Punch Taverns has uncorked its largest ever wine offering for retailers.
‘Connect to the World of Wine’ includes some 370 different wines from across the globe, more than treble the amount featured in the leased and tenanted pubco’s first wine brochure three years ago.
Besides new product listings, the brochure also makes creating a wine menu from scratch far easier thanks to Punch’s ‘Wine Options’ service.
Wine Options matches pubs to one of nine ready-made wine lists according to their customer base and trading style. Punch says this is ideal for operators who are new to the sector or want to save time researching and compiling an offering.
Punch’s category manager Dave Glew said: “Wine is being drunk by a wider range of people and with more regularity than ever before. The popularity of wine continues to increase as consumers become more confident about the huge variety of products available.
“We have come up with a range of initiatives to support the category, which are specifically designed to help retailers develop their wine offering and generate more sales.”
Punch continues to offer a free wine menu service to retailers ordering from its range. Retailers can choose from six different menu styles and two tent cards to help promote their selection.
Dave said: “Just as important as selecting the wine is having the resources to promote it. More than 300 pubs benefited last year from having personalised wine menus and we expect the service to be in demand again in 2005.”
Connect to the World of Wine was officially unveiled at Punch pub the Risely Park, Derbyshire, with key suppliers including E&J Gallo, Reads, Constellation, Ehrmanns, Hatch Mansfield, Carlsberg UK and Bibendum showcasing their products.
Master of Wine Jonathan Pedley was on hand to offer tips and advice on wine selection. He also announced his ‘pick of the bunch’ – personal favourites from the current Punch range.
Ends
Note to editors:
Jonathan Pedley’s ‘pick of the bunch’ includes:
- Sierra Valley Californian Red (E&J Gallo). An appealing depth of character, in which layered undertones of dark berry fruit mingle with luscious flavours of black cherry
- Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet (Reads). A delicious red wine with soft, full fruit characteristics and mellow tannins
- Mondavi Private Selection Fume Blanc (Constellation). Ripe fruit, classy oak and good weight define this Fume Blanc from Mondavi
- Elementos Chardonnay / Viognier (Ehrmanns). Zingy and fresh on the palate, with a delicate youthful fruitiness on the nose
- Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc (Hatch Mansfield). Zippy and herbaceous with a bite of vibrant acidity on the palate
- Vacqueyras Domaine Curnière (Carlsberg UK). A solid, chunky red with a wonderfully complex aroma
- Casa De Piedra Chardonnay (Bibendum). A delicious medium bodied wine, packed with tropical fruit flavours and delicately balanced with a hint of oak |