Richard Siddle: why Georges Barbier sets the standards for rest of on-trade suppliers

The UK on-trade is particularly well blessed to have such a choice of small, dedicated, highly focused and passionate wine suppliers that can offer a wide range of eclectic, innovative and edgy wines.  Many of which, like Red Squirrel Wine and Indigo Wine, are relatively still new kids on the block.

But the idea of bringing in unusual, interesting wines from previously unheard of wine producers or regions of the wine growing world is nothing new. Tony Laithwaite, for one, has built up a multi-million pound business over nearly the last 50 years doing exactly that.

Look close enough and there are lots of examples of suppliers that largely keep themselves to themselves, but have built up a strong, loyal following of customers right across the country who are arguably even much involved in their businesses than some of the bigger national players.

[caption id="attachment_14514" align="aligncenter" width="637"] Georges and Mary Barbier are still at the heart of this highly respected family supplier[/caption]

None more so than Georges Barbier. Or more accurately Georges and Mary Barbier. The couple have been serving the on-trade, primarily in London, since they first started importing wines from mainly family wineries in 1983.

Georges comes from a history and tradition of winemaking in his family going back to the 19th century when his family owned some 200 vines at Château du Martinet in the southern Rhône. The outbreak of phylloxera forced the family to move and set up home in Tarragona in Catalunya, Spain.

So it is not surprising that it is to France and Spain that the Barbiers continue to source most of their wines from, with relationships with producers going back over 30 years. But whilst it has a well deserved reputation for its French and Spanish wines the Barbiers are also aware they need to diverge in to different areas and have been building up larger ranges from South Africa, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal and New Zealand. All in all the range now stretches to some 500 wines, which adds up to over 800 when you factor in past vintages. 

It has also recently taken on its first English sparkling wines including Court Garden in East Sussex and Hart of Gold, Justin Howard-Sneyd MW's new English wine project, which is a joint collaboration with the Roberts family at Sussex’s Ridgeview. It's a 50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier blend and has already got a gold medal from the International Wine Challenge under its belt.

Keep it in the family

You can only really get a feel for a wine business if you take the trouble and go and visit them. In situ as it were. For Georges Barbier that meant a trip out to Blackheath, and a very non-descript office come duty paid warehouse tucked away behind one of the main residential streets of the town.

It makes you wonder if the Barbier’s neighbours really know of the treasure trove of expensive wines that lie behind the warehouse entrance, other than the constant coming and going of vans coming to pick up their latest order.

As the Barbiers ideally only import and work with family wineries - including their own relatives - it is not surprising to find members of their own immediate family working in the business. Like daughter, Victoria Barbier, sales and marketing director.

[caption id="attachment_4125" align="alignleft" width="225"] Victoria Barbier has the same passion for service and attention to detail as her parents[/caption]

Victoria embodies the passion, the drive and the genuine care and attention to detail that you feel from just spending a couple of hours in her company. Georges still personally checks every parcel, every box, every wine delivery that leaves the warehouse. No wine bottle goes anywhere, without Georges’ signature on the delivery document.

The Barbiers are very much focused on the medium to premium end of the on-trade. Restaurants. bars and hotels that could not possibly care about the wines they stock as much as the Barbiers do, but are more than happy to give them a share of their business.

Such is the Barbiers reputation for quality wines that still around 60 to 70% of its turnover comes from its loyal customers in the super competitive London on-trade scene.

The Barbiers have got to know what restaurants, restaurateurs and top chefs want to such a level that their biggest selling product is not a wine, but its range of premium wine-based Spanish vinegars that top chefs just love for their kitchens. With some 50,000 bottles of its range of Penedès, Chardonnay (three years old) and Cabernet Sauvignon (eight years old) based vinegars being sold to the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Raymond Blanc and Alain Ducasse every year.

Same day deliveries

They also know that as a wine supplier you are nothing without an efficient, fast delivery service. It means that in London you can get same day delivery for orders placed before 7am. Outside of London it either sends its own vans at set times of the week and anything further North and Scotland they will use APC Couriers to service their customers.

“Next day or same day delivery is very important to us,” says Victoria. “We pride ourselves on having an exceptional portfolio backed up by exceptional service.”

All of which is possible because they run their own duty paid warehouse which is literally a wall away from their cramped office. “It gives us the control we want and it has allowed us to build very close relationships with our customers,” explains Victoria.

She admits that they continue to win business with high profile customers that they have never actually met, but they have come through because they have heard of their reputation, particularly Georges’, amongst their peers. Which is something the Barbiers clearly cherish.

But for all the new talent and importers looking to find their own space on lists, the Barbiers have the advantage that they have so many exclusive wines that go back some 30 years with producers.   

Looking for new customers

[caption id="attachment_4130" align="aligncenter" width="717"] Georges and Victoria on the road at Chateau de Boursault in Champagne[/caption]

“That said we are constantly looking for new restaurants to work with,” she stresses, which means time spent crafting her Google search techniques. “You have to be on the ball with new restaurants, for if you miss out on their initial list, you have to wait to get in.”

She will purposefully try and talk to the owners directly on the phone so that she can hear for herself what they are hoping to do with the restaurant. Making that initial connection is crucially important in getting at least your foot in the door, she says.

“We will work with them and their lists and make suggestions based on what they already have from other suppliers, not what we want to sell them,” explains Victoria. “Wines that will help their list stand out more.”

Although it has many producers it has worked with since the beginning of the business, that does not mean they are guaranteed to have their wines on the list every year.

Victoria explains: “Every vintage is tasted on its own merits and we might have to say to a producer that we won’t take this year’s one. So our customers can be assured that every wine on our list has the best quality for that year.”

Which would work very well as a family business motto.

• Some of the latest additions to the Barbier portfolio include

  Prieto Pariente (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Léon)

  Including a Vigonier and Prieto Pariente Tinto  ( a new region for Georges Barbier)

  Domaine Maurice Charleux et Fils - Dezize-lès-Maranges

  Maranges “La Fussière”, 1er Cru – Red

  Maranges “La Fussière”, 1er Cru- White

  Domaine Denis Père & Fils - Pernand-Vergelesses

  Pernand-Vergelesses  - Red

  Pernand-Vergelesses “Les Vergelesses”, 1er Cru – Red

  Pernand-Vergelesses – White

  Pernand-Vergelesses “Sous Frétille”, 1er Cru – White

  Domaine Jean Pierre & Vincent Charton

  Mercurey “Vieilles Vignes” – Red

  Mercurey “Clos du Roy”, 1er Cru  - Red

  Mercurey “Clos du Roy”, 1er Cru White

  Castillo de Cuzcurrita, Cuzcurrita del Rio Tirón

  Señorio de Cuzcurrita, “Reserva”

• Its next trade tasting is on February 6 2017 at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge.

• This article was first published by Richard Siddle on his website for the premium  on-trade, www.The-Buyer.net.

Read more here: Richard Siddle: why Georges Barbier sets the standards for rest of on-trade suppliers

Artisans of Australian Wine

 I went along to the Artisans of Australian wine tasting which was held at a rather artisanale space in the swinging up and coming district of Shore Ditch in East London.

Some 40-odd wineries were represented, where, as the tasting brochure says, “we draw together some of the most exciting, innovative and downright talented winemakers in the world today”.

Well, maybe some are, but that’s a pretty sweeping statement, which clearly needed investigation. A number of the wineries were already known to me and already appear in Wine behind the label, either with full entries or as “other wines of note”. My task was to seek out those that were not known to us and to assess which ones are going to make it into the next edition.

Since the millennium, winemaking has taken a technical turn for the better all over the world and the digital and computerised technology has certainly helped to improve the consistency of production.

But it has also led to some producers thinking themselves clever enough to sometimes try and make things into what they ain’t! The most common mistake here is for New World winemakers trying to make Old World wines. I know they want to get away from the big blowsy fruit bombs that, the reputation of , say, the Californian and Australian wines have been tarred with, but sometimes they go so far the other way that the wines finish up as being thin and weedy disasters. And these are usually the most expensive wines to boot!

There were a smattering of these at this tasting, but there were also a number of producers making world class wines.

The pick of the bunch for me, particularly as there was an added bonus of an excellent price/quality ratio, were Julian Forewood and Bernice Ong’s Ministry of Clouds wines. Like a few excellent winemakers in other parts of the world, their usp is the fact that as yet, they don’t own any vineyards, and having worked in the wine trade for other producers for many years in the past, they have the connections with some of the best growers in different regions in Australia. Mainly using the facilities of Tim Geddes at his winery in McLaren Vale, they are turning out wines with enormous purity of expression, balance and complexity with true varietal flavours, ably abetted by some uncanny (or is it canny) fruit selection from top growers. The icing on the cake, though, is the gentle pricing of the wines. Here is the assessment:

Chardonnay Tasmania ★★★★ £E

Grenache McLaren Vale ★★★★ £D

Mataro McLaren Vale ★★★★✩ £D

 

Another great producer is Timo Mayer who has just 2.5 ha of vines in a single vineyard, Bloody Hill (so called because of its bloody steepness) in the Yarra Valley. The sheer purity of the fruit comes over strongly in the unfined and unfiltered wines and whilst not cheap exude quality in every direction.

“Bloody Hill” Pinot Noir is very fine with excellent varietal flavours with soft tannins and a long finish. The vines are planted 3000 to the hectare for this wine but there is a part of the vineyard where the planting is at 6000 and from these vines he produces his “Close Planted” Pinot Noir, which has that extra bit of concentration in the wine. The “Doktor” Pinot Noir is made from the close planted vines but here the selection is 100% whole bunch, which, while certainly austere in its youth, will repay long cellaring.

His Syrah, also with 100% whole bunch fermentation, displays the essential tarryness of the grape, corpulent without being over-blowsy with firm, but gentle tannins.

“Bloody Hill” Pinot Noir ★★★★ £F

“Close Planted” Pinot Noir ★★★★✩ £F

“Doktor” Pinot Noir ★★★★✩ £F

Syrah ★★★★ £F

 

A close neighbour in the Yarra Valley is Luke Lambert, whose single vineyard wines are made from handpicked fruit, wild yeast fermented and with no temperature control, fining or filtration. Luke sources his fruit from vineyards that give a true expression of the terroir and the result is that the wines reflect that expression together with vibrant juicy fruit and true varietal flavours.

“LL” Chardonnay is juicy with good balance between the fruit and the acidity if perhaps lacking just a little bit of complexity. “Crudo” Shiraz, on the other hand, combines this juicy fruit, coupled with the tarryness of the grape and a judicious use of oak. “LL” Syrah (why one is called Shiraz and the other Syrah is something I haven’t been able to fathom out) has that extra bit of complexity and a great deal of persistence on the finish. Whilst they are all approachable now, long cellaring will be additionally rewarding. Prices are very reasonable for the quality.

“LL” Chardonnay ★★★✩ £D

“Crudo” Shiraz ★★★★ £D

“LL” Syrah ★★★★✩ £E

 

Perhaps the most boutique of the wineries is the one-third of a hectare owned by Fraser McKinley in the Barossa Valley and dedicated to organically produced Syrah. He does, however, farm some other small vineyards, but nevertheless his total production is very small. He makes a number of different bottlings almost, as it seems, on a whim. They go under the label of Sami-Odi, which is apparently named after a Turkish boat and an Italian book. Quantities of each wine are tiny, just a few hundred bottles of each, but there is no doubt about the high quality of the wines made by this dedicated winemaker. “Little Wine” is a series of bottlings of mixed vintages and the recent offering, #5, is full and fruity, with a wonderful soft mouthfeel and good balance between the fruit and acidity. Syrah “XIV” is the latest (2014) vintage of his top cuvée, displaying real finesse, balance, complexity and true varietal flavours.

“Little Wine #5” Syrah ★★★★ £F

Syrah XIV ★★★★✩ £G

 

 

Not far behind were the wines from Ray Nadeson, Maree Collis and Adrian Thomas at Lethbridge Wines in Geelong. All coming from a medical background, these somewhat “cult” wines are much sought after by Melbourne doctors. Now venturing internationally, there is a chance for the rest of the world to appreciate theses well-made wines.

“Dr Nadeson” Riesling (Ernie Loosen, eat your heart out!) already displays from its youth that peculiar petrolly sensation on the palate and has a fine complex finish, but the entry level Lethbridge Chardonnay disappointed a bit with some excess of residual sugar. Lethbridge’s strength, however are in their reds, starting with the well-balanced “Ménage á Noir” Pinot Noir – easy drinking and smooth. The Negroamaro is also easy drinking, but like its counterpart in Southern Italy, is not very complex.

Where Lethbridge really steps up is with the Pinot Meunier, good colour, balance and length and one of the best examples of this component of Champagne wines I have tasted. Both the Lethbridge Shiraz and the Lethbridge Pinot Noir display true varietal flavours coupled with good complexity and a long finish.

“Dr Nadeson” Riesling ★★★ £D

Lethbridge Chardonnay ★★ £E

“Ménage á Noir” Pinot Noir ★★★✩ £D

Lethbridge Negroamaro ★★✩ £D

Lethbridge Pinot Meunier ★★★✩ £D

Lethbridge Shiraz ★★★★ £E

Lethbridge Pinot Noir ★★★★ £E

 

Other wines of note

 

Ruggabellus Barossa Valley

“Fluus” Grenache, Mataró Cinsault ★★✩ £D

“Timaeus” Grenache, Mataró Cinsault ★★✩ £E

“Efferus” Mataró, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault ★★✩ £E

“Archaeus” Syrah, Mataró, Grenache, Cinsault ★★★✩ £E

 

Eperosa – Barossa Valley

“Synthesis” Mataró, Grenache, Syrah ★★★ £E

“Elevation” Syrah ★★★✩ £E

“Stonegarden” Grenache ★★★✩ £F

 

Ochota Barrels – Adelaide Hills

“Weird Berries in the Wood” Gewürztraminer ★★ £D

“The Slint” Chardonnay ★★✩ £E

“5V 0V” Chardonnay ★★★ £F

“A Forest” Pinot Noir ★★✩ £E

“Impeccable Disorder” Pinot Noir ★★★ £F

“Fugazi” Grenache ★★★ £E

“I am the Owl” Syrah ★★✩ £E

“Shellac” Syrah ★★★ £E

“A Sense of Compression” Grenache ★★★✩ £F

“186” Grenache ★★★★ £F

 

L. A. S. Vino – Margaret River

Chardonnay ★★★ £F

“CBDB” Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay ★★★ £F

“Portuguese Pirate” Tourigo Nacional, Tinto Cao, Souzoo ★★★✩ £F

 

The Other Wine Company

Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris ★★✩ £C

McLaren Vale Grenache ★★★★ £C

 

Bellwether Coonawarra

“Art Seies” Vermentino Heathcote Victoria ★★ £D

“Art Series” Shiraz/Malbec Wrattonbully South Australia ★★★ £D

Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon ★★★ £E

Tamar Valley Chardonnay Tasmania ★★★ £E

 

BK Wines Adelaide Hills

“One Ball” Chardonnay ★★★ £D

“Skin ‘n Bones” Pinot Noir ★★✩ £D

“Skin ‘n Bones” White Savagnin ★★✩ £D

“Cult” Syrah ★★★ £D

“Gower” Pinot Noir ★★★✩ £E

“Swaby” Chardonnay ★★★ £E

“Red Blend” Grenache, Mataró, Syrah ★★★✩ £E

 

For rating and pricing explanations, please see page 12 of the guide or go to http://www.winebehindthelabel.org/general/ratings/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more here: Artisans of Australian Wine