The Buyer | IWSC Top Distributors: Tom Platt on taking Liberty Wines to a new level

The IWSC Trusted Distributor Initiative

The IWSC Trusted Distributor initiative is a strategic partnership established by the IWSC. Partners receive a personalised IWSC Buyer’s report profiling their company and IWSC award winners which the IWSC shares with relevant members of their community. In addition to a feature in The Buyer, partners can also showcase a selection of wines to IWSC judges at one of their London judging dates and be featured on the IWSC website. The first report has now been produced and published for Liberty Wines which you can download here.

Founded by Canadian David Gleave MW and his wife Luciann Flynn in 1997, Liberty Wines is one of the UK’s most dynamic distributors presiding over more than 2,000 wines. Having initially carved a niche as an Italian specialist, Liberty Wines is now widely respected across the premium on and off-trades as having one of the most comprehensive wine ranges in the UK - sourcing wines from all over the world that all share a common sense of place.

With big shoes to fill, Tom Platt took over from Gleave as chief executive in 2022, having joined the company in 2008 and risen up through the ranks. Under his leadership, Platt has played a pivotal role in driving Liberty’s growth and strengthening its reputation for exceptional service. Here he talks to Lucy Shaw about the opportunities there are for Liberty to build on what are such strong foundations.

What is Liberty Wines’ USP?

It all comes down to the strength of our fundamentals: our world-class portfolio, talented team, and exceptional service – that’s what puts us at the top of our game.

We are always reflecting on our strengths and how to improve them. We have a portfolio of outstanding producers from around the world matched with service that reflects the quality of our wines. Our shareholders are family owners that support our vision and are in it for the long-haul.

What are the greatest strengths of your portfolio?

We work with over 2,000 wines from 400 producers around the world, from Ata Rangi in New Zealand to Littorai on California’s Sonoma Coast via Charles and Piper-Heidsieck to co-ops that deliver outstanding value at every level.

David’s heart and soul was in Italy when he started the company, so we look after the likes of Aldo Conterno, Allegrini, Biondi Santi, Donnafugata, Fontodi, G.D Vajra, Isole e Olena and Pieropan. Producers like Shaw + Smith from Australia’s Adelaide Hills have been with us from the start.

All of our winemakers share a commitment to quality and the preservation of indigenous varieties.

What’s exciting you about Italian wine at the moment?

The continual evolution and pushing to be better up and down the country. Take Fontodi’s Chianti Classico 2022 for example: there hasn’t been a better vintage from them, it’s outstanding, as is the 2024 vintage of Allegrini’s Valpolicella.

It’s inspiring to see what these established producers are doing to maintain their positions. No one is resting on their laurels, because if you’re standing still then you’re going backwards.

How have you grown your range recently?

Over the last five years we’ve grown our offering from Champagne, Burgundy, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain significantly. Sparkling wines in general and Champagne in particular has been a massive growth area for us.

We showcased the new additions to our portfolio at our annual tasting on January 20, which includes Domaine Jean Fournier in Marsannay, Maison Saint Aix from Provence, Naoussa’s Kir-Yianni and Decades from Tasmania, headed up by Steve Flamsteed, who helped put the Yarra Valley on the map.

Adi Badenhorst has also joined us, which is exciting, as his Swartland wines are as authentic and characterful as he is.

We’ve also just taken on Raul Perez, who makes exceptional reds in Bierzo, and Bodegas Tamerán in Gran Canaria, spearheaded by Jonatan García.

What do you think sets Liberty apart from other importers?

There are importers with good portfolios, others with good service, and others with good people, but combining all three is what differentiates us. Our vision is to be recognised as the UK and Ireland’s leading premium wine distributor, and everything we do is underpinned by that goal, from building our team to selecting the producers we work with.

We strive for excellence in everything we do and our key focus is to do what’s right for our customers and producers. We invested in a bonded warehouse in Basingstoke in 2023, which gives us complete control over our stock from the moment it arrives in the UK.

How are you adapting the business to what is such a fast changing wine market?

The pandemic made consumers curious to learn about and try different wines, so it’s vital that we’re able to offer a broad range of wines to our customers. People are drinking less but that’s been happening for over a decade, so it’s nothing new.

Our continued focus needs to be on quality not quantity. Dumbing down wine lists isn’t the answer – helping our on-trade customers to sell better wine and adapt to market trends is the way forward.

It comes down to being agile and understanding the individual needs of our customers rather than taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

I am cautiously optimistic about 2026; it’s been incredible to see how good operators have performed despite all the challenges facing the hospitality industry.

What’s your approach to building long-term partnerships?

A lot of our producers have been with us from the start and we’re seeing the next generation take the helm. Taking the time to understand their needs and what they want to achieve in the UK market is really important, as is being clear about the challenges they face and how we believe we can help them.

Maintaining good producer and customer relationships requires continual investment and a willingness to adapt. When I took over from David I inherited a well-run business with a good balance sheet, and I don’t underestimate the importance of that, as you need financial stability to be able to make long-term decisions.

How did Liberty perform in 2025?

December was the busiest in our history – we were over 10% up in orders and revenue, and we managed to keep order timings and accuracy at over 99%. I’m so proud of what our team has achieved in terms of growing the business while maintaining exceptional levels of service.

It comes down to the quality of the people you work with, which stems from investing in educating and training our staff and customers through the Liberty Wines Academy and the WSET. Everyone down to our warehouse team and drivers are offered wine training courses.

What are your latest innovations when it comes to technolgy and sustainability?

Digital is an area we’re constantly looking at. We will be launching a new warehouse management system next year that will give us more flexibility around managing the customer experience.

Investing in IT and automation allows us to operate more efficiently so we can spend more time with our customers.

Sustainability is a continued focus for us. We’ve been Carbon Neutral since 2014 and are now Carbon Neutral Plus. We’ve saved 500 tonnes of emissions by shipping more efficiently – 90% of our Italian wines are transported by rail, which has cut carbon emissions by 60%.

In Spain and Portugal we ship by sea rather than road, which has reduced emissions by 46% in Spain and 60% in Portugal.

In Australia and New Zealand we ship through the Panama Canal rather than Asian ports, which costs us more but cuts emissions by 15%.

How have you been responding to trade trends and buyer needs?

We are laser focused on quality and finding wines that express both their origins and the personality of their makers. We seek out wines that offer value at every price point. People are drinking less and are looking for better quality from the wines they buy.

They are prepared to pay when they feel the quality-price ratio is there. Customers are savvy: they want variety and choice, so we need to make sure we’re able to offer that from a buyer point of view.

What are wine buyers currently looking for?

Suppliers who understand their business and can help them to respond to the current challenges they face, not waste their time. Hospitality professionals need to do more work with less people in the same amount of time, so being a reliable supplier is really important.

What lessons have you learnt about succeeding in today’s challenging climate?

Don’t make assumptions about what customers are looking for. Stay curious, understand each customer’s business and their individual needs, and respond swiftly to what they need.

Where is the UK drinks market headed?

We’ll see the pressure continue to ramp up this year. There are pockets of optimism everywhere, but I don’t think this will correlate to it being an easier year, as so much is out of our control. Distributors and operators need to be focusing on the things within their control.

There are plenty of good operators who are determined to succeed, and we’ll be there to support them as the market begins to turn and people are more willing to spend.

How do medal wins from competitions like the IWSC help you as a distributor?

We’ve engaged with the IWSC for a long time and encourage a lot of our producers to enter the awards, as medal wins confer a third-party credibility of the quality of the wines and allow our customers to list award-winning wines, giving them additional tools to increase sales. Award wins carry weight, particularly in the independent off-trade.

To download and read the full IWSC Liberty Wines Report click here. You can find out more about the IWSC Trusted Distributor Partners Hub by clicking here.

Entries for the 2026 IWSC are now open and close on March 13 (for wine), March 20 (spirits) and March 27 (no, low & mid-strength and other alcoholic drinks). Enter now at www.iwsc.net

If you are a UK importer who would like to know more about the benefits of the IWSC Importer Partnership programme contact Peter Everall at the IWSC - peter.everall@iwsc.net.