UK to become expert resource centre for global wine supply

The UK is turning itself into a global centre of excellence for wine distribution and understanding as it loses its place

as the world's most critical wine market.
 
 
 
 
 
But for wineries and producers to succeed in multiple international markets they still need to prove themselves in the UK,

according to Troy Christensen, chief executive
of global wine producer Accolade Wines.
 
 
 
 
 
Speaking at Cape Wine last month, where Accolade was showing its South African wineries Kumala and Flagstone, Christensen

confirmed its own commitment to the UK market. "The UK is important because it has the best retail distribution excellence

in the world. If you can work with those retailers you can use that knowledge in other markets," he said.
 
 
 
 
 
As those retailers, he added, along with the major European names like Ahold, Metro and Carrefour, use their local

expertise to build global strategies, it was important for companies like Accolade to be part of that. Its challenge, he

said, was to be seen to have the "benchmarks for best practice" across the wine category. "We have shown competencies for

doing that through category insight and infield execution."
 
 
 
 
 
Equally, global wine players can bring "ready proven" evidence of how new products, particularly in the wine-based drink

category, have performed in other wine markets to their UK partners. He predicted more collaboration between major wine

companies, like the recent shared bottling agreement with Treasury Wine Estates, where it improved supply chain

efficiencies for all.
 
 
 
 
 
"We will see more of an FMCG approach. By taking cost out of the supply chain we can all do what is most important and

invest in our brands," he said.
 
 
 
 
 
Bernard Fontannaz, founder of Origin Wine, agreed: "The UK may not be the most beautiful market, but it is still very

important. If you want to be as competitive as you can be around the world you must have a good fit with the UK. If you are

an agent or a wholesaler you have to have such high standards to operate there."
 
 
 
 
 
Gary Greenfield, Distell Europe's managing director, said South Africa was particularly well placed, as it can offer one-

stop solutions to UK majors as it is able to supply quality wine from entry level through all the price points.