Pub wines: home in on good value

In the latest instalment of our Wine Seller series with WaverleyTBS, we visited Home Lounge Bar and Restaurant in Nottinghamshire to try to persuade drinkers to choose wine in bars as well as at home.

Research earlier this year from Wine Intelligence suggests that there are 28.1 million wine drinkers in the UK, but 11% of regular wine drinkers don't buy wine at all when they go to pubs and restaurants - and this figure is up from 7% in 2007. The research goes on to say that wine is not perceived as good value in the on-trade.

So, when you've created that perfect 'home from home' ambience in your outlet, you need to make sure that your wine offer is as good, or better, than the wine at home — and it's not just about price.

That's what Nick Howdle, of Home Lounge Bar and Restaurant in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, wanted to achieve when he began working with WaverleyTBS in the summer. He explains: "I know our customers drink wine at home and I wanted them to feel just as comfortable drinking wine here too. I wanted to work with a wine partner who would help me to create that experience."

Home is 4,500sq ft of award-winning design spread over two floors to create the ultimate drinking and fine-dining experience. The bar opened in 2008 in the suburban area of Arnold, north-east of central Nottingham. It was a brave step in terms of location — a surprising jewel in a stretch of mundane retailers on Arnold's High Street.

However, Howdle's earlier career in corporate law and property development meant that he had an eye for a de-veloping economy and sure enough Home has been a magnet for that elusive all-day trade.

It's 'yummy mummies' with coffee and cakes in the morning and afternoon, businessmen and women out with friends at lunchtime, leading into a brisk bar and restaurant trade in the evening. The customer base covers all ages, but evening customers are predominantly around 35-years-old.

Right wine offer​

Having also owned a busy city-centre bar, Howdle was quickly up and running with beer and spirits. However, after two years of trading, he was beginning to feel there was something missing with wine.

His quality, fresh food menu was fast becoming the main pull for trade in the evening and he knew that the wine offer wasn't right.

"I had a very commercial list with my supplier at the time, but there were too many non-exclusive wines that were a direct comparison on price with the supermarkets," he explains. "The wine list wasn't properly thought out and was very heavy on certain types of grape. I felt as though it had been put together to match their portfolio rather than my food menu. Lastly, there was no real after-sales support and training to help me to sell more wine."

Helping hand​

So it was timely when Martin King, area sales manager for WaverleyTBS stepped through the door early in the summer. It was the range of on-trade exclusives at keen prices that attracted Howdle to look further but it's been the continual nursing of the account by WaverleyTBS that has impressed him.

Howdle says: "I've had help and support every step of the way since I established my new list with WaverleyTBS. We've put a very wide-ranging list of around 40 wines together listed by style with bottle prices ranging from £12.95 for good value Pinot Grigio, to £29.95 for an intensely concentrated Parajes de Alta Expresión from Ribera del Duero in Spain. We have sparkling wine from £17.95 per bottle, Bollinger Champagne for £59.95, and wines by the glass start from £3.50 for 175ml. I've also had my wine list designed and printed in my house style."

Since launching the new list, all the front-of-house staff at Home have had training with King and one of the WaverleyTBS wine development managers, Paul Livesey. Howdle was determined that staff should taste the entire selection and was impressed with the professionalism of the training.

"Paul Livesey was very good," he says. "He took us through all the wines in great detail with pre-printed tasting sheets and introduced staff to the flavour wheel. Many hadn't tasted wine properly before and they were very enthusiastic about the session. As a result I can see that they are making more use of the whole list now, rather than just pushing house wines. Martin is always in contact and I'll often drop him texts late at night as I have ideas and he always comes straight back to me. You can't ask for better service than that."

Improvements​

So, huge early improvements, but Howdle is not a man to stand still for long and already has several new ideas and promotions up his sleeve to continue his wine push even further.

He is currently looking at an early-evening promotion with an Italian on-trade exclusive — gold medal-winning wine, Tasari — for only £7 per bottle.

He is also keen to push wine sales in the bar rather than just rely on his diners upstairs. King reckons there are a few more tricks to try and has suggested utilising space behind the bar for wine displays.

King adds: "I've also suggested adding more wines by the glass for the bar and perhaps experimenting with single-serve bottles of Cava and pink Champagne in a container on the bar top. In the run-up to Christmas and the festive season it's always worth adding some sparkle."

It's still early days since the August launch of the new list but Howdle knows that his wine sales have already improved. He says: "We have definitely improved in volume terms and, in part, that is all relative to the trading conditions and the season.

"However, we are selling lots more wines by the bottle and from every corner of the list, not just the house wines. This has got to mean that my customers are drinking better-quality wine — and they are, at least, drinking it out of home."

Just desserts​

In the run-up to Christmas everyone is busy stocking up on sparkling wines but few consider dessert and fortified wines. They're a great way to add incremental profit per person to a Christmas or celebration meal and will differentiate you from the Baileys and brandy crowd.

From rich, thick Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise from France's Rhône Valley to the lighter late harvest Botrytis Sémillon from Australia, sweet wines are the only real matches for desserts — try a Sauternes from Bordeaux with a tarte Tatin, for example.

Not only that but they work well with cheese as a great contrast to the salt and fat, in much the same way as a sweet pickle or relish, or you could stick to the more traditional cheese and Port.

And for those who are determined not to touch dessert, any of these wines are luxurious enough to be served on their own.

Finally, it's not all about sweetness either. When they're served as they should be — chilled and in a wine glass — dry sherry, such as fino and manzanilla with their nutty flavours, make great aperitifs.