I'm taking a break! Well, in a way I'm just working from a different location -- a different continent for three weeks -- but the plan is to wind down and recharge the batteries after a full-on couple of years.
I'm in Canada staying with friends for Christmas, and trying to catch up on some paperwork before what should be a huge 2010.
This year has already been massive, including landing a third container from Europe for Eurocentric Wine Imports in early December. It was a lot more trouble than it should have been, thanks to crazy shipping companies. I used Ziegler for my pickups this time, as they offered a quick, careful and inexpensive service. They also wanted to pack the container and ship the goods, so I let them to see how they went.
Well, they didn't fill the container for a start. They left out 150 cases! Granted I may have been ambitious, forgetting how much bigger Champagne and Burgundy bottles are than riesling bottles, but it seemed crazy that they left the back row stacked only halfway up, and throughout the container it looked like they could have gone one row higher.
At first I thought I would be paying storage for these 150 cases until I could get another full container organised out of Europe. But then I discovered a new service, where you can share space in a refrigerated container. It's an extra expense, but better than driving customers mad waiting for overdue stock. And I wanted to get it off Ziegler as soon as possible, thinking this all might have been a scheme to get more money out of me.
Then, the day before the container arrived, the customs clearance agents realised they didn't have the necessary paperwork. Why they didn't think about this earlier, they still won't say. The shippers said they'd send it by DHL, a useless courier company which managed to turn a three-day promise into a six-day non-delivery before I went and snatched the envelope off them. We dodged cancellation fees at the port and fortunately Ziegler picked up the bill for the courier and a day of storage, and finally the container was delivered on December 8.
Anyway, it was still nice and cold when we cracked it, and replenished stocks of René Geoffroy and Henri Billiot champagne, plus included David Léclapart champagne (biodynamic, zero dosage), Jean-Claude Bessin chablis, Jean-Marc Burgaud beaujolais, and 2007 Burgundy from Dupont-Tisserandot, Humbert Freres, Aurélien Verdet, Benoit Ente and Jean-Philippe Fichet.
Some of these have already been snapped up by Rockpool Bar & Grill, Bentley Bar & Restaurant, Aria and Ultimo Wine Centre in Sydney; the Royal Mail Hotel in Victoria; and the Wine Emporium and Enoteca 1889 in Brisbane.
I've hardly had a chance to show the wines yet and already I want to uplift another container in Europe -- this week! I'm hoping to get the go-ahead today for collections in Germany to bring out the 2008 rieslings from Willi Schaefer, Schloss Lieser, Reinhold Haart, Andreas Schmitges, Knebel, Schafer-Frohlich, Emrich-Schonleber and Rebholz, plus the first shipment from Van Volxem in the Saar, including 07s and 08s. There will also be some left-field wines -- sparkling riesling and pinot-chardonnay from Rebholz, as well as weissburgunder, grauburgunder, spatburgunder, dornfelder and gewurztraminer from various producers.
There will also be some very limited mixed dozens from Willi Schaefer -- just six of them, which will contain one bottle of a special 07 auction auslese, a very rare 08 auslese, the last of some other special 07s and the best of the 08s.
There will be other limited items, including back vintages from some of the top producers. The best way to get a heads-up on these is to subscribe to the Eurocentric newsletter at www.eurocentricwine.com.au
Hopefully the German container will land in Sydney by February 1 because it will contain a large parcel of the off-dry riesling Haart to Heart as a potential Valentine's Day gift. Maybe I should team up with a gift basket company on that one!
Next up, as soon as I can afford it, will be another container primarily out of France, but also including the first shipment from Carl von Schubert's Maximin Grunhaus and a mixed 1993/2008 shipment from Zilliken. The French portion will include champagne from Vouette et Sorbée, Chartogne-Taillet and Georges Laval for the first time; beaujolais from organic producer Roland Pignard; clean, lush and inexpensive Rhones from Domaine des Espiers; and gorgeous Burgundies from Drouhin-Laroze, David Clark and hopefully I can squeeze in a couple of others.
That might have to do us for a while! The warehouse is bulging, so I better concentrate on sales! Well, by the time I get back on January 13 I will have six weeks to sell, plus host Unison (NZ) boss Phillip Horn in Sydney and Melbourne, and hopefully do some German wine dinners with one or two producers on a flying visit.
Then it will be back off to Europe to sample the 2008s from France and the 2009s from Germany, plus attend the Grands Jours de Bourgogne trade show in Burgundy and finalise agreements to import one or two more boutique producers from the heart of the Cote de Nuits.
I better recover quickly because it seems like the pace isn't going to let up for a while yet!
However, I'm encouraged by surging sales, new restaurant listings and some others to be added soon, plus the blanket coverage achieved in WA by my agents Terra Wines. The Eurocentric website store is now fitted out to accept credit cards, and debtor finance will make it easier to deal with the cashflow challenges of introducing so many new producers to the market in quick succession.
Starting our third year, I'm more excited than ever and looking forward to bringing more great wine to those who appreciate quality at a fair price. There's no reason not to spoil yourself and try a few of these new gems.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wave goodbye to heat damage
If you've ever bought wine from an interstate cellar door or retailer, hopefully you've been told of a "heat policy" that delays delivery of wine at certain times of the year. Like right now.
With a heatwave gripping much of Australia, it's timely to consider what happens to wine when it's shipped with regular postal carriers or couriers.
There isn't much available in the way of specialised wine delivery service in this big brown land, and Australia Post is not only increasing its rates but slowing delivery times, in my opinion trying to force people to use their more expensive express service.
The lack of proper service is a real concern for Eurocentric Wine Imports, which has always had a "driving" concern about the heat-sensitive (or rather insensitive) handling of wine by some parties entrusted with its care. We use temperature-controlled trucks in Europe, a shipping container set at 14C for the duration of the journey from warehouse to warehouse across the high seas, and a 14C storage facility in Sydney. Transport across Australia has been the missing piece of the puzzle.
Where possible, Sydney deliveries are done in an airconditioned vehicle, but interstate despatches have required an eye on weather forecasts along the intended route. And we don't send wine interstate on Thursdays or Fridays to ensure it doesn't sit around in unsuitable conditions over the weekend.
This has come to a head with the 40C+ heat in the Adelaide region at the same time our Perth agency, Terra Wines, has been going gangbusters getting listings for Dombeya, Knebel, Emrich-Schonleber, Ployez-Jacquemart and others.
It seems every customer wants to list the wines -- and now. Terra quickly ran out of stock and put in an urgent request for a top-up, but we weren't about to ship (especially Champagne) when we knew the wine would be unprotected in the back of a truck for more than two days. OK, the trucks use two drivers and go virtually non-stop, but there is still a chance of heat damage as the wine cruises out of Sydney and thunders over to Adelaide, across the Nullarbor and into Perth.
Then, just when it looked like Adelaide was going to get some respite from the heat, the forecast for Sydney was several days of heat, and once that passes Perth is set for a temperature rise. And we're not even in summer yet!
Enough was enough, and after many frustrating phone calls to freight companies who admitted they couldn't deliver, we struck gold with a firm that does daily runs across the country. The Perth pallet was booked in, we get to choose a temperature down to 2C, the wines never leave that environment until they reach Terra's airconditioned warehouse, and everyone's happy.
We can also make temperature-controlled deliveries for order of eight cases or more to Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, and we'll be working on securing proper facilities there so we can store and dispatch smaller orders from each city, thus saving time and avoiding the risk of damage.
It's one of the reasons Eurocentric was formed -- to treat customers and their wine with the respect they deserve. We trust you'll appreciate the difference in your glass.
With a heatwave gripping much of Australia, it's timely to consider what happens to wine when it's shipped with regular postal carriers or couriers.
There isn't much available in the way of specialised wine delivery service in this big brown land, and Australia Post is not only increasing its rates but slowing delivery times, in my opinion trying to force people to use their more expensive express service.
The lack of proper service is a real concern for Eurocentric Wine Imports, which has always had a "driving" concern about the heat-sensitive (or rather insensitive) handling of wine by some parties entrusted with its care. We use temperature-controlled trucks in Europe, a shipping container set at 14C for the duration of the journey from warehouse to warehouse across the high seas, and a 14C storage facility in Sydney. Transport across Australia has been the missing piece of the puzzle.
Where possible, Sydney deliveries are done in an airconditioned vehicle, but interstate despatches have required an eye on weather forecasts along the intended route. And we don't send wine interstate on Thursdays or Fridays to ensure it doesn't sit around in unsuitable conditions over the weekend.
This has come to a head with the 40C+ heat in the Adelaide region at the same time our Perth agency, Terra Wines, has been going gangbusters getting listings for Dombeya, Knebel, Emrich-Schonleber, Ployez-Jacquemart and others.
It seems every customer wants to list the wines -- and now. Terra quickly ran out of stock and put in an urgent request for a top-up, but we weren't about to ship (especially Champagne) when we knew the wine would be unprotected in the back of a truck for more than two days. OK, the trucks use two drivers and go virtually non-stop, but there is still a chance of heat damage as the wine cruises out of Sydney and thunders over to Adelaide, across the Nullarbor and into Perth.
Then, just when it looked like Adelaide was going to get some respite from the heat, the forecast for Sydney was several days of heat, and once that passes Perth is set for a temperature rise. And we're not even in summer yet!
Enough was enough, and after many frustrating phone calls to freight companies who admitted they couldn't deliver, we struck gold with a firm that does daily runs across the country. The Perth pallet was booked in, we get to choose a temperature down to 2C, the wines never leave that environment until they reach Terra's airconditioned warehouse, and everyone's happy.
We can also make temperature-controlled deliveries for order of eight cases or more to Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, and we'll be working on securing proper facilities there so we can store and dispatch smaller orders from each city, thus saving time and avoiding the risk of damage.
It's one of the reasons Eurocentric was formed -- to treat customers and their wine with the respect they deserve. We trust you'll appreciate the difference in your glass.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
On the road again ...
I made a last-minute decision to postpone my European buying adventure and do an Australian selling adventure instead.
I packed the car with new-bought eskies (one holds 36 bottles and stays cool for days and the other holds about 12 bottles and runs on mains or car power) and set off after two hours' sleep for steamy Brisbane. Remarkably painless drive and even managed to make a few phonecalls via Bluetooth. Fair bit of roadworks but not too many delays.
After catching my breath in Brisbane I set off for Noosa and knocked on plenty of doors to see if anyone there wanted to drink decent wine over summer. Some said they had already done their summer shopping, others didn't have space, and others promised to order. If I was going there for a week, I would have eaten at Sails at Noosa Heads, the River House, Wasabi and Ricky's at Noosaville. Sails has several cellars and would be your best bet for a decent wine list.
Made contact with several contenders at Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra and emailed the catalogue and pre-arrival offer to 20 or more potential customers.
Then I hit Brisbane with very little time to organise anything. I started by sending out an email to every restaurant and retail address I had in town, and soon had appointments at Aria Brisbane, Wine Emporium, Cru Bar, Drinx/Grand Central Cellars, Festival Cellars, Bar Alto, Stewarts Wine Co, Enoteca 1889, Bar Barossa and Nectar.
Aria already has the 93 Zilliken spatlese and 06 Dupont-Tisserandot Fixin on its list but really needs much more red and white Burgundy, so I hope they buy up soon.
Tony Harper at WE seemed impressed with many of the wines and hopefully they will expand their Eurocentric offerings. Cru already take a few wines, namely Willi Schaefers and Alex Gambals (which they reordered), as well as Alluviale, Dada, Rene Geoffroy champagne and now the Benfield & Delamare bordeaux blend from Martinborough -- their first outlet in Australia!
Grand Central went for Dombeya shiraz and the bordeaux blend, and the Champagne Gallery ordered Henri Billiot as a Christmas treat for their loyal supporters.
Bar Alto boss Simon Hill is renovating his Isis Brasserie and relaunching with a new look and feel before Christmas and I am very hopeful of getting a good range of German riesling and gewurztraminer there, as well as the gorgeous Redoubt Hill pinot gris.
Better not jump the gun but I think Brisbane wine lovers will be able to find other Eurocentric wines in several other retail outlets soon.
WA has been going great guns through the agency Terra Wines, and after a week of driving through the Gold Coast, Byron, Coffs Harbour and Newcastle, I will seek to spread the love throughout NSW to Canberra, then Melbourne and Adelaide.
I'm counting on it all going well enough that I can sneak over to Europe in November.
I've also added a post on the www.eurocentricwine.com.au site showing the shipping movements expected over the next few months.
Redoubt Hill should be in the warehouse next week, about the time the new Dombeya wines set sail from Durban (I ship from there to avoid going through Singapore and a double equator crossing).
My focus now is on some quick sales to clear some space and raise money for three more containers planned from France and Germany. Sales have been going well for the first one, heavy on 07 Burgundy, with our two Chablis producers and two Beaujolais domaines to make their debuts, and David Leclapart's first 20 cases of champagne for Australia finally to get on board.
It's hot here in Brisbane. Perfect weather for Hawke's Bay sauvignon blanc or German riesling. And now I'm thirsty!
I packed the car with new-bought eskies (one holds 36 bottles and stays cool for days and the other holds about 12 bottles and runs on mains or car power) and set off after two hours' sleep for steamy Brisbane. Remarkably painless drive and even managed to make a few phonecalls via Bluetooth. Fair bit of roadworks but not too many delays.
After catching my breath in Brisbane I set off for Noosa and knocked on plenty of doors to see if anyone there wanted to drink decent wine over summer. Some said they had already done their summer shopping, others didn't have space, and others promised to order. If I was going there for a week, I would have eaten at Sails at Noosa Heads, the River House, Wasabi and Ricky's at Noosaville. Sails has several cellars and would be your best bet for a decent wine list.
Made contact with several contenders at Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra and emailed the catalogue and pre-arrival offer to 20 or more potential customers.
Then I hit Brisbane with very little time to organise anything. I started by sending out an email to every restaurant and retail address I had in town, and soon had appointments at Aria Brisbane, Wine Emporium, Cru Bar, Drinx/Grand Central Cellars, Festival Cellars, Bar Alto, Stewarts Wine Co, Enoteca 1889, Bar Barossa and Nectar.
Aria already has the 93 Zilliken spatlese and 06 Dupont-Tisserandot Fixin on its list but really needs much more red and white Burgundy, so I hope they buy up soon.
Tony Harper at WE seemed impressed with many of the wines and hopefully they will expand their Eurocentric offerings. Cru already take a few wines, namely Willi Schaefers and Alex Gambals (which they reordered), as well as Alluviale, Dada, Rene Geoffroy champagne and now the Benfield & Delamare bordeaux blend from Martinborough -- their first outlet in Australia!
Grand Central went for Dombeya shiraz and the bordeaux blend, and the Champagne Gallery ordered Henri Billiot as a Christmas treat for their loyal supporters.
Bar Alto boss Simon Hill is renovating his Isis Brasserie and relaunching with a new look and feel before Christmas and I am very hopeful of getting a good range of German riesling and gewurztraminer there, as well as the gorgeous Redoubt Hill pinot gris.
Better not jump the gun but I think Brisbane wine lovers will be able to find other Eurocentric wines in several other retail outlets soon.
WA has been going great guns through the agency Terra Wines, and after a week of driving through the Gold Coast, Byron, Coffs Harbour and Newcastle, I will seek to spread the love throughout NSW to Canberra, then Melbourne and Adelaide.
I'm counting on it all going well enough that I can sneak over to Europe in November.
I've also added a post on the www.eurocentricwine.com.au site showing the shipping movements expected over the next few months.
Redoubt Hill should be in the warehouse next week, about the time the new Dombeya wines set sail from Durban (I ship from there to avoid going through Singapore and a double equator crossing).
My focus now is on some quick sales to clear some space and raise money for three more containers planned from France and Germany. Sales have been going well for the first one, heavy on 07 Burgundy, with our two Chablis producers and two Beaujolais domaines to make their debuts, and David Leclapart's first 20 cases of champagne for Australia finally to get on board.
It's hot here in Brisbane. Perfect weather for Hawke's Bay sauvignon blanc or German riesling. And now I'm thirsty!
Monday, September 21, 2009
New shipment, new markets
After a frantic week last week, this week should be, well, frantic as well!
Last week I had Dombeya winemaker Rinie Strydom in town to celebrate the success of her Haskell Pillars Shiraz 07, which won the Tri Nations prize for best shiraz, best red and best wine of show. The 2007 Dombeya Chardonnay also won a gold medal.
We toured the Sydney restaurant and retail scene on Monday and Tuesday, cramming in 16 visits and securing several new markets, the best being an order for 30 cases of 2009 Sauvignon Blanc by Quay, Sydney's No.1-rated restaurant.
A groovy South African food store in Lane Cove called Springbok Delights took all three wines available and put their hand up for the three new releases -- the SB, a straight 2007 cabernet and a straight 2007 merlot.
Aria, near the Opera House, went for the 2006 Boulder Road Shiraz and 2005 Samara cabernet/merlot/malbec, while Bentley Bar went for the Samara and wants the SB as well.
The well-stocked Sackville Hotel Bottleshop at the top end of Darling St in Balmain/Rozelle loved all the wines and took the three available now, as did Cremorne Cellars, which is one of the best-looking wine stores in Sydney.
We expect orders from Tetsuya's and Galileo, too.
The SB, Cabernet and Merlot should be landing in Sydney in late October.
The rest of last week was taken up with drawing up a pre-arrival offer for the next shipment of wine out of France, containing lots of fabulous 2007 Burgundy, as well as our first Chablis and Beaujolais, with two boutique producers from each of those two regions. We'll also be getting more Billiot and Geoffroy rosé, and the first shipment from cult Champagne maker David Léclapart.
Arriving today, September 21, is some new wines and some fresh stocks from New Zealand. From Alluviale in Hawke's Bay comes the gold medal-winning 2007 Merlot Cabernet Franc and more stock of the moreish 2008 Alluviale Blanc. Unison top up their fabulous 2007 Gimblett Gravels Merlot and 2008 Rosé just in time for summer. Ash Ridge on nearby Ngatarawa Road move onto the gorgeous 2009 barrel-fermented reserve sauvignon blanc and the equally enticing 2007 reserve cabernet merlot.
From Benfield & Delamare comes our first Martinborough wine, the cult classic bordeaux blend from 2006, and there's just 25 cases for the country.
Next onto the boat from NZ will be fresh stocks of the 2006 Surveyor Thomson Single-Vineyard pinot noir from Central Otago, and our first delivery from new team member Redoubt Hill in Nelson, with crisp, fresh and fruity 2009 sauvignon blanc and 2009 pinot gris.
I'll be hitting the road this week to spread the word and find some new homes for these beauties. I'll drive to Brisbane on Friday and meet with the famous Book Club members for some Burgundy callibration first. From Monday I will work my way down from Noosa, then have a couple of days in Brisbane, a couple on the Gold Coast, and then Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and back to Sydney.
Then it'll be on to Canberra, Beechworth, the Yarra Valley, Melbourne and Adelaide, with a couple of sneaky side trips pencilled in.
Let me know if you have a fine wine store, wine bar or restaurant on this route that could do with some great boutique wines from some of the world's rising stars.
Europe might off the travel agenda for now, but I'm doing my best to bring a taste of it to our shores.
Last week I had Dombeya winemaker Rinie Strydom in town to celebrate the success of her Haskell Pillars Shiraz 07, which won the Tri Nations prize for best shiraz, best red and best wine of show. The 2007 Dombeya Chardonnay also won a gold medal.
We toured the Sydney restaurant and retail scene on Monday and Tuesday, cramming in 16 visits and securing several new markets, the best being an order for 30 cases of 2009 Sauvignon Blanc by Quay, Sydney's No.1-rated restaurant.
A groovy South African food store in Lane Cove called Springbok Delights took all three wines available and put their hand up for the three new releases -- the SB, a straight 2007 cabernet and a straight 2007 merlot.
Aria, near the Opera House, went for the 2006 Boulder Road Shiraz and 2005 Samara cabernet/merlot/malbec, while Bentley Bar went for the Samara and wants the SB as well.
The well-stocked Sackville Hotel Bottleshop at the top end of Darling St in Balmain/Rozelle loved all the wines and took the three available now, as did Cremorne Cellars, which is one of the best-looking wine stores in Sydney.
We expect orders from Tetsuya's and Galileo, too.
The SB, Cabernet and Merlot should be landing in Sydney in late October.
The rest of last week was taken up with drawing up a pre-arrival offer for the next shipment of wine out of France, containing lots of fabulous 2007 Burgundy, as well as our first Chablis and Beaujolais, with two boutique producers from each of those two regions. We'll also be getting more Billiot and Geoffroy rosé, and the first shipment from cult Champagne maker David Léclapart.
Arriving today, September 21, is some new wines and some fresh stocks from New Zealand. From Alluviale in Hawke's Bay comes the gold medal-winning 2007 Merlot Cabernet Franc and more stock of the moreish 2008 Alluviale Blanc. Unison top up their fabulous 2007 Gimblett Gravels Merlot and 2008 Rosé just in time for summer. Ash Ridge on nearby Ngatarawa Road move onto the gorgeous 2009 barrel-fermented reserve sauvignon blanc and the equally enticing 2007 reserve cabernet merlot.
From Benfield & Delamare comes our first Martinborough wine, the cult classic bordeaux blend from 2006, and there's just 25 cases for the country.
Next onto the boat from NZ will be fresh stocks of the 2006 Surveyor Thomson Single-Vineyard pinot noir from Central Otago, and our first delivery from new team member Redoubt Hill in Nelson, with crisp, fresh and fruity 2009 sauvignon blanc and 2009 pinot gris.
I'll be hitting the road this week to spread the word and find some new homes for these beauties. I'll drive to Brisbane on Friday and meet with the famous Book Club members for some Burgundy callibration first. From Monday I will work my way down from Noosa, then have a couple of days in Brisbane, a couple on the Gold Coast, and then Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and back to Sydney.
Then it'll be on to Canberra, Beechworth, the Yarra Valley, Melbourne and Adelaide, with a couple of sneaky side trips pencilled in.
Let me know if you have a fine wine store, wine bar or restaurant on this route that could do with some great boutique wines from some of the world's rising stars.
Europe might off the travel agenda for now, but I'm doing my best to bring a taste of it to our shores.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Online shopping up and running
I've had a website for my wine importing business for more than a year, but with the addition of a retail liquor licence in April, I cracked the whip on a friend to set up online shopping on that site.
The idea isn't to undercut the retailers who support my producers, but to offer consumers the wines that aren't being offered anywhere else, such as very small allocations, bin ends, and very rare wines that might not otherwise find a home at a full retail price.
The store is up and running now, although improvements will continue to be made. I've finished adjusting prices and adding reviews to the product descriptions, and my friend has taken bottle shots and hopes to upload them this weekend.
Ideally I would like orders in straight dozens because then I don't need to handle the wine, reducing the cost of time and the chance of breakages. But in reality orders can be one bottle of each wine up to a minimum order of six bottles of champagne or 12 bottles of wine.
This gives people the opportunity to mix and match, try all sorts of new styles and producers, or share a sampler pack with friends.
I will probably tweak discounts from time to time and offer special trial packs, but for now you can enter the word "dozen" at the checkout stage to receive a 10% discount on the total order. Remember, many of these items are already at a lower price than retail, so the savings are substantial.
Payment is via direct deposit, so you place your order, await email confirmation and an invoice, pay the account and then wait for the mailman with your delivery. Postage rates are very reasonable to the eastern metropolitan areas but a little steeper to SA and WA. Order four dozen or more and we will waive the fee altogether. Insurance is available at $2.80 per $100 value.
Meanwhile, Terra Wines has made a great start to distribution in WA and Eurocentric wines will soon start to grace the wine lists of several restaurants and wine bars, as well as the shelves of adventurous retailers.
I will soon be hitting the road to Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide to try to improve the takeup rate in those areas. Whether I make it to Europe in time for the German riesling auctions -- where the best wines of the 2008 vintage will be shown and sold -- depends on whether I see a sudden influx of orders and payments.
I'd certainly like to be there to try the cream of the crop, to finalise orders from the big Eurocentric team in Germany, to visit a new Champagne producer, catch up with the latest from Burgundy and to meet one of the leaders from the resurgent Beaujolais wine scene.
The idea isn't to undercut the retailers who support my producers, but to offer consumers the wines that aren't being offered anywhere else, such as very small allocations, bin ends, and very rare wines that might not otherwise find a home at a full retail price.
The store is up and running now, although improvements will continue to be made. I've finished adjusting prices and adding reviews to the product descriptions, and my friend has taken bottle shots and hopes to upload them this weekend.
Ideally I would like orders in straight dozens because then I don't need to handle the wine, reducing the cost of time and the chance of breakages. But in reality orders can be one bottle of each wine up to a minimum order of six bottles of champagne or 12 bottles of wine.
This gives people the opportunity to mix and match, try all sorts of new styles and producers, or share a sampler pack with friends.
I will probably tweak discounts from time to time and offer special trial packs, but for now you can enter the word "dozen" at the checkout stage to receive a 10% discount on the total order. Remember, many of these items are already at a lower price than retail, so the savings are substantial.
Payment is via direct deposit, so you place your order, await email confirmation and an invoice, pay the account and then wait for the mailman with your delivery. Postage rates are very reasonable to the eastern metropolitan areas but a little steeper to SA and WA. Order four dozen or more and we will waive the fee altogether. Insurance is available at $2.80 per $100 value.
Meanwhile, Terra Wines has made a great start to distribution in WA and Eurocentric wines will soon start to grace the wine lists of several restaurants and wine bars, as well as the shelves of adventurous retailers.
I will soon be hitting the road to Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide to try to improve the takeup rate in those areas. Whether I make it to Europe in time for the German riesling auctions -- where the best wines of the 2008 vintage will be shown and sold -- depends on whether I see a sudden influx of orders and payments.
I'd certainly like to be there to try the cream of the crop, to finalise orders from the big Eurocentric team in Germany, to visit a new Champagne producer, catch up with the latest from Burgundy and to meet one of the leaders from the resurgent Beaujolais wine scene.
Monday, August 3, 2009
New producers and online shopping
Very remiss of me not to update you more regularly. If I ever end up in hospital and have use of my arms (or preferably a remote location with power and internet access), I will spend some of the time catching up on months of tasting notes!
There are two main snippets of news to share right now:
I have secured the Australian distribution rights for Martinborough, NZ, boutique producer Benfield and Delamare. I've been allocated 25 cases of the delicious 2006 vintage of their top wine, a merlot-cabernet franc blend. It is an elegant, enticing wine, plummy and perfumed with what I would call fruits of the forest -- blackberries, blueberries, wild strawberries even.
And the website for my business -- www.eurocentricwine.com.au -- now has an online store so that the Australian public can browse and choose from the complete range. Retailers obviously pick and choose through the portfolio according to what they believe their customers will buy, and some great wines have until this point been overlooked. There are also some rare and very expensive German sweet wines that might find favour with a collector or parent wanting to tuck away birth-year gifts for well into the future.
Special introductory mixed dozens are yet to be listed, but you can mix and match single bottles of your own choosing to a minimum order of one dozen and enjoy at least 10% off the total price.
Payment is by means of direct bank transfer of cheque, although the latter must be cleared before goods will be shipped.
The website now also carries a downloadable PDF catalogue with notes on producers and many international independent reviews of the wines. The monthly newsletter will also soon be available as an archive.
I will be busy in Sydney for the next two weeks, with plans to show wines to interested retailers and restaurants on Thursday, August 6. I will be in New Zealand from August 14-31, primarily to catch up with the North Island producers and try their next releases.
I aim to make quick visits to Brisbane and Melbourne in September and then go to Europe by about the 23rd. The VDP German riesling auctions are a great way to taste the best the 2008 vintage has to offer, plus secure some very limited edition gems and catch up with the 11 winemakers I import from.
If I manage to go, I will stay for a month and see some new Champagne prospects, taste the 2008s in Burgundy, and meet my new Beaujolais producer, Roland Pignard.
There are plans for a shipment of wine out of France in September if the finances come together. That shipment would include Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis and Beaujolais.
Another shipment out of Germany would bring Maximin Grunhaus and Van Volxem wines here for the first time, plus the 2008s from Willi Schaefer, Schloss Lieser, Rebholz, Emrich-Schonleber, Schafer-Frohlich and perhaps the rest of the team there.
Champagne has been the hot ticket lately, with Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney lapping up the Rene Geoffroy Empreinte, while Aria, which won the Good Food Guide wine list of the year award in 2009, proved their good taste in opting to list the Geoffroy Rosé de Saignée by the glass and bottle.
Stocks are low of red Burgundies until the 2007s arrive, but there are some fantastic New Zealand reds available now, and ample riesling and white Burgundy to suit the white wine lovers.
And so this brief note turns into another epistle ... I'm off for now, but please check out the website. I'd not only appreciate your custom but your feedback.
Cheers!
Neville
There are two main snippets of news to share right now:
I have secured the Australian distribution rights for Martinborough, NZ, boutique producer Benfield and Delamare. I've been allocated 25 cases of the delicious 2006 vintage of their top wine, a merlot-cabernet franc blend. It is an elegant, enticing wine, plummy and perfumed with what I would call fruits of the forest -- blackberries, blueberries, wild strawberries even.
And the website for my business -- www.eurocentricwine.com.au -- now has an online store so that the Australian public can browse and choose from the complete range. Retailers obviously pick and choose through the portfolio according to what they believe their customers will buy, and some great wines have until this point been overlooked. There are also some rare and very expensive German sweet wines that might find favour with a collector or parent wanting to tuck away birth-year gifts for well into the future.
Special introductory mixed dozens are yet to be listed, but you can mix and match single bottles of your own choosing to a minimum order of one dozen and enjoy at least 10% off the total price.
Payment is by means of direct bank transfer of cheque, although the latter must be cleared before goods will be shipped.
The website now also carries a downloadable PDF catalogue with notes on producers and many international independent reviews of the wines. The monthly newsletter will also soon be available as an archive.
I will be busy in Sydney for the next two weeks, with plans to show wines to interested retailers and restaurants on Thursday, August 6. I will be in New Zealand from August 14-31, primarily to catch up with the North Island producers and try their next releases.
I aim to make quick visits to Brisbane and Melbourne in September and then go to Europe by about the 23rd. The VDP German riesling auctions are a great way to taste the best the 2008 vintage has to offer, plus secure some very limited edition gems and catch up with the 11 winemakers I import from.
If I manage to go, I will stay for a month and see some new Champagne prospects, taste the 2008s in Burgundy, and meet my new Beaujolais producer, Roland Pignard.
There are plans for a shipment of wine out of France in September if the finances come together. That shipment would include Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis and Beaujolais.
Another shipment out of Germany would bring Maximin Grunhaus and Van Volxem wines here for the first time, plus the 2008s from Willi Schaefer, Schloss Lieser, Rebholz, Emrich-Schonleber, Schafer-Frohlich and perhaps the rest of the team there.
Champagne has been the hot ticket lately, with Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney lapping up the Rene Geoffroy Empreinte, while Aria, which won the Good Food Guide wine list of the year award in 2009, proved their good taste in opting to list the Geoffroy Rosé de Saignée by the glass and bottle.
Stocks are low of red Burgundies until the 2007s arrive, but there are some fantastic New Zealand reds available now, and ample riesling and white Burgundy to suit the white wine lovers.
And so this brief note turns into another epistle ... I'm off for now, but please check out the website. I'd not only appreciate your custom but your feedback.
Cheers!
Neville
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Sleepless in Sydney
Well, it's kind of nice to be in the one place for a little while, because the second half of the year is shaping up to be quite hectic.
I've just done a lap of the right-hand side of Australia (OK, I went to the three biggest cities outside Sydney) to show off some of the new arrivals and "old" favourites from the first shipment.
Straight back from NZ I went to Melbourne, starting with a Central Otago tasting at Prince Wine Store in South Melbourne, where I helped Sharon Flavell on the Surveyor Thomson stand. We got a lot of good feedback for the 06 pinot, which is sealed under diam reconstituted cork. The 07 was out and about for a sneak preview. Some of it was sealed under diam, the bulk under screwcap, but right now the diam-sealed is the better bottle. I think the screwcap will have caught up by the time it is released in November.
It was a pretty big turnout and a tiring day coming on top of about two hours' sleep as I printed catalogues, prepared materials and caught a 6am flight ... I stayed with friends in the Yarra Valley for the next two nights and then ventured back to the big smoke for a trade tasting at Comme. Well, only 13 of the 25 trade who confirmed for the Central Otago masterclass bothered to turn up, and there was only a handful of other trade who came along to taste. It was a shocking result for the region. Melbourne seems to be hurting a bit more than it is letting on, and I have heard more than a dozen restaurants are banned from buying wine from other suppliers because of non-payment of bills.
I left there and went to the Albert Park Hotel, where I had a beautiful room upstairs for my first trade tasting of the year. Again, the turnout was disappointing. Many who said they would come didn't, most with valid reasons: doctors stuck in surgery, lawyers stuck in court, retailers swamped with work. The feedback from the punters was fantastic though: the champagnes from Billiot, Geoffroy and Ployez all found many new fans, and the lineup of 20 or so rieslings was like a masterclass of nine producers, from dry to auslese goldcap.
I bundled up all the leftovers for a major retailer to try the next day, and prepared for leg two in Brisbane. I went straight from the airport to the next Central Otago session, trade followed by public at the same venue. These were both well supported and the feedback very popular. Punters would come back and say the Surveyor Thomson pinot was in their top two or three of the day, and at $45 retail it's good value.
The next day, Wednesday, June 17, I held my own tasting at Monsoon in Fortitude Valley. There wasn't a huge turnout but they were quality customers -- a guy who owns a couple of top restaurants spent a fair bit of time there, as did the whole team from the Wine Emporium in a couple of shifts. Cru Bar + Cellar staff tasted widely and ordered strongly, and wine critic and writer Tyson Stelzer took lots of notes and will be publishing some in the next WBM100 magazine. There's a 94, a 95 and a 96-pointer in there from him, which I'm mildly pleased about ;-) There was also a great crew of customers from the Champagne Gallery who call themselves FOCers - Friends of Champagne. The head honcho described herself as the Mother-FOCer. 8-)
Went back to Sydney to regroup and plan the next tasting on Monday, June 22. Again, lots of no shows from trade ... it seems I will virtually have to go door to door to catch the attention of some sommeliers, which is rather time consuming and less productive for all concerned. At this tasting I had more than 50 wines open, and if I was going door to door I would take just six to 10.
The extras this time were the new Ash Ridge and Unison wines from Hawke's Bay, plus a preview of Stephane Aladame's Cremant de Bourgogne -- bubbles from outside the Champagne region -- and some 07 Burgundies. The Alex Gambal Deux Papis bourgogne rouge is a gorgeous little wine and will be a hit later this year. The Camille Giroud 1er crus also had people reaching for their wallets, but they will have to wait for the next container too!
The feedback again was excellent -- a sommelier from an Italian restaurant who came to try the champagnes succumbed to temptation and tried some rieslings, and was stunned. He wanted to not like them but couldn't resist and said he would have to add some to his wine list! Woohoo.
The last stop was Adelaide. There was some confusion as to who was going to invite the trade (I'm being diplomatic), so I hit the phones on Sunday and tried to round up as many people as possible. Got a good public turnout and more valuable feedback. People loved the champagnes, the Hawke's Bay syrahs, Alluviale's merlot-cabernet franc, the Dombeya wines and different rieslings won over different people, which is exactly how it should be.
The venue was nice but I didn't like being charged $200 for a staff member who went home before the tasting started! And they are resisting my calls for a refund. They haven't heard the end of this.
The next day was windy and stormy but I eventually tore myself away from the comfort of Alex Romanee Conti's house to go to McLaren Vale. I showed a few wines to Fino (they seemed to love everything) and Salopian Inn. Couple of top eateries there. I almost bought a place in MV once and would still love to live down that way. As well as the house in Burgundy of course ;-)
Back to Sydney, I ran myself ragged with a sleepless night from illness and an early flight. For the first time in I don't know how long I couldn't sleep on the plane, and then it was into a hectic seven-stop tasting tour with Philip Horn from Unison and Chris Wilcock from Ash Ridge. Their presence opened the door at some new retailers, and the wines were well received all day (as well as at five more stores the next day). Already they are for sale at Wine Culture in Roseville, Best Cellars in East Sydney, Vintage Blue in Kent St and as of tomorrow will be at the fabulous new Rockpool Bar & Grill in Hunter St.
We had dinner that night with friends at A'Mews on Glebe Pt Road to show how food friendly the wines were ... Richard Moyser did exceptionally well (on his birthday) to match dishes to wines he hadn't even tasted!
I'm never without plenty of work to do ... and I have to make the most of the new financial year to ring up some good sales as the pressure is on from Europe to settle bills and pay for the next shipment. I would love to get this 20-foot container of Champagne and Burgundy -- including my first Beaujolais and two Chablis -- here by October, in time for the warmer weather.
What's next? An agency is about to start pushing the range in Perth, which is well overdue, and I will sneak out to Canberra and Newcastle to show any interested restaurants and retailers a few bottles. In mid-August I will head to NZ to try new releases from Alluviale, Ash Ridge and Unison, and in September I hope to go back to Europe to try new wines, attend the German riesling auctions (for the rare few sweeter wines of the 08 vintage), try to find a northern Rhone bargain to import, and seal the deal with a couple more cult Champagne producers.
Stay tuned.
I've just done a lap of the right-hand side of Australia (OK, I went to the three biggest cities outside Sydney) to show off some of the new arrivals and "old" favourites from the first shipment.
Straight back from NZ I went to Melbourne, starting with a Central Otago tasting at Prince Wine Store in South Melbourne, where I helped Sharon Flavell on the Surveyor Thomson stand. We got a lot of good feedback for the 06 pinot, which is sealed under diam reconstituted cork. The 07 was out and about for a sneak preview. Some of it was sealed under diam, the bulk under screwcap, but right now the diam-sealed is the better bottle. I think the screwcap will have caught up by the time it is released in November.
It was a pretty big turnout and a tiring day coming on top of about two hours' sleep as I printed catalogues, prepared materials and caught a 6am flight ... I stayed with friends in the Yarra Valley for the next two nights and then ventured back to the big smoke for a trade tasting at Comme. Well, only 13 of the 25 trade who confirmed for the Central Otago masterclass bothered to turn up, and there was only a handful of other trade who came along to taste. It was a shocking result for the region. Melbourne seems to be hurting a bit more than it is letting on, and I have heard more than a dozen restaurants are banned from buying wine from other suppliers because of non-payment of bills.
I left there and went to the Albert Park Hotel, where I had a beautiful room upstairs for my first trade tasting of the year. Again, the turnout was disappointing. Many who said they would come didn't, most with valid reasons: doctors stuck in surgery, lawyers stuck in court, retailers swamped with work. The feedback from the punters was fantastic though: the champagnes from Billiot, Geoffroy and Ployez all found many new fans, and the lineup of 20 or so rieslings was like a masterclass of nine producers, from dry to auslese goldcap.
I bundled up all the leftovers for a major retailer to try the next day, and prepared for leg two in Brisbane. I went straight from the airport to the next Central Otago session, trade followed by public at the same venue. These were both well supported and the feedback very popular. Punters would come back and say the Surveyor Thomson pinot was in their top two or three of the day, and at $45 retail it's good value.
The next day, Wednesday, June 17, I held my own tasting at Monsoon in Fortitude Valley. There wasn't a huge turnout but they were quality customers -- a guy who owns a couple of top restaurants spent a fair bit of time there, as did the whole team from the Wine Emporium in a couple of shifts. Cru Bar + Cellar staff tasted widely and ordered strongly, and wine critic and writer Tyson Stelzer took lots of notes and will be publishing some in the next WBM100 magazine. There's a 94, a 95 and a 96-pointer in there from him, which I'm mildly pleased about ;-) There was also a great crew of customers from the Champagne Gallery who call themselves FOCers - Friends of Champagne. The head honcho described herself as the Mother-FOCer. 8-)
Went back to Sydney to regroup and plan the next tasting on Monday, June 22. Again, lots of no shows from trade ... it seems I will virtually have to go door to door to catch the attention of some sommeliers, which is rather time consuming and less productive for all concerned. At this tasting I had more than 50 wines open, and if I was going door to door I would take just six to 10.
The extras this time were the new Ash Ridge and Unison wines from Hawke's Bay, plus a preview of Stephane Aladame's Cremant de Bourgogne -- bubbles from outside the Champagne region -- and some 07 Burgundies. The Alex Gambal Deux Papis bourgogne rouge is a gorgeous little wine and will be a hit later this year. The Camille Giroud 1er crus also had people reaching for their wallets, but they will have to wait for the next container too!
The feedback again was excellent -- a sommelier from an Italian restaurant who came to try the champagnes succumbed to temptation and tried some rieslings, and was stunned. He wanted to not like them but couldn't resist and said he would have to add some to his wine list! Woohoo.
The last stop was Adelaide. There was some confusion as to who was going to invite the trade (I'm being diplomatic), so I hit the phones on Sunday and tried to round up as many people as possible. Got a good public turnout and more valuable feedback. People loved the champagnes, the Hawke's Bay syrahs, Alluviale's merlot-cabernet franc, the Dombeya wines and different rieslings won over different people, which is exactly how it should be.
The venue was nice but I didn't like being charged $200 for a staff member who went home before the tasting started! And they are resisting my calls for a refund. They haven't heard the end of this.
The next day was windy and stormy but I eventually tore myself away from the comfort of Alex Romanee Conti's house to go to McLaren Vale. I showed a few wines to Fino (they seemed to love everything) and Salopian Inn. Couple of top eateries there. I almost bought a place in MV once and would still love to live down that way. As well as the house in Burgundy of course ;-)
Back to Sydney, I ran myself ragged with a sleepless night from illness and an early flight. For the first time in I don't know how long I couldn't sleep on the plane, and then it was into a hectic seven-stop tasting tour with Philip Horn from Unison and Chris Wilcock from Ash Ridge. Their presence opened the door at some new retailers, and the wines were well received all day (as well as at five more stores the next day). Already they are for sale at Wine Culture in Roseville, Best Cellars in East Sydney, Vintage Blue in Kent St and as of tomorrow will be at the fabulous new Rockpool Bar & Grill in Hunter St.
We had dinner that night with friends at A'Mews on Glebe Pt Road to show how food friendly the wines were ... Richard Moyser did exceptionally well (on his birthday) to match dishes to wines he hadn't even tasted!
I'm never without plenty of work to do ... and I have to make the most of the new financial year to ring up some good sales as the pressure is on from Europe to settle bills and pay for the next shipment. I would love to get this 20-foot container of Champagne and Burgundy -- including my first Beaujolais and two Chablis -- here by October, in time for the warmer weather.
What's next? An agency is about to start pushing the range in Perth, which is well overdue, and I will sneak out to Canberra and Newcastle to show any interested restaurants and retailers a few bottles. In mid-August I will head to NZ to try new releases from Alluviale, Ash Ridge and Unison, and in September I hope to go back to Europe to try new wines, attend the German riesling auctions (for the rare few sweeter wines of the 08 vintage), try to find a northern Rhone bargain to import, and seal the deal with a couple more cult Champagne producers.
Stay tuned.
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