Lanchester Wines


There’s a high probability that any venue operator reading this has at least one Spanish or Italian wine on their wine list – most likely more. And, you’re not alone.


In 2016 alone, the UK imported over 132million litres of Italian wine and close to 111million litres of Spanish wine. But why do we Brits love wine from our European neighbours?


pubs went down in the same year. La Dolce Vita


When asked ‘which three countries produce the most wine in the world’, you’re likely to guess one will be France, and you’d be correct. But did you know the remaining positions in the global top three wine producers are Italy and Spain?


We caught up with Lanchester Wines’ buyer, Lesley Cook (pictured above), about this summer’s hottest European wine trends and why she feels Italian and Spanish


wines are the ones every on trade venue should have on their wine lists.


24 MAY 2018 WWW.VENUE-INSIGHT.COM


Italy has long been the country to turn to on a wine list for classic choices such as Pinot Grigio or Chianti and, of course, the ever popular Prosecco, sales of which have risen 6,000% since 2008 . Overall, Italy is the top country of origin for wine in the UK on-trade by volume, selling 5.4m 9-litre cases last year.


Meanwhile Italy’s selection of food- friendly vino has helped keep its wines both interesting and relevant at all levels of the price spectrum. This affinity with food will be increasingly important as, according to Mintel, pub meals recorded an estimated 3% increase in sales to £7.4bn in 2016 while the volume of alcoholic drinks consumed in bars and


Given Italy’s rich gastronomic heritage, it seems a no-brainer to tap into this lucrative area, which is often a customer’s first foray into food and wine pairing as even the simplest foods, such as pizza and pasta, work so well with wine. A successful wine list will have wines to pair with the most popular of dishes, including a rich Chianti matching perfectly with a tangy tomato based pasta, a dry Vermentino with seafood or a light Pinot Grigio with citric based foods like lemon chicken.


These Italian grapes have proven so popular that some, such as the aforementioned Pinot Grigio have taken on the role of the ‘super varietal’ with


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