Liberty Wines reflects on Autumn/Winter portfolio

By James Bayley

Published: 10 October, 2024

As the year’s final quarter unfolds, Liberty Wines remains committed to providing strong service and support across all departments, from sales to logistics. The company's recent Autumn/Winter tasting event highlighted the importance of offering a diverse range of high-quality wines to inspire consumer spending and maintain market leadership.

“Giving our customers every assistance and support to give consumers good reason to spend is why we are here,” Tom Platt, Liberty Wines CEO told Harpers. “We know that when we get this right, consumers will spend, as we saw earlier in the year with our Premium On-trade Report.”

Liberty’s recent Independent Off-Trade Wine Report shows positive trends for independent off-trade outlets, which have seen a 25% increase in sales since 2019, compared to just an 8% rise in supermarkets. “Indies and the premium on-trade engage consumers and make it worth them spending on good wine,” Platt (pictured) added. “We are here to support them in every way possible – through service, quality, and choice.”

Read more: Liberty Report: premium on-trade wine sales still below pre-Covid levels

Reflecting on the tasting’s focus, Platt acknowledged the strength of Liberty's current portfolio, stating that it doesn’t require a drastic overhaul. “The portfolio doesn’t need a revolution; it’s in a very strong place,” Platt said. “But when good producers come along, we can’t help but find room for them.”

Italy continues to be a primary focus, as evidenced by the recent accolade of IWC Italian Merchant of the Year. The tasting featured both long-standing favourites and new additions such as Tenuta Mazzolino, Mecori, and Mura Mura, showcasing the breadth and diversity of Italian wines.

Spain has seen significant growth within Liberty’s portfolio, showcasing an array of producers and regions. “Spain is a country where there’s been great excitement bubbling away for many years, and we’ve only scratched the surface of what it has to offer,” Platt said. Recent additions include Telmo Rodriguez’s Lanzaga project and Alvar de Dios, whose biodynamic and organic wines are rapidly gaining recognition. “We’ve always done well with the likes of Izadi and El Coto, but new projects like Telmo’s really show the diverse potential of the region.”

The tasting also introduced attendees to new producers from Burgundy, the UK and beyond. “We’re delighted to welcome Domaine Lignier-Michelot and Alain Chavy’s son, Corentin, to our list,” said Platt. “Their wines show the elegance and complexity of Burgundy, and we believe they will resonate with our customers.”

English wines, too, received attention with the addition of Langham Wine Estate and the Whitewolfe vineyard. “The quality of English wine is improving rapidly, and it’s great to be able to reflect that in our portfolio,” Platt added. “Our customers have responded very positively to these additions.”

In other regions, Gunderloch from Rheinhessen and Paulus Wine Co from South Africa have joined Liberty’s list, each bringing distinctive expressions of their terroirs to the portfolio. Liberty’s recent Australia category tasting also reinforced the strength and diversity of their Australian wine selection, with standout performances from House of Arras, Giant Steps and Nocturne.

Duty challenges and industry concerns

The tasting also provided an opportunity for Liberty Wines to address industry challenges, particularly the upcoming changes to duty regulations. “Ending the duty easement is a terrible idea,” Platt said. “It will raise no additional revenue for the government and could reduce duty receipts. For us, it means a hugely costly and complex administrative burden, which will ultimately lead to higher prices for customers.”

Platt explained that for many of their producers, adjusting alcohol levels just to reduce duty is not an option. “Our wines are made from fruit that is fully ripe, both from a flavour and physiological standpoint,” he said. “To pick at a lower ripeness level to be a bit cheaper on one market out of the 50-plus they deal with is simply not viable.”

“Taxing wine by abv could distort the wine market and undervalue the site-specific wines that we specialise in,” Platt added. “We need to communicate to our customers that it’s not about whether a wine is ‘better’ because it has a lower abv – it’s about the expression of grape, site, and climate. This is what makes wines like Gunderloch’s ‘Rothenberg’ Riesling and Mura Mura’s Barbaresco exceptional, not their alcohol content.”

Like many companies, Liberty fears this regulation could threaten to erode the diversity that best represents the world of wine.

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