EDITORIAL
Inside this month 6 comings & Goings Moving to a new site, complete with gym, moat and vineyard
F
or those of us with social lives
curtailed by finances, family duties and time poverty – which means
just about all of us – going for a night
10 tried & tested It turns out it’s really easy to
out involving food and drink can be the
highlight of the month. It’s a big deal, and
we get deflated when our hosts don’t sense
make a good Pinot Noir
quite how big.
14 david williams Reasons to hate Bordeaux. Also:
Did you know vermouth is trendy again?
Of course it’s easy to get preachy about
these things and to ignore the fact that the people who run wine bars, bistros
and restaurants have issues of their own to contend with. Finances, family duties
and time poverty are three that spring to mind. But
That moment we enter the
they need to work out a
premises, and those first few
way of reading their customers’
wide-eyed minutes when
reasons to love Bordeaux
moodometers. Probably most
all things seem possible,
30 the shipping news The pros and cons of bypassing agents and importing direct
Jane Salt and her team celebrate a first decade in wine retailing
A guided tour through some of the local heroes from the UK The Spirits World, page 56; Make a Date, page 58; Supplier Bulletin,
two from time to time, even
malleable. Marks out of 10
in a favourite venue, simply
for current mood? Ten. But
the initial euphoria wears off,
and if that first drink isn’t in our hands
because it took so bloody long
for that first glass to arrive
and keep enthusiasm afloat.
To state the bleedin’ obvious: a happy
pretty sharpish, it’s going to be an eight
customer is a bigger spending customer.
this little opportunity to keep the score
customer will write nice words on social
before long.
50 gin road trip
of us have hit a three or a
are when we’re at our most that quickly slips to a nine as
38 hay wines
page 60
It’s our big night out, and it calls for a glass of something cold, quickly
It’s amazing how many hosts miss
in double figures. “I’m just going to find
you a table – while you’re waiting, could I interest you in a glass of Champagne?” is one of the most rhetorical questions
imaginable. Here’s some olives and salted almonds to keep you going while you
look at the wine list. Have you ever tried
Manzanilla sherry? We’ve got a white Pinot
Noir open if that sort of thing interests you.
A happy customer is one that will be
more open to trying new things. A happy
media and bring more friends along next time.
Independents tend to get this stuff right
more often than the chains. But there’s
room for improvement almost everywhere, and at a time when the leisure spend is
under so much pressure, it’s an issue that’s surely worth revisiting – even among the most diligent operators.
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 Sales and Business Development: Georgina Humphrey georgina@winemerchantmag.com Accounts: Naomi Young winemerchantinvoices@gmail.com The Wine Merchant is circulated to the owners of the UK’s 911 specialist independent wine shops. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2019 Registered in England: No 6441762 VAT 943 8771 82
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