THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 130, November 2023
Dog of the month: Max Eynsham Cellars, Oxfordshire
Independent openings are cancelling out the closures After a turbulent year for the indie trade, store numbers are almost exactly at the level they were last November
D
espite an unusually high rate of
store closures in 2023, the number of specialist independent wine
shops has barely changed in the past 12 months.
The Wine Merchant’s figure recorded at
the end of October stood at 1,018 shops,
run by 774 operators, compared to 1,019
shops, run by 777 operators, exactly a year ago.
Although there could yet be some
turbulence in the independent trade as the calendar year ends and merchants make tough decisions about lease renewals,
the resilience of the sector in what was expected to be a particularly tough 12 months will be a relief to many.
With mortgage rates and energy bills
soaring and inflation running rampant,
consumers and businesses alike have been feeling the squeeze, with the summer duty hike adding to the pressures.
But new openings in the independent
trade, along with expansion by existing
operators, have broadly cancelled out the
cap
closures.
This year has seen the closure of The
Wine Parlour’s two sites in Brixton; Noble Fine Liquor in north London; Cairns &
Hickey in Leeds; M Wine Store in Victoria, London; Saltpeter Wines in Woodbridge,
Suffolk; Ben’s Wine & Tapas in Totnes; The Continues page 2
Roebuck Estates in Sussex is one of several wine companies striving for sustainability. But is the industry as a whole doing enough? Our feature begins on page 30.
NEWS
Inside this month 4 comings & Goings
Number of indie wine shops falls by just one over 12 months
Expansion for two indies, but it’s last orders for Last Drop Wines
13 bright ideas A fun way to prove Champagne really does go with fish and chips
17 the burning question How bad is bad debt, and how do you manage to get paid in the end?
38 merchant profile How Vino Gusto has brightened up the Bury St Edmunds wine scene
48 buying trip to sicily Reporting back on a memorable visit to Santa Tresa
From page 1
Grape Escape in Ipswich; Wolf Wine in
Bath; The Wine Centre in Great Horkesley, Essex; Wine Fiend in Cardiff; The Twisted Cork in Kelvedon, Essex; Gallachers of
Rugby; Bottle London; Chin Chin in Henley; and Cru Wines in Bradford-on-Avon.
The Grape to Glass in Rhos-on-Sea, north
Wales, closed one of its two stores
But on the positive side of the ledger,
new arrivals included The Cellar by
Wine Monkey in Chippenham; Carol’s in Whitstable; VIN in Gateshead; The Old
Liquor Store in York; Colne Valley Wines in Essex; Vino Buono in Stockport; Corc in Barry; Feral Pig Wines in Newport,
52 spanish red wines Travelling through 10 regions to
Pembrokeshire; Orlando’s Wines & Spirits
in Plymouth; and Chanctonbury Wines in Steyning, West Sussex.
Several merchants expanded, including
The Wee Vinoteca in Hitchin, which took over the former Cozzi & Boffa store at
Burwash Manor near Cambridge; Stroud Wine Company opened a second shop; Eline restaurant in Hoxton opened
Kimchi’s Bottle Shop; Fine Wines of Mayfield opened a second shop, in
Tunbridge Wells; The Sourcing Table
opened a second store in south London; Must & Lees opened a second shop in
north London; Great Grog opened its third Edinburgh store; The Piper Bottle Shop took over the former Pop Wines site in Broomhill, Glasgow; and Kilo Wines of
Loughborough opened a second branch.
highlight Spain’s breadth of offer
58 cocktails in a bottle We taste test some ready-mixed concoctions aimed at indies
64 make a date It’s already January, as far as we’re concerned, and wines need tasting
75 Q&A: jeremy hunt The Thorman Hunt founder has some stories to tell Must & Lees and Kilo Wines both opened second branches this year
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 1,018 specialist independent wine shops. Printed in Sussex by East Print. © Graham Holter Ltd 2023 Registered in England: No 6441762 VAT 943 8771 82
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 2
Crediton indie opens wine bar Bruce Evans at Grape & Grain Wine Merchants in Crediton, Devon, has opened a wine bar just a few doors down from his shop. “There’s a gap in the market in this
town,” he says. “There are eight pubs and they are all, for want of a better word,
Friday night fighting pubs, so I’ve put in something better.
“I’ve been here 12 years and people
will buy better things if you give them the opportunity.”
Evans has transformed the former bank
into a welcoming bar with room to seat around 40 people.
“It’s very much in the Spanish style,” he
explains. “There’s a little bit of standing space but it’s basically a sitting, table
service bar. The issue I have with wine bars in this country is that most of them are just restaurants that serve wine, but this is a bar which will do a little bit of food.”
As well as creating a prep kitchen, Evans
has invested in a Verre de Vin preservation system and intends to have around 40
wines on by the glass (and carafe, if he can
locate the ones he recently purchased), and has three lines for keg wines.
“The wines in the bar will be different
from the wines in the shop,” Evans says, “so there will be no issue with people
asking, ‘why is that 25 quid when I got it in the shop for 12?’ I know most people understand [the mark up] but there’s
Amapola in Crediton: not a place for a Friday night fight
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 4
always an idiot.”
To complete the Spanish theme, Evans
has named the new bar Amapola (the
Spanish word for poppy), in honour of his beloved dog Poppy, who died this year.
Linden’s back in business
Linden Stores has returned with a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire. Owners Laura Christie and Chris Boustead originally launched the business in Highbury, north London, where they ran the restaurant and wine shop from 2017 to 2020. The latest site on Minshull Street, which will launch later this month, will be the second for the couple since relocating from London. The previous premises, also in Knutsford, closed earlier this year.
Porte Noire takes on next-door unit David Farber is extending the Porte Noire business he co-owns with Idris Elba, taking over a vacant neighbouring unit at the premises in King’s Cross. The restaurant and wine bar, which
also includes a small retail area, will be
extended with a dedicated events space. Farber’s Connaught Cellars shop,
between Edgware Road and Hyde Park in central London, has closed permanently
after six years of trading, allowing him to
focus on the growing Porte Noire business in the Coal Drops Yard development.
“I love wine tastings and we used to do
them on Tuesday evenings,” he says. “But
now we are busy every evening, so I don’t
have times or days when I can do ticketed events.
“Having next door will allow us to
have a space for tastings, events and
masterclasses. We’ve seen a big increase in demand for entertainment. People want to take their friends and colleagues out.”
The new unit will also give Farber bigger
office space and a much-needed area
where staff can prepare wines for packing and collection by courier. Porte Noire’s small retail section, which generates
between 10% and 30% of sales depending
Cooper and David Farber: very happy in King’s Cross
on the time of year, will not be expanded.
two places at the same time.
have three Champagne cuvées now. We
getting better and better, stronger and
strange area – not much residential, and
probably from Tuscany. We’re looking at a
Porte Noire is approaching its second
anniversary and, according to Farber, “it’s stronger, and revenue is going up”.
He adds: “Connaught Cellars was working,
but it was not a heavy footfall place.
“The lease came to an end and we
decided not to renew. The staffing issue was a part of it: I couldn’t find someone
to run it. And I’m not sure it could survive as just a shop. The hybrid model makes
most sense unless you’re in a location like Marylebone High Street.
“Connaught was my baby, so it was a
shame. But it was difficult for me to be in
“We still deliver wines to our old
customers from here, but it was always a not many offices.
“A lot of the customers that we had
became friends and miss us a lot. And
people miss Cooper [Farber’s six-year-old labradoodle]. More than me, for sure.” Idris Elba is not involved in the
operations side of the restaurant and shop. “Idris comes every two months, roughly,
when his schedule allows,” Farber explains. “He’s very much involved in the Porte
Noire wines and Champagne and this is a nice place to showcase the products. We
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 5
also have a rosé from Provence and we
are currently working on a red wine, most
spirits range too. Porte Noire is going to be a sort of cabinet of drinks. It’s developing quite nicely.”
Is a second branch likely? “Yes, but for
now we want to focus on next door, so
there’s no urgency.” No particular location
has yet been identified but Farber’s criteria are narrowing. “Being French I love having an outdoor space to taste wines, and
ideally it will have a retail side – a place
like this, if we can find it. There are lots of nice places in London.”
Andrea’s farewell to the King’s Road Last Drop Wines on King’s Road, west London, has closed. Owner Andrea Viera, who established
the business in 2008, reports a decline in footfall as a major factor.
It’s not goodbye forever, as she has plans
to open a new space next year, but it will
be very different. “I don’t want a shop,” she says.
“I’ve put a bid in on a place outside
of London, but it would be a sort of
performance venue. There will be live
music and I’ll just have the wine bar on the side to complement it.
“Basically I just came to the point where
there is no footfall whatsoever. This part of town is completely dead, and I’m working too many hours.
“I live close by so I’d rather be on call to
deliver to my clients and source what they want.”
The Bottle Shop is known for its refill stations (above) and focus on sustainability
Dartmoor indie looks for buyer The Bottle Shop in Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor, is up for sale. Owners Anne Cleminson and Simon
Johnson launched the shop and bar 15
months ago but are having to step aside due to illness.
“We, and our local community, are
very keen to keep the business going
and growing,” says Cleminson. “The shop and bar focused on sustainability and
developed great relationships with local producers for beer, spirits, and ciders.
“Our wine and gin refill stations are very
popular. We would love to see the business
Amathus is set to open in Oxford. This
and fixtures and fittings.”
Park Royal, which operates a click-and-
included in the shop rent.
in the premises previously occupied by the
go to the right people who could continue
what we started for simply the cost of stock
will be the 11th retail outlet for the company, including its head office at
Cleminson says that a two-bedroom
collect service.
Interested parties should email
Oxford University Press bookshop, which
apartment above the shop could also be Andrea Viera is now looking beyond London
Amathus to open new Oxford site
crossstreetbottleshop@gmail.com.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 6
The new Oxford store is planned to open
closed in 2020.
In our September issue,WBC’s spot the difference competition had many an eagle-eyed wine merchant, Sharpie at the ready, staring at two almost identical pictures of a busy kitchen. It wasn’t an easy task, but we received dozens of entries correctly identifying the 10 differences. Five winners were chosen at random to win a selection of prizes provided by
WBC, the trade’s trusted supplier of wine boxes, packaging materials, shop display equipment and so much more.
For proof of a tea break well spent, here are the names of the lucky winners.
Jen Jones, of The Whalley Wine Shop, Clitheroe, wins 48 1-bottle Flexi-hex postal packs and 24 2-bottle packs, value £206.40
Spot the Difference competition winners
Gosia Bailey, of Mr & Mrs Fine Wine, Southwell, wins 40 jute bags, value £120
Matt Hodgson, of Grape Britannia, Cambridge, wins 36 laser-cut 1-bottle wooden boxes, value £225.72
Charlotte Fenwick, of VIN, Gateshead, wins a Vacuvin countertop display, value £289
Daniel Read, of New Forest Wines, Ringwood, Hampshire, wins a wine tasting kit, value £90.08
Congratulations to all five of them.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 7
DAVID PERRY
white Burgundy with “Chardonnay” on
the label is unlikely to be top notch – in
fact, it may put some people off. “I don’t like Chardonnay.” No, you don’t like the creosote taste of charred oak chips in
cheap brands. You’ll probably love Petit
Irregular Thoughts A nice Merlot, you say? I can find you something nicer, and save you £5,000
A
s I approach my dotage, there are quite a few things that annoy me. One in particular is when I
read a list which mixes regions and grape
varieties. “Popular red wines such as Rioja, Chianti, Merlot …” I find myself shouting: “Merlot isn’t a wine, it’s a grape!” Why do
they do this? Is it the result of supermarket dumbing down and varietal naming
by mass producers? It’s always Merlot, though.
One of my go-to wine books is Jancis
Robinson’s Vines, Grapes & Wines (the
original edition). There was a time when I
used to get myself to sleep, not by counting sheep, but by seeing how many grape
varieties I could name. I’d do it by region
rather than alphabetically as it was easier to backtrack.
I would start in the Loire and work
my way down through France before
spreading out into the rest of Europe and
then, if I was still awake, the rest of the
world. Muscat Bailey A from Japan was only included if I was suffering from really bad
insomnia. I think I used to get to about 113 before giving in to sleep; it’s hard to keep
count when you are nodding off. 113 out of about 10,000, including synonyms, is not that impressive!
I haven’t tried it for a while and there
are a few which I wouldn’t have included a year or so ago but, thanks to some new
wines now stocked from south west France, I could add Braucol and Bouysselet, for
Chablis.
I’m sure I’m not alone in often being
asked for a “nice Merlot”. “I want to buy a present and I know he likes a Merlot, but I want a really good one”. Let’s go back a
stage. You want to buy a posh wine and all you know is that he drinks the cheapest
red he can find at the Co-op. You recognise
the word Merlot. If I stock a generic Merlot it’s not going to be a whole lot better but it will be a bit more expensive. You do
know that Merlot is a grape, not a wine,
don’t you? Why don’t you let me choose
something interesting I know he’ll really like? How about a Fronton? It’s mainly
Negrette with a little bit of Cab Sauv and
Syrah (sorry, Shiraz) in it too. At £13, it’s
about £5,000 a bottle less than 2009 Le Pin if you wanted a really posh Merlot – well,
92% Merlot, and I haven’t got any anyway.
A
sk people what are the most grown grapes and they are
unlikely to include Airen or
example. Why do people only know and
Grenache and I’d be shocked if they came
asked for “a nice bottle of MT”. (I’m sure
accounts say Cabernet Sauvignon and
ask for Merlot? Müller-Thurgau is widely planted in Germany but no one has ever there’s a joke in there about DRS.)
You really wouldn’t expect a Médoc to
be called “Cabernet/Merlot”, would you?
Well possibly yes, now. Cahors sells better if it has “Malbec” written on the label. A
She really wanted Isle of Wight Chardonnay but settled for a glass of 2009 Le Pin
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 8
up with რქაწითელი, although they are,
or used to be, the top three. More recent
Merlot are the top two, but I don’t believe them.
You have to be very careful how you
phrase the question. You have to specify wine grapes (so Thompson Seedless
sultanas and Khoyo are not included)
and then decide if you are talking about
number of vines, overall area or weight of grapes.
The density of the vineyards and the
yield means there are any number of
variations. Going by area doesn’t add up in my book. If you’ve got a hectare with
only a few vines, does that count? My list
was from a few years ago and I’m sticking
with it, mainly because it took me weeks to
compile from raw data of global production figures (where available). It’s still a bit of
a cheat, though, as Airen from La Mancha mainly finds its way into brandy in Jerez. Grenache is grown fairly widely but the
main bulk of it is just in southern France
and northern Spain. And რქაწითელი (all right, Rkatsiteli) is now reasonably well
known from Georgia but was/is grown all
over the former Soviet Union, so figures are
Bacchus Hooray for holiday homes
Trouble is brewing in the otherwise peaceful Norfolk enclave of Burnham Market. The parish council wants to impose restrictions on second homes in the village, which is apparently known as “Chelsea-on-Sea” because of the dire results of its football team (that’s not actually the reason and you know it – Ed.) Maxwell Graham-Wood of Satchells Wine Merchants is one of several local traders who is opposed to the plan, though we’re not sure any of them are literally “howling with anger”, as the Eastern Daily Press has put it.
unreliable.
But what about Chardonnay? That must
Elodie S, meet Elodie D
be up there? Well it’s certainly planted
widely, from Africa to Ukraine, but all the vines could be crammed into the Isle of
Wight – I worked that out once too, but on
reflection, it sounds absurd. I just checked; at 91,496 hectares including the marine
areas, the island is less than half the size of all the world’s current Chardonnay plantings of 210,000 hectares. But
increase the density and they could easily be crammed in. Which is why doing it by vineyard size is misleading in my book.
Popular culture tends to dumb things
down as well. James Bond’s Vespa, in the films, is vodka and Martini “shaken, not stirred”. Ian Fleming’s Vespa was vodka and Lillet Blanc, but I’m guessing they
didn’t have the same product placement
budget as Martini & Rossi. When Hannibal Lecter says he “ate his liver with a nice Chianti, tcht, tcht, tcht” most viewers
would recognise it as a red wine. In the
book, however, it is Amarone, which would possibly have been a better match.
At least he didn’t wash it down with “a
nice Merlot”.
David Perry is owner of Shaftesbury Wines in Dorset
wines from their Kemp Town shop for the benefit of viewers. Fèvre Chablis was among the autumnal choices. “It’s very clean, very savoury; it has a sort of saline quality about it,” Henry improvises. “Very well balanced; it’s not too in-your-face. It’s crisp, but it has a little bit of richness underneath. Just a really nice wine to drink. I really like it. And that would go with fish, meat or vegetables as well.” “Butternut squash,” suggests Cassie. “No, it wouldn’t,” deadpans Henry. “Nothing goes with butternut squash. Horrible thing.” He’s right.
Not opposed to visitors by a long chalk
Maxwell has placed a chalkboard outside his shop to make his feelings clear. “If we had to rely on local people for business then there wouldn’t be a single business left in the village because they don’t shop here,” he told the paper. “Businesses love second home owners and holidaymakers, and the sooner we can drop this ridiculous attitude towards the people that keep our economy going, the better.”
Butternut? Better not
Brighton independent Henry Butler is put on the spot by wife Cassie for a recent Instagram video, in which she challenges him to select some seasonal
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 9
Crossing Point Wines in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, has been renamed Elodie’s. The business, run by Helen and Adrian Shield, is the exclusive UK distributor for Elodie D Champagne, so there’s some logic to the decision. But there’s a third Elodie in the mix: the couple’s “miracle baby” daughter, born in the spring of 2022 after Helen and Adrian had lost hope of starting a family. She’s posing with an inflatable imperial bottle of her namesake fizz, but will no doubt be allowed nearer the real thing once she’s grown beyond cork height.
TRIED & TESTED
Dauvergne Ranvier Costieres de Nîmes 2022
Louis Jadot Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2020
Wines that burst with ripe red fruit flavours don’t
The fruit comes from across Burgundy, with the aim
price. A Syrah and Grenache blend that macerates for
pulled off quite deftly, creating a wine that is somehow
of creating a blend that benefits from approachable
always win awards but they cheer up an awful lot of people, especially when they come in at this sort of
three weeks and is kept well away from oak, it’s oozing with raspberry coulis flavours, and a hint of Play-Doh. RRP: £13.99
ABV: 14.5%
fruit flavours as well as a tannic structure. The trick is
serious as well as fun. Pleasing dark berry flavours on the palate, with some toasty notes also in the mix. RRP: £28.10
ABV: 13%
Hatch Mansfield (01344 871800)
Daniel Lambert Wines (01656 661010) daniellambert.wine
hatchmansfield.com
Château Couhins-Lurton Pessac-Léognan 2020
Deux Grives Grande Réserve Shiraz 2022
This property occupies a privileged position in the
It’s only natural these days to raise a quizzical
bring out the aromatic intensity of the variety. The
wrong, rather than right. But this is a sumptuous,
eyebrow at wines that arrive with an RRP below £10,
Graves region, where Sauvignon Blanc vines thrive
and normally it’s a question of working out what’s
on a sand, gravel and limestone slope that seems to
juicy Languedoc red with enough depth and spicy
acidity is invigorating, and sets the scene for the
detais to justify another few quid on the price ticket.
floral, nectarine notes and lovely saline kick. RRP: £55.99
RRP: £9.99
ABV: 13.5%
ABV: 13.5%
Cachet Wine (01482 638888)
North South Wines (020 3871 9210) northsouthwines.co.uk
cachetwine.co.uk
IXSIR Altitudes White 2022
Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Goldlack Trocken 2020
This Lebanese producer claims the highest vineyards in the northern hemisphere and specialises in
It’s possible to go through a wine-drinking career and
and aromatic, with just the right blend of citrus acidity
with labyrinths of flavour that blend luxurious fruit
mountain wines with freshness and elegance. This
blend of Obeidy, Muscat and Viognier is a delight: silky and ripe fruit flavours. Definitely a versatile food companion, but some of us are on diets. RRP: £24
ABV: 13%
wonder why there’s so much fuss about Riesling. But when it’s as mesmerising and other-worldly as this,
with diamond-sharp minerality, it all falls into place.
Stunning wine from an undisputed Rheingau champion. RRP: £232
Enotria&Coe (020 8961 4411)
ABV: 13%
Jascots (020 8965 2000)
enotriacoe.com
jascots.co.uk
Achaval Ferrer Cabernet Franc 2020
Château de l’Ou l’Ove Blanc 2019
Like a few other classic grape varieties, Cab Franc is
Roussillon tasting in London and this Grenache Gris,
almost becoming a separate species in the new world.
Tupungato in Mendoza is an awful lot sunnier than the Loire valley, even with its mountain breezes, and the
style here is bigger and fuller. Bold tannins, rich dark fruit and herbal hints make it a decent winter option. RRP: £22.95
ABV: 14.7%
Jeroboams (0207 288 8888) jeroboams.co.uk
There were nuggets galore to be found at Hallgarten’s
from the Côtes Catalanes, was one of them. Winemaker Séverine Bourrier usually finds a way of injecting a
mineral seam into her creations: here she’s crafted a
wine that’s textural and alive, with stony flavours but
also some ripe peachy fruit lurking in the background. RRP: £26.63
ABV: 13.5%
Hallgarten & Novum Wines (01582 722 538) hnwines.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 10
Rising Stars
Roberta Nunziata The Naked Grape, Hampshire
“I started this job as a little bit of an adventure, but I never left because I love it so much”
T
he Naked Grape has stores in Alresford, Four Marks, and Hungerford. Roberta manages the Four Marks shop and runs the regular Friday night pop-up bar. According to owner Simon Evans, she is more than a very safe pair of hands. “Roberta is a shop and pop-up wine bar goddess,” he says. “She appeared, as if by magic, when I wasn’t really looking for an employee. I’d posted something on Facebook because we were after someone to help out with various ad-hoc events, but she turned out to be far better than that, and after a few months we just offered her a full-time job. “You often get people saying, ‘oh yeah, I can come and help out’, but they just think they’re going to be standing there drinking wine. We needed someone who is going to work; talk to the customers, represent the company and all that sort of stuff. Roberta got that immediately. She was perfect.” Roberta didn’t have had any formal wine training prior to joining the team, but her Italian heritage accounts for her wine credentials. Roberta says that while she practically grew up on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, one of the most enjoyable parts of her job has been learning about different wines. “Italians drink Italian wines, so I didn’t know much about wine in general,” she admits. “I started this job about five years ago as a little bit of an adventure, but I never left because I love it so much and I am discovering something new all the time. Simon is so knowledgeable and always makes time to do wine tastings for the staff. He takes us to meet the producers and see the vineyards. “Outside of Italy, I love South African and Portuguese wines. I’m a fan of Chocolate Block and there is a particular wine called Consensus from Portugal: it is a blend of Pinot Noir and Touriga Nacional. Absolutely lovely.”
R
oberta says the favourite part of her role is running the Friday night pop-up bar. “I’ve been doing it for two years now and it’s just lovely to see people coming in and trying different wines. It broadens my horizons too because we try different wines every week. “A big part of my enthusiasm is that I love learning about people through wine. Talking about wine is one
of the best connections you can have. You get to know people and their stories.” Having autonomy has given Roberta confidence to flourish and develop her career. “Just being in charge of this shop, it makes me feel proud of what I do,” she says. “Simon is always happy to hear my suggestions and my point of view because, being here all the time, I know the customers and I treat the business as if it was my own.”
Roberta wins a bottle of Caliterra Cenit If you’d like to nominate a Rising Star, email claire@winemerchantmag.com
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 12
ight ideas r b
40: Fish & Chips with Champagne Ashley Clarke Amps Wine Merchants, Oundle
In a nutshell: Most wine industry bods
the rosé.’ I assured him that of course that
but there are still consumers out there who
men liking rosé. Hopefully we jumped past
know it takes a lot to beat the classic food
wasn’t silly, but it goes to show that clearly
pairing of Champagne with fish and chips,
there seems to be a bit of a stigma about
need a bit of persuading. Simply pick your
that barrier, and actually we sold more rosé
favourite Champagne house, find a suitable
at the end of the evening than the Blanc de
venue and let the tastebuds do the talking.
Blancs. We offered a 15% discount on the
night, and we did some really decent sales
Why did you choose Charles Heidsieck?
off the back of it, which was great.”
“I was invited to the Champagne Academy
Did you win over any doubters?
in June this year. During the visit to Charles Heidsieck, the line-up that cellarmaster
“There were a lot of guests who had been
to top what we’d already tasted but it was
of people beforehand who were a little
Elise Losfelt showed us just blew me away.
to our events before and they know how
I thought by day three you wouldn’t be able
good it can pair. But there were a couple
absolutely phenomenal.
“Amps used to stock Charles Heidsieck,
but hadn’t for quite a while, and certainly
dubious. Once you start explaining that
before my time. When I came back from my
is a good turnout because we aimed for
owner]. We got in touch with Liberty, and
colleague Lesley were there to book people
week in Champagne I was waxing lyrical
about Charles Heidsieck to Philip [Amps, since restocking in September it’s really taken off.”
Tell us about the venue. “The Black Horse is one of our accounts and we’ve done Champagne events for
them before. The location is perfect for
us and, most importantly, they’ve got the capacity to cook up to 40 fish and chip
suppers in one go and serve them all at the same time. That was key.”
What was the format of the event? “We had 32 people buy tickets, which
anywhere between 20 and 40 people.
Tickets cost £49 per head. Myself and my in and serve the Champagne. We were
joined by Heidsieck’s brand development manager, Francesca D’Albertanson, who
presented the three wines we’d chosen for the evening. They were the Brut Reserve
Champagne is perfect with that high acidity cutting across the fat of the batter, that’s
when people actually start to engage more, because they want to learn about food and wine pairing and the science behind it. “It might not be affordable to have
Champagne every time you have fish and
chips but I think it’s certainly going to be at the forefront of their minds next time.”
NV, the Blanc de Blancs NV and the Rosé Reserve. We did the guided tasting first, which took about an hour, and then had
fish and chips which we served with a full glass of the Brut Reserve.”
Any surprises on the night? “We had one gentleman who said, ‘It
sounds really silly, but I actually really liked
Ashley 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 november 2023 13
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52. Alex Grubbins We went on a cruise down the Rhine several years ago and we had some absolutely smashing wines, Ryeslings and what have you, and we were asking the waiter why we didn’t ever see wines like that back home, and he tells us that the Germans keep all the good stuff for themselves … we just get the rubbish … friend of mine lived in Spain for a while, had a building firm on the Costa del Sol, and he and his wife really got into the local wines … course he had a few quid so he could afford the real McCoy … light years
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ahead of what we see over here, because again the Spanish keep all the good stuff for themselves … I’ve never been a
QUIZ TIME
big fan of French wine, tastes like battery acid to me, but we had a holiday in the Dordogne and the red wines were absolutely marvellous … the French don’t want to send them to us, you see, they keep all the good stuff for themselves … now I quite enjoy a bottle of Chianti, but a pal who has a timeshare there told me no no no, don’t drink the filth you get here, it’s nothing like what they drink over there in Tuscany … the Italians keep all the good stuff for themselves …
1. Arrange these Chilean regions from north to south: Limarí; Maipo; Colchagua; Maule. 2. Which grape accounts for at least 40% of La Clape blends? 3. By what name is Carignan known in Rioja? 4. What wine style was given its name in 2004 by UK wine merchant David Harvey? 5. Which cartoon villain has a vested interest in destroying gyropalettes? Answers on page 61
THE THEWINE WINEMERCHANT MERCHANTnovember october 2021 2023 14
BITS & BOBS
Favourite Things
French winegrowers hijacked lorries entering from Spain and dumped thousands of bottles of rosé and cava into the road to protest against what they claim is unfair competition. Around 500 vintners from areas
Debbie Bass
Cape Wine & Food, Staines Favourite wine on my list
If pressed it would be The Mentors Petit Verdot from Stellenbosch. Intense fruit, some minerality and soft tannins. All the wines in this range are both outstanding in quality and value.
Favourite wine shop
We don’t get to explore many wine shops but we did visit Grape Expectations in Marlow with friends. I loved the atmosphere and selection of wines, plus the fact that you could have something to eat and drink there and stay a while.
to group its range by grape type or
stopping lorries, and emptied sparkling
often feel “overwhelmed” when buying
Thousands of gallons of rosé were
shelf barkers make it easier for shoppers
part in the operation at the border town
to experiment.
wine from one Spanish tanker and dumped
wine and lack the confidence to try
of Boulou. They blocked motorway tolls, tomatoes from Morocco into the street.
emptied into the street and 10,000 bottles of sparkling Spanish wine were smashed. The Telegraph, October 19
Research by Co-op found that consumers
something new. It has added navigational to find their favourite wine styles, as well
as introducing a new layout across nearly 2,000 stores which will see similar wine styles grouped together.
Joe Turner of the Co-op said: “We expect
this to encourage trial across countries of origin, too, with a choice of Malbecs
from different countries merchandised all together, for example.
“This is just the first step in making Co-
Favourite wine trip
Dave Hanchet from North South Wines. He is always so helpful, knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to go the extra mile for us.
The Co-op has overhauled its wine aisles variety to make it easier for customers
At the risk of being stereotypical, I would look to South Africa for both! I love a lightly chilled good quality Pinotage with a braai. Especially with a succulent steak or spare ribs.
Favourite wine trade person
Co-op customers guided by grapes
surrounding Narbonne and Perpignan took
Favourite wine and food match
The vineyards of the Western Cape. All the regions are so special that it’s hard to single out any routes. I love Elgin for all the cooler climate varietals, Stellenbosch and Paarl for the bolder types and the Swartland for all the Rhône-style wines. Last but not least, Franschhoek for everything, including the highquality restaurants.
Magpie
Spanish wines are destroyed in France
op’s in-store offer more accessible.” The Drinks Business, October 30
Maybe people will learn to pour it properly
Beer joins wine and sake at WSET From February 2024, WSET will be offering educational courses in beer. This is the first new subject stream for
WSET since it added sake in 2014.
The six-hour Level 1 course provides
introductions to beer ingredients, styles, production, service, food pairing and
tasting. The 28-hour Level 2 course, which includes 16 hours of guided learning, 11 hours of private study and a one-hour
exam, is an intermediate level qualification. Beer & Brewer, October 2
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 16
Buy Israeli wine, Americans are told Americans have been urged to buy Israeli wine to aid Jewish relief efforts. To raise awareness and in support
of Israel and its wineries, the Israeli
Wine Producers Association, is asking consumers to “Sip for Solidarity”.
Joshua Greenstein, vice president of the
trade organisation, said: “Buy a bottle of Israeli wine.
“Not only will the purchase help the
wineries, but we’re donating 10% of
every case shipped from November 1 until December 31 to Israeli relief efforts.” New York Post, October 29
UK plans to relax wine abv rules
?
THE BURNING QUESTION
How big a problem are late payers?
�
We have close working relationships with all our trade accounts so tend to spot problems in advance. But if it comes to it, a friend has a security firm that provides the bouncers for Guildford’s night clubs. One of their best tricks is for two of the bigger lads to visit the pub wearing jackets with ‘debt collector’ on the back. They sit at the bar with a soft drink, just being very visible and explaining to locals why they are there. It’s amazing how quickly the debtor will find the cash.
The government plans to change the legal definition of wine to reflect demand for low-alcohol versions of the drink. Legally, wine must be produced by the
alcoholic fermentation of grape juice and
”
is required to have a minimum 8.5% abv,
or 4.5% for certain brands of wine that can only be produced in certain regions. The government has confirmed it
intends to lower the minimum abv to 0%
for all types of wine. The change, expected to be made next year following a further consultation, would allow low and no-
alcohol wine to be legally described and marketed as “wine” in England. BBC, October 17
Rupert Pritchett H Champagne winner H Taurus Wines, Surrey Hills
�
Thankfully we don’t have many issues with late payers at all. A few customers have had rocky patches and we’ve tried to be as lenient as possible, extending credit terms and moving to pro-forma payments to keep the supply going until their situation improves and any debt is cleared. Post-pandemic, our trade customers in general have been paying more promptly and not necessarily using up their full credit terms. Hopefully the days of having to have those difficult debt-chasing conversations are over.
”
Cristal worried by Walthamstow rival
Jonathan Charles The Dorset Wine Company, Poundbury
�
We do not ship or deliver any wine until we have received full payment. There are instances of late payers, but the wine sits in our warehouse. For example, we recently sold £3,000 of Standish to a trade customer on 14-day payment terms. At 21 days we chased for the payment. The daft response was: ‘We would like the stock, however, please be informed that our new CFO is reviewing all supplier payments.’ We cancelled the order as our payment terms were not honoured. You get a sense for nonsense.
Renegade Urban Winery, based on an industrial estate in Walthamstow, east London, has been contacted by representatives of Louis Roederer who claimed that the UK producer’s use of the name Crystal on a pink sparkling
”
wine infringes the French firm’s Cristal brand. Renegade was instructed to cease using
the name Crystal or potentially face court action. Warwick Smith, the founder of
Renegade, said he was surprised to receive the legal letter.
He said: “My hope is that everything
gets resolved amicably. We haven’t got any pockets, never mind deep ones.” He claimed the bottles’ labels were
“completely different” and the names
were pronounced differently. “It’s a very
different product in taste, look, feel, price point and country of origin.”
Stuart McCloskey The Vinorium, Ashford, Kent
�
I am always surprised to be relegated to the bottom of payment schedules by some of our customers, who know how small we are and how much care we put in importing our products, which is the reason they decide to work with us. Late payments are a pain as they create a lot of friction in the supply chain. It really disappoints me to be paid late, particularly when our customers – restaurants, hotels, shops – collect money directly from their customers through PDQs. Hugo Meyer Esquerré Provisions, London
”
Champagne Gosset The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584
The Guardian, October 25
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 17
Stars of Setúbal 9. Moscatel Roxo In association with Setúbal Peninsula Wines
M
oscatel Roxo is a jewel in the crown of the Setúbal peninsula. This fragrant, pink-hued local variant of Muscat of Alexandria almost disappeared from the region – some say this was partly down to the grape’s popularity with the local bird population. But luckily the region’s winemakers love it too, and plantings have been steadily increasing. Like Moscatel de Setúbal, fermentation is stopped with brandy and the wine then macerates on its skins for several months, six on average. Moscatel Roxo must then age for at least three years in barrel, twice as long as Moscatel de Setúbal. The wines that emerge are some of the most distinctive and exciting in the region, and work beautifully as pre- or post-dinner drinks.
Venâncio da Costa Lima
Quinta do Piloto
Casa Ermelinda Freitas
Moscatel Roxo 2015
Moscatel Roxo Superior 2016
Moscatel Roxo 2010
Gauntleys of Nottingham RRP: £27.40
Raymond Reynolds
Atlântico
Here’s an example of a Moscatel Roxo wine that is unashamedly, joyously sweet, with flavours of honey, jam (perhaps marmalade too) and raisins. But, as you’d expect from a producer who’s won many an award for its Moscatel wines, there’s far more going on than just that. There’s a steely freshness running through its core, too, and obviously this is something that achieves its full effect if the wine is gently chilled, as per the back-label instructions. Excellent value for a fortified wine with so many layers.
The grapes come from a combination of clay and limestone soils, which helps give winemaker Filipe Cardoso the ingredients he needs for a wine that balances acidity, sweetness and aromatics. The wine ages in 650-litre barrels which previously held brandy and emerges with a blend of orange, honey and floral notes, with a nutty, caramel sort of character on the palate and a nice mineral seam that holds everything together. It’s also one of the more textural wines in the selection we tried, which adds another element to its appeal.
RRP: £28
Horácio Simões FHS Roxo Excellent NV Festa
RRP: £95.25
You need to be pretty self-assured to give your wine a name like Excellent, but the confidence of Horácio Simões is certainly not misplaced here. It’s a lot of money to spend on a wine, but you’re paying for some painstaking efforts in the vineyard and winery, 10 years of ageing in barrel, and some mesmerising flavours in the wine itself. The sweeter, fruitier elements are powerful and concentrated, but there’s also an unexpected and frankly delightful citrus-pith bitterness which, along with the brisk acidity and faint mineral note, complete a minor masterpiece.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 18
RRP: £33.79
There’s so much going on in this wine that you could probably devote a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation to why it tastes as interesting as it does. An aroma of flowers and tangerines gives way to concentrated and medicinal flavours, with old-fashioned marmalade and a sprinkle of hazelnuts in the mix for good measure. As we saw with all our samples, this richness is countered – perhaps complemented would be a better word – by an acidity that tempts you to indulge in a second or perhaps third glass.
Just two producers you can find on the Taste France marketplace Ampelidae farms organically in the Loire, and its wines are categorised in five ranges. From its premium Icons selection, which encompasses wines aged differently in amphorae, oak barrels or concrete eggs, and its Armance B sparkling wines (named after the founder’s grandmother), through to the Domaine’s signature range, Fié Gris, the focus is on producing wines with a natural varietal expression. The Ampelidae team, led by the Meuli family, believes in minimal intervention in the winemaking process, while constantly innovating and working with local growers to promote organic farming practices.
Château Roquefort is a Bordeaux winemaking estate owned by the Bellanger family. Its red, white and rosé wines reflect the diversity of the Entre-Deux-Mers terroir. The multi-award winning Roquefortissime Rouge (100% Merlot) is a good example of the region’s round and powerful reds.
A new way to discover French wines Taste France, an online hub, makes it simple to link up with producers across France
F
rench wine remains one of the
biggest sellers for UK independents, and for those who import direct,
finding time to source new wines and
establish relationships with producers can be tricky.
A free online hub for importers and
wholesalers of French wine, Taste France is designed to facilitate direct connection with suppliers and enable samples to be ordered with just one click.
Although wine merchants report that
attending trade tastings can be beneficial,
socialising aside, once the expense of travel
Languedoc. Secure contact forms allowing
wines. Using a digital platform to access a
in London and Paris, who will ensure
and time spent away is factored in, it’s not always a sustainable way of sourcing new
catalogue of wines available for importing will save wine buyers time and money.
Supported by Business France, Taste
France is an online marketplace featuring more than 26,000 products from around 2,300 producers, all of which have been checked and verified. The platform is
also fully customisable, allowing users to set preferences and filter out styles
or regions that are not of interest. Once
registered, each merchant’s user history will contribute to building their unique customer profile, so wines will also be
recommended based on previous activity and buying habits.
Registration is free and allows instant
access to independent-friendly wines from regions including Bordeaux,
Alsace, Champagne, the Loire valley and
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 20
direct interaction with producers are
monitored by the teams at Business France responses are given within a 24-hour
period. Any samples requested from the producers can be expected within two weeks of ordering.
Spirits, beers and ciders are also in
the mix, but the majority of the listings are wine. A tech sheet complete with
tasting notes is provided for each product, alongside pricing guidelines.
Buying decisions can be easier
when colleagues are involved, and
the convenience of a digital platform
incorporating the dispatch of free samples allows for a more collaborative tasting experience.
Scan the QR code to find out more.
Published in association with Business France
DUNCAN MCLEAN
mask to take another bite of this wasabispread scone.
All of which leads me to ask: is that how
casual customers feel when they walk into my shop? Twenty-something years ago, when I started to focus on selling wine,
Northabout I don’t mean to bamboozle customers. But the Gruen transfer makes it happen
T
he Manhattan Transfer were a
flung in front of them, and leaves with six
d’Amour and On a Little Street in Singapore.
The Austrian architect after whom the
jazzy acapella group famous in
the 1970s for hits such as Chanson
Texas transfer is a bidding tactic in bridge designed to counter your opponent’s
one notrump or two notrump openings.
Language transfer is where the accent and structure of your native language infect
a new one you’re trying to learn. Balance transfer is where I move £17 from my
savings account to my current account
the day before payday to avoid overdraft charges.
And if all of that’s rather confusing, it’s
a successful demonstration of the Gruen
transfer, in which a member of the public is confronted by overwhelming verbal
or visual information, and so loses track of their intentions. Typically, it’s a trick
used by large stores and shopping malls: a customer comes into the mall planning to
buy a suitcase from John Lewis, is dazzled
and bamboozled by the vast array of choice
pairs of socks, a scented candle and a Lego model of the Starship Enterprise.
effect is named, Victor Gruen, disavowed the eventual tyranny of shopping malls. “I refuse to pay alimony for those
bastard developments,” he said, of the
constructions he had spent most of his
working life designing. “They destroyed our cities.”
Luckily we don’t have any malls in
Orkney. The closest is the wonderful
general merchant William Shearer, founded two years before our shop, in 1857. Here
you can buy everything from a fruit scone to a shotgun, fresh crab to fishing tackle;
Christmas trees, midgie hoods, ice cream
for dogs, grass seed by the ton and glutenfree wasabi by the tube.
On first entering, the Gruen transfer
exerts its forcefield, but after years of
practice I have learned to resist it. Excuse me for a moment while I lift my midgie
Don’t be fooled into buying a Manhattan Transfer CD
I was determined to avoid any fustiness, obscurantism or snobbishness. I didn’t
come from a wine-drinking background
myself, so I was passionate about making everything in the shop communicate
clearly. And yet over the years I’ve heard the wail many times, “I don’t know what
to choose! What’s the breed of wine I like? Argh, I can’t find … I’m lost … it’s all mixed up!” Of course it isn’t all mixed up: it’s
arranged and signposted in a very clear and conventional way, that I thought no
one could find anything but crystal clear. I was wrong.
Having tried every variation in
organisation and signage over the years,
I’ve come to the conclusion that … nothing works! Just seeing two or three hundred
different bottles on our shelves is enough
to dazzle and bamboozle many customers. It’s the Gruen transfer in inadvertent
operation. Except the customers don’t grab a random £40 bottle of Brunello in their
panic. They just pace nervously back and
forth, looking increasingly panicky, until we go and rescue them. I’ve seen us literally
pull people back in the door as they leave, muttering, “I wanted port but you don’t have any.” Yes we do! Of course we do!
You’ve been standing right in front of it for 10 minutes!
The only way to banish the Gruen
transfer forever would be to have 10
bottles of a single Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on one shelf, with 10 bottles of a
Pinot Grigio just below. On the red shelf we’d have 10 bottles of an Argentinian
Malbec and 10 bottles of a Chilean Merlot. On the central island, a pyramid of LBV.
I feel my brain going numb. It may be the
horrific thought of having to work in a shop that isn’t overflowing with choice and the
full bounty of the wine world. Or it may be the effects of the wasabi scone.
Duncan McLean is proprietor of Kirkness & Gorie, Kirkwall
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 21
T
o say that Chivite makes wines fit
for kings and queens is not simply to use a figure of speech.
As the winery’s export manager, Patrice
Lesclaux, told a group of 12 independent merchants during a fascinating and
revealing Zoom tasting in October, the
Spanish royal family has been enjoying
Chivite wines since the 17th century – a
tradition that continues to this day, with
A Chivite mast
Eleven generations of the Chivite family have established Chivite as on dynasties in Spain. But the Navarra business is always looking to the fu range. A group of independent merchants recently sampled some of th e
Chivite’s top Colección white and red wines still being used to entertain foreign visitors at royal lunches and dinners.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise. After
all, as well as being one of the great historic names of Spanish wine (and a member of the distinguished club of 32 top Spanish
wine estates, Grandes Pagos de España), Chivite is also one of the country’s most
innovative producers. A winery that was founded in 1647 and which is still run by the same family – led by the 11th-
generation Julián Chivite – has, as Lesclaux says, “never stopped experimenting” and looking for ways to evolve and improve. Chivite’s recent history is full of
examples of this drive for improvement.
As Lesclaux explains, one of the key dates
in its modern development is 1993, which is when the great Bordeaux winemaker
Denis Dubourdieu brought all the refined experience he had acquired at Châteaux Cheval Blanc and d’Yquem to Chivite’s
operation in Navarra, where he consulted until his untimely death in 2016.
A close friend of Julián Chivite (pictured),
Dubourdieu had a profound influence on
Chivite’s modern character with his work
in both the winery and, no less importantly, the vineyard. It was under Dubourdieu’s influence that, in 1999, Chivite planted
we play with the orientation, with different
northerly in Europe.”
boutique producer’s 100,000-bottle annual
it’s in the extreme north of Navarra, at the
what is a decidedly cool winemaking
its estate vineyard, Finca Legardeta,
which is now the sole source for all of this production.
Lesclaux describes the
terraced 240ha Legardeta as
“just like a garden” with 103ha of vines planted “in a
patchwork of parcels.
It’s the same estate, the same terroir, but each
parcel has a different
name, and in each parcel
varieties matched to different parcels.”
Dubourdieu chose Legardeta “because
foot of the Pyrenees, where the climate is continental and Atlantic – it’s just an
hour from San Sebastian, on the Atlantic”,
Lesclaux says. “On the map, there is a line showing the most northerly vineyards in Spain: no vineyards are planted north of
that line, and we are right on that line. That means that Finca Legardeta is one of the most northerly vineyards in Spain, and
the Tempranillo we have here is the most
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 22
At 450m-650m above sea level, the
site’s altitude also plays its part in shaping
climate, with snow in winter, plentiful rain in spring, and a big diurnal temperature range during the growing season, with
daytime temperatures of 29°C dropping to 17°C during the night.
The terroir, meanwhile, is “a beautiful
calcareous soil” that, according to Lesclaux, helps create the mineral streak that sets
the Chivite wines apart, while the vineyard surface is “covered with pebbles”, which
erclass
e of the most enduring wine uture, refining and innovating its e wines in an online tasting
Four flavours of Navarra Chivite Las Fincas Rosado, IGP Tres Riberas 2022
A high-class wine with a fascinating back story, Las Fincas Rosado was first developed when, in 2013, legendary Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak (whose eponymous restaurant was the first in Spain to get three Michelin stars) asked Julián Chivite to make him a “gastronomic” rosé. Chivite used the maceration method for the pale, elegant 75/25 Garnacha/Tempranillo blend he came up with, but at the time Navarra DO rules only permitted dark-coloured, saignée-method wines. Chivite bottled the wine using the more flexible IGP Tres Riberas, and when the rosé went on to become a huge success, Chivite decided to switch all production out of the Navarra DO – a huge decision given his father had done so much to develop the appellation, but which it has not regretted. “This feels like more of a food wine. Long with some lovely fruity and creamy flavours. Lovely balance and acidity.” – Derek Crookes, Kernowine, Falmouth, Cornwall “Lovely texture yet still fresh with berry notes – very nice.” – Charlotte Shek, Shekleton Wines, Stamford, Lincolnshire
Chivite Colección 125 Blanco, IGP Tres Riberas 2020
cool nights and, in spring, offer significant
Spain’s greatest white wine? Well, it’s certainly among the most highly rated and historic: a wine that has been served by and to Spanish royalty for generations and which is renowned for its longevity. As Lesclaux says, the 2020 vintage is still very young with the prospect of improving for decades to come. A single-parcel Chardonnay from the north-facing Las Mercedes parcel in the Legardeta vineyard, it’s fermented and aged in new French oak for 10 months.
vineyard’s 20 parcels are managed
“What a cracking Chardonnay. The best Spanish Chardonnay for a long time.” – Maxwell GrahamWood, Satchells of Burnham Market, Norfolk
to thrive. Yields are low at 6,000kg/ha (half
“Delicious! The oak is very well integrated into the wine. Probably more gastronomic as well, with some lovely citrus and acidity. Would like to try an older vintage.” – Derek Crookes, Kernowine
reflect their accumulated heat during the protection against frost.
As with everything Chivite does, the
sustainably, with each plot separated by
stretches of forest, allowing the local fauna the Navarra permitted maximum), and all
vineyard work is carried out by hand, while plot-by-plot micro-vinifications are the
norm in a winery which, as our tasters soon discovered, produces some of Spain’s very finest wines.
“Lovely mouth feel but really fresh acidity for balance.” – Lisa Chisholm, Liquorice, Shenfield, Essex
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 23
Chivite Legardeta Garnacha, IGP Tres Riberas 2018
One of three varietal wines (along with a Chardonnay and a Syrah) that make up a single-estate range developed with Dubourdieu that is “still gastronomic, but a bit more easy-going and at a lower price”, says Lesclaux. A blend of several parcels, each vinified separately before blending and ageing in second-fill French oak, it’s a fresher, northerly interpretation in keeping with the Chivite/Legardeta house style. “This is a really versatile style of Garnacha – a good retail/on-trade crossover style. I love it!” – John Kernaghan, Liquorice “This is very good Garnacha. It has opened nicely the glass. Easy to drink and approachable. I’m glad I used a Coravin for the sample, I can enjoy it many times!” – Maxwell Graham-Wood, Satchells
Chivite Colección 125 Vendimia Tardía, DO Navarra 2020 According to Lesclaux, Julián Chivite had no plans to make a late-harvest wine. But when a winemaker who has been a consultant at Château d’Yquem suggests you do so, as Denis Dubourdieu repeatedly did, it’s hard to say no. Made from a single parcel of Muscat à Petit Grains in Legardeta, harvested by hand in several tries in November and December, it’s aged for 10 months in French oak.
“Stunning!” – Lisa Chisholm, Liquorice “This is awesome. Perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. The 150g of residual sugar vanishes in the delicate touch.” – Maxwell Graham-Wood, Satchells “Very well done. Beautiful, such good balance.” Charlotte Shek, Shekleton Wines
Published in association with UK importer
Enotria&Coe Call 020 8961 4411 or visit enotriacoe.com
JUST WILLIAMS
2023: Around the year in four wines David Williams takes a look at some launches that might not all be aimed directly at the UK independent trade, but could have a wider impact on the wine trade more generally
Most Wanted Pinot Grigio Pink Fizz It would be nice to think that the people with the most influence on shaping the
style of the wines available in the UK are the winemakers and viticulturists who make the stuff, closely followed by the
merchants who go out and find, import, and sell it. But the reality can be rather
years. Other brands will be working on
allowing them to de-alcoholise, sweeten,
which will permit them to take wines
All of which makes a wine such as Most
ways of making the most of Defra’s ending of the ban on blending wine in market,
from different countries and blend it in
the UK, while retaining the grape variety
and vintage on the label. Further changes
zeitgeist-shaping taking place in offices
sweet rosé, with its country of source
(Hungary) barely a feature of its branding, a harbinger of the sort of things to come.
promised mass-market breakthrough in
spreadsheets or legal documents far from
the UK, with most merchants (including
any vineyard.
the big supermarkets) now listing at least
2023, for example, was a year in which
a couple of wines from the Aegean in their
the decisions of British government
portfolios.
officials were arguably more consequential
The country is also having some success
than any trends in élevage, region or grape
at higher price points, with winemakers
variety, with a combination of the new,
on Greece’s most-recognised winemaking
low alcohol-favouring duty system and the
island, Santorini (who have upped their
post-Brexit wine reforms announced by
prices dramatically as costs have spiralled
Defra in late October set to have profound
and demand has soared over the past
and enduring effects on the kind of wines
couple of years) leading the way.
sold in the UK.
But it is a project on a hitherto less
The supermarkets have already upped
coveted island, Naxos, that is perhaps the
their stocks of sweet, hollow-tasting wines expect a lot more of that in the coming
Wanted’s 11.5% abv, carbonated, slightly
Greek wines have finally made their long-
peopled by civil servants hunched over
where higher duty kicks in, and we can
for 2024.
Tetradrachm 2021
less glamorous, with a great deal of the
on or below the 11.5% abv threshold
and carbonate in the UK are also proposed
Hitting a crucial abv, wherever it’s from
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 24
most eye-catching attempt to place Greek wine in the global fine-wine elite. It’s the work of Frenchman Loïc Pasquet, who is
contenders for the status of China’s first growths.
Paul Mas Rosorange At a recent press tasting put on by
independent merchants’ darlings The Wine Society (just kidding), one of my colleagues in the press pack took one of the Society’s buyers to task over a particularly dark
bottle of Tavel. “This is not a rosé,” she said, indignantly, “no matter what it says on the bottle”.
She wasn’t entirely serious, but the buyer
responded by picking up a particularly
wan-looking bottle of Pinot from the run of red wines and said, “maybe not, but might this be?”
The display went to the heart of a trend
that has gathered pace over the past
year: the deliberate blurring of the lines between categories, with gently infused
reds, macerated rosés and extended skincontact whites all merging to make the An early contender for one of China’s first growths?
best known as the disruptive force behind
end Bordeaux and Burgundy over the past
according to wine-searcher.com) small-
genuinely fine wine, however, the country
the staggeringly expensive (at £30,000 a bottle, the most expensive in the world production Bordeaux, Liber Pater.
Made in tiny quantities (1,000 bottles)
from old ungrafted vines planted to the
local, ancient Potamissi variety, the debut release of Tetradrachm arrived in the
autumn with a €550-a-bottle price-tag that
made it the most expensive Greek wine yet. Penfolds CWT 521 2021
Among many other interesting stats,
China is the world’s eighth-biggest wine
consumer, and its tenth-biggest producer, as well as being a key player in the finewine market, with the emergence of
Chinese fine-wine buyers an important
factor in the skywards price rises of top-
two decades.
When it comes to the production of
is only at the beginning of the journey,
although this year saw the emergence of
idea of clearly demarcated colours feel
increasingly arbitrary and anachronistic. It’s a trend that the ever-canny
Languedoc producer Jean-Claude Mas
has clearly observed, and he blurred the
boundaries still further with his latest new release this summer: the (rather lovely)
blend of orange and rosé wines, Rosorange.
a significant new presence in the Chinese
Himalayas, the region that most observers believe has the most potential for making distinctive, high-quality wine.
The first fruits of a long-term project by
the increasingly internationally-focused
Australian producer (it also has wines in
France and California), Penfolds CWT 521 is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon from high-altitude plots (more than
2,000m above sea level) in the Shangri-La region with Marselan from Ningxia.
It has garnered high praise from critics
and joins Château Lafite-Rothschild’s
Long Dai and LVMH’s Ao Yun as the early
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 25
Is it orange or is it rosé? It’s both, actually
NO-ALCOHOL DRINKS
Like it or loathe it, Dry January is coming A sizeable percentage of the public likes to cut down on alcohol at the start of a new year. But that doesn’t have to mean lost sales, at least not in every case. There are more non-alcoholic options than ever to give consumers a credible alternative to their regular tipple
T
he phrase “Dry January” has a
tendency to make lips curl in the wine retailing community. “We
worked all hours god sends to supply the drinks you needed for your Christmas
parties,” the thinking goes. “And now, in the quietest and bleakest month of the year, you abandon us. Thanks a lot.”
Dry January isn’t just a throwaway line
an issue with those objectives. Indeed
the price of alcohol-free drinks is one
with the customer who seems to return
Suppliers argue this is often because non-
alcohol dependency long before anyone else. Quiet words are exchanged, either rather too frequently, or with a family
member. Nobody wants to lose a customer to Tesco or the Co-op, but losing one to liver disease is surely worse.
change,” it insists.
I
where the issues which lead to alcohol
4% drink at high-risk levels. Perhaps
that people use. It’s an actual thing, started in 2013 by the charity Alcohol Change UK.
“We are not anti-alcohol; we are for alcohol “We are for a future in which people
drink as a conscious choice, not a default; problems – like poverty, mental health issues, homelessness – are addressed;
where those of us who drink too much, and our loved ones, have access to high-quality support whenever we need it, without shame or stigma.”
Few, if any, wine merchants would have
A report by Alcohol Change found that
there are many indies who spot signs of
n 2021, the Health Survey for England found that 57% of adults drink at
low-risk levels – that is, 14 units a
week or less. 18% are deemed to have
an “increasing risk” of harm and another surprisingly, 21% of all adults are classified as non-drinkers.
From a strictly commercial point of view,
it all seems to add up to a sales opportunity for any retailer who offers a decent range of no and low-alcoholic drinks. So why
hasn’t the sector been more successful?
barrier, with price tags often similar to the
alcoholic alternative, and sometimes higher. alcoholic drinks are more complicated and
expensive to make, and obviously can’t rely on alcohol as a preservative.
Another problem is that, in many cases,
non-alcoholic drinks just don’t taste as
good as the real thing. But as expertise has
developed, more and more exceptions have emerged, as many retailers can now testify. Scoffing at Dry January or simply
pretending it isn’t happening increasingly seems like a self-defeating position. If
customers feel it’s time for a break, or
simply want to cut down a little while they work off the festive flab, it must be better
to support their choice rather than berate them. And, ideally, to tempt them with a
non-alcoholic drink that they may not have tried before.
Consign the hangover to history: seven alcohol-free options to try Wednesday’s Domaine Sanguine (Graft Wine Co) Like its sister wine, the white Piquant, Sanguine is made with natural ingredients, including wine tannins which are blended with the wine, in this case de-alcoholised Tempranillo from La Mancha. According to Graft, “it channels lighter-bodied reds, with crunchy, juicy red fruits”.
Wild Idol Alcohol Free Sparkling White (Bibendum/Liberty Wines) Made by English winemakers from German Müller-Thurgau grapes. The fruit is harvested just as it would be for regular wine but the juice is cooled for up to 12 months to prevent fermentation. Described as aromatic and “delightfully refreshing” by its creators.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 26
Torres Natureo Rosé (Fells) A blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon which won a Highly Commended gong in the inaugural World Alcohol-free Awards this year. According to the judges, it’s “salmon pink and not overtly sweet … quite well balanced and drinkable”.
Rude Mechanicals Vineyard Ultra Low Alcohol Gin & Tonic (Boutinot) Made in East Sussex, starting out with English wine and a “botanical compote” which are distilled in copper alembics before dealcoholisation and blending with a delicate tonic, also made on site. “All the flavour and mouth feel of the real thing with just 0.5% alcohol,” the producer claims.
Luna de Murviedro Sparkling Rosé (Boutinot) A blend of red varieties from south east Spain which are macerated and fermented, followed by secondary fermentation in tank. The wine is de-alcoholised using the spinning cone method, allowing it to retain aromas and structure.
Dr Lo Alcohol-free Riesling (Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies) The process begins with a Mosel Riesling that is already naturally low in alcohol. It also has a natural sweetness that remains intact during vacuum distillation, which removes the alcohol. ABS believes the wine is so convincing that it might not be identified as alcoholfree in a blind tasting. “On the palate it is clearly Riesling, but it walks the line between a fruity and drier style,” it says.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 27
Juicy AF Mango Pale Ale (Only With Love Brewery) This hazy Sussex-brewed beer has gained a cult following simply because it tastes so much like the real thing. It’s really the Columbus, El Dorado and Mosaic hops that stand out, though the mango adds a generously fruity extra layer. As the makers say: proper beer.
A journey through the Andes La Linterna is the name given to a series of single-vineyard wines from Argentina’s Bemberg Estate. Representing a spectrum of different terroirs from the north to the south of the Andes in Mendoza, these are premium wines that take consumers on a memorable journey. As winemaker Daniel Pi points out, the objective is not really to make a Malbec, a Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir. It’s to create a wine that expresses and reflects the land it comes from. As well as the wines described here, the range extends to the icon Pionero wine, an acclaimed blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the El Tomillo vineyard.
La Linterna Chardonnay
Finca El Tomillo, Plot #1, Gualtallary Bemberg believes that Gualtallary is
destined to be recognised as the home
of Argentina’s freshest Chardonnay. The El Tomillo vineyard, planted in 1998, is named after the wild thyme that grows there. It has sandy soil, on top of a
calcareous seam which sits above gravel. “The Chardonnay comes from a
particular parcel with very shallow soil,
between 10cm and 20cm,” Daniel says. “We didn’t think it would be a good place for
growing Chardonnay. But we experimented
that we get in Gualtallary,” Daniel says.
This Pinot is “definitely not in the new
world style – it’s more classic,” he adds, pointing out that blind tasters regular mistake it for Burgundy.
It is made with a Dijon clone, with grapes
cold-soaking in dry ice for up to a week, avoiding oxidation and even alcoholic
fermentation at this early stage. That part happens next, in barrels, where the wine remains for 12 months prior to bottling.
Savoury forest-floor notes entwine with
flint, spice and red fruit flavours.
La Linterna Malbec
with soils of different depths, and this
Finca El Milagro, Plot #15, La Consulta
a lot of minerality,” Daniel says. That’s
Bemberg collection, the soil is mainly rocky
location gave the best results.”
The wine is “fresh and fragrant, with
thanks to a judicious blend of fermentation techniques involving barrels, foudre and concrete eggs. It ages particularly well.
La Linterna Pinot Noir
Finca Las Piedras, Plot #12, Los Arboles Las Piedras is 1,300m above sea level on sandy-loam soils with very low water
retention. “We get 500mm to 600mm of
rainfall here compared with the 200mm
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 28
Here in the southernmost estate in the and sandy, but with a clay element. El
Milagro translates as “miracle”, a reference to the challenges of finding water for irrigation in this area.
“The style is usually quite fresh and
fragrant from this place,” says Daniel.
“We have softer tannins, and the violet character of the Malbec really shows.”
As with all Bemberg wines, fermentation
is spontaneous, and in this case takes place in 100hl vats and concrete eggs. The wine
In association with UK importer Top Selection Contact Top Selection on 0845 410 3255 or visit topselection.co.uk
is aged in barrel for 18 months and bottled unfiltered.
La Linterna Malbec
Finca El Tomillo, Plot #5, Gualtallary “The Chardonnay is from shallow soil, but here we are going into the deeper soil of
El Tomillo,” Daniel explains. “And it’s not a
clonal selection, it’s a massal selection. We don’t crush the berries, we only destem,
because the skin of Malbec is quite fragile. It takes about 25 days of maceration.”
Free-run juice, press juice and “corazón”
juice – a concentrated portion that emerges from the pomace – then go into separate barrels or foudres.
The finished blended wine is fresh and
complex, with earthy and savoury notes
The range includes four very different styles of Malbec
that have been described by some tasters
themselves from UV radiation, and the
planted in 1956 with the vines trained on
La Linterna Malbec
and the flavour and normally the fruit from
has come to understand that Cafayate
as feral.
Finca La Yesca, Plot #13, Pedernal Valley This vineyard is in a “special place”
skins are almost double the thickness you’d normally expect. So this affects the colour Chañar Punco is more on the spicy side.”
La Linterna Cabernet Sauvignon
100km north of Gualtallary, 1,400 metres
Finca Las Mercedes, Plot #19, Cafayate Valley
vineyards, planted on their own roots.
valley within Cafayate, the vineyard was
above sea level. The vines here come
from material sourced from prestigious
“The most important thing for me is that
this is a narrow valley,” says Daniel. “We
Located 1,700 metres up in the Calchaquíes
pergolas.
In his 40 years of experience, Daniel
Cabernet Sauvignon is unique. “This
Cabernet Sauvignon stands out because
it’s so fragrant, spicy and exotic,” he says.
“Cabernet Sauvignon is a crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc and sometimes I get some passion fruit notes as well as pepper.”
have an apparent sunrise that’s two hours later than the actual sunrise, and because of the mountains we also have apparent
sunset at 6pm. So we have less impact of
the sunlight on the berries and for me this
is the freshest of all the wines we produce,
with a lot of red fruit instead of black fruit.”
La Linterna Malbec
Finca Los Chañares, Plot #73, Chañar Punco Another narrow valley, this time 2,000
metres above sea level and only 200km
south of the tropics. “We are very far north here and so we need to go higher to find a cooler climate,” Daniel says. “The sun
is so high that the vines have to protect
Daniel Pi has four decades of experience making wines in Mendoza
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 29
The Roebuck “home” vineyard near Petworth
Sustainable in Sussex Roebuck Estates has always realised that its wines can only taste as good as they do if its vineyards are thriving. That means looking after the health of everything that lives in them
“We’re doing all we can to encourage biodiversity. We’re looking at the whole soil ecosystem”
I
t’s a decade since Roebuck Estates emerged on
to the English winemaking scene. Its wines have
won many plaudits and awards in that time, and
it all stems back to its founding principles.
Roebuck has five vineyards planted across Sussex,
and a sixth about to come on stream. “The original vision of the founders was, we want to produce
an exceptional vintage every year,” explains chief
executive Michael Kennedy. “We want our wines to reflect our local nature. So right at the beginning,
sustainability was highlighted as an important area for us, and we’re still on that journey.”
Roebuck Estates became a founder member of
Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, which helps give a bit of shape to a subject which can sometimes feel rather amorphous.
“We’ve done a number of things with our
sustainability programme,” says Kennedy.
“Firstly, we’re doing all we can to encourage
biodiversity; we’re trying to go really hard into
regenerative viticulture, looking at the whole soil ecosystem. We’ve employed a full-time ecologist and we’ve gone herbicide-free this year in our
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 30
established vineyards, which was a big change. We now have 117 acres, 260,000 vines, so it’s quite a lot to cover.
“During the winter we have sheep in the
vineyards and we’re using cover crops which we
mulch back into the soil. We’re trying to keep on top of the growth of weeds as much as possible without passing a tractor through too many times.
“I think we’ve now got 56 different grasses and
wildflowers in the vineyards.”
Animals such as rabbits and badgers are regular
visitors, and the minimal damage they do is
tolerated. Butterflies are abundant and worms
are thriving (there is a regular audit to prove it). Appropriately, deer sometimes also wander in,
despite the fencing: last year, one became so tame that it was often fed by workers.
Habitats have been created for reptiles, insect
hotels have been installed, and bee hives in the
vineyards have the double benefit of encouraging biodiversity and providing delicious honey.
The objective at Roebuck Estates is to try to
achieve a balance. “We don’t get too hung up
Some highlights from the range
about having exactly the right environment for any specific species; get the overall environment right, and the species will come,” says Kennedy. “What
you’re trying to do is maximise life in the vineyard. “If you get that ecosystem right, the vines profit
from a healthier environment. And therefore the fruit that we produce is better and better.”
Some level of spraying is more or less inevitable,
but Roebuck Estates uses software called
Sectormentor which allows the vineyard team to keep a detailed record of how each block of
each vineyard is faring, and to target treatments accordingly. Only organic fertilisers are used.
Kennedy is aware that sustainability is a bit of a
marketing buzzword right now. But he’s adamant that it’s a philosophy that runs right through the
heart of everything that Roebuck Estates is doing. “The roe deer is renowned for leaving a really
“The roe deer is renowned for leaving a really light footprint, and as a business we’re trying to leave as light a footprint as possible on the environment”
light footprint,” he says. “And as a business, we’re
trying to leave as light a footprint as possible on the environment.”
Packaging is a priority too Roebuck Estates’ approach to sustainability extends to its packaging. Its Absolute Greenline neck foils are produced from plant-based polyethylene, derived from sugar cane, and printed using water-based ink. Wine boxes are all recyclable and FSC-accredited. “We go for the lightest possible bottle and we use green glass, which is the easiest to recycle,” says Kennedy.
Roebuck Classic Cuvée 2017 Grapes are harvested by hand at the Roebuck and Roman Villa vineyards and whole-bunch pressed. Partial fermentation in the finest Burgundian oak barrels, followed by long lees ageing for a minimum of 36 months, gives additional texture, complexity and opulence to this wine. Wonderful notes of baked apples and stone fruit are layered with a biscuity richness and delicious hint of hazelnut leading to a long, beautifully balanced finish.
Roebuck Rosé de Noirs 2017 Crafted from perfectly ripe Sussex Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, whole-bunch pressed and partially fermented in Burgundian oak, followed by bottle-ageing for a minimum of 36 months. A splash of Pinot Précoce is added prior to release, imparting an attractive pale pink hue and ripe red fruit characteristics. The 2017 is vibrant and expressive with notes of ripe strawberries, raspberries, white peach and a hint of toasted almonds. It’s the perfect apéritif. Roebuck Blanc de Noirs 2015 The Roman Villa vineyard, in a valley in the foothill of the South Downs, provides the Pinot Noir for this wine. It is partially fermented in Burgundian oak and bottle-aged for a minimum of 48 months. A rich, yet beautifully balanced wine with delicate bubbles, a silky texture, and a long, lingering finish. Baked apples and ripe stone fruits on the palate are layered with complex notes of brioche and toasted almonds.
Feature produced in association with Roebuck Estates For more information visit roebuckestates.co.uk Telephone 01798 263123 Email: hello@roebuckestates.co.uk Wines are available directly from Roebuck Estates and from Alliance Wine: alliancewine.com
A friendly visitor ready to join the harvest
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 31
“M
any people still think that sustainability is just about recycling and fighting against plastic,” says Marta Juega Rivera. “But it is much more than that.” As Alliance Wine’s first-ever sustainability manager, this is Marta’s specialist subject. She’s taken the business on a journey that has drastically reduced its environmental impact by making it more energy efficient and less wasteful. Big progress has been made, and there’s more to come. Her personal journey began in 2018 in her previous role in the business. Sensing that there was much more the wine industry could be doing to “make our planet a better place and protect it”, she packed her bags and headed to California for a three-year spell. There she completed her MBA in wine business, and got a close look at the pioneering sustainability work being done by wine producers in Napa and Sonoma. She returned to the UK brimming with enthusiasm and ideas which have transformed the way Alliance Wine is run. The company’s impact strategy that she designed is based on three pillars: planet, people and profit. Following an energy audit in September 2021, Alliance managed to reduce its electricity usage in its offices by 50%. Motion detectors in the warehouse and offices have played a part, but it’s also down to “general good usage practice”. Almost half of the energy Alliance buys is from renewable sources, and this will rise to 100% by next October. Gas usage has decreased by 88%, thanks to new,
Alliance Wine is leading the field with its sustainability initiatives. But there’s even more work to be done
Changing the culture t
“We have stopped using bubble wrap and plastic tape. Polystyrene is not permitted either. There are plenty of alternatives to plastic”
Marta Juega Rivera was inspired by California
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 32
more efficient boilers and upgraded fire doors. Water consumption is expected to fall by 20% once a new rainwater retention system comes on stream; the water will be used for a variety of purposes, from cleaning vans to irrigating the new herb and vegetable garden at the Ayrshire HQ. An anti-waste policy was launched in January, backed up by staff training and posters. The focus is on minimising waste generation at source and focusing on the “reduce, repair, reuse and recycle” principle. Already waste has been reduced by 6% and further savings are forecast.
P
lastic has been phased out of the warehouse; only paper-based tape and envelopes are used for orders. “We have stopped using bubble wrap and other elements such as plastic tape,” says Marta. “Polystyrene is not permitted either. “I think that there is still a general fear that wine bottles may break during transport, if these materials aren’t used. But outer case cartons offer us dividers to avoid this, or you can reuse wine cases, like we do in our warehouse, to offer total protection to bottles during transport. There are plenty of alternatives to plastic.” Alliance has partnered with the Sustainable Restaurant Association to create “an open, shareable policy to manage waste creation and management at any wine trade event”. Marta says: “One goal is to reduce the volume of wine that is wasted.
and looking for industry collaborations to help in this area.” But it’s not just about glass. “We are encouraging the use of natural cork or screwcaps as a preferred closure, ensuring that the recycled content is roughly 60% in screwcaps,” Marta says. “For our wine labels, we are aiming to use paper stock with more than 40% recycled material, that is FSC-certified and totally chlorine-free. We are trying to use water-based glue where possible. “We only use FSC-certified cartons and are introducing universal boxes. “We are committed to collaborating with the packaging sector on more initiatives to create a better world of wine and reduce the negative impact of packaging items.”
to reduce our impact H “By ensuring that only one bottle of each wine is open at a time, the number of bottles used can be reduced by 32.3%. “Using slow-pours reduces the volume of wine used by 50%. These slow-pours can then be retrieved at the end of tastings, washed, and kept for the next tasting. “The team has also introduced collection options that allow corks to be reused, and we’ve seen significant reductions when it comes to dry mixed recycling. For an event with 250 people, we threw away two 40-litre bags, compared to four 40-litre bags at previous events.” Marta’s remit also includes packaging. “The goal is to reduce the environmental impact and do better with less,” she says. “We have focused on moving glass bottle weight down to below 420g. So far we have achieved this across 44% of our total portfolio of more than 1,000 wines and we are targeting 50% by 2024.” The Alliance website now highlights all lightweight bottles in the company portfolio. “We need to help customers to change their mindset,” Marta says. “If you think about it, the industry has sold this idea to them: high quality wine goes with heavy bottles. “Now we need to re-educate the customer who, in my opinion, is confused. In order to do that, collaboration will be important. Wine businesses should maintain the same message. Alliance Wine is championing an educational campaign to promote light glass in the wine industry to our suppliers,
ow difficult has it been to change the culture at a company the size of Alliance Wine? “The most important thing is to spend time explaining the reason behind our positive impact initiatives, and give people a purpose,” Marta says. “The project requires a high level of innovation and a massive cultural change that comes from education, repetition and the adaptation of the whole business to new ways of doing things. Changes are difficult, but necessary. “Winemaking is highly related to nature, but in practice we don’t really fully protect and regenerate it, and that is something that we have the responsibility to change. “In my opinion, the wine industry has started to acknowledge the importance of sustainability in its business models. In the past, this was a grey area for many people, and not recognised at all.”
Published in association with Alliance Wine alliancewine.com 01505 506060
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 33
Achievements so far in 2023 • Awarded Carbon Reduce Certification ISO14064-1 • Implemented internal energy and water reduction plan • Rolled out internal anti-waste policy for all offices and warehouse • Co-created an event anti-waste policy with Sustainable Restaurant Association • Developed an eco-design policy for all internal NPD. Plans for 2024 • B-corp certification: Alliance hopes this will be confirmed in 2024. • Internal environmental management programme • Sustainability database system: this will help analyse and fine-tune company progress on sustainability • Alliance Wine net zero plan: this aims to keep the business on track to comply with the UK economy goal of net zero carbon by 2050.
Wine needs to be greener David Williams considers the industry’s environmental charge sheet, and what it need to do next
W
hen details of Rishi Sunak’s decision to row back on
a raft of policies aimed at
helping the UK meet its legally-binding net zero commitments first emerged in mid-
September, it immediately drew the ire of
in many sectors, businesses, rather than
is “the biggest challenge the wine sector is
carbon emissions.
world in general but especially viticulture
politicians, are often leading the way when it comes to meaningful action on reducing Producers pool ideas
all the people Sunak and his cynical policy
This is certainly true in the wine world, an
colleague Suella Braverman likes to sum
felt, and where a number of high-profile
chiefs would have wanted and expected to annoy – the kind of people that his cabinet up as the “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati”.
But what was perhaps most intriguing
and revealing about an announcement that said much about how the Conservatives plan to fight the next election, is just
how badly it went down with so much of corporate Britain, with Ford, a company
that few would align politically with, say, Extinction Rebellion, the first of a series of big businesses issuing statements
condemning the move as a significant backwards step.
There’s no doubt that what particularly
upset business leaders was the sense
that this was the latest in a long line of U-turns. With companies having made
long-term strategic decisions based on government policy (the auto industry
alone has committed around £40bn in its
bid to transition to electric cars by 2030),
there was widespread exasperation at the uncertainty it created.
But the reaction also emphasised how,
industry where the clear existential threat
posed by the climate crisis is already being producers have taken an active role in
lobbying government about the need for
legislative action to accompany and bolster
facing”.
“If no immediate measures are taken, the
will be heading for big problems and changes,” Torres added.
“We must accelerate the decarbonisation
of our world economy and it is crucial that more action is taken, in all parts of the
world, on every level, in every sector and of course also in the wine sector.”
Wine needs to clean up its carbon act
their own voluntary efforts.
Torres and the IWCA are not alone.
Jackson Family Wines, set up the
Wine Roundtable, a non-profit coalition of
Among the most significant is Spain’s
Torres which, along with California’s International Wineries for Climate
Action (IWCA) organisation in 2019. The
organisation, which now has 41 members in 10 countries, describes itself as “a
collaborative working group of wineries
committed to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry”, sharing ideas
on best practice and developing “sciencebased” methods of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and acting as advocates for
sustainable winegrowing more generally.
Torres’ president, Miguel A Torres, was
once again acting as a kind of de-facto
spokesperson for the wine industry on
climate change action earlier this year, as he published an open letter in which he
reiterated his belief that the climate crisis
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 34
Another notable collaboration by wine
industry stakeholders is the Sustainable
more than 60 stakeholders that includes
producers such as Treasury Estates, Grupo Avinea (Argento), VSPT and Journey’s
End; retailers such as Lidl, Systembolaget (the Swedish monopoly), Whole Foods
Market, Waitrose and The Wine Society; importers such as Enotria&Coe and
Finland’s Vingruppen; packaging providers such as closure giant Amorim; industry
associations such as International Wineries for Climate Action, The Porto Protocol and
Great Wine Capitals; and accreditation and certification bodies such as The Fairtrade Foundation, Terra Vitis and The British Standards Institute.
Rather like the IWCA, the SWR’s
stated aim is to drive “collective action
and knowledge sharing” and it has been
Companies Act by failing to adopt and
foil neck sleeve or capsule – has had its
collaborative action and tools on areas
“If activist investors can attack the
capsule-free bottlings into their own-
working to develop a “global sustainability reference standard” and to “develop such as vineyard chemistry, labour
standards, packaging and bottle weight and low-carbon logistics”.
But the truth is, that for all the good
intentions and undoubted sincerity
of these individuals, companies, and
initiatives – and for all that sustainability
implement an energy transition strategy aligned with the Paris Agreement.
petroleum industry, what is to keep them from filing similar complaints against the
board of leading global beverage industry
firms? And, if they did, what evidence could the industry muster in its own defence?” The weighty issue of wine bottles
has become perhaps the biggest single
Among the evidence for the defence, in the
terroir – wine in general is nowhere near
significant step forward on CO2 emissions,
buzzword in contemporary wine
marketing, more prevalent, even, than where it should be when it comes to decarbonisation.
This was abundantly clear in an
extensive recent report on the global
drinks industry published by management
consultant Kearney earlier this year, which said that the sector “is losing significant ground in its efforts to hit its 2030 and
2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets” and that “it needs to improve its
current reduction rate 11-fold” to have any hope of achieving its targets.
Wine was singled out in the report as
one of the worst offenders on this measure. Wine’s total emissions of 96 million tonnes of CO2e in 2021 are in fact down by 0.8%
since 2018 and are small in the context of
the 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2e, (or 3.8% of all global CO2e emissions) put out by the
drinks industry as a whole. But when you look at the figures in terms of emissions per litre/kilo, the report shows things
getting worse, with a rise over the same three-year period from 3.5 to 3.7 kg of CO2e per litre of wine sold.
Profit, as well as planet, at stake The report makes clear, in its hard-headed way, that this is about more than anything
so minor as saving the wine industry or the planet. Failing to meet targets could also
hit producers where it really hurts, on their bottom line. “The threat to share prices
is real,” the report says. “On February 9,
2023, activist investor ClientEarth filed a
lawsuit against Shell plc’s 11-person board of directors, alleging they had breached their legal responsibilities under the
day. Certainly retailers such as Adnams
and Waitrose, both of which introduced label ranges this year, seem to believe
they are beginning to look a little like an unnecessary luxury. Waitrose reckons
the switch will see it save half a tonne of
“unnecessary packaging” over the course of the year.
Can cans make a difference?
UK at least, is the recent launch by SWR
Both retailers have participated in another
The Bottle Weight Accord. Based on a
With the quality on offer from brands such
of what the stakeholders hope will be a
six-month “in-depth study into wine bottle
weight reduction” co-funded by SWR retail
members Alko, Lidl GB, Systembolaget, The Wine Society and Whole Foods Market, the accord “is focused on the light-weighting
of 750ml still wine bottles,” the SWR said,
with an “initial target to reduce the current average bottle weight among retailer
members from 550g to 420g before the end of 2026”.
With the production and transport of
glass currently accounting for something in the region of 40% of all wine’s carbon footprint, it’s easy to see why initiatives
such as the The Bottle Weight Accord are
seen as an essential part of wine’s journey to net zero. But it’s not just the glass. An
increasing number of producers are also convinced that another element of the
traditional wine bottle – the plastic and
sustainability-oriented packaging trend: the switch to cans for smaller formats.
as Vinca and When in Rome having taken a considerable step forward in recent
years (to the point where the category can support its own competition, the Canned
Wine Awards, which launched this year), the switch from 25cl or 17.5cl glass to
aluminium can halve carbon emissions per pack, according to Waitrose.
No less significant in terms of wine’s
carbon footprint is the big increase in UK bottling. What was once seen as a cost-
saving, quality-endangering move is now widely employed by premium brands for its obvious energy-saving potential. The savings apply to any form of transport
over any distance, but they are particularly apparent for brands shipping longer
distances. Well-regarded names such as Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet, which
ships around three-quarters of its sub-£12 wines in bulk, and New Zealand’s Villa
Maria, which will be bottling a “selection”
of its wines at UK bottlers Encirc from next year, are among those seeing the benefit of an estimated 27% reduction in CO2 emissions for each shipment.
These are just some of the solutions
being offered to just one of the many
environmental problems the wine industry needs to deal with as the climate crisis bites – the tip, as it were, of a (rapidly
melting) iceberg. Still, at least it seems the wine trade is more inclined to listen to
Miguel Torres than Rishi Sunak as it comes to terms with the fact that a lot more still
needs to be done, and time is running out to do it.
The serious business of working more sustainably Lanchester Wines has already made big progress in its efforts to be cleaner and greener. Director of sales Mark Roberts talks about recent developments
Bulk shipping: a greener alternative that can actually improve wine quality
A
round 40% of all wine sold in the
UK is shipped in bulk and bottled here, Roberts says. Lanchester
Wines’ sister company, Greencroft Bottling, handles much of this business.
The plant is predominantly powered
by wine and solar energy, which adds yet more eco credentials to a practice which is already greener than shipping wine in bottle.
“Bulk wine is defined as wine which
is shipped in containers called ISO tanks or Flexitanks,” says Roberts. “That’s
essentially a 24,000-litre bag in box.
“The cost savings, both monetary and
sustainably, are undeniable. A Flexitank containing 24,000 litres will fit in a 20ft
container, while the same volume in bottle
vastly reduced compared to in a bottle.”
environmental front, with CO2 savings of
away the wine is produced, the higher
would require two 40ft containers.
“With this comes a significant win on the
up to 40%. We’ve worked it out as around 2kg of CO2 per kilometre travelled.”
Roberts points out that bulk shipping
can actually mean that wine arrives in better condition.
“Depending on where the wine is
shipped from, the journey to the UK could
be as long as nine weeks,” he says, “during which time the climatic conditions can be extreme, causing the temperature of the
wine to vary from 7˚C to 32˚C. If the wine is transported in a 24,000-litre bladder,
the variation of the wine’s temperature is
Greencroft Bottling’s plant gets most of its energy from solar and wind power
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 36
Bulk shipping of wine is becoming more
and more commonplace. “The further
the likelihood it’s been bottled in the UK,” Roberts says. “Around 85% of Australian
wine imports to the UK are shipped as bulk for bottling in market.”
Yet still a certain stigma persists. “There
are dedicated premium bulk producers coming on stream all the time. But in
the trade, I think it’s fair to say bulk is
pigeonholed in the eyes of some. So we
need to do a better job of convincing them that a UK-packed wine really can be as
authentic and exciting as anything bottled at source at a value price point.”
Consumer questions: be ready to talk about wine’s credentials
“N
ow, more than ever
community projects. Wine is essentially
product they’re purchasing, particularly its
surroundings and used the resources
consumers want to know the background of the
sustainability credentials,” says Roberts.
“That covers what the packaging is made
of, what practices were followed when the grapes were grown, how the wine
was transported etc. Today consumers,
particularly the younger generation, have more questions about sustainability,
integrity and ethics of the wine – and
they’re more attuned to greenwashing. “Store staff will always be the first
a crop and each of our wine suppliers
has adapted to their environment, social available to them.”
Lanchester Wines has created a
Sustainable Wine Partner Portfolio which shows the commitment from each of its
partners so our customers can be assured
the wine in their glass truly is sustainable. Download it at lanchesterwines.co.uk/
what-we-do/sustainable-wine-business.
point of call for any questions. Your
wine supplier will be able to provide
you with background information about its wine producers and how they are Water conservation is a key consideration
working to improve sustainability in the
vineyard – from water conservation to soil management, vineyard grazing through to
Alternative packaging: lighter bottles and canned wines are part of the solution
S
ustainable packaging is one of
the major challenges for the wine
industry and Lanchester Wines is
making progress on a number of fronts. There has been talk in the media
recently about the Bottle Weight Accord,
in which producers are pledging to reduce glass weight to below 420g per bottle by the end of 2026.
“However, 99% of bottles used at
Greencroft Bottling are already under 420g – indeed its average bottle weight is under 400g,” Roberts points out.
Canned wine is another area in which
Lanchester Wines is invested.
“Canned wine is the fastest growing of
the new formats, at a rate of approximately 6% year on year in western Europe,” says Roberts.
“The can is a format consumers are
familiar with, whether through soft drinks, beers or ciders. It’s an uncomplicated
packaging solution which resonates across all age groups and lifestyle choices: the
environmentally-conscious millennial
through to baby boomers and Gen X-ers seeking both convenience and variety.
“There will always be some resistance to
any change and of course some premium wines simply can’t be sold in different formats – for example, Champagne.
“But, in general, the average drinker is
open to trying new things, new formats, new wines and new styles. Perhaps it’s
actually us the trade who need to embrace the idea of different formats in order to catch up with consumer demand.
“For example, it wasn’t so long ago the
UK wine trade baulked at bulk wine or
screwcap and, in a way, consumer demand has ensured both are now the norm.”
Roberts points out there are benefits for
the wine too. “Cans are free of cork taint
and are guaranteed to prevent light strike
– damage to wine caused by UV light. Cans are also infinitely recyclable and they’re
lighter to transport than bottle, which is good for their carbon footprint.”
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 37
Cans are accepted “by all age groups”
Published in association with Lanchester Wines Visit lanchesterwines.co.uk or telephone 01207 521234
Merchant Profile: Vino Gusto, Bury St Edmunds
THE ACCIDENTAL WINE SHOP Vino Gusto popped up when its parent pub group was forced to close during Covid. It was only expected to be a temporary solution, but now, at its bigger town centre site, it’s become the best destination for wine lovers in Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding area. By Nigel Huddleston
T
he crossover between off-trade and on-trade
wine retailing is commonplace but the origin story of Vino Gusto in Bury St Edmunds is a
bit different, spawned not from the commercial
imperative of a wine merchant looking to maximise revenue streams, but from a pub company improvising to outwit the pandemic.
Roxane and David Marjoram are the couple
behind the town’s successful Gusto Pronto pub
group and the local Brewshed brewery. In 2018,
they brought in Jake Bennett-Day to look after the drinks side of the pub business.
“When Covid hit we had lots of booze and no one
to sell it to,” says Jake, who now runs the Vino Gusto store. “I’d been furloughed and spent a few weeks in my garden getting bored. Rox was living above
the flagship pub in the middle of town and needed
something to stable the ship and concentrate on, so we opened a little pop-up store.”
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 38
The team had plenty of pedigree. Jake had
worked at the acclaimed Old Bridge wine shop in
Huntingdon, while the pub, the One Bull, had won awards for its wine list.
“It was one of the first pubs in eastern England to
offer all its wines by the glass and was known for
the variation and creativity of its list, as opposed to the average selection of claret and Burgundy that most were offering 15 years ago,” says Jake.
“We set out to be the antithesis of what most wine shop looks like, with cases slung on the floor, and pallets and scaffold boards”
The pop-up store went through various physical
We put some MDF trim on the front to make it look
slightly more premium and posh, but there was a lot of structure in place already.
It had a lot of offer. It’s just off the town’s main
street. It’s got a loading bay and on-street parking outside. It seemed to tick almost all the boxes. We also wanted to be able to open bottles and
host people in the site. The upstairs seemed like an attractive option that we could convert into
something fresh and have nice groups of people in
iterations, eventually launching an e-commerce site
and open some bottles and have a good time.
that was serviced from the brewery warehouse –
Is there a significant rent advantage over being
and when the mists of the pandemic began to clear, the success in retail led to the decision to open a
on the main drag?
town, best known in drinks circles as the home of
wasn’t necessarily one of the driving factors that
permanent Vino Gusto. It’s in a street just a few
The 50 yards or so that we are away from there does
Greene King.
convinced us to take the site, but it meant we were
seconds’ walk from the central shopping area of the
come with a significant rent and rate advantage. It
The Vino Gusto store covers three floors, with
able to go in with more capital cash and make it look
white walls, white shelves and wooden floors
and feel exactly as we wanted it.
painted white, giving a tight environment a feeling
We came into what was an OK shell, but we have
of light and space. The bulk of the wine range is on
spent a considerable amount of money making it
the ground floor and there’s a tasting room with a
look and feel fresh, which it certainly didn’t when
boardroom-style table upstairs. Downstairs is home
we took it on.
to fine wine and an orange neon sign depicting the
What was the vision for that look and feel?
shop motto: “All killers, no fillers”.
Jake notes of the Vino Gusto evolution: “At no
We set out to be the antithesis of what most wine
point did we intend to open a wine retail business.
We’re here by accident, but we’re very happy about it.”
How did the decision to go from pop-up to permanent transpire? We’re in Bury St Eduminds because we love the town, but it didn’t have a specialist wine retail
business as it had done in the past. Greene King
used to have Thomas Peatling but for five years or
so there hadn’t been an independent wine merchant in town.
This was one of the first sites we went to look
at on the same day as a few other potential pop-
up locations – and really we decided at that point
that if we were going to do it, that we might as well commit and do it properly.
Why did this site appeal? We instantly saw all the lovely features that we
could turn into what it is today. The cellar wasn’t
in use at the time; it was pretty dark and dingy, but the components were all there. It was an old shoe shop and the ground floor shelving was all there.
Roxane Marjoram and Jake Bennett-Day
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 39
shops look like, with cases slung on the floor,
and pallets and scaffold boards. We wanted it to
be a proper shopping experience, as opposed to a
jumble sale of bottles. I think we’ve achieved that.
Vino Gusto is just a short walk from Bury St Edmunds’ main shopping street
By painting the insides to be a white canvas we’ve let the bottles do the talking.
Was there a lot to do to get it to how you wanted it? We completely gutted the place. The cellar staircase had a hatch over the top of it and there was no
shelving down there. The cellar was ultimately a
hole in the ground with puddles on the floor. The
What is the local customer base like?
well to retain the shelving, pretty it up and turn
horrible outdated cabinets into shaker-style things.
food scene is growing quickly and becoming more exciting. People refer to it as the foodie capital of
ground floor was carpeted and we’ve done very
We’re very lucky in Bury St Edmunds in that the
There was a lot of carpentry work – the big one was
Suffolk and I’m pleased to be here for that. We’re
creating the balustrading around the stairs.
The building as a whole suffered from asbestos,
so we were stalled for a few weeks while that was taken out. It was a cost we hadn’t anticipated.
The top floor was a real mess and it took quite a
lot to be able to make it a functioning space with a
bathroom and kitchenette. Sometimes I’ll have my
dog in and she’ll play fetch with herself by dropping her ball in one corner upstairs and collecting it in
the far one because there’s quite a slope. The table
is chopped at every leg to ensure it doesn’t wobble.
“People refer to Bury St Edmunds as the foodie capital of Suffolk and I’m pleased to be here for that. We’re riding that wave”
localised group of regular customers. We’re building social very steadily. It’s by no means a big driver for us and we’d like to grow it. Both myself and David write a regular column in the local paper about
hospitality, food and wine. We always feel like we’re
shouting about the business and the ultimate goal is
David and Roxane have five pubs, so there are
thousands of people every week who we can tell
It’s lovely to have the capacity to have eight bottles
that we exist and that they should come and buy
open at any time and let people taste in a try-
their wine here. That is important to us.
before-you-buy fashion.
I love browsing in wine shops but I’m very aware
Is there a crossover between the wine range in
that I’m in the 1% who does spend a lot of time
the shop and the pubs?
looking at the labels and working out exactly what
There’s very healthy crossover but we’re looking to
it is I might want to drink, whereas we’re more
streamline it over the next couple of months so that
about the “consumer experience”. For the sake of
the tape, I’m using air quotes there because I don’t like the word experience. But ultimately we want
the customers to come to have a lovely time while
they’re deciding on the wine they might have with the chicken casserole they’re making.
While the concept looks a bit hybrid because
we have the Enomatic, it’s really there as a tasting
too much time – but that’s never an issue.
We do quite well with email with a relatively
to get better at.
you’re a hybrid?
have an access card to the machine spend a little bit
What does your own marketing look like?
through the door. It’s something we know we need
You’ve included an Enomatic. Would you say
a Saturday afternoon when the regular punters who
are doing a lot of word-of-mouth advertising for us.
to tell people how great it is without them coming
But we’re lucky that the building has character.
machine. We’re not a bar, apart from accidentally on
riding that wave and there are a lot of people who
The upstairs tasting room with its dogfriendly sloping floor
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 40
there will be 100% crossover. It doesn’t make sense to give customers the opportunity to drink wines
in the pub, tell them we own a wine shop, and then they can’t buy those wines from us. It’s something we need to fix and we’re looking at doing that.
Is there a potential conflict between shop prices and the pub mark-ups in customers’ eyes? Yes, there is. A consumer’s expectation is three
times mark-up [in the on-trade versus retail]. There will be a degree of trepidation going into that but I think we’ll be able to manage it as well as we can. Wines are merchandised according to style
rather than country. What’s the reason for that? The average consumer that comes into a wine
shop isn’t particularly well-educated about wine.
Obviously we have a greater proportion of people who are than the supermarkets do, but most
people who walk into a wine shop want to be able to choose a bottle of wine quickly and easily, and the best way of helping them do that is by laying
the wines out cleanly and using stylistic headers
rather than geographical ones. It’s clean, fresh and
“The best way of helping people choose wine is by using stylistic headers rather than geographical ones”
self-explanatory.
It allows us to be creative and different, rather than
needing to fill the red wine Burgundy section because we’re short of Rully, for example. We’ve got a dynamic and ever-evolving wine list.
How has the supplier base grown since you started? We still work with the same people. Through me
wanting a diverse array of wines we probably work with too many importers – 25 or so, which for a
600-bin list is probably too many. Like a magpie I get attracted to lovely, shiny, delicious things. We tend to work with lots of people who have specialities. A lot of our Spanish portfolio is from Indigo, for example, but we don’t buy much outside of Spain from them. As we grow and take on wholesale accounts our
purchasing volume is increasing. We’re able to buy
quite handsomely from everybody to make sure we’re buying at the right price.
With the way it’s laid out it doesn’t look like a range of 600 … in a good way. We try within those 600 wines to be as sensible or
The three-storey former shoe shop had asbestos issues which added to the refurb costs
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 41
The “light and bright” section “probably bulges with too many wines”, Jake admits
“Everything on the shelf is tasted and trialled against other bottles of wine. Everything’s killer: why would we be selling a wine if we didn’t believe the value justifies its quality onshelf?”
restrained as possible. Most consumers who walk
into a wine shop don’t want to be overwhelmed.
They want to be able to find what they’re looking
of fresh, acid-driven, mineral red wines.
Where did “all killers, no fillers” come from?
for or be guided by the hand sell – and not search
We came up with the name Vino Gusto and Rox said
good alternative. If you go to the “rich and round”
in the same way that duff tracks on an album are
through 400 Bourgogne blancs to discover they
should be drinking South African Chardonnay as a
white section you’ll find four or five Burgundies but you won’t find four Meursaults. We’ll taste four or five and find our favourite one that delivers what we’re looking for commercially.
Do you have your own areas of specialism? We’re fairly strong in South Africa. We work quite closely with Dreyfus Ashby and ABS, and Liberty for some higher-volume stuff. It’s partly because there’s cracking value coming out of the country
and partly because the first shop assistant we hired is from Durban and has a particular penchant for the wines of his motherland. From the get-go we
we need a slogan – and I came out with it within
about 30 seconds. Ultimately, it’s no duff bottles,
called fillers. Everything on the shelf is tasted and
trialled against other bottles of wine. Everything’s killer: why would we be selling a wine if we didn’t believe the value justifies its quality on-shelf?
We do everything from £10 a bottle up to £500-
£600 but our sweet spot on price is probably
anything from £12-£13 up to £17-£18. We’re also heavy just above that; from £18-£25 you can find
outstanding juice and we do really well with those. I think value generally tails off quite dramatically after 30 quid.
How has the cost-of-living crisis impacted Bury
had quite a demand for wines from South Africa. A
St Edmunds?
excellent and better value with a stylistically similar
conservative. They’ve remained that way by not
Bourgogne blanc at what used to be an average of
We’re quite sheltered from it, to be honest. It’s a
wine like South African Chenin Blanc. You can find
spending 50 quid on a bottle of Burgundy for every
£15 a bottle now costs £24-£25 and I can provide
genuinely interesting, textural and delicious wine at much better price points from the new world.
The stylistic section that bulges with probably too
many wines is the “light and bright” red section. It’s just a particular area of wine that I love, those sort
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 42
wealthy town and those who are wealthy are quite occasion. But those who have always been happy
to spend on wine continue to do so. We’re probably
seeing a little decline from a retail point of view but
we’ve filled that gap by moving into a few wholesale accounts.
The most important is a restaurant called Lark,
named after a river that runs through the town.
They were visited by Jay Rayner a few months ago and scored incredibly well. It’s worked out really
well for us. We’re at the point of taking on a general manager, someone who will be skilled in the
logistics involved to be able to handle increasing wholesale customer requirements.
You have very strong branding. Is that the work of an agency or done in-house? The logo has been adapted from the brewery logo. The winery you see on it is the brewery and what
look like vineyards were sloping hills that capture
the rolling Suffolk landscape where it buys its hops
Roxane and David Marjoram are the couple behind the Gusto Pronto pub group and Brewshed brewery
from. It’s all been done in-house.
We’ve had lots of feedback on it and people
generally like it. I’m pleased it’s always been done in-house and never gone outside to anyone else. I
still build and maintain the website myself, which is much more time-consuming than I ever imagined it would be.
Are spirits or beer on the radar? It’s just wine. It’s a really conscious decision. Firstly, we’re called Vino Gusto. I personally don’t walk into a wine shop to buy anything but wine and
the margin on spirits is really difficult to justify
working with. My expertise is solely in wine and we want to be a wine-centric hub.
So not even the sister brewery’s products? We had them initially but they weren’t fast movers for us, so we decided to drop them and focus
entirely on wine. I’m quite comfortable with the decision.
How important is online? Sales are about 90% physical. I’d like to put more into online but we’ve put a lot of investment into
the bricks and mortar base. Online is an easy way to scale your business but there are logistical nightmares in finding the right couriers and
packaging – and to make any margin is difficult.
For every wine we sell online there are multiple
companies doing exactly the same thing from a
warehouse in an industrial park where rents are
low and they can justify selling it with less margin than we can. I’d like to grow online but I’m very
happy that the bricks and mortar side has been so well-received – and long may that continue.
“I personally don’t walk into a wine shop to buy anything but wine and the margin on spirits is really difficult to justify working with”
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 43
A FRENCHMAN IN CHILE
Benoit fitte of viña requingua holds court in london and shares some remarkable bottles with guests invited by uk importer condor wines report and photography by Sarah mcCleery
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 44
B
feels like a bit of a steal.
special mention, for being outrageously
days working a vintage in Champagne.
Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc
in the week following France’s narrow loss
His wife, he tells us, is the real wine pro,
2018 is a stylish step up (£26 RRP).
her gynaecologist wanted a word. Fitte
then co-fermented. Aged in new French
enoit Fitte: chief winemaker at
Chilean winery Viña Requingua;
Fitte tells a great story. If I heard
Frenchman, and previously a
professional rugby player. Visiting the UK
to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup, he comes with a smile so broad you’d think his home team had won the final.
Fitte is the epitome of bonhomie and
holding a doctorate in terroir. Apparently she came home one day, and announced
pulls a cheeky face of mock horror before
the winemaker dinner, hosted by Condor
telling us that the medic was keen to
Wines at Smith & Wollensky, is as tasty as
make Carignan wine – a conversation
it is fun. It is, he says, “my job to deliver happiness at less cost”.
Established in 1961 by Santiago Achurra
Larraín, the company has evolved from a domestic, bulk wine business to one that
he was happy to have. As it turned out,
of the World in 2016. It has vineyards in Casablanca, Colchagua, Curicó and
Maule, 60% of which are company owned. A further 30% represent long-term
agreements with growers; the remaining 10% are referred to as the “spot
Reserve Carignan 2020 is a gem.
there’s a lot of attractive spicy notes.”
hold true across the range.
The Carignan complies with Benoit’s
diktat that his wines be both fruity
by an off-dry (28g/l residual sugar)
and complex. It also has terrific varietal
to a broad church. “Interesting in that it
A
Moscato 2022. With an RRP of £10.99, this lightly tropical-fruited white will appeal
has standard alcohol but some sweetness, while not being too grapey,” says Greg
Shaw, of SH Jones. “It’s more interesting than many a Moscato.”
Sitting down for dinner, the tasting
starts with the Patria Nueva Reserve
Chardonnay 2021. Fermented in contact with oak staves, and then aged on its
lees for six months, there’s a good deal of commercial sense in this moreish
Chardonnay. Pretty and fragrant on the
nose, the medium-bodied palate is supple and generous. The RRP is £13.99, which
freshness is striking. Still, be in no
doubt that this is a boldly structured, muscular red that yearns for food. LAKU Final Blend is, Fitte tells
us, the most democratic wine in
the world. Seventy members of the
Requingua team come together to
a blend of the best seven barrels. You can
season is long, allowing for a good breadth
“impressed with its vibrant fruit …
juicy and complex.” It’s a mantra that
concentrated, the wine’s evident
of flavour and complexity. Aged for a
trained vines in Maule, where the ripening
Wines. Greg Shaw, meanwhile, is
attributes, declares Fitte: “Fruity, fresh,
announces as his favourite. Impressively
taste from 100 pre-selected barrels: five
the verdict of Jack Everton of Everton
Requingua wines must have four
oak for 18 months, this is the wine Benoit
Fruit is hand-harvested from gobelet-
“Well balanced and very drinkable” is
Part of the Survalles group,
are hand-harvested at the same time, and
reports isn’t quite as good as his.
years before it’s released for sale.
add interest to a particular vintage.
Grapes from the pergola-trained vines
indeed make Carignan wine, which he
wine is then matured for a further three
“joker” sites, the ones that support or
Potro de Piedra Family Reserve
his wife and the gynaecologist do
year in used French oak barriques, the
vineyards”. Fitte explains these are his
delicious and a joy to eat with the wine.
Fitte didn’t have the time and so today
The Toro de Piedra Grand
was voted among the Top 100 Wineries
The Santa Alba brand is represented
correctly, he married his boss, from his
character, and the £16.99 price tag seems very fair indeed.
lso in the Toro de Piedra range is a 2020 Carménère/Cabernet
Sauvignon Grand Reserve (£16.49
RRP), which reveals Fitte’s experimental
side. Both varieties are picked at the same time and then co-fermented. Ageing takes place over 12 months in both French and American used oak barrels. It’s a full-
bodied wine and the rich, spicy fruit still
has a refreshing crunch, with the tannins impressively soft. There was a good deal
of sirloin on the table at the time, but the
Smith & Wollensky hash brown deserves
different wines, 20 barrels of each. The
team pick their favourites and the wine is see that Fitte enjoys the fun of this secret blend. You won’t find the answer on the back label; instead you must wait until the wine is opened, the answer being printed on the cork. “That’s a serious wine”, says Shaw of the 2017. “Good complexity and structure. Perfect
now. As my wife would say, you don’t have to work hard to enjoy this.” A
mere 2,300 bottles, with an RRP of £48, are made each year.
Drawing things to a close, we are treated
to Toro de Piedra Grand Reserve Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon
2021. At a meagre £12.99 for a 37.5cl
bottle, it’s hard not to think of Christmas
ahead, and the value that comes of having a quaffable sweet wine like this on the rack. Fitte does a cracking job of sharing the
joy of his job, his life and most importantly the Requingua wines. He’s disarmingly
modest, but his passion and commitment
have yielded a noteworthy range of wines
that deliver rewarding drinking across the price points. It’s a pity he won’t get the
Rugby World Cup final he wished for, but he has plenty to be cheerful about.
Published in association with Condor Wines For more information, visit condorwines.co.uk or email info@condorwines.co.uk Telephone 07508 825 488
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 45
CAT BRANDWOOD The Long Run I admit it, I’m always angry. But uninvited reps give me a good excuse
S
illy season is officially here. The first boatload of panettone has turned
up even though the trees still have
leaves and I still have the vague impression of a tan. In so many ways this time of
year is a necessary evil (oh hello negative customer review from last year because I
refused to sell someone part of the FABRIC OF MY SHOP), but I try to look on the
bright side. For four weeks of the year, I
probably won’t see an uninvited sales rep. Having discovered that I am in fact a
millennial, and not the much cooler Gen X that I thought I was, my annoyance at
sales reps all starts to make sense. Why do
some reps insist on “just popping in” when I wouldn’t even knock on a friend’s door if I was passing?
I am baffled by the insistence of reps in
doing this. They don’t get a warm welcome when they turn up unannounced, and
they’re certainly not allowed to have a
coffee and a chat. I’ve tried gently, many a time, to suggest that “next time let me
know you’re coming, and I’ll make sure I’m free” but this just doesn’t seem to break
through to some. There was one company I stopped dealing with partly because of this
(the other part was the immense rudeness
of the rep and their inability to understand me or my business).
Some are shocked that I could have other
things to do than listen to them wang on
about wine (with an appointment, you’re
very welcome to wang on about wine and
you may even get a coffee) as if I exist only
to receive their musings on this year’s “big new thing”.
My all-time most offensive experience
with a rep? That was shared with someone who remains nameless because I threw
their portfolio in the bin without taking their name, before they’d even left the shop.
Imagine yourself as a sales rep for a
moment. Now imagine that this is how you
do your job. You walk into someone’s place of work; you introduce yourself. I am not
busy with customers, no, but I’m doing one of the million other things that also make
up my day – accounts, marketing, website
updates, paying bills, preparing for my next tasting event, maybe even replying to some emails.
You want some of my time, I tell you I’m
busy, and you say the stupidest fucking
thing you can: “Well, you don’t look busy.” I slammed down my avocado toast and told him to get out.
I
don’t require a lot from my reps. In fact, booking an appointment that
suits both (note: both) of us is mostly
it. I don’t even need to see you, most of
the time – I’ll generally email you if I want something. I don’t have time to negotiate
on pricing: either it works at list price, or
it doesn’t. The million things on my to-do
list doesn’t get shorter by haggling. Spirits
suppliers, take note (how I wish you’d take note).
So, with my rant over and my anger back
in the box (who are we kidding – just like the Hulk, it turns out I am always angry) I’m looking forward to a break from
uninvited reps over this period, leaving me with the inevitable Christmas Eve
complaint: “I really wanted a panettone – I’ve been looking at them since October.” It’s not a good day to talk to Cat about your game-changing St Chinian
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 46
Cat Brandwood is the owner of Toscanaccio in Winchester
The natural appeal of Arboleda Eduardo Chadwick’s creation still offers the authentic flavour of Chile’s Aconcagua Valley
V
iña Arboleda was founded in 1999 by renowned Chilean winemaker Eduardo
Chadwick. The family estate is located among more than 1,450 hectares of native
forest and its six single-vineyard wines have been crafted to reflect the expression
of each unique terroir within its vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley.
Arboleda was very much a personal project for Eduardo and remains a favourite
with his four daughters, especially Pepa, who recalls many happy childhood holidays at Aconcagua Costa, the home of Chilhué vineyard.
“Chilhué is very special for us,” she says. “It’s right next to the beach and we used to
have horses there. There’s a beautiful reservoir and we go kayaking. We used to go a lot when we were little, and I have such lovely memories of it.”
The Chilhué vineyard is planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Just eight miles from the Pacific, the resulting maritime breezes bring cool-climate qualities such as freshness and vibrancy to the wines.
“Arboleda Chardonnay is very different to other Chilean
Chardonnays,” explains Pepa. “It is much fresher. Rather than having
heavy tropical fruit, it is much lighter and elegant.”
Chilhué’s topography comprises both gentle rolling hills and steep
slopes, and the soils, rich in schist and slate, give the wines a linear profile.
A
bout a 40-minute drive inland from Chilhué is Las Vertientes vineyard, planted
with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah. “This is the limit where you can produce big reds,” says Pepa. “Nearer the coast, they won’t ripen enough.”
Its wide range of soils makes Las Vertientes best suited to red varieties. Arboleda’s are
noted for their distinctive deep colour, expressive aromas, complexity and balance.
“My favourite is Carménère,” says Pepa. “It is very versatile. You can have it with red
meat, white meat, pasta – everything! All our single-vineyard wines are gastronomical and a true expression of our terroir in the Aconcagua Valley.”
Viña Arboleda was one of the first wineries to be certified under the Chile’s National
Sustainability Code that guarantees environmentally-friendly production, social
responsibility and economic viability. The estate is also committed to conserving the
biodiversity of the Aconcagua Valley and is home to more than 65 types of birds, eight species of mammals and 96 types of plant. And, as well as being fun for kayaking, the water reservoir is key to Arboleda’s sustainability credentials.
In association with Hatch Mansfield
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 47
Arboleda Carménère Fine and silky with great typicity. Year after year it presents elegant tannins in perfect balance with its fresh acidity. A complex wine with classic black fruits and balsamic notes, it has great structure, rounded character and depth. Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon The different components of the fruit from Las Vertientes give life to this serious, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. In some vintages a little Cabernet Franc from the same property is added to the final blend. Aged in French oak barrels. Arboleda Syrah An intense and enticing wine characterised by its balanced body and soft tannins. A vivacious and fresh Syrah, aged in French oak barrels, mostly of second use in order to maintain the character of the fruit. Arboleda Pinot Noir This wine is among the best examples of coolclimate Pinot Noir from Chile. It has an earthy edge of underbrush and minerality due to the schist-type rock in the vineyard. Well-balanced yet complex, with typical chalky tannins. Arboleda Chardonnay The grapes come from selected blocks in the Chilué Vineyard. The wine has a vivid acidity and a unique mineral character, balanced by the subtle creaminess given by the fermentation and ageing in previously used French barrels. Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc A bright aromatic profile with structure on the palate. The natural conditions in the vineyard lend the wine consistent freshness, crisp acidity and fruitiness. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and bottled after five months.
BUYERS’ TRIP TO SICILY
I
t’s slightly surprising to hear Stefano
Girelli tell a story from Norway to help explain his approach to winemaking.
But after he’s told it, it’s hard not to buy
into what he’s trying to achieve with his Sicilian estates.
It goes like this. A Norwegian family
volunteered for a medical experiment and it transpired that parents and children alike all had quantities of pesticides in their bodies. For a month, the family
was restricted to a diet of purely organic foods. When they were tested again, the pesticides were out of their systems.
Stefano is not from Sicily. He’s from
Trento, way up north in Trentino Alto
Adige, which is still his main home. He
represents the third generation of a proud Italian winemaking family which once
had interests all across the country. These
have been divested as Stefano has become
convinced that Sicily is where he will make his best wines. They are all organic.
Santa Tresa, a south eastern estate
dating back to 1697, was acquired in 2001. Nearby Azienda Agricola Cortese followed in 2016.
“In 2001, when I came down here, I just
fell in love with the area,” Stefano tells us. “I realised that Sicily has incredible potential for organic production and it’s probably
CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REG. NO. 1308/2013
Hot properties where organic vines can thrive Stefano Girelli comes from the far north of Italy but has been captivated by Sicily, where he now concentrates his winemaking efforts. He invited The Wine Merchant, and a group of independents, to visit his Santa Tresa and Azienda Agricola Cortese estates to see for ourselves just why he’s convinced it’s the best place to make world-beating organic wines.
the perfect place to grow organic grapes. “Obviously we’re in an area where we
have extreme weather conditions and we
have a lot of challenges. We’ve learnt a lot and we’re still learning.
“Our idea is to focus on indigenous
grapes. We have some Viognier, but this
is the only grape not typical to Sicily that we’re still growing.
“Our object is to make wines that we love
to drink. Something we can be proud of.”
S
tefano’s love of Sicily, and what it has to offer, seems to radiate from him. He speaks enthusiastically about
the island’s wealth of indigenous varieties – “more than the rest of Italy combined” –
and the trend away from boring bulk wines and a dependence on ubiquitous varieties like Cabernet, Syrah and Chardonnay.
Yet he still regards himself as an outsider
in Sicily and is open about the challenges
he faces. Some of these might be cultural; others are down to Sicily’s scorching but
Santa Tresa is home to experimental vines
increasingly unpredictable climate.
The island experienced its hottest ever
July this year, and the dry conditions are
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 48
creating problems for growers. And yet
May and June were exceptionally wet by Sicilian standards.
“We had an incredible attack of mildew,”
Stefano reports. “There are some growers who are literally not picking the grapes. We’re lucky if we’re even going to pick
50% of our grapes. Welcome to the organic world. But whatever we pick is going to be of really good quality.”
S
tefano jokes that he’s a “pain in the
neck” for the growers that he works with, but is happy to pay extra to
guarantee organic grapes that reach his
exacting standards. After eleven and a half months of vineyard toil, he says he wants
to work as little as possible in the winery. “If we ask them to grow organically,
we have to reward them,” he says. “A
sustainable chain of production allows everyone to survive.”
It’s tempting to think of Sicily as an
island of volcanic soils but it’s really
only Etna that has this kind of geology. The vineyards at Santa Tresa are terra
rossa, with a sandy topsoil that gives our
IN ASSOCIATION WITH NORTH SOUTH WINES variety of obscure clones and little-known indigenous grapes.
We taste berries from two types of
Muscat, and they could almost be different varieties. We also come across Orisi, an
almost extinct variety thought to derive
from Sangiovese and Montonico Bianco.
Stefano’s team have just over 1,500 Orisi
vines and their progress is being watched
with interest, as the variety is “phenomenal in a heatwave”, he explains.
It’s a grape we look forward to tasting
in its vinified form sometime soon. In the
meantime, there is more than enough going on in the portfolio to keep us entertained. • Merchants give their verdicts overleaf.
Stefano Girelli is also owner of The Wine People, the commercial arm of his business interests, which distributes wines from Santa Tresa, Azienda Agricola Cortese and partners on the Italian mainland. He is also one of the shareholders in North South Wines, which represents the wines in the UK market. Visit northsouthwines.co.uk for more information or call 020 3871 9210. Stefano Girelli walks the vines
shoes a red dusting as we explore them.
seven metres.
roots down beneath this layer to reach the
different. It’s always been an organic
Underneath that there is a clay seam of up to three metres. Vines need to send their
trapped water below, sometimes as deep as
‘If we ask people to grow organically, we have to reward them. A sustainable chain of production allows everyone to survive’ Stefano Girelli
Although Azienda Agricola Cortese is
only 8km away, the terroir is surprisingly estate, but the soil is more compact and
the weeds and insects that thrive there are not the same as you find at Santa Tresa.
“We quickly realised that we had totally
different Nero d’Avola and totally different
Frappato so we thought, let’s keep the two estates separate,” Stefano says.
The Santa Tresa vineyard is now
irrigated with the help of a 17km pipeline
connecting it to the local reservoir. It’s one of four officially-designated experimental
vineyards in Sicily, and it’s home to a wide
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 49
Harvest time at Santa Tresa
BUYERS’ TRIP TO SICILY
‘Stefano’s enthusiasm is infect Bridget Hoult, Hoults, Huddersfield I can’t remember the last trip I went on where I enjoyed so many of the wines.
The Cortese Nostru wines really stood out for me. The Catarratto Lucido has such a lovely texture with great elements of
before is something I think all of us love.
of difference that makes them stand out
couple of days out of the office.
narrative around.
We’ve listed 10 new wines on the back
of the trip, so I’d say that was a successful
Geraint Davies, ND John, Swansea
minerality and acidity. And then the Nero
I’ve always been a fan of the Miopasso
about; the most important bits for me were
before didn’t disappoint.
d’Avola No Added Sulphur … no added
sulphur isn’t a trend I’m overly bothered the earthy notes on the nose and lovely
depth of flavour – plums, rosemary and leather. Lush.
The enthusiasm that Stefano has for
the land in Sicily and making sure that
they protect the ethos of what they want to do as a company is infectious. The
continuation of their learning – making sure they aren’t just sitting back and
resting on history, but forging forward – is amazing.
It is such an interesting idea to try to
protect or re-introduce rarer indigenous grape varieties with such an element of
risk. There are so many factors to consider – weather, soil type, pruning and picking, before you even attempt to start the
process of making it into a wine that you can get to market.
I can’t wait to see what they come out
with, because the possibility of introducing a customer to something they haven’t tried Santa Tresa Il Frappato
Made in the Charmat method, with grapes macerating for two or three hours. Geraint Davies is a “massive fan” of both this and Il Grillo, its white stablemate. “Both are full of fruit but with a gastronomic style that I think will work well with food, and definitely more interesting than Prosecco!”
on a shelf. The indigenous credentials of
the grapes does give something to build a
Chloe Malone, Champion Wines, Chislehurst
and Cortese La Selezione ranges that we
The entire range of wines was absolutely
Doing the vertical tasting of Vanedda
the fruit-forward Frappato and Nerello
stocked and the ones that I hadn’t tasted was a treat and really showed the ability
of the wine to age. But I was pretty blown away by the Santa Tresa Rina Russa
Frappato – especially when served chilled. I must have an undiscovered (until now)
love for all things Frappato. I will definitely be putting this theory to the test by ordering plenty of them in.
Embracing organic practices can usually
result in the winemaker not being quite so commercially minded. But Stefano makes
his wines to be crowd-pleasers too, both in style and price. The fact they are organic,
vegan etc is great (as is the very prominent placing of ‘organic’ and ‘vegan’ on most of his front labels). But they have to also be
something we can sell. Stefano’s wines are clearly this too.
I think it’s brilliant that they are looking
to bring back lost indigenous grapes and
focus almost entirely on these. It’s a point Cortese Nostru Carricante
From grapes grown on the Cortese estate. Stefano says: “What we like about it is it’s very mineral; the Grillo and Catarratto are more rounded and soft. I think it has incredible food potential.” Mark Bedford enjoys its “lemon peel, citrus oil and incredible length”. Toby Peirce also remarks on its “lemon pith and minerality”.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 50
fantastic – all perfectly approachable and easy-sellers. I particularly appreciated
Mascalese wines. They really prove that it’s
not all about oak, and just a little malolactic fermentation and lees ageing can go a long way. These wonderful varieties are ready to make a name for themselves in the UK. I was also blown away by the ageing
potential of Catarratto and Grillo. Trying a 2016 vintage that is still going strong was really quite magical.
What really impressed me was Stefano’s
ability to recognise how much potential
there is in Sicily, not just for quality organic wines, but for native varieties that have been swept under the carpet.
Hailing from the winemaking scene of
northern Italy, he looks at Sicily with an
outsider’s view, and he has definitely made this his superpower. Stefano’s presence and mindfulness throughout the entire
winemaking process really shines through in his wines.
Cortese Vanedda Bianco A blend of Grillo, Catarratto and Fiano which briefly ferments on its skins before ageing in 30hl Slavonian barrels for just under a year. The wine emerges complex and textural, with some Riesling-like kerosene notes in classic vintages and more tropical flavours in warmer years, suggesting papaya.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH NORTH SOUTH WINES CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REG. NO. 1308/2013
tious’ Toby Peirce, Quaff, Brighton & Hove It’s the indigenous varieties (at least,
southern Italian) that stand out. Catarratto has some exotic gloss and spice and lower acidity that make it a great addition to
blends with a little acidity. I’m intrigued by how some of them blended together to age nicely in the Vanedda blends.
Negroamaro has a lovely gloss and
mouth feel to it, and I’ve always loved
Fiano too, which can be done in either a crisp linear style or in a richer, glossier way as here.
I loved the almost saline feel of the Grillo
from around Marsala, which gave it a real freshness, along with a citrus line.
Frappato is a clear winner for producing
lighter, fresher, chillable reds in this torrid climate: lots of crunchy red/raspberry/ redcurrant fruit.
I was impressed by Stefano’s genuine
commitment to hitting a little volume for continuity, and to maintaining
accessible price points with most of his
From left: Mark Bedford, Caviste, Hampshire; Geraint Davies, ND John, Swansea; Bridget Hoult, Hoults, Huddersfield; Chloe Malone, Champion Wines, Chislehurst; Stefano Girelli; Toby Peirce, Quaff, Brighton; Jean Carlos Grega, Cambridge Wine Merchants
to doing this, which is great. He has
balance, authenticity and value. Stefano
pretty pioneering.
returns. I was in the classroom of wine
especially given that a decent amount of
what he is doing with indigenous stuff is
Mark Bedford, Caviste, Hampshire
core ranges. It’s frustrating tasting wines
Stefano is clearly both an entrepreneur
asked to charge £40 for them because
The soils are varied, old and exciting.
supposedly full of terroir and organic
and rare indigenous varieties, and being
the winemaker can only make 150 cases or whatever. The real challenge is to
represent all this at a Tuesday night pizza price point, and he seems committed
My four takeaways were flavour,
a refreshing lack of ego and hubris,
and wine adventurer and sees Sicily as one of the great opportunities.
While the climate is dry, the sea influence and varying degrees of altitude create a
multitude of microclimates that preserve acidity and freshness naturally.
is willing to experiment with ancient
varieties that do not offer immediate
throughout our visit – utterly fascinated. These are wines that will sell on our
shelves for circa £11-£13, with the more
serious at under £20 and a couple of wines that are truly special for sub £50.
I always tell our importers that Caviste
does not buy individual wines – it buys producers. In Stefano, we have met a
compelling personality with a great story and two amazing estates. I have invited him to host a Sicilian evening.
Cortese Nostru Nerello Mascalese
Santa Tresa Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Miopasso Nero d’Avola
This stainless-steel fermented wine has “such a gentle side to it and is absolutely lovely,” according to Bridget Hoult. Toby Peirce observes that the variety “seems to have a flexibility like Shiraz in that it can make good, friendly price-point wines but can also be wound up into much more serious beasts.”
A blend of 60% Nero d’Avola, of which 15% is dried on the vine, and 40% Frappato. “Most people don’t know that Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a DOCG,” says Stefano. “We are allowed only a very low yield, one of the lowest in Italy. Hopefully in the future this DOCG will be given more attention.”
Made in the appassimento method, with the thin skins of the grape macerating for longer without extracting bitter tannins. A hit with the group, as was the Miopasso Grillo, also made in the appassimento style, with its honeyed flavours and “glossier, low-acidity style,” according to Toby Peirce.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 51
REGIONAL FOCUS
ten spanish reds from ten spanis David Williams embarks on a break-neck tour of a country with no shortage of interesting possibilities for lover
> RIOJA
producers today). Still, there’s been a sense that
Ribera del Duero has been slightly off the pace in
CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja 2015
recent developments in Spanish wine, a feeling that
(Hatch Mansfield)
too many producers were over-extracting, over-
oaking and generally failing to take advantage of
There is so much that feels new and exciting
its natural advantages (the cool nights and warm
going on in Rioja at the moment, with a vibrant
sunny days, old vines and varied terroirs of this
scene of small producers (such as Artuke, Sierra
surprisingly high-altitude region). That’s very much
de Toloño and Aldonia, to list a few favourites)
not the case with the wines of Bertrand Sourdais at
giving what is still far and away Spain’s biggest and
his Bodegas Antídoto and Dominio de Es projects,
best-known red-wine region an infusion of fresh
however, where the French winemaker taps into
blood. These producers are, among other things,
very old vines to make wines of gorgeous depth,
exploring higher altitudes, reviving plots of old
precision and balance.
vines, working with varieties beyond Tempranillo, and using clay, concrete and neutral oak in their
> VALDEORRAS
bid to make fresher, more terroir-driven wines. As
exhilarating as this “new” Rioja can be, however, it is only part of the story. And it only takes a sip of
Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil Mencía Tinto 2021
deep and savoury 2015 Imperial Gran Reserva to be reminded that there is plenty of life yet in the
Mencía’s reputation as the emblematic red variety of far north western Spain is largely built on its
> RIBERA DEL DUERO
on either side of the Galicia/Leon border: Ribeira
a “Rioja first growth” such as CVNE’s exquisitely
(Bancroft Wines)
traditional classic, long-aged Rioja model.
performance in two neighbouring appellations
Sacra and Bierzo. Producers in both are increasingly defining sub-regional styles and individual terroirs.
Bodegas Antídoto 2021 (H2Vin)
And with star producers such as Raul Perez,
Fedellos do Couto, Descendientes de J Palacios,
It may be the home of two contenders for the title
Alvaredos-Hobbs and Guimaro leading the way,
of Spain’s single most celebrated and highly prized
they are making some of Spain’s most elegant
red wine producer (Vega Sicilia and Pingus). And
and refreshing reds in the process. But Mencía
both the vineyard area and the number of wineries
is being handled with increasing confidence and
working there may have expanded enormously
stylistic verve across a wide area, including in the
in the past few decades (from 9,000ha and 70
Galician region of Valdeorras, home to yet another
producers in 1990 to 24,000ha and more than 300
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 52
The island of Symi, in Dodecanese
sh regions s of vino tinto
Low-tech winemaking at Cuevas de Arom in Calatayud
impressive project from the tireless star “driving
the tiny production wines he makes from isolated,
recent extensive panel tasting of several dozen top
to childhood friend and fellow winemaker Curro
winemaker” Telmo Rodriguez, whose graceful, silky
high-altitude Gredos plots under the Commando G
Gaba do Xil Mencía was a personal highlight of a
label, while entrusting his vineyards in Méntrida
examples of the grape.
Barreño, who, under the Viticola Mentridana label, and in wines such as El Mentridano, is very much
> MENTRIDA
keeping up the good Garnacha work.
> CALATAYUD
Viticola Mentridana El Mentridano, Valle del Aberche 2021 (Indigo Wines) Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos mountains
Cuevas de Arom As Ladieras Garnacha 2020
wine. These are wines that have helped transform
region that has learned to treasure and re-interpret
just south west of Madrid has been one of the
(Liberty Wines)
the grape variety’s reputation: made (and yes, this
the stocks of old and very old Garnacha vines that
undoubted stars of the past decade in Spanish
Gredos is very far from being the only Spanish
very much a running theme of both this article and
had in many cases been neglected and underrated.
modern Spanish wine) from very old vines. Gredos
Indeed, this piece could very well be filled
Garnachas are perfumed, slinky and pale in colour,
exclusively with Garnacha wines, from Catalonia
with aromas and flavours of dried herbs and red
to Rioja and Extremadura, such is the range and
fruit, a marked contrast to the vividly gushing fruit
quality now available. Among the most significant
you tended to find in previous iterations of Spanish
Garnacha regions in Spain, certainly in terms of size
Garnacha. The winemaker Daniel Landi was one
and stocks of old vines, is the province of Aragon,
of the first practitioners of these so-called “Pinots
with the co-ops of the Campo de Borja DO providing
of the south”. For now, Landi is concentrating on
some of the wine world’s more remarkable and
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 53
FOCUS ON SPANISH REDS
reliable bargains, while Cuevas de Arom, a
Agulló is the perfect manifestation of that mission,
relative newcomer founded by Fernando Mora
with the Giró de Abargues the essence of the
MW and Mario López, has brought the elegant,
project.
fresh, fluent new Garnacha style from high-altitude
It’s made from the rare Giró variety, which is
70-plus-year-old vines in the hills of Calatayud.
found only in Sardinia, Mallorca and this corner of
Spain, with Mendoza sourcing his from two old-vine
> PRIORAT
plots (the vines are on average 75 years old) in
Marina Alta, where, as the name suggests, there is
Cal Batllet 5 Partides 2016 (Alliance Wine)
a distinct marine influence, lending the wine a mix
Catalonia’s Priorat is another region with a big
of floral and red fruit characters, driving acidity and
Garnacha reputation, although in this case it’s a
chalky fine tannins.
reputation for wines of power and rugged charm,
> JUMILLA
always tempered by that streak of minerality
thought to derive from (if not, strictly speaking, be imparted by) the famous llicorella slate soils.
Finca Bacara Time Waits for No One 2022
undergone a stylistic shift in recent years with the sheer solar-powered force and extracted intensity
As in many other corners of the country, altitude
joined by wines that offer a wide variety of different
plays a vital role in shaping the best wines of the Spain. This is a place which gets more than 300
(Hallgarten & Novum Wines)
Like so much of Spain, however, Priorat has
of the early stars of the region’s late-80s revival now
Jumilla DO in the Murcia region of south eastern
shades and flavours. That shift is discernible beyond
days of sunshine a year, and where daytime
Garnacha, too: Carinyena (Carignan) has always
summer temperatures of 40°C are routine, and the
played a key role in the region, both as partner
conditions are only likely to get more intense as the
for Garnacha and, in the shape of Marc Ripoll’s
climate crisis develops. The moderating influence
magnificently intense but fluent and energetic 5
of higher altitudes is vital, bringing cooler nights
Partides, as a solo variety.
and helping preserve shape and some freshness in wines that do not struggle for ripeness.
> ALICANTE
Monastrell is the key variety, with star producer
Casa Castillo using whole-bunch fermentation
Casa Agricola Giró de Abargues 2020
and making the most of the balance of old vines
(Alliance Wine)
and chalky soils to bring elegance to their cult in-
A key figure in the revival of the vinous reputation
demand Pie Franco bottling. But for Finca Bacara’s
of south eastern “Levantine” Spain, Pepe Mendoza is
Luis Javier Pérez, it’s the 900m elevation that is key
a winemaker who sets out to ensure his wines come
for his superb-value Time Waits for No One cuvée,
with a distinct Mediterranean flavour.
which is all about the unforced and surprisingly
His Casa Agricola project with his wife Pepa
fresh and succulent fruit.
Vines at Finca Bacara
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 54
THE WINEMAKER FILES // Garnacha is well adapted to our terroir. It’s a variety that has been in our vineyards for centuries and there is a reason for this. Does it deserve a higher reputation? We think so, and that is our job every day: to convince wine drinkers one by one. In the last decades of the 20th century we experimented with other varieties but they did not adapt well to the hot summer, drought and soils that Campo de Borja has. Bordeaux varieties were planted in places which they were never suited for. Although Garnacha is our flagship, it’s never easy to work with. You need to work with low yields to get the best expression and it needs 25-30 years of age to really achieve its best, especially in the poor soils of the Tabuenca area. In recent years, we realised that the best performance is achieved between 550m and 800m above sea level. Syrah is performing well at lower altitudes, so combining both varieties gives us a great balance.
We are essentially a co-operative, although we work as a limited company. In the wine industry, it seems more romantic to talk about family-run wineries. But we are actually 375 families joining forces for a unique goal. Our business model helps the whole region to develop, and this makes us very proud. Of course the original system of co-operatives needs to move on and modernise, and we have achieved this through our approach of being commercially relevant and innovative in our wine style. Our philosophy has always been to combine the different terroirs of Campo
Borsao Selección Blanco 2022 RRP £9.99
Satisfying, well-priced white from Campo de Borja which really over-delivers. A well-made blend of Chardonnay and Macabeo with a gentle toasty oak character that makes it stand out at this price. Stone fruit and limey citrus aromas with tropical characters. Lightly creamy mouth feel and a bright, clean finish.
de Borja to create more complex and harmonious wines. The differences in altitude – from 350m to 800m above sea level – type of soils, age of the vineyard and grape variety make the winemakers’ work much harder. But in the end they have hundreds of different wines to combine and create all the wines we have in the Borsao portfolio.
Guillermo Rodriguez UK export manager Bodegas Borsao
Our goal is always to over-deliver. There is no shortage of wine available in the market so we have to make sure we can create something that makes people say “wow”.
The wines of Bodegas Borsao are always ripe, with notes of red and black fruits, velvety tannins and with a fresh acidity that helps give balance. Mother Nature gives us hot and dry conditions, poor soils and a variety like Garnacha which is able to maintain acidity even in these conditions, always with low yields. There is only one world and we need to care for it. We’ve worked sustainably for many years, in the vineyards and in the winery. Now 100% of the energy consumed in our winery is green. All of our vineyards use a pheromone to eliminate the insect Lobesia Botrana; we have 100 hectares of organic certified vineyards and the Eco Prowine stamp is testament to our conviction.
We are paying more attention to the freshness and fruit of our wines. That’s an obsession for us, because the concentration and phenolic ripeness are non-negotiable. We’ve always been known for our great value and this will not change. In terms of new wines, we are beginning
Viña Borgia by Borsao Garnacha [Organic] 2021 RRP £9.99
This delicious and pure expression of Garnacha, with redcurrant aromas and fresh red berries on the palate, is a new addition. Borsao’s organic project is a further step in the winery's journey to manage its environmental impact, alongside gaining sustainable certification.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 55
The winery was established as a co-operative in 1959. In 2001 it joined with two other progressive, co-operative cellars in the Campo de Borja region. Grapes are sourced from over 375 member growers covering 2,400 hectares – nearly a third of the region’s total. Wines imported by Boutinot boutinot.com limited-production wines that will push our limits and help to further cement our drive to raise our profile. This new project will begin with a Viognier and will continue with some of our oldest plots of Garnacha. We make wines for every price point, and we are very proud of it.
Tres Picos Garnacha 2020 RRP £17.99
A full-bodied, hedonistic expression of old-vine Garnacha grown at altitude. Intense aroma of mature red fruits with floral notes. The palate is rich and well-structured with masses of bramble and ripe strawberry fruit, warm vanilla and liquorice spice. Tannins are supple and the finish is generous and long.
FOCUS ON SPANISH REDS
> PENEDÈS Familia Torres Clos Ancestral 2021 (Fells) Torres is one of those wine companies that
transcends its origins. Certainly, when it comes to
its reliable entry-level bottlings (Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro et al) it’s the family’s name, and some sense of “Spain” which is far more important to most of its
customers than any details about the location of the vineyards.
But, for all that the company has expanded
throughout Catalonia to other Spanish regions and beyond, it has remained deeply rooted in Penedès,
where the family has become ever more concerned about the impact of climate change. That has led
them to invest massively in research, part of which has focused on the local grape varieties that they
feel have the best chance of standing up to the new climatic realities.
Among those varieties is the drought-resistant
Moneu, which, alongside Garnacha and Ull de Llebre (aka Tempranillo), forms part of the blend of the delightful, graceful red Clos Ancestral.
> TENERIFE Borja Perez Viticultor Artifice Tinto 2020 (Justerini & Brooks) In a country filled with tales of renaissance and
revival built on the rediscovery of old vines in often-
Torres has expanded throughout Catalonia to other Spanish regions but remains rooted in Penedès, and has become ever more concerned about climate change
remote and isolated vineyards, Tenerife’s story is perhaps the most remarkable of all.
The Canary Island’s transformation from tourist
trap house wine-supplier to purveyor of some of the most fashionably in-demand wines in the world has been completed in little more than a decade.
Joining such trailblazers as Suertes del Marqués,
Viñatigo and Envénate in this fascinating volcanic
terroir is former racing car mechanic Borja Perez, who took over the family domain in 2011 and is
now making a set of exemplary, evocative wines from vines that rise up to 1,400m in the breezy
Atlantic conditions and volcanic soils of the YcodenDaute-Isora DO in the north west of the island, with the Artifice Tinto, a superb-value expression of
both the place and the local grape variety, Listán Negro.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 56
Juan Gil Lencina, the great-grandfather of the current generation, started in the wine business in 1916. Today we face many challenges but we learn from the past and respect the efforts and struggles of those who came before us. The second generation took Juan Gil through the Spanish civil war. The third generation expanded the business and Juan Gil became known more widely in Spain, though the tradition still largely persisted of pouring wine directly from barrels into carafes. In 2002 the current generation took over the family business and focused on quality, bottled wines and embraced Monastrell proudly, as experts and custodians of this special variety.
We own 900 hectares of vineyards, all certified as organic. Working in the highest part of Jumilla, known as Termino de Arriba, allows us to make fresher and more elegant wines. The clones of Monastrell here are hardy and can survive the cold winters and warm summers. Our spread of vineyards allows us to mitigate risks in extreme weather events. It’s fantastic that native varieties are now getting the focus we always felt they deserved. We always believed in Monastrell and we are pleased that it is being recognised as a quality variety. Jumilla has a climate and terroir which is unique. It is an extreme climate, but it is our home, and Monastrell is perfectly adapted. It has structure, power and elegance, too.
As much as our heritage is our family story, it is also the old vineyards that tell a story back through time. The yields of
THE WINEMAKER FILES //
these old vines are low. We maintain old vineyards but also replant with cuttings of old vines which are suited to the climate. We are in an area without a lot of disease pressure but care must be taken to manage the canopy, protect against heat spikes and retain any scraps of water we receive. The key here is soil health, and building the mycorrhizal ecosystem. We do this with our work with organics and regenerative soil health by working with our own fertiliser we produce for our vineyards.
Miguel Gil Bodegas Juan Gil
We know that sustainability is the current buzzword. But for us it is not an empty word. We have managed to eliminate herbicides and pesticides in the vineyards and we have installed solar panels with 1.9 megawatts of power. We use practically no plastics; we have eliminated diatomaceous earth; we have considerably reduced consumption of water; and we recycle 100% of what we use in our processes to manufacture worm humus, the best organic fertiliser that exists for the vineyard. We have also cut the weight of our glass bottles by 28%, which reduces our carbon footprint (we are now scope 3) and carbon dioxide emissions during transportation Our style of wine has evolved. We try our best to walk the tightrope of being appealing to wine drinkers, but also true to ourselves. It is a difficult balance but we hope we get it right more often than not.
In general the wines are characterised by having good structure, but at the same time easy to drink. We have moved the younger wines to a fresher style, with less sweetness of fruit. With the more powerful wines, we have reduced the impact of oak,
Juan Gil Dry Rosé [Organic] 2022
Juan Gil Yellow Label Monastrell [Organic] 2022
RRP £16.99
RRP £12.99
Amazingly textural yet delicate, this is a complex and foodfriendly Syrah/Petit Verdot rosé. Fresh cherry, cranberry and red plum characters on the nose. The palate has a creamy weight, with stone fruit and juicy redcurrant acidity balancing lightly nutty, toasty hints.
These old bush vines, high in the hot, dusty hills of Jumilla, produce characterful and fruit-packed wines from the Monastrell grape. An easy style of Monastrell, the Yellow Label tends more towards red fruit characters – fresh, juicy and bright.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 57
The Gil family have been producers in Jumilla since the early 20th century but took a major step forward when Miguel Gil, greatgrandson of the company’s founder, built a new bodega in time for the 2003 vintage. Wines imported by Boutinot boutinot.com
to allow the Monastrell to shine more. Our innovation projects have allowed us to create new wines like Comoloco, a noadded-sulphite and low-histamine wine. This is great in itself but helps us with our winemaking throughout our range. .
Juan Gil Blue Label 2021 RRP £29.99
Produced from low-yielding, old-vine Monastrell, with additional Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, all planted at around 700m altitude. This is a superbly intense wine, very rich and smooth, and though it is very powerful initially, there is a very long and complex finish. Will age for at least 10 years.
TASTE TEST
COCKTAILS IN A BOTTLE
W
hen it comes to the ready-to-drink market, not all cocktails are created equal. The Wine Merchant team has sampled a range of RTD cocktails from six indie-friendly producers whose artisanal,
small-batch products prove that quality does not need to be sacrificed for convenience. Handcrafted bottled cocktails are an attractive proposition for wine merchants all year round, and at Christmas even more so. Look for festive twists on the classics as well as smaller formats that not only make great stocking fillers but can keep pricing keen when it comes to hampers. Xhulio Sina has been making bottled cocktails for almost 15 years and distributes from his retail premises, Bottle Bar & Shop in Catford, which he runs with his wife Natalie. “The RTD market is here to stay,” he says. “It’s definitely getting crowded but there’s something for everyone, from Aldi’s bottled cocktails to the artisan products we’re proud to produce.”
edmunds Old Fashioned Brothers Paul and Tom launched Edmunds in 2019, since when they have won several Great Taste awards for their
wide range of cocktails. Their climate-positive credentials include a partnership with Ecologi, and as such already
claim to be responsible for the planting of over 100,000 trees.
They use Adnams Single Malt in this blend. Lovers of a
vintage cocktail will appreciate the nice touch of spice and bitterness alongside the sweeter notes.
RRP: £39.95 (1-litre); £34.95 (gift set of 6 x 10cl bottles)
ABV: 22.6%
Edmunds (edmundscocktails.co.uk)
On the RTD spectrum of supermarket to specialist retailers, one of the most obvious differences is alcoholic strength, as Karl Wozny, owner of Cocktail in a Bottle, explains. “A bar-quality cocktail should be around 25%-30% abv,” he says. “The general market is playing down consumer expectations of what a ready-todrink cocktail is because so many companies are making lower-abv products, but they really aren’t bar quality. “For example, a Margarita should be something between 18% and 25%, depending on how you make the drink and how the flavours are balanced, but you do see them on the market with just 5%-10% abv.” Flavour is paramount. In contrast to the mass produced, often overlysweet concoctions, drinks crafted by experienced mixologists using carefully sourced ingredients offer a genuine cocktail experience. Mathew Smallbane, founder of Fatman & Friends, even makes his own pecan bitters, which he plans to bottle separately at some point. “We’ve tried to do something similar to the slow food movement of the 1980s,” he says. “We use really good top-quality ingredients. If we don’t think it's good enough to be in a top cocktail bar, then we don't put it into our product. “We support local small businesses as much as we can but that’s not always possible because no one makes Campari like Campari does. Our Colombian coffee bean is a single-origin Colombian and obviously that isn’t local, but the guy who roasts it and puts it into the compostable pods is about 50 metres away from us.” All the labels on the cocktails we sampled are aesthetically pleasing and would look at home on the shelves of any independent wine merchant. Cosmo Boardman at Moore House Cocktails in London admits that while taste remains the “top priority”, the company has “leant more and more into the gift-ability side. For us it’s about being beautiful inside and out,” he says. Already making a name for themselves on the awards circuit, yet still niche enough to appeal to indies, here are some of the highlights.
cocktail in a bottle Grapefruit Negroni Owner Karl Wozny runs cocktail masterclasses and works with bars on their listings. “It’s just me,” he says, “and I
have great fun doing it.” That’s pretty clear from looking at his superb selection of drinks, distinctly labelled using the
work of a local artist. Making an appearance in time for
the Christmas market are the
Panettone Negroni, Stollen Cake Manhattan and Caribbean Rum Cake Old Fashioned.
This year’s World’s Best
Classic Cocktail winner at the World Pre-mix Awards, the
Grapefruit Negroni doesn’t disappoint.
RRP: £32 (50cl) ABV: 25%
Cocktail in a Bottle
Cocktailinabottle.co.uk
Christmas in a Bottle
the cocktail society Passionfruit Martini
Just a few of the cocktails included in Xhulio Sina’s award-winning roster are
Horseradish & Wasabi Bloody Mary, Margarita, Mocha Martini and Twisted Old
Fashioned. His mixology skills go even further at Christmas with a Gingerbread Espresso Martini and a Christmas Negroni, and this grown-up festive treat. If
For hybrid retailers expecting a busy
Christmas cake was made with vodka and magically given liquid form, this would be
bar in the next few weeks, The Cocktail
it. The base of Holy Grass Vodka is infused with festive spices including cinnamon,
Society has 1-litre pouches designed
cardamom and cloves. The vanilla and chocolate flavours are just enough – not too
for the on-trade that guarantee a
sweet.
professional yet speedier serve. The Oxford company is run
RRP: £26 (50cl) £22 (gift set of 3 x 10cl bottles) ABV: 20%
by former bar owners who pride
Bottle Bar & Shop (bottlebarandshop.com)
themselves on the quality of spirits
among their creations, such as Sapling Vodka, Warner’s Gin and Buffalo Trace Whiskey, and their environmental
ethos, demonstrated by their partnership with Rewilding Britain and fully recyclable packaging.
A delightfully balanced cocktail with the sweetness of the vanilla
vodka softening the passionfruit hit. Add a side shot of Prosecco to make it a Pornstar.
RRP: £26.99 (50cl); £13.99 (20cl); from £33 for 1-litre pouches ABV: 15.5%
The Cocktail Society (thecocktailsociety.uk)
moore house Espresso Martini The Moore House Cocktail Company began with Stephen Moore’s quest for replicating the perfect
White Negroni. Admirers of the faultlessly designed packaging won’t be surprised to hear that Moore House is the go-to brand when it comes to collaborations for Rick Stein and the Savoy hotel. The
spiced chocolate bitters in this Espresso Martini add extra depth and luxury. Shaken well over ice and strained into a chilled Martini glass, we didn’t wait for the decorative coffee beans to be added to the
impressive creamy surface before diving in.
RRP: £32.50 (50cl); £10.50 (10cl) ABV: 20%
Moore House Cocktails (moorehousecocktails.co.uk)
fatman's Aged Negroni Fatman & Friends began as a pop-up in 2014 and Quo Vadis stocked Mathew Smallbane’s
Negroni behind the bar. Several awards later, he continues to run regular pop-ups from his
base in Kent where he showcases his range, which includes Espresso Martini and Old Fashioned cocktails. Fatman’s Aged Negroni tastes every bit as delicious as the orange and juniper aromas promise. Made with a base of Bombay Sapphire, Martini Rosso and Campari, the gin takes a
back seat, making it slightly softer, and perhaps more approachable than a classic Negroni but perfectly balanced with mixed spice and beguiling aromatics. More, please. RRP: £37 (70cl); £13.50 (20cl) ABV: 27.8% Fatman & Friends (fatmanandfriends.com)
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 59
THE DRAYMAN
stuff, including a helles lager, a lemon
and sea salt sour, a salted caramel porter, a bourbon cask imperial stout and a gin barrel-aged saison. There’s even a free glass on flagship Jaipur IPA day.
Christmas countdown Advent can be boring for beer lovers, but festive ales haven’t lost their appeal
A
geing members of the Wine Merchant community will
remember when the dopamine
hit from opening the window on an advent calendar was delivered by nothing more
than the glimpse of a traditional Christmas scene.
For Christmas 2023, the thrill will be
delivered by a daily dose of tea, socks,
lingerie, cake, popcorn, “cult pens” (that
is, with a cult following rather than used
by one), jewellery, beard oil and, for those
with more abstract tastes, sounds. For the
especially energetic there’s even a calendar to equip yourself and a loved one with
a different sex toy each day, after which,
be found in the beer world, offer fewer and fewer surprises the longer December goes on, thus somewhat defeating the object.
B
eer calendars work better when
they come from a single brewer that has the skills and imagination to
put together a genuinely eclectic portfolio. This year’s contribution from
Derbyshire’s Thornbridge, for example, comprises (spoiler alert klaxon!) a
roughly 50:50 split between beers in
that broad pale/IPA spectrum and other
One impact of the, ahem, advent of beer
advent calendars has been the retraining
of the industry’s collective focus away from traditional Christmas beers.
Though many are still brewed, the eager
anticipation around brewers’ takes on
either (a) the flavours of a Christmas cake
or (b) the flavours of a Christmas pudding
has drained away. But they should still have a role in the Christmas build-up. A bottle
of Christmas ale at three or four quid still makes for a much more affordable and
timely stocking filler proposition than an
already out-of-date advent calendar at many times the price. The lovely Thornbridge one weighs in at ninety smackers.
It’s a truism bordering on cliché in the
more premium echelons of the drinks industry that less is more – and that’s
never truer than in a single Christmas
beer bursting with decadent chocolate, mixed fruit, honey and nut flavours,
than a calendar that offers 50 shades of generically hoppy grey.
presumably, December 25 becomes a wellearned day of rest.
Over the years, of course, the drinks
industry has responded to the ever-
increasing consumer thirst for novelty, bordering on gimmickry, with advent
calendars of their own, most notably in beer and gin.
In beer, such products are often online
retailer-compiled, cross-brewery affairs with a lowest-common-denominator
feel to them. Like the worst supermarket “craft” beer ranges, they feature a couple
of dozen versions of pale/Indian pale ales
that, far from celebrating the rich variety to
Beer advent calendars often have a lowestcommon-denominator feel to them
This year’s Thornbridge calendar is genuinely eclectic
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 60
A château in vineyards near Sopot, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
old-fashioned eggnog
Hay Wines owner Jane Salt with a bottle of 1231
Hay Wines celebrates Milan win Hay Wines is celebrating winning a prestigious award in a competition that it did not actually enter. Last month the independent merchant in
Ledbury, Herefordshire, won Best Italian Wine Selection at Milano Wine Week.
“This came as a complete surprise to
us as we had only just arrived in Italy on
a tasting tour,” says the company’s Andy Garbi. “So we were naturally over the
moon when this award was presented to us out of the blue.
“We’re not aware of any application
QUIZ TIME Answers to questions on page 14 1. Limarí; Maipo; Colchagua; Maule 2. Bourboulenc 3. Mazuelo 4. Orange wine 5. The Riddler
The eggnog is a gloopy, thick, seasonal soul-warmer for cold winter evenings. There are recipes out there that will take most of the festive period to recreate, involving saucepans, whisks, mixers, fridges and Masterchef-style descriptions of fancy ingredients. This sweeter whiskey twist on the traditional brandy-led drink happily still only requires a cocktail shaker, a glass, some booze and a few dairy products. Check for anyone with egg allergies among your guests/victims.
procedure as we didn’t apply to be considered. We have no clue who
nominated us but nominations probably occur based on how businesses are, in
effect, ambassadors for Italian culture. “What we do know is that we were
approached to submit a list of Italian wines that we sell in-store and online. The final selection for an award is through a jury
7.5cl bourbon or US rye whiskey 6cl full fat milk 1.5cl sugar syrup 1 egg 1.5cl single cream Nutmeg
panel. The award winners are worldwide,
but we’re the only specialist retailer in the UK to receive one this year.”
Italian wines are a strong suit for
Hay Wines. One of the wines that the
judging panel took into consideration
was 1231, an organic Pinot Noir sparkler made exclusively for the company by
the Padroggi family in Oltrepo Pavese, northern Italy.
This wine is named in honour of the
foundation in 1231 of St Katherine’s
Hospital, one of Ledbury’s oldest buildings, by Bishop Hugh Foliot.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 61
Put everything except the nutmeg into a shaker with ice and shake (cracking the egg first, naturally). Strain into a tumbler or Collins glass. Sprinkle some nutmeg on the top as a garnish.
The Vindependents tasting takes place on March 21
I
wonder if you remember rule #4 on
It would have been overkill to buy the air
It’s not “Everybody loves our Chat” (she’s
– microwave, kettle, avocado scooper; a
the blackboard on the back stairs,
fryer from Lidl, but the Muffin/Egg/Toastie
above “Maybe they’re Constipated?”?
combi seemed like perfect completion
fine, just saw her chase the Norwegian
machine that is essentially McDonald’s in
Forest Cat across the garden, and so are Cameo, Mousehole, Rosie and Vanessa:
35. DO YOU KNOW THE (I’m) allowed to get it wrong, be a bit rude, MUFFIN MAKER? feel down, feel supernaturally up and forget props to the Valhalla’s Cats!). Neither is it “Not a Bot”, a perennial reminder that we
Sally’s Champagne order, although the deep gnawing guilt at that somatically vibrates in my nose, thighs and right knee.
Guilt is something I am well acquainted
with. Guilt, shame and idiocy, usually foodrelated: the Piper’s Crisps I can’t resist, the no-carb day with the gift of an East
Coast fudgy doughnut in my gob. Or drink related: getting lost full of Madeira in the
not-particularly-complicated toilet warren
Phoebe Weller of Valhalla’s
Goat in Glasgow’s investment in high-tech kitchen gadgetry was meant to be a game changer. But based on results, staff indifference seems justified
Shame, idiocy and guilt with, usually,
of Hawksmoor and ignoring the Madeira
great waves of pride beforehand. I was
Champagne (“don’t get it today, just pick it
Aldi, and awful proud to bring it into VG. In
Master telling me the door I am opening will lead to the urinals. Sally’s bloody
up on the 26th, we’ve always got it in”).
awful proud the day I bought the Muffin Making Egg Cooking Toastie Machine in
my mind the “kitchen” was now complete.
the morning. Tadaa!
Until the Muffin Maker there was no way
of cooking an egg adequately whilst not leaving the shop floor. You can’t ask the
Hippy Shop to cook you an egg, they need to offer to cook you an egg. You can’t go
round asking people to cook you eggs, it’s not done.
Sure, you can microwave an egg, but
something about eggs suggests to me that
they would be holders of radioactivity, like
the milk after Chernobyl. That’s when it all started to go so wrong, when in nursery they stopped giving us milk, when the
relentless drilling of how to say trrrrractor
– my lazy, English-dad-inherited side
approximate r’s were to be beaten out of me
– was not to be broken by midmorning milk. No, the Muffin Making Machine was not
met with the whoops of delight that I felt it had warranted. Despite the fact that
Carla and Craig had recently mentioned the superiority of the muffin over all
other breadstuffs (you so did!), Mike is
in a WhatsApp group celebrating l’art de
l’oeuf and everybody likes hot cheese, so I
expected the MMM to be a sure-fire hit. To my shame, there is sits, next to Henry, the
sandpaper, the mice traps full of poisonous blue lard, the trainers that no amount
of Febreze will save and several kilos of hazelnuts that were Ann’s doing.
It did have one brief outing, scorching the
bread and melting the cheese violently. So
violent was the whole process we decided to leave egg exploration for another time. That time will never come.
Rule #4 is Lower Your Expectations,
and that encompasses both Expectations of electrical items bought in Aldi and
Expectations of other people loving your additions to the work kitchen. Not a Bot.
CCTV footage identifies the flaked almond thief
THE THE WINEWINE MERCHANT november MERCHANT march2023 2023 6262
MAKE A DATE
Albert Bichot Tasting
contact office@montrachetwine.com.
Maison Albert Bichot presents its 2022
9 Halkin Street
This is the London merchant’s annual
Burgundy.
London SW1X 7DR
en primeur tasting.
Bichot and his team in a tasting of up to 20
Bourgogne Tasting
contact caroline@leaandsandeman.co.uk.
seated sessions, between 10am and 12pm
Fifty producers, négociants and
Smith & Wollensky
importers will present a range of
The Adelphi Building
wines from quality terroirs in regional
1-11 John Adam Street
contact Richard at bampwine@gmail.com.
appellations and lesser-known village
London WC2N 6HT
67 Pall Mall
Hautes Côtes de Nuits and Bourgogne
The vintage will be introduced by Albéric
wines spanning all Bichot’s domaines, from Chablis to Moulin-á-Vent. There will be two and from 1.45pm to 3.45pm.
For more information and to register
Tuesday, November 28 London SW1Y 5ES
Charles Taylor Wines 2022 Burgundy Tasting
Tuesday, January 9
The Caledonian Club
wines from the 2022 vintage. These include wines from new domaines
in the appellations of Rully, Montagny,
A special focus will be put on Bourgogne
Thorman Hunt Burgundy En Primeur Tasting
Wednesday, January 10
A tasting featuring premium, artisanal
The Lindley Hall
wines from across Burgundy, produced
Elverton Street
by family growers.
For more information and to register
contact aloisel@sopexa.com.
London SW1P 2PB
Maltby & Greek Portfolio Tasting Owners Yannos Hadjiioannou and
Nuits St Georges, Puligny, Meursault and
producers.
d’Or: Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée,
Stef Kokotos host their annual tasting including wines from more than 30
Chassagne-Montrachet.
The tasting will
For more information on venue
encompass a wide
location and to register contact office@
range of indigenous
charlestaylorwines.com.
grape varieties from the familiar to the
Tuesday, January 9
A chance to explore the 2022 vintage,
Nathalie et Gilles Fèvre, Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Michel Gros, Felettig, René
Bouvier, Philippe Livera, Alain Gras, Joseph Colin, Michel Niellon, Vincent Girardin,
Comte Armand, François Lumpp, DureuilJanthial, Paul et Marie Jacqueson, Croix
Senaillet, Eric Forest, Feuillat-Juillot and Nicolas Maillet.
For more details and to register contact
vanessa@thormanhunt.co.uk. Wednesday, January 17 67 Pall Mall London SW1Y 5ES
the opportunity to make some new discoveries.
For more information and to register
contact clare@island-media.co.uk. Monday, January 15
with a range of wines from all the
Vagabond Wines
importer’s leading domaines.
51 Gracechurch Street
For more information and to register
Some highlights this year include
lesser known, offering
Central London venue
Montrachet 2022 Burgundy Tasting
Monday, January 15
Hautes Côtes de Beaune.
Saint Aubin and Maranges as well as stocks from the prestigious villages of the Côte
For more information and to register
appellations.
More than 30 leading Burgundy winemakers will be showing over 160
Lea & Sandeman Burgundy Tasting
London EC3V 0EH
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 64
Gilles and Nathalie Fèvre from Chablis
Winetraders Italian Portfolio Tasting
The Essential Guide to Italian Wine Tasting
This event promises to be the company’s
Daniele Cernilli, aka DoctorWine,
“most extensive Italian portfolio tasting
launches the 2024 edition at this walk-
yet”, championing Italy’s indigenous
around tasting.
varieties and traditional methods of winemaking. For more details and to register contact
edmund@winetradersuk.com.
For more details and to register contact
jane@huntandspeller.com or walter@ walterspeller.com.
Monday, January 29
Could be visa issues with this one
Australia Trade Tasting
Monday, January 29
Browns Hotel
67 Pall Mall
(Dover Street entrance)
It’s the 30th year of this trade show,
London SW1Y 5ES
London W1S 4LU
showcasing the most diverse selection of Australian wine in the UK. More than 700 wines from over 150
producers will be on show, offering the
chance to discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers and catch up with importers and distributors.
For more details and to register contact
uk@wineaustralia.com. Tuesday, January 30 The Lindley Hall Elverton Street London SW1P 2PB
Association de Grands-Crus Classés de SaintEmilion Tasting The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux annual tasting will see 100-120 members presenting their wines in this walk-around tasting. For more details and to register contact
celine@otaria.co.uk.
Wednesday, January 31 Landing Forty Two 122 Leadenhall Street The annual round of Burgundy tastings includes the Charles Taylor Wines event on January 9
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 65
London EC3V 4AB
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
gonzalez byass uk The Dutch Barn Woodcock Hill Coopers Green Lane St Albans AL4 9HJ 01707 274790 info@gonzalezbyassuk.com www.gonzalezbyassuk.com @gonzalezbyassuk
walker & Wodehouse
A round of applause for Stellenrust
109a Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR
Congratulations to Stellenrust. The estate recently secured four spots in the Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge, held by Standard Bank – an annual award held in South Africa created with the mission to discover the Country’s Best Chenin Blanc. Stellenrust has been a consistent winner, appearing nine times in the ten-year history of the challenge.
0207 449 1665 orders@walkerwodehousewines.com www.walkerwodehousewines.com
@WalkerWodehouse
To make the occasion extra special, the awards were handed over by the Chenin Legend himself, Ken Forrester. This unprecedented achievement was on top of their numerous 90+ ratings from Tim Atkin MW.
Well done to the entire Stellenrust team. We cannot wait to see what else is in store for the future of the estate! For information about Stellenrust, please contact your account manager
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 66
LOUIS LATOUR AGENCIES
Cognac Frapin: the only château in Grande Champagne Cognac Frapin, still in family ownership, can trace its history all the way back to 1270.
12-14 Denman Street London W1D 7HJ
Uniquely, Cognacs are made entirely on the family’s 240ha estate which includes Château de Fontpinot, the only Cognac house in Grande Champagne that can be called Château. Consistently a
winner in numerous awards, Frapin is a step above due to its longer than expected ageing requirements.
0207 409 7276
Some highlights currently on offer for Christmas:
enquiries@louislatour.co.uk www.louislatour.co.uk
VSOP Best VSOP – Single Cru: Master 2023, The Cognac Masters A versatile Cognac, great in cocktails, but delicious on its own, with a fruity grape and floral bouquet and a discreet hint of vanilla.
Château Fontpinot XO Cognac of the Year 2023, ISW The fruit of long ageing in dry cellars, which gives it a subtle, complex and refined bouquet of wildflowers, candied fruit and rancio notes. Cigar Blend XO Cognac Master – Gold Medal 2023
This XO displays a beautiful mahogany colour, and to the palate is smooth with dried fruits, walnuts and hazelnuts, with an extremely long finish.
hallgarten wines Mulberry House Parkland Square 750 Capability Green Luton LU1 3LU 01582 722 538 sales@hnwines.co.uk www.hnwines.co.uk @hnwines
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 67
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
marta vine 2 Wells Road Walsingham NR22 6DJ 01328 641357 sales@martavine.co.uk MartaVineLtd
hatch mansfield New Bank House 1 Brockenhurst Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 9DL 01344 871800 info@hatch.co.uk
"From all of us at Hatch Mansfield, thank you for all of your continued support and loyalty this year. No matter what next year will throw at us, we are here to support you, our valued customers, in any way we can. Here’s to a successful 2024 and a very Merry Christmas!"
www.hatchmansfield.com @hatchmansfield Patrick McGrath MW, C.E.O.
Arboleda · Caliterra · Champagne Taittinger · Cherubino · C.V.N.E. Domaine Carneros · Esporão · Errazuriz · Esk Valley · Gaja Joseph Mellot · Kleine Zalze · Louis Jadot · M.CHAPOUTIER · Résonance Robert Oatley · Seña · Terroirs et Talents · Villa Maria · Viñedo Chadwick Visio Vintners · Zuccardi · Wild Steps · The Wine on Tap Co. @HatchMansfield
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 68
| www.hatchmansfield.com
mentzendorff The Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD 020 7840 3600
Established in 1815, Fonseca is regarded as one of the most stylistically consistent of the classic Vintage Port houses. Port has been made there by five generations of the Guimaraens family since its foundation. Blended for consistency of character and quintessentially Fonseca in style, it has an intense, rich, fruity nose crammed with blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum aromas interwoven with notes of spice. The palate is full-bodied and round, with a smooth velvety texture balanced by firm mouth-filling tannins. The juicy fruit flavours linger into the rich, luscious finish.
info@mentzendorff.co.uk www.mentzendorff.co.uk
For more information, please contact your Mentzendorff Account Manager
buckingham schenk Unit 5, The E Centre Easthampstead Road Bracknell RG12 1NF 01753 521336 info@buckingham-schenk.co.uk www.buckingham-schenk.co.uk
@BuckSchenk @buckinghamschenk
BACIO DELLA LUNA pinot rosé extra dry vino spumante
This Pinot Rosé Extra Dry vino spumante is a blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Medium pink colour with creamy bubbles. Fine perlage. Fruit-driven palate and soft violet notes. Fresh and bubbly, well-rounded and with a lovely finish. This wine pairs perfectly with seafood dishes. Ideal as an aperitif with light bites and starters. The Bacio della Luna winery is located in Vidor and is part of the Schenk Wine Family. It works with some of the most renowned grape growers in the area to secure the best possible fruit for their sparkling wines.
NOW BUY 11 CASES & GET 1 FREE* *whilst stocks last!
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 69
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
jeroboams trade 7-9 Elliott's Place London N1 8HX 020 7288 8888 sales@jeroboamstrade.co.uk www.jeroboamstrade.co.uk
@jeroboamstrade
vintner systems The computer system for drinks trade wholesalers and importers 16 Station Road Chesham HP5 1DH sales@vintner.co.uk www.vintner.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 70
thorman hunt 4 Pratt Walk, Lambeth London SE11 6AR 0207 735 6511 www.thormanhunt.co.uk @thormanhunt RSVP: vanessa@thormanhunt.co.uk
GCF EXCLUSIVE 1, rue Division Leclerc, 67290 Petersbach, France chris.davies@lgcf.fr 07789 008540 @FamilleHelfrich @gcf_exclusive_uk
They’re all smiles to your face …
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 71
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
Fells Fells House, Station Road Kings Langley WD4 8LH 01442 870 900 For more details about these wines and other wines from our awardwinning portfolio from some of the world’s leading wine producing families contact: info@fells.co.uk
www.fells.co.uk
@FellsWine je_fells
NORTH SOUTH WINES Drayton Hall, Church Road West Drayton UB7 7PS 020 3871 9210 hello@northsouthwines.co.uk www.northsouthwines.co.uk
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 72
richmond wine agencies The Links, Popham Close Hanworth Middlesex TW13 6JE
Please find a selection of our premium quality gift packs now in stock, perfect for corporate orders and those indulgent Christmas presents. Place your orders early to reserve stock. And please contact your account manager for details and further gifting options.
020 8744 5550 info@richmondwineagencies.com
@RichmondWineAG1
AWIN BARRATT SIEGEL WINE AGENCIES 28 Recreation Ground Road Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 1EW 01780 755810
ABS HAS CHRISTMAS COVERED
orders@abs.wine www.abs.wine
This Christmas, ABS has you covered for every taste! Whether it’s from the Old World or the New. Our handpicked selection of awardwinning South African sparkling wines, Grower Champagne from France, and classic table wines from both hemispheres, will kickstart the festivities in style. And for something truly special, discover our range of luscious Rutherglen Muscats or traditional Ports.
@ABSWines
Talk to your Account Manager for further details.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 73
SUPPLIER BULLETIN
liberty wines
Champagne with a commitment to sustainability
020 7720 5350
Founded in 1785, Piper-Heidsieck owes its success to bold leadership and a pioneering
order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk
achieving B Corp Certification in 2022, together with Charles Heidsieck and Rare
@liberty_wines
spirit with innovation at its core. These values remain strong today, with the House leading
the way towards a sustainable future and responsible Champagne production – proudly
Champagne, and joining the global community of companies committed to generating positive social and environmental impact.
The quality of Piper-Heidsieck’s wines has never been better, earning the
House more awards than any other in Champagne this century. Émilien Boutillat
joined in 2018, becoming one of the youngest chef de caves of a Grande Marque. His dynamic approach, guided by a philosophy of respecting tradition while challenging convention, saw him named IWC Sparkling Winemaker of the Year in 2021, less than three years into his role. The non-vintage ‘Essentiel’ Extra
Brut, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut and, new for 2023, Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut are made in limited quantities exclusively for independents and the on-trade.
Charles Heidsieck is one of the great names of Champagne, founded in 1851
by Charles-Camille Heidsieck, the original ‘Champagne Charlie’. Its modern
success rests on the continued pursuit of ever-higher standards of winemaking, now led
by Elise Losfelt who succeeded Cyril Brun as cellar master in March 2023. Displaying the ‘classic Charles’ richness, elegance, length and great aromatic intensity, these wines are among the finest of all champagnes and receive countless accolades year after year.
top selection 23 Cellini Street London SW8 2LF www.topselection.co.uk info@topselection.co.uk
Napa Valley’s Oldest Winery
Contact: Alastair Moss Telephone: 020 3958 0744
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 80 years and five generations they continue to build upon its reputation for innovation and quality.
@topselectionwines @tswine
.
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 74
Q&A “I turned down sharing the agency for Château Pétrus” Jeremy Hunt Thorman Hunt
Jeremy pictured second from right at Vincent Paris
Born in India in 1944, Jeremy grew up in Burma, Rhodesia and the UK. He spent his student years in Paris and founded Thorman Hunt in 1978, initially focusing on French wines. A Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Merite Agricole, he lives in south London. What’s the first wine you remember drinking? A Sancerre at the age of 17 when a student in Paris. I stayed with a family who sold French wine to Parisian restaurants. They invited me to Sancerre. I was not used to spitting and I have to admit to just to saying “what a waste” and simply went glug-glug. I quietly went to sleep. Later I was carried out to the car, put to bed and woke up the next morning feeling wonderful, and decided I must work in wine. I was in love with Sancerre. What job would you be doing if you weren’t in the wine trade? I would be lost and I am sure I would be otherwise unemployable.
How do you relax? Walking my dog and the occasional game of tennis. Ethel is a Battersea Dogs Home girl. They and we think she is mix of cavalier or cocker, poodle and Bichon Frisé. Whatever she is, she is a great companion. She looks after me and the office. What’s the best book you’ve read recently? La Vie by John Lewis-Stempel, the story of he and his family spending a year in the Charente, living like the locals and being self sufficient off the land. It is beautifully written and I recommend it to anyone who loves France. Give us a Netflix recommendation. Emily in Paris as it reminds me of my student days in Paris.
Do you have any sporting loyalties? England rugby. My grandfather William Henry Thorman played in first Lions rugby tour in South Africa in 1891. My middle name is Thorman, hence Thorman Hunt. I
THE WINE MERCHANT november 2023 75
played at school in Rhodesia but not since.
Who’s your favourite music artist? My mother was training to be a concert pianist in Germany just before the war. She loved Chopin and I have followed her. Any superstitions? I avoid walking under ladders and also Friday 13th if I can.
Who’s your favourite wine critic? Andrew Jefford. I just find him dead honest and humble, and he talks sense.
What’s your proudest moment? Showing La Geynale in Cornas to my lovely late wife, Claudia. We represent an excellent vigneron called Vincent Paris in Cornas and one time, when visiting, he said, “my uncle Robert Michel wants to sell as he has no family wishing to follow him”. Initially I said “tant pis”, and then suggested we form a syndicate which we eventually achieved with investors from the UK, USA and Scandinavia. La Geynale sits in the finest terroir of Cornas, very steep with 100-year-old vines. In 2006 we held our first assemblée generale. I brought Claudia with me and I admitted that this was one of the proudest moments of my life. She would also be delighted that our son Charlie and his wife Emma now work in Thorman Hunt.
What’s your biggest regret? Turning down the possibility of sharing the agency for Château Pétrus, Château Lafleur and La Fleur-Pétrus. I was very young and wanted the exclusivity.
Who’s your hero? My father, Gordon Hunt. He went out to Burma as a young man and worked in the jungles and forests extracting timber. When the war started he escaped the Japanese and walked into China (the subject of his first book, One More River). He then became head of intelligence under Lord Mountbatten. After the war he worked for the Colonial Development Corporation. Any hidden talents? None that I am aware of.
What’s your favourite place in the UK? Cornwall. If we could grant you one wish … Do away with all the stupid bureaucracy and red tape following Brexit.