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    Opinion
    ade mckeon

    Ade McKeon: 12 ways businesses should treat their staff better

    There are all types of managers, chief executives and business owners. If they are successful and well liked then their unique personality and way of working will be a large reason for their success. But there are also great swathes of business leaders who are not good managers and even worse at looking after their most important asset – their people. It’s why every book store in the land is packed with management support books and advice on how to be a better boss. Ade McKeon is well placed to know what it takes to be a good boss – having held senior roles right across the drinks and retail sector including Cobra Beer, Asda, Mumm Champagne, Courvoisier, Jim Beam and Accolade Wines. He is now looking to share his experiences of what it takes to be a not just a good business leader, but how to get the most of your teams, through his executive coach business, Triade Consultancy. Here are his 12 rules that will give the business framework for your staff to shine.
    “What gives me the most satisfaction is seeing the progress of individuals and teams. It’s all too easy to focus on the P&L neither giving the time nor the investment to the needs of the team.” Here’s Ade McKeon’s 12 steps to business success.

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    People: Producer
    Galoupet

    Can LVMH make sustainability a lure in selling Galoupet rosé ?

    ‘The new luxury’ is the tack being taken by LVMH to make sustainability synonymous with desirability – ensuring that its luxury goods will be lapped up by eco-savvy millennials. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the thinking behind Galoupet, the ultra-premium Provence rosé brand it acquired four years ago. Victor Smart travelled to rosé country, talks to managing director Nadine Fau-Santucci about the changes since the buy-out and samples both the new 2022 vintage and the just-pressed juice of the 2023 wine.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Rhône white wine Long Read

    Why we need to tap into the resurgence of Rhône white wines

    France’s Rhône Valley, whether we’re talking about the narrow gorges and hillsides of the Northern Rhône or the rolling hills and mountainous peaks of the Southern Rhône, has been synonymous with some of the finest red wines in the world. In recent years, however, a growing number of producers have reassessed their terroir and portfolios and added increasing numbers of white wines across these iconic AOCs. This summer, the inter-professional body, Inter-Rhône, have been highlighting this growing trend with a series of white wine specific events, culminating in the Rhône White Party in London, showcasing over 100 white wines. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner to find out more and pick a few favourites for us to keep our eyes on.

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    Tasting
    Scenic Tuscany landscape with rolling hills and valleys in golden morning light, Val d'Orcia, Italy

    What to expect at Borsa Vini Italiani’s focus on Italian wines

    If you are looking to shake up your Italian wine list and introduce new wines to your customers then put October 4 in your diary for Borsa Vini Italiani 2023 – your true one stop shop for all things Italian. Organised by the Italian Trade Agency it will feature producers from most of the major wine regions, many of whom are seeking distribution for the first time, alongside UK importers showing wines from their ranges. Here’s what to expect. 

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    Tasting: Wine
    20230721_132603

    Francisco Baettig on the 100-pt 2021 Seña & Viñedo Chadwick

    Winter rain and warm summer months, without any heat spikes, have helped Erràzuriz’s Francisco Baettig turn in three outstanding premium wines in the shape of the new 2021 Seña, Viñedo Chadwick and newcomer Rocas de Seña. Although not truly cool as in a Bordeaux vintage of old, 2021 has the Médoc all over these wines with the vintage set to be a classic in Chile, as Baettig explains. Heather Dougherty listens, tastes, evaluates and provides some fascinating insight into the background of the wines.

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    People
    mark squires

    Wine Future: US wine critic Mark Squires on industry challenges

    Mark Squires is an attorney turned respected wine critic and journalist whose blog caught the attention of Robert Parker, inviting him in 2006 to become a key part of the Wine Advocate team, covering initially Portugal and the Port, Greece, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia and Cyprus before he left the title earlier in the summer. He is the latest high profile figure to share his thoughts on the challenges facing the wine industry in the build up to the Wine Future conference in Portugal in November.

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    People People: Producer
    laylo street

    How Laylo aims to trailblaze sustainable & boxed wine market

    Launching a new brand into such a competitive market as the drinks industry takes some doing, but when you find out a former colleague has come up with virtually the same idea makes you think you might be on to a winner and becomes a little less daunting to embark on. That was the case for Laura Riches and Laura Rosenberger when they saw the gap for a premium boxed wine  brand and Laylo was born. Here Laura Riches explains how they have made their idea such a success.  

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    Tasting: Wine
    Domaine Uma

    Nathalie Estribeau & Karen Turner liberty of Languedoc winemaking

    Creative freedom, the Mediterranean lifestyle and an open mindset have attracted some of the world’s most exciting winemakers to IGP Pays d’Oc in Languedoc Roussillon. During an extensive tour of the wine region, Lisse Garnett drags two reluctant stars into the spotlight for in-depth wine analysis… Nathalie Estribeau, the wine director of the giant yet innovative cooperative Les Vignobles Foncalieu and Karen Turner, formerly of Hugel and Chapoutier, now the winemaker at newly-minted Domaine Uma. Both talk New World versus Old and express their love for the liberty of the Languedoc.

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    People People: Supplier
    james mckenna

    How New Generation Wines’ producer partner model works

    The wine agency model comes in all different sizes, with a whole range of operating models. From the big national players that have 100s of producers and 1000s of wines on their books, right through to the small independent boutique operators with a specific niche or speciality. But as producers and suppliers, alike, look to offer more personalised and bespoke agency services one of the fastest growing and seemingly successful ways of working is for producers to have a controlling stake in their distributor and work hand in hand with that supplier on more of a partnership basis. Which is very much the way that New Generation Wines has built up its business with a strong core of South African wine producer partners as its key point of difference. Richard Siddle sits down with managing director, James McKenna, to find out how it all works and why he thinks its partnership model offers its customers the best possible service.

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    Insight
    Garda DOC

    Will Lake Garda DOC succeed in becoming the ‘new Tuscany’?

    Garda DOC is one of the youngest, most ambitious and fastest-growing wine regions in Italy. In six years, production of its approachable, well-priced wines has increased four-fold with yet more growth targeted by the appellation’s 250 wine producers over the coming years. Kate Hawkings travelled to Italy’s largest lake to see what all the fuss is about, met up with the Consorzio’s key movers and shakers and witnessed first-hand how they are setting out to emulate Tuscany’s success in having wine and tourism equally respected and revered.

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    Insight
    Rhône Long Read

    Finding value and balance in the wines of the lesser-known Rhône

    Following this year’s education campaign to bring wine buyers up to speed about the quality and value to be found in the Rhône valley, Rhône wine body Inter Rhône invited The Buyer’s Geoffrey Dean to discover first-hand what winemakers are achieving in the region. In an extensive tour of the lesser known appellations of Rasteau, Lirac, Costières de Nîmes and Saint-Joseph, plus tasting wines from Côtes du Rhône, Dean met a large number of winemakers who are matching the diversity of soils with a wide range of grape varieties, many of them from old vines that are producing wines of both power and elegance.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Louis Roederer Collection 244

    Louis Roederer Collection 244 and working with climate change

    This month’s new Louis Roederer Collection 244 gets released two years after the House bravely ditched its best-selling Brut Premier NV cuvée and replaced it with the Collection, a multi-vintage blend that uses both a string of reserve wines and a high proportion of solera-style Perpetual Reserve – created in 2012 and topped up after subsequent harvests. Underlying the move is cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon’s vision to cope with warming temperatures in the region and to create an unique NV that gets increasingly complex with each subsequent harvest. Roger Jones attended the launch of the new Champagne which he tasted alongside every iteration made, four of which were never given a standard release.

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    Opinion
    Watching, listening and talking to people in pubs and bars about what brands they drink and why is key for any successful brand to understand, says Lulie Halstead

    Lulie Halstead: best drinks brands listen to what customers want

    “Why do marketers and leaders in wine and spirits businesses so often assume that our consumers are like us?” That’s the view that Lulie Halstead believes holds so many drinks producers back when trying to engage with and market their products to their target audience. In her latest article for The Buyer she sets out why companies need to stop looking at the products they produce through their own eyes, but what they mean to the people they expect to buy them.

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    Tasting: Spirit
    Marolo

    How Marolo is getting us to re-evaluate our stance on grappa

    Grappa, the Italian spirit made from grape pomace, has a chequered history. The grappa that arrived on the shores of the UK was, for many years, an industrial product that often lacked the nuance and elegance of the finest grappa. Spirits lovers in the UK and across the world struggled to find an appreciation for these distilled grape skins. In recent years, however, a group of committed distilleries has been overseeing a resurgence in the quality and reputation of grappa. The Buyer’s Mike Turner recently visited one such distillery, Marolo in Piemonte, to discover its vision on how to make a truly great grappa.

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    Awards
    Vinexposium_Paris_2022

    How Vinexposium’s V d’Or Awards will reward the very best

    “We wanted to create a competition which would be true to the two principles we had defined: ambition and sustainability.” That’s how Rodolphe Lameyse, chief executive of Vinexposium, the world leading events business behind shows such as Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris and World Bulk Wine Exhibition, introduces its new business awards – the V d’Or – to highlight and reward drinks companies that are excelling in the way they are driving their businesses forward. Here he explains how the V d’Ors are going to work. 

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    Insight
    santorini panel good main?

    PDO Santorini: Why there’s no limit to these wines’ potential

    It’s not only the sheer beauty of the island of Santorini that lures the cruise ships and the Instagrammers in. Its wines are now very much in demand the world over as awareness of their quality increases, and negative stereotypes about Greek wine are turned on their head. In fact, PDO Santorini’s growing number of producers can proudly claim to be at the forefront of what has been something of a revolution in winemaking across Greece in the past few years. So much so that its wines are highly coveted by leading sommeliers with Santorini, in particularly high demand. To assess its potential and to look at how the island can make the most of this demand, The Buyer teamed up with the Wines of Santorini campaign to host a panel debate and tasting with leading wine buyers across the UK wine market.

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    Insight
    Washington State wines

    What does the future hold for Washington State wines?

    Following the announcement by Chateau Ste Michelle that it is cutting its grape supply by 40%, many growers in Washington State are facing a dilemma – start winemaking themselves or turn to another crop. Given that Chateau Ste Michelle accounts for over half of Washington State’s production, the news has thrown into sharp relief some of the fundamental issues facing North America’s second largest wine region. In her first feature for The Buyer Heather Dougherty reports from a recent visit to the Evergreen State.

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    People People: Supplier
    don st pierre

    Don St Pierre on wine’s biggest challenges & opportunities

    The Buyer continues its series talking to some of the keynote speakers taking part in this November’s Wine Future conference taking place in Coimbra, Portugal that hopes to tackle some of the biggest issues facing the global wine industry, by giving the floor to Don St Pierre, co-founder of ASC Fine Wines, one of the most important and influential wine importers, distributors in China. He explains why he thinks there are still so many untapped opportunities in the wine industry, particularly at the fine wine and luxury end of the market. 

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    Tasting: Wine
    Ribera Del Duero

    Why altitude is now key for Ribera del Duero’s wines

    Ribera del Duero is now established as producing some of Spain’s highest quality wines. Since the DO was announced in 1982, the number of wineries has boomed from just eight at inception to a healthy 311 by 2023. Initial pacesetters have been joined by locals, large brands and high-quality merchants from the likes of Rioja, Catalunya and even France to join the critical acclaim attached to some of the finest red wines being produced anywhere in the world. But why this region? The Buyer’s Mike Turner looks at what makes Ribera del Duero so special and highlights one trait in particular that stands tall above the rest.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Zuccardi Long Read

    Sebastián Zuccardi: Making Malbec with a sense of place

    Zuccardi is quite simply one of the finest wineries in the world. Every year the winery wins major awards with its premium wines also picking up major gongs and 100-point rosettes with an almost embarrassing consistency. The main reason for this is the vision of its third-generation winemaker, Sebastián Zuccardi, who places vineyard above winery, and makes wines that are inextricably linked to where they come from. In a revealing and lengthy tasting session from the Uco Valley he explains to Peter Dean his ‘mountain wine’ philosophy, why he avoids ‘old school’ Argentine Malbecs, how the sheer diversity of the region shapes the wines, and tastes through a selection of his top wines including Finca Canal Uco 2020, which is due for release via La Place de Bordeaux in September.

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