Drinks News
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.
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,
22 February 2020
www.venue-insight.com
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.
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