How You Should Choose Your Wine Suppliers?
Posted on Mon 13th Jul 2015 at 13:12
If you're in the catering business, you'll invariably take one of two approaches to buying wine: you either work with one supplier who provides your entire cellar (and perhaps all your other beverages too), or you'll deal with a variety of smaller suppliers who cumulatively allow you to access a larger range of products.If you love wine and your clients do too, it's likely that you'll be in the latter category, largely because there are so many drawbacks to using a single supplier.
As Jade Koch comments in a recent Harper's article, by using a single supplier "you may find you're lumbered with a set of mainstream, commercial wines that you keep spotting in other people's restaurants. This can compromise your list's identity, or even the identity of your restaurant." Using multiple suppliers, on the other hand, means that you can form lasting relationships with smaller companies that know their products inside out. Do your research and look for companies that specialise in one particular region - you'll benefit from their expertise in the field and their close relationships with individual growers. A good supplier will be passionate about their products , but - and here's the fun bit - even then the only way to know that the company is right for you is by getting stuck in and trying their wines. If the supplier is good you'll bond with them over what they help you discover, but remember to bring your key staff too - not only do they have to sell the wines to customers later but it's a great way to boost morale and create a team ethos. Smaller, specialist suppliers will help you successfully venture outside the 'known' range of wines - and if you find something good that goes with your dishes, your customers will follow you. You only have to look at wines such as Lebanon's Chateau Musar to see that people will quickly warm to good quality wines, no matter where they're from. A really interesting wine list, particularly if it features bottles you won't find anywhere else, can in fact be a huge selling point. If you're interested in adding Balkan wines, tipped to be the next big thing by commentators such as Jancis Robinson, to your list, we'd be very happy to welcome you to Signature Wines for a tasting of the Stobi range.