Davy’s Wine Merchants portfolio tasting takes place on June 6 at The Royal Over-Seas League, Park Place, London SW1A 1NN from 11am-5pm. Click here to register.
What is the strategy for the wholesale division in terms of the wines you list and producers you work with?
Davy’s remains very much under family ownership with James Davy at the helm of the 150 plus year wine merchants that prides itself on the long standing relationships it has built up both with producers and trade customers
With a long family history in the wine industry, we have built, and continue to forge, meaningful partnerships with our producers and proudly represent their wines. Our focus has always been, and will continue to be, to work with like-minded family producers who are sustainable not just in the way they make their wines, but in the way they do business. Working with producers who have not just great wines, but a great story and a commitment to looking after the land and people around them.
What do you see as Davy’s point of difference?
As wine merchants with over 150 years’ experience and the continuity being a family business, we know first-hand the importance of suppliers offering first-class service, which thanks to our dedicated team of drivers and support teams we deliver day-in-day-out, alongside a diverse portfolio of wines which over-deliver in terms of quality and value. Having our own cellars which are well stocked with many vintages of finer and rarer wines is certainly a big advantage.
Where would you say the strengths of Davy’s trade selection lies in terms of wines, countries and regions?
We continue to be very strong across the classic and sought-after regions of France, but our representation world wide is ever-increasing with recent new additions including; the iconic Stonyridge Vineyard from Waiheke Island, New Zealand and the charismatic wines of Bob Morus from Phelps Creek Vineyards, Oregon.
Constance and Lawrence Slaughter have became the latest custodians of Château de Mille
We have built on our extensive French portfolio with the exclusive UK distribution of Château Grand-Puy Ducasse’s second label Prelude and of the historic Luberon estate – Château de Mille.
Since Constance and Lawrence Slaughter became the latest custodians in Château de Mille’s 785 year history in 2018, they have put a tremendous amount of energy into building on the reputation of this remarkable estate. Putting in place an ambitious sustainability and biodiversity plan which has included the conversion to fully organic viticulture and vineyard regeneration. This combined with the building of a state-of-the-art winery has enabled them to produce exceptional organic wines with minimal intervention as well as ensuring Chateau de Milles winemaking journey continues for many generations to come.
From Italy, our latest addition is Nardi Viticoltori, Chianti – one of the regions youngest and most exciting producers based in Castellina, and run by winemaking brothers Giacomo and Angelo Nardi.
Brothers Giacomo and Angelo Nardi of Nardi Viticoltori in Chianti are part of Davy’s wholesale range
How has the range evolved over the last five years?
We have grown quite steadily from many regions and countries. We now have our largest portfolio to date of exclusivities, shipped to the UK from around the world – around 55 and counting.
Where would you like to target to bring more wines in – any key gaps in the range?
Our focus will always lie with our nearest neighbours in Europe and when we look further afield sustainable accreditations become even more important to us. In terms of current gaps, South Africa remains very interesting, we are also looking at premium South America, and central Europe and the Mediterranean countries. Then there is Portugal generally, and we will soon announce an exciting new partnership with a top winery with vineyard holdings in Montsant and Priorat.
Who would be the ideal type of customer for Davys in terms of their approach to business and suppliers they work with?
We enjoy working with like-minded people, sharing similar business values with a serious commitment to quality. We believe that building long term relationships between our wine growers and customers is the key to success and place a big focus on spending time in market with our producers.
What percentage of the overall business is the wholesale side? Is that growing?
The Davy’s wholesale division received a big boost this month when its group buyer Andrew Chudley won the General Excellence in Wine Buying Award at London Wine Fair
Wholesale represents over 70% of our wine merchants’ business, showing growth of 35% last year.
If a producer is interested in working with you how should they approach you?
The easiest place to find out all our contact details is on-line www.davywine.co.uk/wholesale. We do also answer the phone if you wish to call us.
What range of trade customers do you have?
We have a broad range, we sell to the premium on-trade (hotels, restaurants, bars), independent off-trade, select top end catering and events businesses, and in recent years we have grown our network of regional distributors – preferring to grow with regional partners rather than by layering on additional sales representatives.
Tell us about the upcoming tasting and what are you looking to show?
The Royal Over-Seas League is the venue for the Davy’s portfolio tasting on June 6
Our annual portfolio tasting takes place on June 6 at The Royal Over-Seas League, Park Place, London SW1A 1NN from 11am-5pm. Our focus will be on a core group of 30 winemakers and vineyard owners who will be over to showcase their wines. The focus is largely on small growers (sub 30 hectares) whose wines retain a strong sense of place and respect for the environment. We will also have three free pour tables:
- Indie top 20 – our top picks for the independent off-trade.
- Rare Finds – a selection of allocation only parcels and back vintages from the cellar.
- Sparkling and House – hand selected wines with the best value by the glass
Anything else to say?
There are a few places left for our masterclass, exploring the volcanic soils of Mount St. George (Szent György-Hegy) in Hungary with Robert Gilvesy and Caroline Gilby MW.
- If you would like to attend the tasting on June 6 click here to register.
