And the winner is............................
Definitely not Green & Blue. By Kate
Times remain interesting. Maybe now is not the time to turn down an opportunity for some publicity but then we never seem to do noticeably better out of the mainstream kind. Not that we (usually) go out of our way to avoid it, but working as closely as we can with our local market in East Dulwich and our on-line community seems to be a better approach for us.
And even when times are quite this trying, we believe that you hold on to your principles before anything else.
I am well aware that I may yet go down, with nothing but the aforementioned principles to show for all the effort when I land (this is not a happy thought) but imagine how I would feel if I didn't even have those?
The below email explains the above :-
Dear XXXX
Thank you so much for your email informing us of our shortlisting for your new ‘innovative merchant’category. It is always gratifying to realise that hard work is recognized by the industry and we would like to thank you most sincerely.
We will not however take this any further and will not be submitting an application form.
As you are aware, we have always been biased towards wines produced with no or only very minimal chemical use and have been steadily moving towards those produced with ever less intervention in both the vineyard and the winery over the last 3 – 4 years. Both those from the wilder and weirder (but no less delicious) shores of the wine world and those made in very classic styles; at a level many of the more renowned classics can only dream of. Increasingly, the wines we sell are a world away from those that tend to be the medal winners. Indeed, they would have no place at all in such a line up; it would be the comparison of apples and handbags.
As well as being a business primarily concerned with selling wine, we have also always felt that it is the duty of any retailer of food and drink to ensure that their customers are very clear on where what they consume comes from and how it is made. Never more so than now.
It is our belief that many of the wines which, more often than not, are covered in glory are of a style which is clumsy and which manages to be both overwrought and lifeless at the same time. No mean feat. The endorsing or promotion of food which is saturated in too much fat, sugar and salt is increasinglyunderstood to be questionable practise and yet no such understanding exists with wine and I am afraid that we feel that these medal shows are heavily implicated in the propagation of the idea that the style described above is not only acceptable but indeed desirable.
We feel also that it is intrinsically wrong that so little is known about how these competitions work;the entrance fees, the sheer number of medals awarded, the tasting panels etc. For a consumer who does not know much; a shiny sticker on a bottle will clinch the deal more often than not but we wonder if that would be the case if he or she was aware of exactly how the process worked.
There is a corner of the wine world which is moving towards a purity and integrity of fruit that is to be applauded, promoted and celebrated at every turn, no matter the challenges involved. Medal shows do not yet recognize or reward these styles. Green & Blue however are firmly in that corner and given this, simply cannot square an involvement with the world of competitions. We recognize their place and the huge industry they generate but we want no part of it.
We recognize fully that some excellent wines and indeed much worthy work is recognized too by such awards and we remain gratified to have been included in your new category but I hope you understand that this is not the place for us for all of the reasons described above.
Very best wishes
Kate.
So there it is. We are just starting to get more active on our Facebook page. Emily has gently but firmly talked me through my deep seated aversion to this medium and so now, Rebecca and I will post things on walls.
Please feel free to comment on the above there if you like and we'll respond.
