The Buyer | “Back to our roots” – Enotria’s new lease of life shared at Sense of Place

More than 1,500 trade professionals were present along with 150 of Enotria’s suppliers at the event which was spread over five rooms in the venerable building. These housed Europe, Americas, Tri-Nations (South Africa, Australia & New Zealand), Fizz and Spirits.

“It is much more than a change of name,” John Colley, Enotria’s interim chief executive and Majestic Wine Group executive chairman, declared. “It signals a return to our roots as a premium wines and spirits distributor. Bringing back the Enotria name is a statement of our re-focussing the business. That means increased investment in providing the best possible service for our customers and suppliers as a standalone operator, despite being owned by the larger Majestic Wine Group.”

Colley was at pains to stress the importance of a family-feel within Enotria.

“Look at the history of Enotria - 53-years old - and Majestic 45-years old,” he continued. “Both family-started companies, and I think that in our cultural DNA we have that family-feel. We’re not just going to have hundreds of supply partners. They must mean something to not just our colleagues trying to sell them but also our customers trying to buy them. They have to have a reason to belong in our business. That’s really important. There’s a story behind every wine at Majestic, and there must be a story behind every single supplier that works with us at Enotria.”

With a story comes the need for sustainability, as Colley explained: “Sustainability is really important and growing in importance. From an on-trade perspective, it’s one of the top points they look for - not just a great product and price point but where you are on sustainability. It’s becoming a more and more important part of our pitches when we’re aiming at new customers.”

Half a dozen new suppliers were at the Brewery, including two new Italian ones to bolster Enotria’s stable to 64 from Italy, comfortably the most from any country.

“We’re incredibly proud of all the new suppliers,” Colley continued. “They are brands exclusive to us that we are championing and have hand-picked to work with because we think they’re brilliant.”

Given Enotria’s much-trumpeted Italian roots, what better place to start than its two new additions from that country: Frisino from Puglia and Vina Petrussa from Friuli.

Frisino from Puglia

Francesco Frisino, the winemaker, explained the estate’s history, which was acquired by his parents in 1984. Originally an olive oil enterprise with 70 hectares of olive trees, vines were finally planted in 2015 with Francesco and his sister Flavia “coming back to restyle the brand in 2018 when winemaking started.”

Significantly, Federico Curtaz, a renowned viticulturist who worked with Angelo Gaja in Barbaresco for 15 years, was recruited to oversee the vineyards, where Primitivo, Negroamaro, Chardonnay and Verduca are grown at altitudes of up to 300 metres. The latter grape, whose historical home is Puglia but may have been brought from Greece where it is known as Lagorthi, had zippy acidity and citrus notes with a hint of minerality.

“Verduca is our best-seller,” Frisino revealed. “We think it is amazing as you can drink it with everything - as an aperitivo or with white meats, pasta and salads. This is our first entry into the UK market, and we are honoured to be part of this incredible company Enotria. We have a new Puglian philosophy how to make wine - fresh, high quality, low alcohol and family-produced.”

Vina Petrussa from Friuli

Vina Petrussa, whose eight hectares of vines are nestled in the Prepotto commune within Friuli’s Colli Orientali DOC, is another family affair. Indeed, it is a wonderful story of women carrying the flag for three generations, beginning with Giuseppina Petrussa in the 1970s after her husband died suddenly. Her daughter Hilde took over and now grand-daughter Francesca Mecchia makes the wines from local varietals - Friulano, Malvasia, Picolit, Refosco and Schioppettino.

Vina Petrussa’s 2019 Schioppettino won the ‘Tre Bicchieri’ award in Gambero Rosso in 2024 - the only Friuli red to do so. Deeply coloured, perfumed and peppery, it is blessed with lively acidity and fine-grained tannins. The estate has been awarded the SQNPI sustainability certificate, issued by the Italian government’s ministry for agricultural products.

Two Italian stalwarts

From two new Italian recruits to a redoubtable Italian duo, for whom Enotria has been the exclusive UK distributor since the 1970s. Fontanafredda, the Piemonte producer whose total output is six million bottles per year, is the core of the Italian portfolio, and the respect is mutual.

“Enotria is one of our most important partners - they always try to spread our brand as widely as possible,” said Nadin Bertonasco, the winery’s brand ambassador. “We make about 35,000 bottles of Gavi every year, of which 15-16,000 are sold in the UK.”

Launched at the tasting was Fontanafredda’s new vintage sparkling wine, Alta Langa Special Edition 2021 (70% Pinot Noir & 30% Chardonnay), made by the traditional method and aged on the lees for 30 months, with dosage of 4.6g/l. Retailing at £25, it represents good value. Bertonasco is hopeful that sales of Asti Spumante, of which Fontanafredda makes two million bottles per annum, will grow in the UK on-trade as consumption is up in other markets.

“All the restaurants like it, with its very good acidity and 7% alcohol,” she said, before showing the alluring Barolo DOCG, Vigna La Rosa 2020. It is Fontanafredda’s top Barolo, which comes from an organically-farmed monopole, and was first produced in 1964.

Fattoria dei Barbi in Montalcino has been supplying Enotria since the company was founded in 1972. One of Italy’s oldest and most respected wineries, its winemaker and CEO Stefano Colombini is seventh generation with his ancestors having pioneered the planting of Sangiovese in Montalcino.

“We started producing the Brunello Blue Label in 1892,” export manager Samuele Cecchini declared. “It is usually aged for three years in old Slavonian oak and is the most popular of our wines in the UK. The Riserva is only made in the best years from the best vineyards.”

From the Americas – South and North

Another new addition to the Enotria portfolio is Domaine Bousquet from Mendoza, which is the largest organic producer in Argentina, with 260 hectares under vine, all certified. As it makes as many as 42 different labels, the winery needs to buy in fruit as well, but only from growers who farm organically. Exporting 95% of its production to as many as 60 markets, Domaine Bousquet is a huge success story after being founded by immigrants from Carcassonne.

“We are very happy to be with Enotria as they are really professional, and through them we have a lot of opportunities in the UK,” said Rodrigo Serrano, the winemaker. “Everyone loves the Gaia Cabernet Franc, which is biodynamically farmed on 100% calcareous soil. Our top Malbec is named Ameri after our owner, and is from our oldest vines: 25 years on 100% calcareous soils with a lot of limestone profile in the wine.”

Still in the Americas, but to the north, are two new Enotria recruits: The Prisoner Wine Company and Booker Wines. The former’s fruit comes from Napa, with Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc all going into the iconic The Prisoner Red Blend. Its Saldo label – deliberately ‘minimalistic’ according to marketing manager Jess Bell – is 100% Zinfandel. Ok

Booker Wines, meanwhile, produces super premium labels from Rhône varietals in the Paso Robles AVA.

Four new spirits brands

When it comes to spirits, Enotria has an incomparable portfolio which has just been augmented with some intriguing additions. One such is Kakira, a Ugandan distillery on the shores of Lake Victoria whose rum is proving a hit. It is owned by the Madhvani family, who hail from Gujrat originally, and started growing sugar cane there in 1930 but were expelled in the 1970s by Idi Amin. The 45,000-acre Kakira Sugar Estate went to ruin but the family eventually returned to resuscitate it. It now employs a staggering 12,500 people, for whom it provides not just homes but also schooling and healthcare.

Kakira Rum is made from molasses, a by-product of sugar cane, with gin and vodka also produced. By burning waste from the 180,000 tons of sugar produced annually, it generates not just enough electricity to power the entire farm but also the nearby cities of Kampala and Entebbe. In the last five years, the company has planted 2.5 million trees.

Chris Appleby, Enotria’s head of agency brands, could not hide his admiration for Kakira and its sustainability ethos.

“Both the seven and five-year old rums have been on the market here for just over 12 months and have got some listings as well as on the Cunard cruise liners from Southampton to New York,” he said. “We want to make people realise that good aged rum can be made outside the Caribbean. It’s aged in Bourbon and sherry casks. The seven-year old wins most of the awards. We sell mainly to the on-trade but it’s available on Amazon and at the Whisky Exchange.”

So too is another Enotria spirit, Bladnoch, the most southerly whisky distillery in Scotland. That too has a story to tell. Founded in 1817, it closed down in 2014 and was bought by Australian yoghurt multi-millionaire David Prior a year later, resuming production in 2017 with much new equipment. Former Macallan master distiller, Nick Savage, was recruited in 2019. The 13, 16 and 19-year olds all showed beautifully to underline the quality of Bladnoch’s whisky.

“David turned Bladnoch around,” Scottish whisky expert, James Logan, said. “It’s a tiny place with not many jobs, but he employs 60 at the distillery, giving so many people a purpose and bringing tourism.”

From whisky to gin, and a new premium one from Audemus that Miko Abouaf, the founder of the popular Pink Pepper gin brand, is aiming to release into the UK through Enotria.

“None has been sold yet but I wanted to test it out today and feedback has been excellent,” Abouaf, an Australian who has lived in Cognac for 14 years, said. “The idea is to produce a vibrant fresh gin that is very citrus but has none in it. I can do this by including vacuum-distilled ginger as one of the botanicals.”

Rich in flavour with a powerful nose, this experimental gin (44% abv) was complex yet approachable.

Finally, much credit to two Northern Irishman, Paul Burns and Anthony Farrell, who had flown in for the day from Belfast to showcase some of their Cocktail Keg Company SKUs. Set up by the pair in 2019, it has become the number one pre-packaged cocktail brand in Ireland. In one of the few growing drinks categories, its RTD (ready-to-drink) and RTS (ready-to-serve) products, which have sustainability and quality at their heart, drew big numbers on the day.

The ‘whisky sour’ and ‘passionfruit martini’ were a great way to finish a memorable portfolio tasting, Enotria’s first large-scale event since its acquisition by Majestic Wine Group.

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