Spring Loaded

In springtime, it seems, the drinks media turns its attention to more expensive wines and to the Australia Day tasting

WILL THE wine industry be spared the predicted consumer spending crunch? In the last recession, British shoppers actually spent more on groceries as a percentage of their household income, while restaurants struggled to fill tables.

The theory then was that consumers still wanted the occasional special meal, but to save money they bought decent ingredients and cooked it themselves rather than visiting a fancy restaurant.

Could history repeat itself? After an austere February, when sub- £5 wines dominated the press columns, the nation’s wine critics have reversed course. Their tasting notes in March featured a large number of wines priced over £7. Indeed, over half of all wines mentioned during the month came in above this price.

A closer look at the data shows that there may be seasonal factors at work. Data for the same period last year shows that the expensive stuff usually gets a run-out in March. The reasons for this vary: when Easter is early (as it was last year) the critics usually find space to make some festive recommendations.

This year it is a combination of the unexpected (for instance, a detailed feature in the FT Weekend about Madeira) and more typical stuff about summer party planning (for instance, a piece about wedding Champagne in The Times).  In summary, if you’ve got a premium or super-premium wine to promote, the arrival of spring seems to offer you the best opportunity for column inches this side of Christmas.

February and March are traditionally the strongest months for Australian wines in the national press, as copious tasting notes from the Australia Day mega-tasting transfer into newsprint.  Although 2003 has not started as well for Australian wines – perhaps linked with the fallout from the turmoil at Southcorp – one in five wines mentioned in March was Aussie, consolidating the country’s number two position behind France.

Among the retailers, Waitrose and Oddbins shared the spoils once more, with a better-than-average performance from Safeway and below-par outings for Sainsbury and Tesco.  Looking at long-term trends, the independent sector looks to be gaining ground, mainly at the expense of the high street multiple offlicences such as Thresher Group and Unwins. Indies took nearly 28% of mentions in March, compared with just 23% for high street multiples. This time last year the figures were 25% and 30% respectively.