022 2022 53
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liberty wines 020 7720 5350 order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk @liberty_wines
South African wines from old vines This month, we celebrate the independent winemakers making exciting wines from old vines, often in areas off the beaten track. Their elegant and precisely defined wines are creating a real buzz and changing the perception of South African wine for the better.
Chris & Andrea Mullineux’s Signature Old Vines White is an intriguing
blend of sustainably farmed parcels up to 66 years old: Chenin Blanc, Verdelho,
Clairette Blanche and Grenache Blanc from the Kasteelberg’s schist-based soils for structure; Viognier, bush-vine Chenin Blanc and 60-year-old heritage Semillon Gris from Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils for concentration
and complexity; while Chenin Blanc from the iron-rich soils of the rolling hills
west of Malmesbury provides lifted acidity and rich texture. From two of the country’s
oldest registered red wine vineyards, they produce the Leeu Passant ‘Basson’ (planted 1900) Wellington and ‘Lötter’ (planted 1932) Franschhoek Cinsaults.
Planted in 1965 in the Swartland, The Amos Block is South Africa’s oldest Sauvignon
Blanc vineyard and the inspiration for Charles Back’s Spice Route project. The wine is
only released when these old vines produce enough fruit and is certified organic in 2021. John Thorne-Seccombe’s Thorne & Daughters ‘Paper Kite’, from 56-year-old bush vines in Paardeberg, delivers a very different expression of Semillon to modern-day clones,
while Peter-Allan Finlayson’s Gabriëlskloof ‘Elodie’ displays the opulence and freshness typical of old-vine Chenin Blanc. And at Momento, Marelise Niemann creates elegant and soulful wines from old-vine Grenache and Tinta Barocca.
richmond wine agencies The Links, Popham Close Hanworth Middlesex TW13 6JE 020 8744 5550 info@richmondwineagencies.com
@richmondwineag1
New agency for RWA: Vite Colte, Piedmont, Italy Wines made to perfection The Vite Colte protocol has only just one goal: an absolute and constant quality standard, the result of agronomic choices
aimed at sustainable, selective vineyard management focused on achieving perfectly ripe fruit.
Every winegrower complies with the protocol, taking prompt action in the vineyard and defining and monitoring the
progress of their work in close contact with the company’s team of agronomists.
• Gavi di Gavi ‘Masseria dei Carmelitani’ Single Vineyard • Barbera d’Asti DOCG ‘San Nicolao’
• Barbera d’Asti Superiore ‘La Luna el Fala’ • Barolo DOCG ‘Paesi Tuoi’
• Barbaresco DOCG Riserva ’Spieze’
• Barolo DOCG del Commune di Barolo ‘Essenze’ www.vitecolte.it
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hallgarten wines Mulberry House Parkland Square 750 Capability Green Luton LU1 3LU 01582 722 538 sales@hnwines.co.uk www.hnwines.co.uk @hnwines
cascara gourmet
NEW ARMENIAN WINE STORK 2020 KANGOUN
For enquiries on stock available in the UK: 0777 570 6328 info@cascara-gourmet.com www.cascara-gourmet.com @stork_wines
This crisp dry white wine is made to delight the palate and stir the soul. It is an homage to storks who seasonally migrate to live and raise their young alongside the grapes of the Ararat Valley. For centuries, storks have used old vines to make their nests. Throughout the growing season, they take wing over the vineyard and complement an already majestic landscape. Aromatic and delicious STORK wine is made from Kangoun grapes grown in our single vineyards in the village of Taperakan, Ararat Province (800+ metres above sea level). From this frost-resistant variety we received mineral-driven, elegant, easy drinking young wine that showcases the characteristics of terroir and variety. Colour: light lemon with golden hue Nose: fresh aromas of citrus, apple blossom, and melon Palate: delicate, mineral-driven with refreshing acidity Pairing: ideal to be enjoyed on its own as an appetizer or pair with seafood, pastas with mushrooms or creamy sauces, poultry and sushi rolls.
Style: White Dry Vintage: 2020 Grape Variety: Kangoun 100% ABV: 12.5%
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 55
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Fells
info@fells.co.uk
BR I G H T
For more details about these wines and other wines from our awardwinning portfolio from some of the world’s leading wine producing families contact:
R O SSA
01442 870 900
BA
B
Fells House, Station Road Kings Langley WD4 8LH
LLIANT I R
www.fells.co.uk
@FellsWine je_fells Samuel’s Collection shines a light on a Barossa of a different kind. Taste the vibrance of the vines and enjoy a glass of a lighter, brighter Barossa wine. Embrace the Magnificent Unknown
top selection 23 Cellini Street London SW8 2LF www.topselection.co.uk info@topselection.co.uk
Napa Valley’s Oldest Winery In 1861, Charles Krug, the visionary father of Napa Valley winemaking, established the winery that started it all. The Mondavi Family purchased this already iconic property in 1943, and for nearly 80 years and five generations they continue to build upon its reputation for innovation and quality.
Contact: Alastair Moss Telephone: 020 3958 0744 @topselectionwines @tswine
These outstanding wines are available in the UK for the first time, exclusively from Top Selection.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 56
mentzendorff The Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD 020 7840 3600 info@mentzendorff.co.uk www.mentzendorff.co.uk
En Rama Manzanilla 2022 La Gitana En Rama Manzanilla is sherry at its very best - lightly filtered, unrefined, pure free-run juice directly from the barrel. Made from 100% Palomino grapes grown on white albariza soils at Hidalgo’s highest-quality vineyards of Balbaína and Miraflores. This Manzanilla is released in limited quantities and is often considered the best value sherry in the world! For more information, please contact your Mentzendorff Account Manager
AWIN BARRATT SIEGEL WINE AGENCIES 28 Recreation Ground Road Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 1EW 01780 755810
ABS ORGANIC WINES
ORGANIC WINERY
Organic wines are becoming increasingly popular with our customers and we are pleased to offer wines from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the USA, which all adhere to the strictest organic protocols and have successfully received full organic certification status.
orders@abs.wine www.abs.wine
@ABSWines
For further information on our organic, biodynamic and natural wines please contact your Account Manager.
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 57
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BERKMANN wine cellars
DISCOVER OUR SOUTH AFRICAN PORTFOLIO
104d St John Street London EC1M 4EH 020 7609 4711 indies@berkmann.co.uk www.berkmann.co.uk @berkmannwine @berkmann_wine
South Africa has a rich and varied wine offering, and at Berkmann Wine Cellars we have hand-selected the very best. Brands that we are proud to stock include Buitenverwachting, Elgin Vintners, Lievland and Babylon’s Peak. We have a range that includes everything from cool climate, elegant Sauvignon Blanc, to rich and powerful Shiraz-Carignan blends. To find out more about our South African offering, get in touch with your Berkmann account manager now or email info@berkmann.co.uk
buckingham schenk Unit 5, The E Centre Easthampstead Road Bracknell RG12 1NF by Hervé J. Fabre
01753 521336 info@buckingham-schenk.co.uk www.buckingham-schenk.co.uk
@BuckSchenk @buckinghamschenk
Argentinian ‘savoir faire’ Phebus wines are made by Malbec pioneer Hervé J. Fabre, combining modern winemaking and some of Mendoza’s finest vineyards. Hervé’s Bordeaux background and his passion for the local terroir are evident in every glass of Phebus.
MALBEC ROSÉ 2018
MALBEC ROSÉ 2018
www.phebuswine.com @phebuswine
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walker & Wodehouse 109a Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR 0207 449 1665 orders@walkerwodehousewines.com www.walkerwodehousewines.com
@WalkerWodehouse
Vina VIK joins Walker & Wodehouse VIK Winery is situated in Millahue in Chile’s Cachapoal Valley, two and a half hours from Santiago.
Pioneers of winemaking in the O’Higgins region, they use what they describe as a ‘holistic’ approach to winemaking, fusing science, technology, and knowledge to get the very best out of their grapes.
Sustainability is at the heart of their philosophy, and their state-of-the-art winery uses free cooling, solar energy, and natural insulation. In 2020, they also received accreditation confirming that 100% of the electricity they use comes from renewable sources. The imposing winery, designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radic, impresses with its modern style and was ranked eighth on the prestigious 50 World’s Best Vineyards List in 2021 for its gourmet restaurant and kitchen garden. For more information, please contact your account manager.
Famille Helfrich Wines 1, rue Division Leclerc, 67290 Petersbach, France chris.davies@lgcf.fr 07789 008540 @FamilleHelfrich
They’re all smiles to your face …
THE WINE MERCHANT april 2022 59
