Lanchester Wines has announced a new addition to its sales team to continue the company’s focus on growth in the retail sector. Rebecca Vernon joins in a newly created role of Senior Business Manager-Retail. She has 10 years’ experience working within UK grocery and retail having account managed national and regional retailers. Based in the North West, Vernon will be working with…

The English Spirit Distillery is opening its new distillery at Treguddick Manor, near Launceston, Cornwall. Opening later this summer, the state-of-the-art distillery will be the new home to the artisan distillers English Spirit. Over the past three years, its team has been working on converting a disused agricultural building into an architecturally designed space, to produce “truly exceptional” spirits.  There will be a 2,500-litre copper…

Garçon Wines has hired ex-Somerfield wine buyer Angela Mount as its UK Supermarket Advisor, to help the company accelerate plans to “maximise space-saving, flat bottle potential” in UK supermarkets. Mount has worked in the wine industry all her working life. She is a well-known personality within the wine industry, benefiting from a wealth of retail experience, and having been credited with helping revolutionise wine for…

WineGB has appointed Simon Thorpe MW as its new chief executive officer. Thorpe is a well-known figure in the UK wine trade with more than 30 years’ worth of experience working in the retail wholesale sectors including Waitrose, Constellation, Negociants and John E Fells. More recently he has been running his own consultancy operation to provide business, brand and management advice to companies throughout the…

Matthiasson Family Vineyards has appointed Nekter Wine Importer as its new distributor for the UK. The US wine producer was established in 2003 by husband and wife Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson. The pair’s ethos is based on the many years they have both spent working in sustainable agriculture, and the local food movement. Winemaker (Steve) Matthiasson, favours a small-scale organic and agricultural approach to…

Colchester-based wine merchant Mr Wheeler has rescued online retailer FromVineyardsDirect.com from administration by purchasing the business and its assets in a pre-pack deal. The firm entered administration earlier this month after experiencing financial difficulties. Joint administrators Lee De’ath and Richard Toone of CVR Global LLP managed to find a way forward for the business by facilitating the pre-pack sale to The Wine Company UK Ltd,…

Chianti needs a bit of a revamp in the UK and the market is crying out for a strong brand, one which offers a range of Tuscan wines at different price points. The Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCG wines that found their way into the UK some decades ago were rustic in both taste and packaging. It’s a style a number of producers have been…