Wine Pub 21/10/09 15:48 Page 35
Tuesday November 3, 2009 – Intercontinental Hotel, London thePublican Monday 26/10/09 35
FOOD & DRINK
SPONSORED BY
AWARDS 2009
THE RED LION
THE FACTS
Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Andrew Banks
• Type of pub: Managed
• Number of wines:
120 by the bottle/
The Red Lion is a village pub that specialises in wines – which account for 20 by the glass
almost two-thirds of its drink sales – complemented by a friendly pub atmos- • Cost of house red
phere and a separate dining area. bottle: £16.50
• Best seller: Sauvignon
Describe your wine offer Blanc, Conway Hills,
Andrew says he has the goal of “covering the whole of the world” but the Marlborough 2008
underlying aim is to offer the best quality for the lowest price. “It is easy to • Wet/dry split: 68/32
put together an expensive list whereas we source from all over the world to • Employees: 25
keep the quality levels high and prices reasonable,” he says. The list therefore
includes many wines from small boutique wineries that Andrew has found
through his 16 suppliers and even while on holiday.
What innovations have you used to make your wine offer a success? THE VINTRY
The pub’s wine dinners have, in the past, proved successful and Andrew
would like to host further such events when he is able to find producers who
Cannon Street, London
will speak at the evenings. The frequently changing food menu also includes
Nick Cameron
recommendations for matching wine with certain dishes. Andrew offers a
take-home service with wines available with 50 per cent off the list price,
which can bring in extra revenue of £300 per month. The Vintry in the City of London may be owned by Fuller’s brewery but the
pub has built up a strong reputation for wine and food that has helped it
How do you market, merchandise and display your wines to customers? continue to grow its regular customer base since opening over three years ago.
Andrew uses his guest (house) wines, which are all priced at £13, to initially
draw people into the pub and then applies his wine knowledge and enthusi- Describe your wine offer
asm (and that of his employees) to tempt customers to try more expensive The paramount issue is value for money, according to Nick, who says he
bottles. A guest wine is also selected as the ‘wine of the month’. Each Friday doesn’t want people viewing the list as expensive although he has bottles of
the pub has a cheese and wine tasting with the regular customers asked to rioja priced at £65. What helps keep the prices lower is the fact Fuller’s buys
bring a cheese back from their holidays, which is then served in the bar. some of its wines early at low prices and the Vintry can benefit from this. But
in order to ensure there’s a broad range of wines from around the world on
the list around 40 per cent of them are sourced from another three suppliers.
What innovations have you used to make your wine offer a success?
A new introduction is the retail wine offer that enables customers to take
THE FACTS
wine home for a discounted price. “People have shown us they are more inter-
ested in wine than you think and we believe the retail business will get
busier,” predicts Nick. Bin ends have also been highlighted on the wine list
• Type of pub: Freehold along with recommendations. And an adjoining room is now used for wine
• Number of wines: dinners with suppliers giving talks and tastings.
200 by the bottle/15
by the glass How do you market, merchandise and display your wines to customers?
• Cost of house red Every two months the pub sets up a ‘try before you buy’ table to increase the
bottle: £13 profile of one of the producers. Nick says the pub also cuts deals with suppli-
• Best seller: Candesa ers to promote certain wines and the team are incentivised to sell these.
de Leganza Tempranillo However, such arrangements are only done with wines worthy of a listing and
• Wet/dry split: 50/50 the key to success is the ongoing training of barstaff, who are given tastings
• Employees: 6 and information on new additions to the list daily. Their knowledge is further
enhanced by visits from suppliers and wine courses held on the premises.
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