If you are proud of your German Riesling offer then here is the chance to prove it and wine £1,000 of German wine along the way.
If you had £10 to place on a bet for which grape variety the majority of sommeliers and on-trade wine buyers would pick as their favourite then Riesling would be a very wise choice.
It is just something about the allure, the adaptability, the diversity, the overall quality and value for money that Riesling offers that just catches the attention and imagination of top sommeliers and buyers.
And if we are talking Riesling, then only one country immediately comes to mind. Germany. What’s more Germany is not just the traditional home for Riesling, but it remains the benchmark, the standard for the rest of the world to look up to.
Which is why The Buyer is very pleased to be linking up with Wines of Germany’s 31 Days of German Riesling promotion and help offer the chance for sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine bars and independent wine merchants to really showcase their Riesling offers to their customers.
The 31 Days of German Riesling effectively does what it says on the tin and invites the trade to spend the whole of July getting behind Germany’s classic varietal.
Last year, over 200 leading outlets and businesses took part, including Noble Rot, The Tate Group, Vagabond, Hakkasan, Bedales, Lea and Sandeman and lots more.
Riesling prizes
Opportunity for wine merchants to get behind the promotion
What’s more the promotion is again offering the rather nice incentive of £1,000 towards more German wine listingsfor the operator or buyer that goes beyond anyone else taking part.
There are actually two £1,000 German wine prizes up for grabs.
- One for the restaurant or wine bar that is seen to be the stand out performer during July
- and a separate award to the independent wine merchant or retailer that gets behind the initiative in their store in selling more German Riesling to their customers.
There will also be a runners-up prize of £500 towards German wine in both categories.
What to do
To take part you simply have to run a German Riesling promotion for at least one week during July featuring a minimum of two German Rieslings, including one dry.
You will be supplied with all the POS materials you need, but it is really up to you to put together a promotion that works for your outlet and your customers. The bigger the promotion the more chance you will have of winning. But remember to keep a good record of the additional sales you get, or it could be the extra followers and social media activity you receive from taking part with the #31days hashtag.
You could look to:
The promotion is great way to introduce German Riesling to both customers and your staff
* Put on a German Riesling wine and food pairing menu.
* Offer discounts on selected German Rieslings by the glass, bottle or via direct mail.
* Run flights of samples of top German Rieslings.
* Organise online and Skype tastings.
* Host German winemaker dinners and tastings.
* Promote it all through social media, newsletters and special consumer mailers.
Opportunity for suppliers and wholesalers
With so many potential customers taking part the promotion also offers a good opportunity for wholesalers and suppliers to also promote their German Riesling to the trade.
So why not look at what discounts and partnerships you could offer to restaurants, wine bars, and independent wine merchants to get involved and if they are going to be selling a lot more Riesling in July, and beyond, then make sure some of it is yours.
Wines of Germany support
The Wines of German team behind 31 Days of Riesling can also supply those taking part with details of which suppliers they know are supporting the promotion with specific wines and discounts.
It also has a wide range of POS materials available for businesses to use including posters, pens, badges, bunting, corkscrews, customer feedback cards, window stickers.
Consumer competition
There is also the chance to get your customers involved by sharing their favourite or appropriate #Rieslingmoment on Twitter or Facebook with the best entry winning a weekend trip to Germany.
If you would like to take part in the promotion then please email The Buyer at editorial@the-buyer.net and we can link you up with all the registration details.
You can also find out more information at 31daysofgermanriesling.co.uk.