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As you can imagine, an independent wine merchant’s life is not an easy one these days, not only because of the increase in costs, a significant number of which have been generated by the effects of Brexit, but also because of the recent increase in wine duty, which has put the average bottle up 53p.
What the indies do have to offer, however, is wine you just can’t get elsewhere, much of it from small producers who don’t make enough to supply the bigger retailers, as well as a real human you can talk to (even if many independents trade online, a lot have retail outlets, too).
Things are rather better, though, for the 55 members of an enterprising consortium called Vindependents (vindies for short), an agency that buys wine exclusively for the independent sector. Members include well-established names from all over the UK, including The Sampler in north London, The Secret Cellar, which has branches in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Nickolls & Perks in the West Midlands and WoodWinters in Scotland (you can find the full list on the Vindependents website).
Members pay a fee at the start of the year, then get their wines at an average 5% margin; depending on how much they buy, they can also take a profit-sharing stake in the business. Vindependents also set up a bonded warehouse in France to deal with the nightmare of post-Brexit paperwork, there’s an online forum where members can ask for information or help from fellow merchants, and they even seem to manage to have a bit of fun – the recent AGM took place over a three-day trip to Rioja.
What I like about the wines the Vindependents select is that there’s almost always a good story behind them. For example, beaujolais producer Domaine de la Madone’s deliciously vibrant Le Vinif à Papa 2022 (about £18, The Secret Cellar and, from next month, The Good Spirits Co, 12.5%) was made by brothers Olivier and Bruno Bererd in the traditional way, with indigenous yeasts and without added sulphites, as a tribute to their father (their 2022 Le Perréon Beaujolais Villages is delicious, too). There are other good buys due to arrive this coming week, including cracking wines from Bodega Son Vich in Mallorca and some seriously impressive priorats from Marco Abella, which are stocked by The Sampler and the Secret Cellar.
I’ve listed only one or two members as stockists for reasons of space, but if you like the sound of any of these wines, other merchants in the group may carry them or can source them for you. There’s pretty wide availability, too, though some may not have the vintage I most recently tasted and others may be only just now putting the bottles on their shelves. Do try them anyway.
Five wines to buy from an indy
Sensale Bio Grillo 2022 £9.75 WoodWinters, 12.5%. Lively, bright, Sicilian white. Good party drinking.
Le Veritable Jurançon Sec 2020 £11.95 Caviste, £12.50 The Sampler, 13.5%. A lush, peachy white made from the local gros manseng grape. Fresher than you’d imagine from a 2020 vintage.
Sierra de Enmedio Monastrell 2022 £10.50 Reserve Wines Manchester, 13%. Appealingly soft, juicy Spanish red. Easy to drink on its own, better with tapas.
Château Puybarbe Astral 2019 £14 The Secret Cellar, 14%. Ripe, sexy, supple, merlot-dominated bordeaux at an affordable price.
Bodega Son Vich Es Fresc 2022 about £18.50 from stockists including The Good Spirits Co, Glasgow, and Reserve Wines, Manchester, 12.5%. A hugely characterful, red blend of tempranillo, merlot and the local manto negro. Would be perfect with braised or grilled lamb.
• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
