Following a year of staff expansion and a slew of new wine estates, Hallgarten & Novum Wines is at a point where it can be selective in its producer choices, said Will Oatley, commercial director, at the wholesaler and importer’s annual tasting this week.
Just off from the main tasting, where over 900 wines are being tried by the trade, Oatley explained that Hallgarten doesn’t have any major portfolio gaps to fill, a privilege which allows it to be choosier about who it inducts.
“It’s all about bringing in agencies that will contribute to the portfolio, and we don’t want to cannibalise what we’ve currently got, so that actually causes us to be quite stringent,” Oatley said.
When choosing, he continued: “We have a channel strategy, which is regional, national on-trade and national off-trade, so we need agencies that fit seamlessly into those three sectors. Because of this, while we are expanding, it’s measured.”
Going forward, fine wine parcels are going to be a part of this measured expansion, Oatley said, due to the Lay & Wheeler side of the business, also owned by Coterie Holdings.
Additionally, Burgundy has been a focus, which Oatley described Hallgarten as previously being “quite light on”. This has been rectified by the addition of Domaine William Fèvre, which joined the portfolio this month, alongside Olivier Leflaive, also from the region.
Joshua Butler, director of business development at Hallgarten, likewise chimed in that Querciabella, which was added this month, enriches its Italian portfolio. “Until Querciabella, we didn’t have a Super Tuscan, but now that’s filled,” he said.
Trends
Talking more generally about trends in the trade, Hallgarten is responding to consumer demand for wines from more esoteric regions, evidenced by the presence of Japan, India, Georgia, Armenia and Lebanon at the tasting.
“I’m really seeing an interest in those higher-end, quirkier wines. Not funky, but quirky. And people are willing to shop outside of the classics now,” Butler noted.
Continuing, he said: “There is still a barrier in terms of not being able to pronounce the name or the grape varietal, but that’s really our job as educators to change.”
Low and no is also something that the business can’t ignore, said Oatley. “Last year we brought in Noughty alcohol-free wine, and we’re also seeing growth in other producers. With duty, people are trying to reduce abv to make it a bit more manageable.”
Hallgarten has discussed creating lower-alcohol wines with its producers, Oatley continued. “Though not everyone is willing to play ball, which is understandable when they’re from regions with 40-degree heat for three months.”
Structure changes
Finally, addressing the structural changes in the business, the team at Hallgarten revealed that nobody will be replacing Andrew Bewes, present MD, who is set to step down from the business next month.
“There won’t be anyone replacing Andrew,” Oatley said. “Coterie is quite keen that we already have the management structure in place, with me heading up the sales team and Julien Lever on the operational side.
“We also have a senior management team that pretty much runs the company. So, we’re quite confident that we already have the resources in place to run the company internally, with guidance from Coterie.”
With that said, other new team members will be coming on board. For example, Oatley continued, “we’ve just added an ex-Nielsen member to our insight team, who will help us identify new trends and customer passions. He seriously adds value.”
