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Hallgarten prioritises style over region

The event took place at London’s Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, complete with ambient lighting and an array of fine wines arranged by style, as opposed to region or grape.

A total of 230 people, a significant increase on the 150 attendees last year, journeyed through the range crafted by the Hallgarten buying team, Steve Daniel and Beverly Tabbron MW. The decision to sort by style was made due to a combination of factors.

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“We’re always looking for alternatives to classics, because the classics can be hard to find for various reasons – there have been some terrible vintages, global warming is having an impact and prices are going up coupled with an increase in worldwide demand,” said Daniel.

However, the choice to arrange by style was also consumer-driven, Daniel continued: “Often consumers shop with a badge in mind, like Chablis, because it’s easy to remember, but it’s often quite expensive so it’s our job to find alternatives similar in profile to Chablis for consumers to try.

“So we’ve been looking at different areas, regions that haven’t been as impacted by global warming, or where significant strides have been made in terms of technology and winemaking techniques. For example, the Mediterranean, Roussillon and Languedoc: these places don’t seem to have been impacted as much by global warming and the quality of winemaking has improved enormously.”

The quest for alternative regions and grape varieties lends itself well to a tasting dictated by style, and Daniel hopes his penchant for Greek wines will rub off on customers as a result.

“In Greece, you’re finding grape varieties that are not Chardonnay, not Sauvignon Blanc, not Merlot and not Cabernet. If people are having to crunch their wine list down from 200 to 80 – how do you make a dynamic list if it’s just Sauvignon and Cabernet?”

As a leading supplier to the on-trade, Hallgarten introduced a ‘duty respite’ initiative over the summer, which meant the business covered the duty increase on 200 of its wines, so clients could go through the summer without changing their wine lists. This allowed customers to change their lists when they normally would ahead of the Christmas period. 

Conversations around duty have taken place between Hallgarten and its producers, which might have an impact on the makeup of its range in the years to come. With the hikes penalising higher abv wines the most, producers and suppliers alike are exploring options around low alcohol wines. This, of course, coincides with a wider consumer trend in low abv wines, which further lends itself to a style rather than region-orientated approach.

“We’re putting the feelers out to producers, and asking if they can lower abv without impacting the quality of the liquid, and we are surprised at how quick the industry is switching, we expected most producers to throw their hands up and say ‘it’s not our problem’,” said Daniel.

“If you are a small artisanal producer in a warm climate, it’s going to be difficult to get your alcohol down, and why should they do it anyway? But, if you are a big producer with technology and money at your disposal, you might be able to make a change,” he added.

The tasting also had a focus on sustainability, as Hallgarten showcased its ‘Eco Standard’ which highlights the producers in its portfolio with industry-leading eco credentials. As a result, all producers were graded according to Hallgarten’s own sustainability standards, with scores ranging from Gold, Silver and Bronze to ‘Developing’.

Highlights from Hallgarten’s new additions included:

Drama-based Greek producer, Oenops Wines

Swartland-based Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards

Bruce Jack Winery’s ‘Off the Charts’ range

Family-owned Piedmont producer, Pedemontis

• Hallgarten
• steve daniel
• Alcohol tax
• Smith & Wollensky
• Beverly Tabbron MW
• Greek Wines