Matthew Clark boosts premium range by one-third

Matthew Clark has grown its Wines of Distinction range by 33% in the past year as it seeks to boost its premium offering.

Ernst Loosen pours his Dr Loosen wines at the Matthew Clark ‘Discover, Love, Inspire’ tasting. Visitor numbers to this year’s tasting were up 40% (Photo: Matthew Clark)

The UK drinks wholesaler has introduced 190 new wines to its wine portfolio in the past 12 months, the “majority” of which are part of its premium offering.

The company now boasts a total of 278 SKUs in its Wines of Distinction range.

Matthew Clark wine controller Laurie Davis said that growth in premium on-trade business in the past 12 months had made it essential to grow the company’s premium offering.

The company has reported an increase in volume sales of its Wines of Distinction range of 22.6% MAT in the year to February.

“We’re very good at the entry-level range, but now in terms of where we are, it’s looking at that mid to premium level,” Davis said.

“With some of the agencies that we’re now linking up with, there’s a number that we’ve taken from our competitors.

“I mean, three years in a row we’ve taken from BBR [Berry Brothers & Rudd] – we don’t do that. But [with] the demands that are being put on us, we need a bigger range.

“For the last three or four years we’ve been [at] about 1,300 wines; this year we’re up to 1,500 and a large proportion of those are coming at the mid to premium level.”

Davis was speaking to the drinks business at Matthew Clark’s annual ‘Discover, Love, Inspire’ portfolio tasting, held at Tobacco Dock in London. This year’s event was the biggest and best-attended to date, Matthew Clark reported, with a 40% uplift in visitors compared with 2015.

Among the new producers on show at the tasting were cool-climate South African producer Shannon Vineyards, from Elgin Valley, Californian producer Meiomi, as well as a selection of Old World names including Spanish producer Casa Rojo, Chianti’s Vicchiomaggio, Remoissenet Père & Fils from Burgundy and Rhône winery Dauvergne Ranvier.

Matthew Clark’s increased focus on the premium wine category reflects steady growth in hotel and on-trade contracts signed in the past 12 months. As reported in the drinks business, in November 2015 Matthew Clark signed up to supply Q Hotels taking the contract from Bibendum.

The company has also signed up to supply Conrad St James, St Pancras, Berner’s Tavern and M Restaurants.

Boutique hotels sales have grown by 12% year on year (YOY), the company said, with quality locals up 21% YOY and top food venues up by 12%.

Commenting on the success of the Discover, Love, Inspire tasting, Matthew Clark commercial director Ian Smith said: “The event was magnificent. It was also great to welcome on board so many prospective customers, including those from some really exciting premium accounts.

“We received such a positive reaction to the selection of wines showcased. Our Wines of Distinction portfolio now includes our best selection of wines yet, which is fundamental when it comes to supplying our growing number of premium accounts.”

Matthew Clark is the UK’s largest independent alcohol wholesaler and distributor to the on-trade sector, delivering to around 17,000 outlets each year.

The company delivered more than 48 million bottles of wine, 22 million bottles of spirits, 171 million pints of beer and 16 million bottles of cider in the year to February 2015, generating revenues of £811.2m.