Costco to sell fine wine in the UK

Costco’s director of wine buying Annette Alvarez-Peters may have caused controversy earlier this year when she slammed wine as “just a beverage” and “no different than toilet paper,” but the company – the world's largest wine retailer – is on a fine wine offensive in the UK. News has emerged this week, as reported on db.com, that Costco is branching out into the UK market, having launched a UK website, Costco.co.uk, selling high-end wines and spirits.

Open to both Costco members and non-members, the site, which went live last week, features a 131-strong wine and spirits range, including Champagne big guns Cristal, Krug and Dom Pérignon, and classed growth Bordeaux from the acclaimed 2009 vintage. Topping the offering is a bottle of Taylor’s Scion Tawny Port dating back to 1855 housed in a bespoke crystal decanter, which is on sale for £1,599.99.

 

Meanwhile, a single bottle of Château L’Eglise Clinet Pomerol 2009 is priced at £339.99, while the same vintage of “flying fifth” Château Pontet-Canet is going for under a third of the price at £99.99. At the value end, a bottle of Saint-Julien estate Gruaud Larose’s second wine, Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2009, is priced at £18.49, while Haut Médoc estate Château Senejac 2009 costs just £15.49.

Among the sprits on sale are Patrón Tequila, Ciroc Vodka, Johnnnie Walker Blue Label, Courvioiser Cognac and English Vodka brand Chase. Delivery is free, and Costo’s online customers will be treated to exclusive offers. It will be interesting to track how Costco.co.uk performs. The UK wine market is a crowded place, and in order to thrive, a merchant’s offering has to be both compelling and unique.

New York-based online merchant Lot18 is a recent casualty, closing its UK operation in July after just four months, blaming the supermarkets’ stranglehold on the UK market and a lack of anticipated growth for its exit. Is Costco.co.uk appealing enough to lure customers away from the might of the supermarkets, Majestic, and the increasing number of savvy online-only merchants entering the market? Only time will tell.

Tesco to start selling Lafite

In an ambitious move into fine wine, supermarket giant Tesco is to start selling Château Lafite and other classed growth Bordeaux as part of a new fine wine offer both in store and online. As reported on db.com, beginning with the much-lauded 2009 vintage, other wines to go on sale at a select few branches of Tesco will be first growth Château Mouton-Rothschild, flying fifth Pontet-Canet, St-Emilion’s Cheval Blanc and Cos d’Estournel in St-Estèphe.

“The wine was shipped sometime ago, we’re just trying to decide what to call the offer at the moment, as it won’t be an en primeur offering,” Tesco’s director for beers, wines and spirits Dan Jago told db, insisting he has “good quantities” of all of the wines, and that the duty paid prices will be “very competitive.” “We made the move as some of our customers were asking for certain fine wines we didn’t stock,” he said.

The wines will be available by the bottle and mixed case at the end of the summer in 25-30 of Tesco’s most upmarket stores around the UK. “I want to offer them as single bottles as we want to deter investors. We want the wine to be bought by the people who are going to pop the cork,” Jago added. Every little helps…  

Seely seeking second Burgundy property

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes – owners of Château Pichon Baron and Domaine de l’Arlot – has revealed he is on the hunt for a second Burgundy property. “I’m acutely looking to add a second Burgundy estate to our portfolio, but it’s very difficult,” he told the drinks business at the Pichon Baron 2011 primeurs tasting last week. Seely also admitted that he is looking to buy in the New World, but wouldn’t elaborate on where.

With regards to the 2011 vintage, he said the majority of people who tasted at Pichon Baron were “pleasantly surprised” by the quality of the vintage. “There hasn’t been the euphoria of 2009 and 2010, but people seem pleasantly surprised by the quality of Pichon 2011, perhaps because expectations weren’t very high. Not all 2011s are good, but those who picked well made lovely wines,” he said.

Seely also revealed that he is using increasing amounts of Semillon in his dry white, S de Suduiraut, from Sauternes estate Château Suduiraut. “My big aim is to make a dry white from the Sauternes region that tastes like Sauternes. We predominantly use Semillon in our sweet Sauternes, so it makes sense to use it in “S” too. We’ve made a few experimental bottles of 100% Semillon and it’s utterly delicious, so I know I’m on the right track,” he said.

“The fear is that with a majority of Semillon in the blend it won’t age well, but I know that it will. Unfortunately, it will be hard to increase production to supply demand as the only way to make it well is to use grapes destined for Suduiraut,” he added. Comparing the 2011 Sauternes vintage to the acclaimed 2001, Seely described the wines as “very rich, with high levels of residual sugar and botrytis, but super fresh, with lovely complexity and depth.”

Over at Château Pontet-Canet, owner Alfred Tesseron said that being biodynamic didn’t necessarily make it harder for him during the capricious 2011 growing season. “It’s all about your approach – being biodynamic, you have to always be one step ahead and work on a prevention rather than cure basis. 2011 was a difficult vintage, but every year presents different challenges. The weather was very up and down, so we had no room for manoeuvre,” he admitted.

Tesseron revealed his main reason for going biodynamic was for the positive affect it has on the taste of Pontet-Canet. He is currently exploring the effect of egg-shaped fermenters on the maturation process. “A lot of Bordeaux wines are over-oaked and I’m looking to find the right balance. I chose the fermenters for their breathability rather than their egg shape, but it’s too early to say whether I’m pleased with the results,” he said.