 The 2021 Utopos Collection: The survey is closed with most voters opting for either a May or June release date with the minority wishing to see an immediate release. Accordingly, and bowing to the masses, we will release the entire collection on Friday 26 May. This will be a short run offer (closing 9:00am Monday 5 June) as we need to organise the shipping. We envisage shipping all pre-orders along with a little stock later that month / early July. Delivery to the UK will be mid-end-September. It’s too early to provide precise shipping / delivery details as vessel bookings happen on a week-to-week basis. As promised, those who took part in the survey will receive 48-hours advance notice to purchase and to see the collection in full. A look back at ten years of The Vinorium was promised this weekend. Forgive me, my timings were overly ambitious as collating all the photos / images / statistics and bringing a decade of wine life together requires a little more time than I had envisaged. Another week or two will do it... Again, I must thank you for all your 2021 Standish orders – the late flurry brought sales in line with the 2020 collection which is a fabulous outcome. Equally, and whilst I continue with my Oscar speech – I must thank you for purchasing so much Zalto glassware. The sales astonish me as, and regardless of volumes purchased by us, time-after-time, we sell out and super-quickly. Did you know that we have sold £333,600 (circa 8,300+ stems) of Zalto glassware since we introduced them to Vinorium customers. Quite amazing, don’t you think? Often, we scoff at our Zalto to wine sales. Some days / weeks, we sell more glassware than wine, which I suppose is less flattering. Personally, Zalto has revolutionised my wine drinking. Moreover, they are an investment as savvy drinkers can increase drinking pleasure whilst reducing bottle costs. Serving temperature and using the correct glass is key. Equally, and certainly not to be overlooked is your own preferences. Try serving Aylesbury’s Chardonnay or their wonderfully delicious Gamay in Zalto’s Burgundy and Bordeaux glasses. Is it the same wine? Which wine / varietal to glass style do you prefer? This is the critical point for me. Often, and when sampling, we serve the same wine in several glasses as the outcome / evolution of that wine is profoundly different and is the reason we provide a specific glass recommendation within our tasting notes… By way of an example – a customer kindly wrote the following 5-star tasting note for the Aylesbury Gamay, “Beautiful fresh and acidic Gamay. needs a fair amount of decanting to open up.” Of course, no, two palates are the same (even professionals) however, I hone onto the ‘acidic’ word. Put this wine into a Zalto Burgundy glass (with little to no prior aeration) and sit back and swoon in layers of silky and seamless deliciousness. Anyhow, we are almost sold-out of glassware (again!) Murmurings from the UK and Aussie wine trade… Post Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget, the price of a bottle of wine will rise by 44 pence as the result of alcohol duties rising with inflation. Alcohol and tobacco have always been an easy target and this comes as no surprise. This marks the biggest increase on wine duty in the UK since 1975. Unwelcome news. This neatly leads me onto the matter of the long promised free trade agreement between the UK and Australia which could be finalised by the end of March, according to the British High Commissioner. Combine the above, the cost-of-living-crisis and every conceivable price increase, and this trade deal really amounts to nothing. Another headline grabbing quote, ‘A free trade deal that is predicted to boost trade by more than £10 billion is inching ever closer to the finish line, ministers have reported.’ What’s the saying, ‘Hot air always blows in the wrong direction…’ Of course, this deal goes above and beyond wine, but Aussie wine is our speciality and that’s our focus. What is the likely impact on wine prices? Surely, we will all enjoy price reductions? In short, no. In long, don’t be so daft. In fact, and specifically to wine, prices have increased over 2020 / 2021 to current and exports have fallen. Essentially, the wrong people are involved – the communication from the UK is woefully bland and very few have the balls to sit there and talk honest, commercial sense. Those representing the Aussie wine industry bow to political correctness, which and as we all know, is on a higher level of patheticness. The last sentence is backed-up by every producer we represent. Currently, everything and I reiterate ‘everything’ is against an immediate increase in UK imports of Aussie wines. Sourcing glass bottles and their costs have shot-up, quality cork shortages, quality, French barrel shortages and time frames for delivery, a poor FX rate (albeit we are seeing a little surge which is great), consumer buying behaviour has / is changing as a direct consequence of the cost-of-living-crisis, price increases from producers creates a melting pot of reduced exports and UK sales. From the start of 2023 we have been inundated by Aussie producers seeking a new home in the UK. There are a few who we are actively committing to and would love to share their wonderful wines with you all however, the emphasis is on the ‘few’ which is rather sad. Hello wonderful trade deal makers - Where is the support for UK importers? Where is the incentive to bring new, Aussie producers to market? Zilch, in a word… Out of interest, I contacted a UK specialist wine shipper this week – one who I know and one I have previously worked with. I requested a quote for four pallets to be collected from the port of Adelaide and to be delivered to our UK bond. Their cost is substantially more than I paid for a full, 10-pallet, 20ft container that I shipped from Freemantle in November ’22. Standish ’21 prices would have increased by £10-£15 per case if I were forced to absorb these costs… Sadly, there is an obvious gap between reality and headline grabbing fantasy. This week, the annual independent wine merchant report was unveiled, which is always a fascinating read. I always make a point in taking part (as did a further 217 indies which represents circa 25% of independent wine merchants in the UK)… Despite sales taking a knock, independents remain upbeat about their prospects in the coming year. However, the proportion of indies feeling gloomy about the year hit a new high, with 13% saying they are fairly pessimistic and 2% declaring they are very pessimistic. 12% remain very optimistic and 39% fairly optimistic. Almost four in 10 report a decline in sales over the past year. The same proportion reported an increase. The average bottle of still wine sold by indies now stands at £15.70 compared to a market average of £6.35. The average basket spend is down by 41 pence to £52.20. You can now understand the big issue of duty increases. How do we stack-up against these figures? 1st April 2022 to 14th March 2023: Our average order / basket sits at £255.83. We have excluded trade figures as this would elevate the number. The average bottle of still wine sold by us sits around £30. Previously north of £35. We side with the other 39% as we feel ‘fairly optimistic’ about the year ahead. We also reported a decline in sales against our financial year ended, 31 December 2021. We took the deliberate position of retracting communications / new offers / new wines etc post the awful invasion of Ukraine. The ensuing problems thereafter resulted in the team and I feeling uncomfortable about the luxury subject of wine. Granted, commercially we paid the price however, morally, we are happy with our decision and that’s all that counts… Collectively, 8.5% of indie's sales come by way of online channels, which and as reported, reflects consumer behaviour and a more professional approach by many. Vinorium income is almost entirely generated by online channels. Grumbles from indies remain unchanged; lazy reps who lack business intelligence, lost allocations post lockdown (now restaurants are open), suppliers not shouldering any blame for mistakes. My long commentary on the multiple Gallo cocks-ups (a lost pallet of wine, incorrect labels applied, every order delivered with missing wine etc etc) failed to get a mention, which is odd given the enormity of the ongoing issues. I imagine their regular sponsorship / advertising in this publication may have something to do with it. That said, they have bills to pay and must take this into consideration… It would be rude not to mention that many indies have openly praised many importers and the reps / friends who work for them. Two further questions posed to all indies:
Point 1: Bias aside, there is clearly much work to be done as Australia not only offers world-class wine (covering many varietals) but provides enormous depth in terms of styles and regionality. Educational issues which require serious attention. Point 2: Importers must shoulder some responsibility however, they have a larger portfolio to sell-through, whereas those specifically employed to increase the footprint of Australian wines in the UK are clearly failing. The lack of financial support is the crux, and it is not down to the importer to fund campaigns (unless they receive specific funding themselves). Why would an independent merchant sit on Aussie stock if the sales are so poor? They wouldn’t and do not… Consequently, and specific to the current economic conditions plus the feeling amongst many independent wine merchants – where is the incentive for importers to bring more, new Aussie wines to the UK market? Let’s be brutally honest – posh tastings look great and tick one box however, in reality, they are superficial. A pool of funding is required and until this changes, many Aussie producers seeking a new home in the UK will struggle.  DPD Warning: We can receive, pick and pack an order within minutes of receiving the same. Dispatching via DPD is consistently proving to be the thorn in our heel. More specifically, they consistently fail to arrive for our pre-agreed afternoon collection. We’ve had several, marvellous drivers who have made our lives a pleasure however, DPD has lost them all, which was entirely avoidable if they showed respect to their super-hard-working drivers. This is a rural delivery and collection route that requires driver skill, speed and absolute mapping knowledge. Weekly new drivers fail miserably. Yesterday (Monday 13), our ‘new’ driver left the depot around 10:00am with 80-drops before us. Our collection is planned for 3-4pm. He arrived at our HQ at 6:30pm, to an empty office. We receive a regular morning collection which helps with all orders, post the previous days 3:00pm cut-off. Of course, this doesn’t help with orders placed after his departure. Yes, we are kicking-up a stink however, our message is falling on deaf ears. Last year – the depot manager told me, “If you want a better service, find another courier.” Charming! DPD base customer importance on the number of parcels collected and delivered rather than their respective value. So, we languish in the hopeless swamps of mediocrity… We will continue to fight. If you require ‘guaranteed’ next day deliveryUntil we meet with more success, may I ask you all to make sure your order is placed by 10:00 am as this will enable the team and I to dispatch your order on the morning vehicle, this provides 99% assurance for next day delivery. Currently our cut-off is set to 3:00pm however, and if this problem continues, we will be forced to formally change our daily cut-off times. Fingers crossed. The team have painstakingly gathered all odds and sods along with wines which are close to selling out under the one roof. We’ve highlighted a selection below however, there is more. Take advantage of this link or the one below and you will be transported to the full collection… There are currently 89 wines which are close to selling out and the majority will not be restocked. Time to open a imperial of wine and consume ahead of England’s game against Ireland. Hopefully, I will awaken on Monday to a victory! Cheers,    Blank Canvas Abstract Sauvignon Blanc 2018Marlborough, New Zealand 18 Points - Julia Harding MW | JancisRobinson.com “If the Holdaway Sauvignon was all about the fruit, with a little bit of winemaking, this is more about the winemaking but could not be built like this without that same fruit quality and intensity – as it opens there’s blackcurrant leaf and an almost hidden note of tropical fruit and richness. Marked struck-match, smoky, cordite first impression, but not excessive unless you don’t like this style. This is bold, fresh, with the start of some cedary development of bottle age. On the palate, the texture is rounded and deep, filling the mouth but still incredibly fresh. Long, mouth-watering, salty finish, and a promise of more bottle-aged complexity to come. Delicious now but no rush. Classy, complex, distinctive. For lovers of Sauvignon in the style of Dog Point Section 94." £24.50   Soumah Equilibrio Chardonnay 2018Yarra Valley, Australia 97 Points - Decanter "Among all of the different regions where Chardonnay has impressed in Australia, the Yarra is perhaps the one where the fruit itself charms most readily from the off. This steel-green wine carries its oak very lightly, and the fruit sings out: nectarine, peach and dessert apple all draw the drinker into the glass. On the palate, the wine is soft, tender, almost juicy: its perfect ripeness apparent in that limpidity of expression, and in the seamless incorporation of vibrant and rounded acidity into a natural and succulent poise. The oak, once again, is almost invisible: a swelling of tone rather than flavour. The only danger with deliciousness of this order is that you might be tempted to drink it all too quickly. Fine quality raw materials suggest there's no hurry here." Was £36.50   Rockford Rod and Spur Shiraz Cabernet 2018Barossa Valley, Australia £47.50  Rockford Moppa Springs Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2018Barossa Valley, Australia £39.50   House of Arras Rosé 2014Tasmania, Australia “A spectacular 9 years on tirage/lees. How can a wine of this age be as delicate, fresh and red-fruited as this. A knockout in every respect.” Tyson Stelzer 97 Points - Andrew Caillard MW “Lifted and complex bouquet with exotic aromas of white flowers, lemon essence, lychee and oyster shell. Characters of spice, natural yoghurt, lemon meringue, fresh oyster and truffle are expressed throughout the palate. This wine has great elegance of structure with a perfectly balanced dosage, tannin and acidity.” Vinorium Special £60.00 by the bottle Global RRP @ £69.99 Only 3 bottles remain  House of Arras Blanc de Blancs 2014Tasmania, Australia Ed Carr “Fragrant aromas of citrus blossom, freshly baked pastries and oyster shell. A densely structured wine with great presence and minerality. Flavours are reminiscent of baked Granny Smith apple, white peach, lime essence and brioche. The firm natural acid backbone melds all the characters together to express power, poise and a fantastic vibrancy.” Vinorium Special £60.00 by the bottle Global RRP @ £69.99 Only 2 bottles remain  House of Arras Grand Vintage 2014Tasmania, Australia 98 Points - Decanter “This exudes opulence on a grand scale, from its rich, persistent mousse, through the surging complex flavours that wash luxuriously across the palate. With 62% Chardonnay showing radiant personality and assured citrus flavours, everything in this blend is perfectly balanced: bright fruit, mineral drive, great depth of flavour, refreshing acidity, extraordinary palate length and firm persistence.” Vinorium Special £53.50 by the bottle Global RRP @ £59.99 Only 6 bottles remain House of Arras Grand Vintage 2013Tasmania, Australia 98 Points - Decanter “This exudes opulence on a grand scale, from its rich, persistent mousse, through the surging complex flavours that wash luxuriously across the palate. With 62% Chardonnay showing radiant personality and assured citrus flavours, everything in this blend is perfectly balanced: bright fruit, mineral drive, great depth of flavour, refreshing acidity, extraordinary palate length and firm persistence.” £49.95   Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon 2019McLaren Vale, Australia 97 Points - James Halliday “Hand picked 20–26 March. Destemmed and whole-berry sorted. Gently crushed into open-top fermenters, cold soaked and pumped over daily. 18 days on skins. Wild ferment. Basket pressed with light pressings added back to the free-run juice. Racked and returned twice during 15 months' maturation in fine-grain French barrels, 75% new. Flying winemaker Chris Carpenter is well versed in the sort of tannin management that defines his Californian expressions. Here, the piste is not as smooth, with a bit more edge to the framework; a little more greenery to the aromas. For the better. Cassis, pencil lead and dried tobacco leaf, to boot. The finish, long and thrumming; the tannic gristle etching fine grooves of tension with each sip. This will age beautifully.” £55.00 "A New Zealand Sauvignon
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