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Matthew Clark and Bibendum form single entity

Owner C&C says move will remove “unnecessary duplication and barriers”
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Enotria takes on premium Constellation wineries

Robert Mondavi, Booker, The Prisoner and To Kalon switch from Matthew Clark
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Greek wineries join the Liberty portfolio

Kir-Yianni and Domaine Sigalas were previously imported by Enotria
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Australian wine shipments to the UK down 9%

Wine Australia warns of “tough headwinds” in its main export markets
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Jeroboams launches new services for fine wine clients

Exchange and Cellar Plan help customers build collections and trade wine
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Hallgarten welcomes Olivier Leflaive to growing portfolio

Burgundian business started as a négociant but is also a domaine
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You can specialise in more than just wine

Why not add beer, books or even free jazz performances to your offer?
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Independent numbers continue to grow

There are now 855 shops operated by 624 businesses, according to our survey
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Twelve unsettling wine commercials

You don’t see many TV ads for wine, and these examples may partly explain why
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Now everybody’s a gin distiller

Adnams plans to give more of its customers the chance to make their own gin
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The fun of the fair

The UK wine trade would still exist without the LWF, but it would be a…
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Consumers are getting more wine savvy

The number of consumers taking wine courses is continuing to soar, according to the WSET
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It’s not just Marmite that’s more expensive

Independents have been hit with pre-Christmas price increases. The worst may be yet to come
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The old boys’ club

Just 11% of indie wine specialists are female. It will be embarrassing if that figure…
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Saturation point is a long way off

The UK could sustain another 200 independent wine shops, says study
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Shop? Wine bar? Café? Maybe all three

28.4% of retailers now offer wine for on-premise consumption
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Confidence high but turnover takes a hit

Independent wine retailers saw turnover fall by 5% last year, according to figures compiled by…
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Saturday Kitchen could feature indies

Show ‘is open to the idea’ of filming on location in independent wine shops
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What’s happened to the AWRS?

It was meant to be in full swing by now. What has gone wrong?
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Roberson quits retail to focus on ‘new ideas’

Roberson is closing its iconic shop but says it still has faith in independent retailing
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Ambitious indies open more shops

Oeno, Planet of the Grapes, Vagabond and Bottle Apostle have all been busy
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News flash: independent trade rises by almost 5%

The independent trade grew by 4.8% in 2014 and is now worth more than £500m…
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Independents bloom in garden centres

Reserve Wines is the latest indie to bed in beside the bedding plants
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Wanted: women. Any age. Must love wine

Independent wine shops still have a bit of a problem with women. It’s a fact…
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Issue 152 (November 2025)
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We're up to 197 entries in this year's Wine Mercha We're up to 197 entries in this year's Wine Merchant Survey of Independents! You have until Sunday night (Feb 1) to take part. Possibly Monday morning too if you're very lucky.

Every year brokenhearted indies fling themselves at us, sobbing, saying they can't believe they missed the deadline. Don't be one of those people this February.

You know what to do: the link you need is on our website and very likely in your email inbox. Go go go!
More than 100 independent businesses have already More than 100 independent businesses have already taken part in this year's Survey of Independents.

If you're a UK-based indie, with physical retail premises, we want to hear from you. You'll find the link at winemerchantmag.com.

Remember, five participants will be selected at random to receive some fantastic Hatch Mansfield wine.
Our first issue of 2026 is here and if you're even Our first issue of 2026 is here and if you're even vaguely interested in the independent wine trade you need to read it from cover to fragrant cover.

All the news, views and reviews you demand of us, plus honourable mentions for Bill Clinton, tumbleweed, Pac-Man, horse boxes, Rutland Water, Kylie, Billy Joel, two Tim Watsons, Easter egg hunts and an attempt to convince you that wine is never improved by food.

You can subscribe to the print edition for £85 a year, or hack into the free digital version via our website. We don't know how to build firewalls, so fill your boots.
Thanks to all eight of our indies who did such a g Thanks to all eight of our indies who did such a great job of judging at yesterday's California Collection tasting. Thanks also to our friends at @wbc.co.uk who made us so welcome and created the perfect environment for the wines to shine.

We've got 50 worthy winners to reveal in our March supplement, published as always in association with @california.wines.uk.india
Every year, we at The Wine Merchant embark on our Every year, we at The Wine Merchant embark on our Survey of Independents. More than 200 businesses take part, representing indies of all shapes and sizes.

The results we get help us paint a really detailed picture of what's happening in our market.

It takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete the survey and five participants will be selected at random to win Hatch Mansfield goodies.

If you're a UK-based indie with physical premises, you can find the link on our website.
Our final (and biggest) issue of 2025 is landing n Our final (and biggest) issue of 2025 is landing now, with an early Christmas gift of a 2026 wall planner. Never miss Xinomavro Day again!

As always there is loads going on in this edition, but that goes without saying, because the independent trade is where the fun happens. We do our best to report on it all, and throw in a few cartoons and silly captions along the way.

We next publish in January but we'll keep the website up to date in the meantime.

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