Wirral Life May 2020 | Page 35

W L huge experience in the world of fine wine and in Managing Director Simon Larkin have a renowned Master of Wine, who has won the prestigious Madame Bollinger Medal for Tasting Excellence, has been interviewed and used to contribute to both Bloomberg’s television channel, and their news website, when it comes to wine and wine investment and has been described by Spears Magazine as one of the ‘new generation of British wine experts’. For now, rather than going on myself, I thought I would throw the matter into the hands of Atlas themselves. I caught up with Richard O’Mahony, Atlas’s Commercial Director and, on behalf of those of us who live in the north west of England, threw a number of carefully tailored questions at him, both in relation to Atlas and the strange times we now find ourselves in! As the name Atlas Fine Wines indicates – you are all about ‘fine wine’. For you, what is ‘fine wine’? There are many definitions (and abuses) of the term fine wine. For us, a fine wine is a wine that has a secondary market, or tradable, value. To this end we analyse changes taking place in the market, assess changes in wine regions and with producers. We make our own judgements on value, both for drinking and for future resale potential. For us the inherent quality of the wine is critical since, without this, we do not believe that value is likely to increase over time. When talking about ‘fine wine’, what sort of price range do your wines cover? For us, prices are generally upwards of £25 per bottle. That’s our market, our niche if you like. We don’t try to operate at all price levels. The most important thing to consider, though, is value and not price. The price at which any given wine starts to distinguish itself as more than just generic wine will vary from country to country, region to region. The crucial point here is that we assess value whenever we taste, or offer, and communicate that to our clients. What services does Atlas provide and what sets you apart from other wine merchants? Atlas was set up to provide a first-class service to clients. We operate on a broker-like model, which gives us independence and impartiality over the traditional merchant model. We offer the wines we believe in, rather than foisting unsuitable wines on unsuspecting drinkers. Simon Larkin MW and I believe that by working to understand the preferences and interests of individual clients we are better able to source wines that appeal and as a result 90% of our sales are bespoke to a client. The services we offer are a logical consequence of this. We build trust with our clients so we can help them create a portfolio that will grow. We have created a niche for ourselves based on impartiality and informed advice. We have elevated professional wine storage, protecting stock in the client’s name, rather than holding it in the name of the merchant. We manage portfolios so that their value is preserved and grown; we believe it is as important to advise a client when to sell as when to purchase. Too often the focus is solely on the latter. What level of knowledge does a client need to have prior to starting a collection with you? Does this differ for consumption or for investment? No prior knowledge is required. While a large proportion of our clients have been advised by Atlas since inception in 2011 (and by me and Simon in the years leading up to that, as we have each been in the wine trade since the early 1990s), we are always happy to meet with new clients who may be interested in our advice. We do not advertise as such. The vast majority of our clients come to Atlas by referral. We have a strong database of long-standing, loyal, clients. I could give you numerous examples of individuals new to Atlas, each of whom has embarked on a different route with us and is now themselves a happy and loyal client. This is all down to the flexibility of our approach. One such client pleaded an initial limited knowledge of wine, but having embraced our events calendar and having attended multiple dinners and tastings, now owns an enviable collection of fine wine to enjoy over many years. Another client had heard much about wine investment, but had not dipped a toe. After several months of communication with me, they gained confidence in the dynamics of the market and began a collection, from which, within a year, a parcel of one wine was sold at more than fifty percent gain and replaced with a new set of wines to keep the value of the collection growing. A great result all round. We also take on clients who have kicked off with another merchant, but do not feel valued or well advised. One client recently transferred their collection to us. We rationalised the portfolio in line with the request to follow our strategy. The realised funds were reinvested in new. Key in all these examples is an on-going, direct, personal relationship with the client to ensure they feel, and are, looked after. wirrallife.com 35