The Opportunity
Every wine producer and wine buyer has the same goal. To find the right partner to work with and buy and sell lots of wine. But that is a lot easier said than done and the average wine buyer and importer will have to taste through a lot of wines and talk to a lot of producers before they find the ones that are right for them.
The Buyer’s Case initiative hopes to help in a number of ways. Give busy buyers the chance to taste wines from a premium focused producer serious about wanting to do business in the UK. Whilst at the same time share the steps they go through in order to decide which wines they may, or may not want to buy. Steps other producers can read and learn from when pitching their wines either directly to them, or other importers with similar buying needs.
It also provides the platform for a producer, or a wine region, to showcase the wines they want to sell, help tell their story, and put their wines directly in the hands of buyers they would most like to taste their wines.
Crucially there are no obligations on either side of the fence. The buyers do not have to take on any of the wines they say they would, in theory, buy. And the producer can determine which is the right potential partner to work with - if at all.
The Buyer’s Case is designed to give producers honest, feedback from professional buyers best placed to tell them where their wines might sit in the UK market. For even if the wines may not be suitable for them, they can offer advice where they might want to focus their efforts.
The main objective is to give the participating wine producer invaluable advice on how suitable their wines are for the competitive UK market. A chance to bring them closer to the key decision makers and buyers across the premium on-trade and independent sectors.
Introducing Terre de la Custodia
Terre de la Custodia has both DOC and DOCG vineyards
For centuries Terre de la Custodia, in the heart of Italy’s Umbria and owned and run by the Farchioni family, was best known for its extra virgin oil and flour, becoming, it claims, the leading producer in Italy.
It is now one of the region’s premium wine producers with 180 hectares of both DOC and DOCG vineyards all focused around producing red and white wines for the Terre de la Custodia premium wine brand.
Here the focus is on combining “ancient craftsmanship with the most advanced winemaking technologies”.
The recently two floor winery is based in Gualdo Cattaneo, 5km from Montefalco, surrounded by many of the estate’s vineyards. It includes the temperature controlled tank and oak barrel rooms along with its important drying room where selected grapes and branches are brought to control drying for many of the red cuvees.
Terre de la Custodia is VIVA certified, under the Italian sustainability body, and farms organically, although is not officially approved. It follows strict procedures and processes to: limit greenhouse gas emissions; water supply; assess soil compaction; help generate organic matter and biodiversity; and does not use agropharmaceuticals.
Its wines are made across the following DOC and DOCG wine production areas which include:
- Colli Martani DOC: south of Perugia the Colli Martani benefits from its elevated position and long hours of sunshine for optimal ripeness across three main grape varieties: Grechetto; Sangiovese and Merlot.
- Colli Perugini DOC: situated around Perugia this is an area defined by wines with acidity and minerality using mainly Grechetto and Sangiovese grapes amongst others.
- Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG: the area was made DOCG in 1992 and produces wines from clay and limestone soils. Terre de la Custodia's Sagrantinto comes from two hectares of clay vineyards in Gualdo Cattaneo and La Palombara at 350m altitude.
- Montefalco DOC: includes plantings of Sangiovese along with Grechetto, Tebbiano Spoletino and other international varieties. At around 440m altitude it includes five hectares of Grechetto's calcareous-clay vineyards. Chalkier soils can be found in areas in Giano Dell'Umbria where Sangiovese is planted for its Montefalco Rosso.
The wines it wanted to show the buyers that best demonstrate the range of what it can offer:
Whites
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco Umbria IGT 2023 12.5%. Export price £2.
A blend of Grechetto, Trebbiano and other Umbrian approved white grape varieties from the area of Torrececcona di Todi-Gualdo Cattaneo at up to 400m. Vineyard age of 10 to 16 years from medium and clay soils. Fermented and aged in steel.
Montefalco Grechetto Vino Montefalco DOC 2023 13%. Export price £3.17.
Produced in Montefalco from 100% Grechetto this comes from 16 year-old, five hectares of vines in medium clay soils. Fermented and aged in steel and wood and then in bottle. 44,000 bottle production.
Plentis Montefalco DOC Bianco 2020 13.5%. Export price £5.54
Produced in Gualdo Cattaneo using a blend of local white grape varieties from a 3 hectare 12 year plot at up to 350m. Produced, aged in steel. 4,790 bottles produced.
Reds
Sericum Rosso di Montefalco di Montefalco DOC 14.5%. Export price £4.68.
Made from Sangiovese and other permitted Umbrian red grape varieties from a 20 hectare site in Giano dell’ Umbria at up 350m from 15 year old vines. Light and clay soils and fermented in steel and aged in bottle.
Maior Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Rosso 2019 15%. Export price £8.46.
Produced in La Palombara Gualdo Cattaneo from a 22 hectare, 18 year-old vineyard, clay soils at up to 350m. Fermented in steel and aged for 18 months in barrique and six months in bottle. 20,000 bottles produced.
Exubera Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Rosso 2016 15%. Export price £25.13.
Made in La Palome this 100% Sagrantino wine comes from two hectare, 20 year-old vineyard at 350m on rich clay soils. Fermented in steel aged in barriques and tonneaux for 18 to 24 months and then in bottle for 12 months. 6,500 bottles produced.
The Buyers’ panel
To help assess and determine how suitable the wines from Terre de la Custodia
are for the UK market The Buyer was able to recruit four leading buyers who offer different backgrounds and routes to market. They included:
Gary Keller, founder of Keller’s Cellar
Gary Keller has recently set up his own commercial drinks consultancy where he hopes to share his 15 years experience working in senior buying roles at Molson Coors
Vastly experienced and highly respected senior wine buyer who has worked across a number of major businesses, including The Spirit Group, Enotria&Coe and most recently as wine and drinks director at Molson Coors he is now founder of Keller’s Cellar his new commercial drinks consultancy that hopes to work with drinks companies to improve their business performance and work on future growth strategies.
Harry Crowther, wine buyer, Good Pair Days
Harry Crowther has extensive buying experience and now heads up wine buying for Good Pair Days in the UK
Highly experienced and respected wine buyer who has worked across all channels of the trade as a top sommelier and restaurant buyer at high profile venues such as Sketch, M Restaurant, in specialist retailing at Hedonism and is now head of wine buying in the UK for online retailer, Good Pair Days.
Michael Karam, co-founder, H&K Wine Agencies
Michael Karam is working with Harry Hunt on their new wine business H&K Wine Agencies
Michael Karam is an award-winning journalist covering news, politics, food and drink and is a widely respected expert on Lebanese wine. He spent 22 years in the Middle East, based in Beirut, before returning to the UK in 2014 to focus on a wider wine writing and consultancy career and has now set up H&K Wine Agencies with Harry Hunt.
Buyers’ Views
Each of the buyers were asked to taste and assess each of the six wines in turn and answer a series of questions about how and where they see them sitting in the UK market.
Gary Keller
Firstly, thank you for inviting me to take part in this Buyer’s Case as I embark on my journey with Keller’s Cellar. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the team behind Terre de la Custodia (Marco and Cecilia) at the London SITT tasting to understand more about their winery, their passion for these lesser-known regional Italian wines and taste through their full range in advance of writing up my feedback on the selection I received.
Gary Keller was impressed overall by the range of Terre de la Custodia wines
I was able to share the white wines to complement a six-course pescatarian tasting menu to celebrate my daughter’s 18th birthday – this was a real treat for her! The wines all complemented the dishes which included sushi, mackerel, bream and the fabulous main course of lobster and king prawn risotto. Reds were tasted the next day to give them the focus and attention they needed.
From both the tasting at SITT and sitting down to re-taste the selection sent, I have been mightily impressed with the wines. They are well packaged across the range from entry to premium and the quality of the winemaking has stood up to their instant appeal. For me it has been a while since I last tasted wines from these regions, and I will undoubtedly order Montefalco DOC and DOCG again in the future if these wines are a good representation for the region.
My personal favourites were the Montefalco DOC Grechetto in the whites and Sericum Montefalco DOC and Maior Montefalco DOCG in the reds with my family choosing the Grechetto as there favourite.
In general, these wines would be suitable for hotel and restaurants across the on-trade and great options for independent wine merchants. The entry level Umbria IGT Tenuta Torrececcona may extend beyond this into pubs with good wine lists, given they offer outstanding value for money and would be lovely if offered by the glass.
I would say that I would be happy to sell these wines here in the UK as they are diverse, great examples of their region and at each price level have quality throughout.
Whites
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco Umbria IGT 2023 12.5%
What a great place to start. This fresh, zesty little number is a real crowd pleaser of a wine. A lovely blend of Grechetto and Trebbiano. The lees ageing and subsequent two months resting in bottle, provides some depth to the wine and a delightful minerality throughout. Peach, lime and a lovely acidity on the finish means this wine over delivers for the price point and would offer a great option by the glass across the on-trade. I would happily drink this wine.
Montefalco Grechetto Vino Montefalco DOC 2023 13%
Grechetto can sometimes be bone dry, overly high in acidity and also conversely when old can become a bit too plump and lacking freshness. Throw these views out the window, this wine was simply stunning in our view. Perfectly paired with tuna sashimi, torched mackerel and seared sea bream, this wine shown with food. Tasting alone, the wine was also delicious offering an abundance of stone fruit, grapefruit, succulent minerality and a generous dollop of spiced fruit.
The four months spent ageing on lees and further 2 developing in bottle show the producer is releasing this at the right time for drinking and enjoying to its max. Super fresh, super soft mouthfeel and super with seafood. A wine made for dining in the on-trade and definitely one to look out for in your local wine specialist shop. Top marks from us.
Plentis Montefalco DOC Bianco 2020 13.5%
Plentis, meaning ‘Prestige’ steps up from the Grechetto DOC. The 2020 vintage is full of flavour,
complexity and intensity. I believe the wine is also unoaked but aged for 12 months in the bottle before release. This wine paired really well with our lobster and king prawn risotto, standing up to the food’s rich creamy texture. The wine itself was rounded, full bodied, with tropical fruit, sweet spices and floral notes of jasmine. In fact lots going on. I would be interested to taste this against the 2019 and 2021 vintages to see how they compare. I wonder if this wine might be better drunk younger but keen to compare before making a judgement. This is a wine of high quality and would compete well on a restaurant wine list and against competitors in the £15-£20 space in a wine merchant.
Reds
Sericum Rosso di Montefalco di Montefalco DOC 14.5%
Going into to tasting the reds, I was a bit apprehensive that they may be bitterly tannic, too dry, over extracted and possibly over oaked. Thankfully, my preconceptions were misguided and upon tasting Sericum, a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Montepulciano, completely disregarded!
I was astounded by its freshness and its ability to feel relatively lighter in mouthfeel than it’s 14.5% led you to believe. This is probably driven by being fairly young with ageing potential up to 2027, possibly further. Soft, easy to drink, bursting with juicy black cherries and lush spices, meant this wine offers much to Malbec lovers seeking an adventurous alternative. We really enjoyed this and would definitely buy a bottle for drinking at home. A premium by the glass option for restaurants and a great value alternative to Malbecs for wine specialist shops.
Maior Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Rosso 2019 15%
Where to start here. This wine definitely lives up to its billing. Intense, full bodied, structured, complex, dark, warming, textured – the list could go on. Eighteen months barrique ageing and a further six months in bottle make for an absolute super star of a wine. The winemaking has been top drawer and yes it will appeal to those wanting a blockbuster red, but will also please drinkers looking for something different. Flavours of rhubarb, plum jam, bitter dark chocolate, elegant tannins mean this wine is perfect for those dark, sat by the fire nights, cosying up with a glass of red and yet would equally stand up and pair well to the most rich foods like game and red meat.
Given the UK duty position on 15% wines, and should the easement band be maintained, it will add to its price vs wines at 14.5% on shelf pushing it into the £15-£20 section. That said, I would absolutely still recommend buying it. Would be great on a hotel and restaurant menu too. Our star red wine choice.
Exubera Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Rosso 2016 15%
To sum this wine up Exubera is Maior with extra power. It’s like the winemaker has turned the volume up at every stage to make a rock star of a wine. Words like explosion of fruit, generosity of flavour and powerful body would all represent this massive wine. For me, it is too much. However if you love Amarone or appassimento wines, or have occasionally enjoyed a bottle of 19 Crimes mid week, then this is probably the wine for you. Super concentrated, ripe red fruit, violet notes, licorice, pepper, dark chocolate, nutmeg, coffee and a long-lasting finish to boot. This may price itself out of hitting the wine specialist shelves but may find a spot on restaurant menu where cooking over a barbecue or a speciality across red meats is the focus. It would pair very well with pork belly, leg of lamb and duck whilst would work well as part of a taster menu wine selection. Buckle up and be ready to try!
Michael Karam
Michael Karam thought the Terre de la Custodia wines could work in either the on or off-trade
General Overview
A blend of classical and contemporary and very contemporary, serious but not gimmicky wines that would work in both the on and off-trade channels. Styles were, on the whole, modern while retaining the regional DNA. The reds will appeal to consumers weaned on New World, high-alcohol, extracted styles with good oak integration. Avid readers of the ABV percentage might arch an eyebrow but you can’t please everyone and where the alcohol is quite punchy it is always well-integrated.
Sagrantino isn’t a household name, but ‘Brand Italy’ will probably carry it over the line. All three are good independent merchant wines. The whites were correct and nothing to fault them, but there is not an abundance of character or generosity. Grechetto (and even Trebbiano) isn’t well known and that will affect the commercial appeal. That said, they are safe, good on-trade wines with the opportunity for healthy margin on a list. The packaging and labels are all fine apart from The Exubera which is the anomaly. The wine is stunning but the ‘immature’ label lets it down..
Whites
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco Umbria IGT 2023
Safe. Generic. Citrus personality with not much else but at this price point it ticks all the boxes. It has (decent) house white written all over it. Packaging is classical and bland but would suit a multiple or a wine list.
Montefalco Grechetto Vino Montefalco DOC 2023
More elegant offering than the first white wine. Complex, balanced and textured. Notes of grapefruit underpin the citrus. Price presents excellent value for the on-trade, perhaps by the glass. All in all not bad for a grape that is mainly seen as a blending variety.
Plentis Vino Montefalco Blanco DOC
Another step up in quality and it shows. Good balance of fruit, acidity and oak, in the mouth the wine is creamy and textured. A wine that can straddle the aperitif and food worlds, although too classy to be glugged by the pool. Needs to be more specific about which “native grapes” are actually used in the blend.
Michael Karam gets down to the business of tasting and assessing the Terre de la Custodia wines
Reds
Sericum Rosso di Montefalco di Montefalco DOC
Sangiovese with an uncredited supporting cast. The result is a lovely red fruit expression with violets and pepper. Soft tannins. Punchy alcohol but it doesn’t stick out. Needed time to open up but didn’t disappoint. Rural but elegant.
Maior Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2019
Huge alcohol, but, again, well managed. Good acidity and oak integration. Initially, not much to write about but after 24 hours, a sliver of evolution created a decent slug of complexity. Commercially? On the money.Would work well in the on and off-trade.
Exubera Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2016
On the face of it, another alcoholic behemoth, but this is a iron fist in a velvet glove and it is all down to the beautiful balance of all the factors – acidity, extraction, tannins oak management and of course the ABV. Cherries and violets and spice. It’s a beast but an exquisite beast! An indie pin up and an on-trade hand sell. But please change the label.
Mags Jango
Mags Jango assesses the wines
Whites
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco dell'Umbria IGT 2023
Floral and fruity nose, well made, faultless. Classic Italian on the nose, and palate. Commercially might be worthwhile dropping the cork, lightening the bottle and coming around €2.2 which will make this a real winner.
Montefalco Grechetto vino Montefalco Grechetto Blanco DOC 2023
Riper and richer than the first one, more concentrated orange blossom with traditional rusticity of Italian whites on the nose. Hint of fennel and white spice on the nose as well. Great texture on the palate, apples pears and oranges a lovely drink. Our costing has this at £12. It could work at sub-£10.
Reds
Umbria IGT Sangiovese Vino Rosso Sangiovese
Floral, juicy, ripe on the nose without being exciting – its perfectly acceptable.
Simple, supple ripe, but for a little more money, there’s more quality in the selection.
Sericum Rosso di Montefalco di Montefalco DOC
Crunchy blackfruits and dried herbs on the nose, floral and elegenant with well defined fruit. Smell delicious! Palate is generous and well made, with moderate yet ripe and firm tannins, good body – the alcohol does stick out on the finish.
A little too big and too alcoholic for my palate.
Maior Montefalco Sagrantino Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2019
Absoloutely delightful nose which reminds me of rustic old school chianti. Dried herbs, earty, dried meats, salami integrated oak and just divine on the nose.
Soft, supple ripe on the palate, firm tannins, generous fruit with gamey notes offering complexity. While alcohol is hot, it wears in better than the previous one.
Long and complex finish, a truly delightful wine. I would purchase this is the pricing was right.
Exubera Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2016
Concentrated, dense, intense nose with serious power. More new oak here, more polished style which is not my style but I understand what market this is aiming for. Can compete with Super Tuscans on the nose. The palate is silky, textured, glossy, with firm tannins and good integration. Powerful wine, just not my style.
Harry Crowther
Harry Crowther of Good Pair Days
Whites
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco Umbria IGT 2023
Tenuta Torrececconia Blanco Umbria IGT 2023 The packaging is lean, simple and traditional. It would be a good wine for the on-trade and with the right food pairing but by bottle rather than by the glass. There is some attractive orange peel and subtle tone fruit character. The price point is good and there is good fruit here for the money that would benefit from a bit more freshness and acidity.
Montefalco Grechetto Vino Montefalco DOC 2023
There is some good fruit here and nice floral appeal. There is a fair amount of wine here for the money, particularly with a bit more acidity and freshness. The price is about right. This is a wine for the on-trade as the oak element lends to gastronomy. It would work by the glass. I think there is some texture and appeal to certain palates here, and would benefit from more modern packaging.
Plentis Vino Montefalco Blanco DOC
Lots of concentration of fruit, very ripe, wildflower with honeyed character. I tend to get this level of concentration from Trebbiano Spoletino. It is premium price point and there is richness and texture to back it up with a good finish and would work better with more modern packaging. It’s a wine for the premium on-trade and would do well by the glass in a restaurant with a tasting menu and the right dish.
Reds
Sericum Rosso di Montefalco di Montefalco DOC
This wine’s opulent style would make it a crowd pleaser in a specialist wine store capable on handling the higher price. I am not sure I could place this wine if I tasted it blind so would like to see a bit more terror and typicity.
Maior Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2019
Nice aromatics and spice character, some rustic Italian charm here which is par for the course with Sagrantino with its ripping tannins. The cost price is about right for DOCG Sagrantino. I haven’t seen many cheaper so I think the price is about right. It would need to be a hands sell in the on-trade but would work well with a big old steak and after a long decant.
Exubera Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2016
The tannic structure is mellowing out, which is welcome for Sagrantino. I would like to see more more neutral oak used and perhaps earlier picking for acidity and flavour. The price is on the high side considering its packaging.
* You can find out more about Terre de la Custodia wines at its website here.
