Focus and value key to new wine wholesaler

New Chelsea wine wholesaler and merchant The Vintner unveiled a tasting room at its London offices this week, where founder Tom Gilbey promised to appeal to restaurants looking for focus and value as well as private clients who are leaving “the playpen of Majestic”.

Gilbey was formerly Jascots MD and is the nephew of Michael Gilbey of the Gilbey restaurant group and Pheasants Ridge vineyard in Buckinghamshire, as well as descendent of the family which once made and owned Gilbey’s gin.

As previously reported by the drinks business, The Vintner carries a selection of 100 wines priced between £5 and £25, as well as a small selection of higher-priced labels and Champagnes.

Speaking to db, Gilbey said: “We have been ruthless in selecting the wines we love… There are so many wine companies which are offering too many wines that are being sold by sales people who don’t care or don’t know enough about the wines they are selling.”

Gilbey explained that he hopes to supply a restaurant market looking for a focused list of reasonably-priced wines as well as private clients, which currently account for 15% of the business.

The Vintner’s on-trade customers include, among others, Rocket Food catering and The Mogford Group – owner of the Old Bank and Old Parsonage hotels in Oxford – as well as Sophie’s Steakhouse, set up by Sophie Bathgate, daughter of the latter group’s founder Jeremy.

Speaking of The Vintner’s private customers and the £25 price limit on the range, Gilbey said he was not seeking to serve those looking to lay down fine wine. “We are not supplying people who are filling their cellars with wine for drinking in 10 years time. We would prefer them to drink it in 2-3 years, or better, 2-3 days," he said.

Further, he described the online and mail-order retail operation as: “A gateway for 25 to 40-year-olds when they are leaving the playpen of Majestic but are frightened of the pin-striped St James’s wine merchant.”

He admitted he would like to see the private client business increase to 20% of turnover but pointed out: “We need the wholesale side so we can ship in volume.”

The event included a tasting of wines from New Zealand’s Morton Estate, which are being sold by The Vintner. John Coney, owner of the winery, said that he was “very impressed” by the new operation and that The Vintner had already made “significant inroads” for Morton Estate.

He used the evening to highlight the quality of New Zealand Chardonnay with Morton Estate Blanc de Blancs sparkling from 2000 and Coniglio Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2002 and 2004.

Patrick Schmitt, 16.02.2011