Wines from Rioja names Retailer of the Year

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Published on Tuesday, 18 December 2012 09:15

Written by Carol Emmas

Wines from Rioja has announced the winners of its Retailer of the Year Competition 2012 as Cambridge Wine Merchants, with the Longship, Orkney, as runner-up.

Run in association with the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, Rural & Marine Affairs, the winning independent is awarded the official title of Wines from Rioja Retailer of the Year and will receive £1,000 (the runner-up will receive £500) towards listings of Rioja wines.

The competition ran throughout October and entrants had to display a significant uplift in sales as a result of the promotion, as well as show innovation and creativity in display and tasting events.

The Wines from Rioja judging panel was impressed by Cambridge Wine Merchants' multi-faceted promotion, which reached customers through direct marketing, attractive in-store displays and cross-merchandising with Spanish gourmet produce, and innovative events such as a Rioja vs Bordeaux dinner and a winemaker dinner at a local Michelin-starred restaurant, all of which resulted in uplift of over 100% in volume, value and sales of wines over £10.

The Longship was commended for the huge range of activities it ran, including tastings pairing different Rioja wines with Spanish cheese and charcuterie, two five-course tasting menus with a local hotel, notable uplift and demonstration of long-term commitment to the category with a large number of new ongoing listings.

Ricardo Aguiriano, marketing director of the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja, said: "We were extremely impressed by the calibre of all entries in the promotion – the creativity of displays, innovative promotional partnerships, and sales uplift demonstrated by all retailers was of a consistently high standard and made the process of selecting a winner very difficult.

"The UK independent sector is incredibly vibrant and exciting at the moment, and the fantastic support of these retailers provides us with an excellent platform to communicate the quality and diversity of the Rioja offering to consumers. Congratulations to all retailers who participated on a fantastic promotion, and especially to very deserving winner and runner-up Cambridge Wine Merchants and the Longship. We look forward to continuing our work with the independent trade in 2013 and beyond."

Retailers that signed up to the competition included: The Vineyard, Dorking; Scatchards, Liverpool; The Wine Cellar; Oxford Wine Company; Evuna; Corks Out; Moreno Wines; Grape & Grain; Nickolls & Perks; Premier Wines; Barrica; Hattersley Wines; The Wine Store; Fine Wines Direct; SH Jones & Co; Wine Raks; Ultracomida; the Solent Cellar; Adnams; the Shenfield Wine Co; Ye Olde Bottoms Up; Partridges; Market Square; Christopher Piper Wines; Peckhams and Last Try Wines.