In this fascinating interview Edouard Baijot MW explains why E&J Gallo has created a new role for him as director of luxury international and what he sees as premium wine’s role within the luxury good sector. What defines a luxury brand, and what he sees as wine’s unique luxury characteristics that other product areas don’t have. He also shares what E&J Gallo will be doing with its premium brands to raise its luxury credentials and image.
The renovated London venue, The View, was the setting for Rioja’s 100km of Diversity, an extraordinary deep dive into the variety of wine types and styles you can find in the region. Roger Jones sampled from the latest Viñedo Singulares, Espumoso de Rioja, barrel-aged whites, rosados, Gran Reservas and many more classic Tempranillo. Here he picks a selection of the best red and whites that should be on your radar.
Right across Bordeaux there are big changes taking place in vineyards, cellars and barrel rooms as winemakers look to re-assess how they are making wines that best reflect the terroir from which they come from, and the markets and end consumers they want to reach, and in Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur it’s no different. One of the big trends taking place in this sub-appellation is the new generation of female winemakers that are playing their part in re-inventing what we should expect from Bordeaux now and into the future.
“It’s a moral imperative for a business like ours, with our size and scale to take action on sustainability.” That was the clear message, but also challenge that Sam Thackeray, managing director of Enotria&Coe, wants the trade and its customers and suppliers to know about how seriously the business is now taking its sustainability responsibilities. Richard Siddle reports back from an open forum held by Enotria&Coe to both share its plans, but also get feedback and insights from its customers and leading trade figures on what a comprehensive sustainability strategy should look like.
Regardless of how well a business treats its staff and does all it can to be open, transparent and fair in how it deals with its employees there is one area where it is almost impossible to keep all your staff happy – how much they get paid. Which makes this new exclusive report from Vinokelly Drinks Recruitment, in partnership with The Buyer, such a breakthrough piece of research. It also claims to be the biggest study ever undertaken into the salary and recruitment trends in the UK wine industry. Giving the wine industry a breakdown in every sector of what average salaries are, or should be. Potentially vital research for hiring managers and HR teams looking to find the best talent out there and for those in the wine industry plotting their next move. Here we share some of the key findings.
Les Crus Bourgeois returned to London earlier this month with a tasting of recent vintages at the Institute of Directors. Now into the second year following 2020’s launch of the re-imagined classification system, Marguerite de Luze (owner of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Château Paveil de Luze) was in attendance to discuss the progress over the last 24 months, as well as the state of plans for the 2025 classification and beyond. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner along to find out more.
“Germany is the country that has diversified the most over the last eight years – it’s now a melting pot of styles and production methods.” That’s how Christina Rasmussen, co-founder of Little Wine, describes what is now widely seen as the new wave German wine scene that is helping to re-invent the German wine category, particularly at the premium end of the market, driven by organic, biodynamic, and low intervention, independent winemakers. To help explore what actually is happening across Germany, The Buyer hosted a debate, in partnership with Wines of Germany, with two of the producers hoping to make a difference and with buyers looking to introduce the new style of German wines to potential customers and consumers in the UK.
For too long diners have been missing out on the pleasures of mature Bordeaux, a situation that Bibendum’s revolutionary Bordeaux Collection is fast rectifying. Almost three years since inception the scheme now has 110 accounts and is welcoming Lafite, Barons de Rothschild, Cantenac-Brown, Smith Haut Lafitte, Troplong-Mondot, Lynch-Bages and Figeac into the fold. Anne Krebiehl MW talks to the team behind Bordeaux Collection and argues that its approach could be seen as a total reset for the on-trade’s fine wine offering.
For the first time in the UK a new vintage of Brunello di Montalcino was released en primeur. Benvenuto Brunello was the name given to Hunt & Speller’s exclusive London preview of the Brunello di Montalcino 2018 vintage and the 2017 Riservas, some two months before the Consorzio’s official January 1 2023 release date. Justin Keay was there for The Buyer, giving his views on the vintages as well as picking a dozen standout wines from the 115 on show.
It’s not just the products and brands that enter the 2023 London Spirits Competition that are stars of the show, but the panel of judges that have been lined up to assess them and hand out the medals. Only drinks professionals with direct bar, restaurant, retail or spirits background are invited to take part with a line-up of talent that includes some of the most influential names in the world of spirits. Here’s who is taking part.
