London’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd, have revamped their ‘Own Selection’ wines and are pushing the boundaries with producer partnerships, says Wine Buying Director, Mark Pardoe
Your Own Selection wine first started in 1973. What led you to redesign and review it?
Yes, it started off with a range of one with our Good Ordinary Claret. The range grew organically but as the business changed we realised there was no strategy behind it, we needed to move away from offering just ‘nice’ wines and start looking at the market and adopting a rigorous research process.
How do you go about seeking producers and building those relationships?
We already have a strong bank of people and producers who we work with so they would be our first port of call. These are trusted corporations that we have a long-established relationship with which means we can work on bespoke projects and create distinguished products rather than us stick our label on something.
What needs to stand out for you when visiting your producers?
When meeting a producer, you can usually sense whether they are good or not. They must have humility and respect for what they do and not just think they are the best. A great wine takes very little technically as you just need great vines and great soil to work with.
What’s your personal favourite from the ‘Own’ selection’?
We have introduced an Austrian wine for the first time, which is an incredible individual wine and shows that we are going beyond what the range has done before.
How often is the selection reviewed? Do you ever think it will be the perfect selection?
It will never be perfect as there will always be another vintage or Champagne and it is constantly evolving. The range has to have continuity and familiarity so our customers recognise the brands but on the other hand it needs to have complexity and a sense of renewal otherwise it will just feel dry. We have introduced a new category called producer partnerships. These are one-off wines that we have developed with the producers and the labels are not only redesigned but they are also handwritten by the producers which showcases our partnership with them even more so.
For more information, go to Berry Bros. & Rudd
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