Matthew Clark builds regional offer from new world countries
WHOLESALER Matthew Clark has bolstered its wine offer with more than 200 additions to its new list.
Acknowledging that its customers buy wines for different reasons and different styles of outlet, the supplier’s enlarged list for 2011/2012 features 1237 wines from 16 countries.
It has moved away from its traditional price-ordered approach, listing its key agency and on-trade partners at the front of each country section in a bid to highlight the diversity of its portfolio.
The supplier has also expanded its ‘world wine brands’ section to “bring to life this significant and growing area of the UK on-trade”.
Matthew Clark has focused this year on building its regional offerings from new world countries like Argentina, California, Australia and South Africa – countries whose wines are all said to be experiencing growth in the UK on-trade.
From Argentina, it’s offering a new on-trade exclusive Callia range from the Salentein Estate, which includes new varietals Portillo Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir; and Malbrontes – a range of three unusual blends of Malbec and Torrontes.
From California, the wholesaler has added a number of new-entry and mid-range wines across all the key varietals; “old favourite” Whispering Hills has been given a new-look; and the “super-premium” St Suprey wines from Napa Valley have been introduced.
Opting to focus on ‘regionality’ when it comes to Australia, Matthew Clark has selected a number of boutique wineries, including Bethany in the Barossa Valley, Over the Shoulder and Oakridge from Yarra Valley and the Paracombe wines from Adelaide Hills.
The supplier’s biggest extension this year, however, has been in wines from South Africa – a country that’s said to have seen volume sales of its wine jump 12% in the last year.
The additions include new ranges from Drostdy Hof, Fleur Du Cap, Durbanville Hills, and, from the Nederburg winery, the new Manor House range, which was designed exclusively for Matthew Clark.
The wholesaler’s old world wine offer has also been enhanced.
The J Moreau et Fils wines from France have been reblended and rebranded, along with “old favourites” Cave de Massé and Le Caprice, which have each received packaging and liquid updates.
“At Matthew Clark we understand and recognise that customers buy wines for different reasons and for different outlet styles and we are constantly looking for new an interesting solutions,” said commercial director Ian Smith.
