Simon Huntington, Author at The Buyer

By Peter Dean on September 30, 2023

Perfect timing for Toku Sake – the Daiginjo that came in from the cold

The news that Frog by Adam Handling has partnered up with Toku Sake this week, joining a growing list of premium on-trade accounts that are taking this new premium sake from Hokkaido, could not have been better timed. World Sake Day, which is being celebrated this weekend, is also the launch date for KANPAI, the UK’s first sake brewery which opens after its soft launch in London Bridge five days ago. Peter Dean talked with Toku’s newly-promoted COO Grace Hunt, tasted the liquid and wonders whether now is the time that the UK finally gets the premium sake bug.

Posted In: Grace Hunt, Hokkaido, Japan, Junmai Daiginjo Sake, Peter Dean, sake, slider, Toku, Toku Sake

Awards

By Richard Siddle on September 29, 2023

London Wine, Beer & Spirits Competitions Super Bird Entry

There are only a couple of days left to get Super Early Bird entry rates for the 2023 London Wine, London Beer and London Spirits Competitions. Three separate events with a common goal. To identify, reward and then promote the wines, beers and spirits that consumers are most likely want to go out and buy. An awards programme that judges products on what they taste like, their quality, their value for money and what they look like. The winning combination for any successful drinks product. Here’s how to enter the 2023 competitions and take advantage of Super Early Bird Entry fees that close at the end of September.

Posted In: london beer competition, london spirits competition, london wine competition, sommeliers, wine awards, wine buyers

Insight

By Richard Siddle on September 29, 2023

Sherry 101: what to discover & explore at Sherry Academy tasting webinar

Next month the Sherry Academy is supporting the trade with a special webinar aimed at giving wine professionals the chance to explore all styles of Sherry in an online tasting that will also act as an introduction to the free courses the CRDO Jerez hosts on the Sherry Academy online learning platform. The October tasting is also a chance for wine buyers, merchants, restaurants and wine educators to start to look ahead to the 10th anniversary of the official Sherry Week, which runs from November 6 to 12. Here’s what to expect at the Sherry Academy’s ‘Sherry 101: A Modern Guide & Interactive Tasting Experience’ on October 17.

Posted In: sherry, sherry academy, slider, wine, wine buyers, wine tasting

People: Producer

By Lisse Garnett on September 29, 2023

Visiting the magical world of Alois Lageder, Bibendum’s Südtirol gem

Finding unique wines with a story to tell is the meat and drink of the on-trade. Few, though, are as good as Bibendum, argues Lisse Garnett, in unearthing idiosyncratic winemakers who like to push boundaries to the limit. To prove the point, the importer invited Garnett to visit one of the many jewels in its crown – the 13th Century estate of Alois Lageder, who is making biodynamic mountain wines in the fairytale world of Alto Adige, complete with Alpine cows in the vineyards and barrels of wine being played the music of Bach, from a wind-powered sound system no less.

Posted In: Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Lageder, Lisse Garnett, slider

Tasting: Wine

By Roger Jones on September 27, 2023

Matthew Jukes 100 Best Australian Wines – which were the highlights?

Following the Australian rugby team’s humbling at the hands of the Welsh, it was a brave host at London’s Australia House last night that opened the door to Welsh ‘boi’ Roger Jones, still wearing his colours and a Cheshire cat-like grin from ear to ear – having hot-footed it from Lyon straight to the launch of Matthew Jukes 100 Best Australian Wines. This is one of Jones’ favourite nights of the year (when the Welsh aren’t playing) and here he explains why – picking out Jukes’ ability to award bouquets to entry level wines as much as ultra-premium.

Posted In: Australian wine, Matthew Jukes 100 Best Australian Wines, roger jones, slider

Conference

By Richard Siddle on September 27, 2023

Wine Future: SVB’s Rob McMillan on wine’s biggest challenges

“The consumer wants wine as their preferred alcoholic beverage. They just don’t know it.” That’s why Rob McMillan of the Silicon Valley Bank remains positive and optimistic about the future of the global wine industry despite the many challenges it faces. Here he shares his thoughts as the latest leading wine figure taking part in the Wine Future conference in Coimbra in Portugal in November.

Posted In: rob mcmillan, silicon valley bank, wine, wine future, wine industry

Tasting: Wine

By Justin Keay on September 26, 2023

Wines of Chile tasting proved it’s country to follow closely

With little in-depth knowledge of the wines of Chile, Justin Keay went along to the thin country’s annual generic tasting with an open mind and a set of pre-conceptions. Were the wines going to be power houses made with international grape varieties and produced in staggeringly high volumes? Not a bit. What Keay discovered was a wine scene that is clearly evolving, focusing more on regionality, freshness and tilting away from the old dependence on Bordeaux varieties; although it can still produce these very well indeed, especially at the premium end.

Posted In: chile, chilean wine, Justin Keay, wines of chile

People

By Angela Mount on September 26, 2023

From the new year Ben Franks will take up a full time chief commercial officer role at Canned Wine Co which he also help set up

How entrepreneur Ben Franks is following his wine dreams

Ben Franks is “a shining example of the entrepreneurial spirit, which defines those who subscribe to the motto ‘Follow your dreams’.” That’s how Angela Mount describes the steps that Ben Franks, chief executive and founder of multi-award winning Novel Wines, and specialist importer of south and East European wines, has already achieved in such a short period of time. As he announces he is to step away from Novel Wines in the new year to concentrate full time on the Canned Wine Co, which he also co-founded, as chief commercial officer, Mount catches up with him to see where his wine dreams are going to take him next.

Posted In: angela mount, ben Franks, canned wine co, novel wines, wine, wine entrepreneur, wine importer, wine merchant

Insight

By Helen Arnold on September 25, 2023

Buyer Debate: How Loire Valley lives up to all wine buyers’ needs

The Loire has been back with a bang this summer with its first Bloom Big tasting at London’s Southwark Quarter in June to help showcase all the styles of wines now being made in this key French region. To help mark the occasion and better understand what it is buyers and leading wine figures are looking for from the Loire, The Buyer teamed up with the event’s organisers, Loire Valley Wines, to host a special panel debate that looked at the challenges and opportunities the region faces and how its wines can continue to lead the world in producing lighter, fresh styles of wine that are now so in demand by wine buyers and wine drinkers alike. Helen Arnold reports back and picks out the buyers’ and producers’ key comments.

Posted In: Helen Arnold, loire valley wines, wine, wine buyers, wine merchants

Opinion

By Janet Harrison on September 24, 2023

Trade backs Rioja’s 100kms of Diversity UK tasting tour

The Rioja wine board took its 100kms of Diversity tasting tour around the UK this month to help educate the trade about new developments within the Rioja region but also as part of a ‘levelling up’ process. Janet Harrison, founder of the People’s Choice Wine Awards, caught up with the Rioja tour on its Manchester leg, talked to importers, producers and wine buyers there, and discovered that there is an increasing need to tap into a wider wine-buying community – not just one that is centred around London. Top of the agenda was taking the focus away from ageing (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva etc) and being able to discuss Rioja’s ‘terroir driven wines’.

Posted In: 100kms of Diversity, janet harrison, manchester, Rioja, Rioja 100 Km of Diversity

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