Expert Insight
Looking to the Future The Wine Guide
PART 2
Following on from Part 1 in our February 2020 issue Mark Roberts continues his fascinating look at the future of wine.
The classic is always the best – wine tasting.
Q A
There’s an element of theatre in wine tasting which exceeds other products – the swirling of the glass, the smelling of the aromas, the sucking of the wine all create a grandeur which is thoroughly enjoyable.
Above all, this also empowers your customer with new wine knowledge and makes them feel comfortable trying new drinks. Importantly for the publican this drives venue loyalty while increasing up-selling opportunities – customers will be more likely to select a bottle of mid-premium wines than simply a glass of house.
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In today's experience hungry world — what events and experiences around wine would you recommend operators can put on for customers?
Sparkling wines: would you recommend operators focus on Prosecco or look to English sparkling wines and sparkling wines from other countries too?
There’s been talk of a Prosecco decline for years, yet the category still continues to dominate. As with all products, markets and sectors, ongoing innovation will be the key to Prosecco’s continued success and I do think the addition of rose and organic will bring accelerated growth.
Q A
Otra Tierra
It’s also important to note that even prior to changes in rose classification, sales of Rose Vino Spumante have been consistently growing, as proved by the outstanding success of our new for summer ’19 Baglietti Rose (a spumante), which asks the question: does the average drinker understand this isn’t technically Prosecco?
And, does it matter? For many drinkers ‘Prosecco’ has become an umbrella term for sparkling wine with sparkling rose the natural progression.
Key to the success of any brand is the packaging. Especially with a product such as Prosecco which itself is a semi-premium product bought for celebration.
Continued on the next page
Drinks News
Looking to the Future The Wine Guide
PART 1
And, in the same vein a magnum is also ideal for trading up — offer a small group or party a magnum instead of a single bottle from the list.
Packaging innovation and development has become more and more important. So think about YOUR offering, your customers and do they marry? A half bottle may drive rate of sale just as much as a magnum, just in a more subtle manor.
Mark Roberts is Director of Sales at Lanchester Wines. We asked him about what we can expect from wine in the near future.
Beyond the bottle what other wine formats can venue operators look to capitalise more on in 2020 to help meet customer needs?
Our lifestyles have evolved so much that I firmly believe a review and update of format is essential for the ongoing success of the drinks category as a whole. Drinking habits are changing and consumption must fit within the modern way of life. In terms of wine, we must adapt to encourage new consumers into the category.
Q A
If you think about it, the traditional wine bottle dates back to 4100BC so, as with all products, an evolution is inevitable.
Canned wine is the fastest growing of these new formats — sales are increasing at a rate of approx. 6% year on year in Western Europe. The can is an ideal choice for pubs: smaller serves, less wastage, easy storage/chilling, easy to recycle and, above all a format consumers are familiar with, whether through soft drinks, beers or ciders.
It’s an uncomplicated packaging solution which resonates across all age groups and lifestyle choices — and perfect for pubs and particularly beer gardens/outdoor events.
Another wine format on the rise is draft via bag in box, particularly when sold either by the glass or via carafes. For the publican this offers ease of serve, consistently fresh wine and various serving sizes, while also freeing up fridge and shelf space. Importantly this also drastically reduces packaging waste which is key for any outlet seeking to improve its environmental credentials.
For more premium pours, ‘wine by the glass’ oenomatic systems offer
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the customer the opportunity to try something new without committing to a full bottle — and with this, leading customers into experimenting with different, often more premium wines. This sits with the theme of customers buying less quantity but happy to pay more for higher quality. It’s also a great way for a venue to experiment with different styles and then review which are most popular with customers, prior to any changes of a list.
However, if the familiar bottle format suits your customer, various shapes and sizes are available: — 187ml single serve — 37.5cl half bottle — 150cl double bottle
This enables an evolution of your wine list, presenting a variety of options for the consumer which is increasingly more important. The 37.5cl half bottle is ideal for trading up from a single glass while also ensuring the wine is fresh — ie not a nearly full bottle minus a glass or two, left over from the weekend.
Continued on the next page
What are the key wine trends operators need to focus on for 2020? More natural and organic wines? Rose? What countries of origin and grape varietals are hot?
Quality is the key trend for 2020 and beyond — we’ve spent too long trying to drive the value out of wine by offering the cheapest option. Customers see through this and, while they may buy one glass they probably won’t buy a second.
Q A
Stats and research is showing that, while wine consumption on the whole is slightly down year on year, the price paid per bottle is on the increase — consumers are drinking less but drinking better. Have the duty conversation with your customers (the duty on a bottle of £5 wine is the same as a £20 bottle, so the ratio of duty VS wine cost is far better the further up the pricing ladder you go).
The wines which work exceptionally in this bracket are the ones which offer a point of difference. So think emerging wine region or a super varietal. For example,
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the Charles & Charles Riesling hits this spot — not only an American Riesling as opposed to German for example, but also from Washington State which is definitely top of our ‘ones to watch’ wine regions. White Rioja is also such a great option from Spain but often gets overlooked by the classic reds from the old world region.
Importantly, just because it’s more expensive doesn’t mean it’s ‘by the bottle only’ – this is the perfect opportunity to offer more premium wines by the glass, even if it’s just one or two wines that rotate weekly for example. There are some fantastic wine merchants out there. Utilise their expertise from time to time.
Work with your wine merchant to make sure you have wine list which delivers quality as well as value. Listen to what the customer wants, try wines of the month to really understand their tastes and to also keep things fresh — a good wine merchant will always work with you to introduce trials, limited editions or speciality wines.
What three tips would you give operators to help drive their wine sales further in 2020?
1) Staff training: 90% of Brits default to house wine while 37% admit to buying the same bottle of wine and never trying anything new.
Q A
There is huge potential for upselling of wine, and therefore increasing of margin. Salient on trade outlets take the time and effort needed to train staff on an ongoing basis — introduce new wines, upskill new staff. All good wine merchants will be happy to train and it’s a fun training course for staff.
2) Create a relevant, well thought out wine menu which communicates each wine in best manner: Importantly, have something interesting and on the wine list which offers your pub a point of difference.
There was a time that every wine list had to include a Châteauneuf du Pape, a Chablis and a Rioja. However, times they are a changing and New World wines are now the norm across the majority of venues — even the higher echelons of fine dining establishments, which swore allegiance to the Old World legends, now include New World options at both the house and top end of their wine offering.
3) Vegan: Consumers are demanding more alternatives to meat when eating out — whether its vegan or vegetarian dishes — and of course a suitable wine must be available. This is largely driven by females and the 35-44 year olds age group who agree they would be likely to choose a plant-based or meat-free alternative in the next 12 months.
Wine producers are increasingly moving towards vegan-friendly filtration and your wine merchant will be able to work with you to identify which wines are available. For example, at Lanchester Wines we clearly label our wines with a Vegetarian or Vegan Friendly symbol and have made them easy to find via our website:
www.lanchesterwines.co.uk/products
Check out Part 2 in our forthcoming March issue.
Drinks News
PART 1—FEB20
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