Jeroboams puts new exclusives on show at scaled-up tasting

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 27 June, 2023

Trade guests were invited to sample the wines from three new agencies at Jeroboams’ New Wines Tasting, yesterday (26 June), as the agent/retailer looks to flex the trade arm of its business model.

As ‘London’s local wine merchant’, Jeroboams is known predominantly for its ten shops, which include the recently opened site in Wimbledon and its upcoming fascia on the King’s Road.

However, Jeroboams is now also pushing ahead with its recently expanded trade channel, focused on much of the capital’s hotels, bars and restaurants.

Read more: Jeroboams ups Argentine reach with Achaval Ferrer

It was this segment of the market which Lucie Parker, Jeroboams trade director, hoped to capture at yesterday’s tasting, which had to move from its original venue to Covent Garden’s Unit X at The Stables, in order to meet unexpectedly high demand.

Parker said: “There was a sense of urgency with this tasting, in that we really wanted to show the wines from our three new agencies: firstly, Achaval Ferrer, which moved from Corney & Barrow and has some really amazing Malbecs. With Malbec, there’s often the sense of ‘been there, done that’, but these are really standout wines.

“Then, there is Kaesler, home to some of the Barossa Valley’s most highly regarded estate-grown premium wines, including The Old Bastard and The Bogan Shiraz. The Bastard always gets really high scores and is only on allocation.

“Lastly, there is Butussi from Friuli, which makes wine from mountainous indigenous varietals such as Friulano, Ribolla Giallo, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Ramato, an old fashioned style of Pinot Grigio, made using leaving grapes on the skins.”

A total of 111 wines were on show, as well as Jeroboams new spirits collection, available only to the trade. This currently consists of just one producer, Pleasant Land – a 100% sustainable small batch collection with ingredients sourced locally. This collection could expand in future.

However, Parker explained that the business is now focusing on consolidating its portfolio, including its three new agency exclusives; plus its ten retail sites, with a focus on France and Italy as the top drivers of both volume and profit.

“When I started two and a half years ago, there was big focus on transforming Jeroboams’ trade division. It was successful. But we were not all necessarily aligned. We needed to go to the next level. Since then, we have been in a growth phase, which includes recruiting new people, and we have seen amazing growth across retail, private clients and trade. Now, we’re at the point where we’re all going in same direction,” she said.

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