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Accolade Wines has opened its own wine retail shop near its head office in Weybridge, Surrey yesterday morning according to Office News. The shop is named 1853 Wine Club- named after the year Thomas Hardy, founder of Hardys now owned by Accolade, first planted vines in Australia. The company already runs online business from a similar named online store http://www.1853wineclub.com/.
It will sell wines from across the Accolade portfolio, which also includes Mud House, Geyser Peak and Flagstone. The store is also selling Old World wines supplied by Constellation Wines and Matthew Clarke to complement its broad range of New World bottles. The shop has two Enomatic machines, allowing Weybridge wine lovers the chance to sample up to 16 wines before making a purchase.
William (Bill) Hardy, former Winemaker and the Brand Ambassador for the group, explains the move to delWine. He says, ‘Accolade Wines recently moved out of the 'Head Office' building in Guildford, where it had been since the mid 2000s, and relocated back at Weybridge. The new premises offered the possibility of a 'bricks and mortar' home for our 1853 Wine Club, which has been an on-line entity until now. Creating a retail outlet, in combination with the 1853 Club home, made sense and gave us an opportunity to showcase Accolade's global portfolio of brands.’
The affable Bill Hardy who became the darling of the members of the Delhi Wine Club when he was the guest of honour at a Dinner hosted by the Club at La Meridien, Gurgaon a few months ago with Hardys wines, adds,’ to complement the Accolade wines on sale, we have added products from the Constellation Wines portfolio, as they are still a stakeholder in Accolade, and from Matthew Clarke, the biggest on-trade distributor in the UK and until a few months ago, 50% owned by Accolade. Accolade's sale of their share in Matthew Clarke included an on-going arrangement for Matthew Clarke to distribute Accolade's products, so the arrangement for this new outlet to retail non-Accolade products from Matthew Clarke's portfolio is quite logical.’ The 1853 wine shop will ensure their premium portfolio becomes more accessible to the public.”
The news may not be sensational to our Indian readers except that Hardys is imported by Sula Select which also include the Mud House label from (NZ) and Kumala (South Africa). But it does bring out the ever burning issue for consumers- Online sales and allowing tastings in a retail sales which are de rigueur in UK and even in USA where the laws are very strict due to the prohibition hangover. In both the cases, the basic question of excise duties and their possible evasion and monitoring strictly the minimum age has to be considered.
Currently there is no question of opening the bottle in a Retail Shop anywhere in India, or online sales anywhere for the above reasons. Only indulgence is possible in Karnataka where the tavern licenses are easy and inexpensive (at least on paper), so a person having a Retail shop license can procure a Tavern license next to the shop where the same labels can be displayed. A customer can ask for a taste (paid or complimentary) and whatever he likes can order from the shop next door. In Haryana, where Ahatas have been very successful, the similar concept prevails: one may buy wine from an authorised retail shop and drink in an adjoining store called Ahata where food is also served at reasonable prices. However, no alcohol is sold at the eatery.
All that is required is for the government to allow a small counter and specified area and space without any seating arrangement and monitor the pour by the glass (of max. 30 mL) through documentation that can be checked and controlled by the excise inspections. Every bottle used in the Enomatic Machine has to have proper certification and proof of taxes paid. Wine purchase is all about sampling and tasting and it is really helpful in proper selection of a wine. The case example o Accolade should help the authorities to be more sympathetic to the pleas of the retailers who can be asked to cough up extra money for the facility, thus adding more to the coffers of the government too.
Online Sales is slightly more complicated since it involves inter-state sales and the age certification which is questioned even in the countries where it is allowed. The question of taxes being a State subject is difficult to monitor and will need longer time to comprehend and enforce the laws regarding Online sales.
Hardys varietals (blends mostly in the entry level) are getting increasingly popular in India after a price rationalisation last year. Cabernet Merlot 2013 available in Delhi at Rs. 920 was in fact the Editor’s Choice in an article by delWine listing Top Ten wine selections of 2015.
Subhash Arora |