What Have the Merchants Ever Done for Us?

An article on the state of the wine trade published by Tim Atkin MW

Of course, I stole the title of this article from Monty Python. One reason I did so lies in its absurdity. After all, wine merchants in the UK have played a crucial role over centuries in making London one of the most important hubs of wine trading in the world. Their legacy is undeniable.

But here’s the grain of truth: their foundation risks collapsing from a lack of innovation.

In this two-year wine market downturn, blame for the lack of customers’ thirst for wine has been laid on everything and everyone. The usual suspects include younger generations drinking less, the economy, inflated release prices, rising interest rates, taxes, market oversupply, and even neo-prohibitionism … But what if the wine merchants themselves bear some of the responsibility?

Consider Jaguar, the carmaker. This may seem like a digression, but bear with me. Its recent rebranding campaign—complete with neon-bright visuals, moody Gen Z Martians, and depressing quotes like “live vivid”—sparked widespread ridicule. Jaguar discarded its iconic leaping cat logo and a century of heritage in a bid to appeal to younger consumers.

Bold? Perhaps.

Desperate? Definitely.

Which brings us back to wine merchants.

To read the full article, visit timatkin.com