W FOOD & DRINK
L
You are based in London. What service can you provide to
the people of the Wirral, Merseyside and in the north west
of the UK?
For much of my wine career, many London-based merchants
rarely travelled north of Watford! We are always keen to travel
further afield to meet potential clients. We do travel regularly
around the country to meet clients personally as well as to
conduct tastings and dinners in, for example, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. And in fact, we recently
held an incredible dinner for around twenty existing and
potential clients at The Hillbark Hotel in the Wirral, something
we would be delighted to repeat – if they will have us back!
What sort of events do you hold? Would it be of interest to
hold events in/ on the Wirral or in the northwest region?
Events are crucial to our model. They allow us to demonstrate
our knowledge and approachability. Many events have
frequently been in conjunction with existing clients wishing to
introduce prospective clients. I think this speaks volumes about
the relationships we work hard to cultivate – our new clients
come to us through referral. We would be delighted to explore
further events in the north west and the Wirral.
What is your philosophy as regards sourcing and stock
holding?
We are a low-stock-holding business, buying only what we
believe in through our own experience. We act more as a broker;
sourcing the stock, offering, then committing when the wine
is sold. We are constantly searching for wines of outstanding
quality, which we believe offer excellent value. We will offer such
finds as and when we discover them, rather than simply look to
fill a pre-determined schedule. With respect to suppliers, we
rigorously vet anyone we deal with since a poorly stored case is
of no value to anyone.
One thing that many people do not like is the hard sell and
feeling they are being loaded up with wine. What is your
philosophy here?
As mentioned, 90% of our sales are bespoke. We never liked the
idea of obliging clients to take any wine – a practice which is
still too prevalent across the wine industry. We understand the
reasons behind this, but see it as indicative of a lazy approach to
sales and a lack of willingness to engage more personally with
clients. Not everyone wants or likes the same thing after all. As
I have said, our aim is to understand our clients and work with,
and for, them towards a tailored collection where value is of
paramount importance.
If there is one piece of advice/ message that you would want
to pass on to someone/ your everyday wine drinker about the
wine world today – what would it be?
Simple: find a merchant whose palate and advice you trust. This
is something I learned in my earliest days in wine. Customers
would often come in to the store where I worked and tell me they
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needed a case of a wine enthused about in a Saturday newspaper.
Since I had taken the trouble to learn their tastes over time I
found myself able to tell them otherwise, occasionally opening
a bottle for them to taste to prove my point. Trust was built.
Integrity was also the guiding principle I learnt in the seven
years I worked at Sotheby’s Wine Department. For me, seeing
the way wine is so often sold solely on critics scores is over-
simplistic and saddening, and yet it appears to be the approach
of too many firms.
We are all currently in lockdown. Are you still delivering
and what would you recommending for drinking right now
during these strange times?
Atlas remains fully functional, with the entire team actively
working remotely. We are available to advise on drinking or
investment – and with a softer market there are many excellent
opportunities for anyone looking to start or continue to build a
portfolio.
We are currently still delivering as, of course, wine has correctly
been recognised as an essential! With heightened demand, we
are constantly updating our selection of fresh, but characterful,
whites and lighter reds such as Beaujolais, having just found
a brilliant Brouilly from Alex Foillard and an Australian
Riesling from Pike’s in the Clare Valley. We also have a number
of Bourgogne Blanc, notably from the 2017 vintage, which
produced whites of wonderful harmony and freshness – very
moreish. As long-standing champions of Piedmont in northern
Italy, we have a selection of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto
from excellent producers that are drinking really well. We are
also putting together a number of interesting, themed, mixed
case selections too.
Finally, don’t forget the importance of Champagne at such
testing times. Lily Bollinger would have sworn by it: “I drink
Champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I
drink it when I'm alone." And Churchill, we are led to believe,
had to have his daily dose, leading to a champagne being named
after him of course. We have long championed so called growers’
champagne and believe the value offered by, for example de
Sousa and Guy Charlemagne, is exceptional. These are much
smaller in scale than the well-known, and ubiquitous, established
brands. All the grower’s efforts and investment are dedicated to
the quality of the wine, rather than being poured into a large
marketing budgets and sponsorships. Guy Charlemagne’s
Grand Cru Les Coulmets is a fantastic Blanc des blancs, while
de Sousa’s Brut Tradition is a classic blend of roughly equal parts
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but of a depth and character not so
often found at its price point.
If any of you are interested in making contact with Atlas for
whatever reason, whether it be to buy wine for your own personal
consumption, to talk about wine investment or to discuss
anything else to do with wine, then give them a ring on 020 3017
2299 and ask for Richard or Simon. Alternatively e-mail them
at [email protected]. You won’t be disappointed and,
importantly, you won’t need to leave your own home. Keep safe.
Enjoy your wine!