Many indies gave the autumn trade tastings a swerve – and we should all understand why. By Graham Holter

When poor weather affects a region’s growing season, the official vintage report invariably declares that “volumes are down, but quality is high”. Organisers of the early autumn trade tastings have doubtless been clutching for a similar form of words.

There’s no disguising the fact that attendance at London’s September trade events was lower than we’ve come to expect, even allowing for Covid complications. It would be surprising if anyone makes the claim that they welcomed more independents than they did at last year’s tastings. From what I saw with my own eyes, and what I’ve heard from tastings I didn’t manage to get to, numbers were noticeably down. Familiar faces were conspicuous by their absence.

This doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on the suppliers who put on these events. In fact, it seemed to me that most organisers had worked harder than ever to make their tastings as navigable, comfortable and efficient as they could. (Admittedly, this would only be evident to those who actually came along.)

So why the apparent apathy? There are several possibilities to consider. Here are the ones that seem most plausible, at least to me.

Let’s start with staffing, which is a perennial issue for many indies. Finding someone you trust to run your shop in your absence is a real challenge. Finding the money to pay them the going rate is often a bigger one. A merchant I spoke to at a recent London masterclass had shut his shop for the day in order to attend. It shows admirable commitment to the cause, but it’s not something he could afford to do very often.

Then there’s the fact that most indies these days are working harder, and longer, to keep the tills ringing. For hundreds of them, that means organising more midweek wine events of their own, either in-store or off site. It all absorbs time and energy on the exact days that trade tastings are most likely to be taking place. 

The state of the market doesn’t help, either. Growth is in very short supply this year for indies; many are flatlining in terms of revenue, or achieving very modest increases, as their costs continue to soar. Against that kind of backdrop, owners tend to stay put and roll up their sleeves rather than venture too far from a teetering business. Heading off for a trade tasting can feel like a luxury – perhaps even a dereliction of duty.

As the marketing chief of one of the bigger importers admitted to me recently, a tough trading climate doesn’t encourage independent merchants to broaden their horizons. People who might usually be open to new suppliers, new wines and bigger orders tend to batten down the hatches. They stick to tried and tested lines they are confident of selling and are nervous about sitting on too much stock. Cash flow becomes all-important. Hunting expeditions at trade tastings, not so much.

Generalising about the independent wine trade is always a risky occupation, and there will be some retailers for whom much, or all, of the above does not apply. But at The Wine Merchant we speak to dozens of indies each week as part of our efforts to encourage attendance at our own events, and these are the themes that recur (along with complaints about expensive and unreliable trains, and general time poverty).

On a more positive note, suppliers have undoubtedly become much better at bringing their offer straight to the independent trade. We hear frequent reports from indies about reps who can be relied upon to arrive, by appointment, with a thoughtfully selected range of wines that can be tasted in a considered way and stand a fighting chance of being listed.

It’s true that trade tastings can often be terrible places to taste wine. Too much noise, too much heat, too many bodies, too little information. But with one exception, which it would be unfair to name, that was not my experience this September. Ironically, my favourite events were the ones with the fewest attendees per square metre. Tasting is so much pleasanter without the need for sharp elbows.

But I hope more indies feel able to get along to next spring’s tastings. The pros outweigh the cons – and sociability, and serendipity, have always been central tenets of the wine merchant creed. However inconvenient it may sometimes seem, we all need to get out there.