On-trade distributor Matthew Clark has unveiled a new addition to the line-up awaiting visitors to its Discover the Unexpected wine tasting for the trade this month.
A series of intimate and exclusive tastings of “Unexpected Surprises” will offer visitors an opportunity to taste fine and rare wines from some of the company’s most prestigious suppliers.
The annual interactive tasting takes place at Tobacco Dock in Wapping, east London, on March 18, split up into different zones. It will feature over 350 wines from around the world, including 100 new wines.
To take part in the “Unexpected Surprises” tastings, each visitor to the tasting will be assigned their own unique code which will be entered into a prize draw. At intervals throughout the day, the Matthew Clark team will invite 10 visitors at random to sample the rare wines.
Visitors will need to keep an eye on the Twitter feed which will be broadcast on screens around the venue to see if they are among the chosen few.
The “Unexpected Surprises” line-up will include prestige cuvées from the Moët Hennessy portfolio, magnums of wines such as the Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos de Ursules 1985, the Eileen Hardy 1997 Shiraz, and the Graham’s Colheita 1969 Single Harvest Tawny Port.
The tastings will be hosted by key personnel from the wineries who will be coming to London especially for the event.
Stephen Gill, London regional managing director for Matthew Clark, said: “We are very excited about our Discover The Unexpected tasting. It’s not only a chance for us to showcase our fantastic range, but it allows a forum for our highly valued customers to discuss business ideas with each other and with members of the Matthew Clark sales force and marketing teams.
“The ‘Unexpected Surprises’ tasting enables us to gain feedback from our customers, and lets them discover some of the quality wines on our list while also adding a bit of intrigue to proceedings.”
One of the largest zones at the event will be devoted to Spain, Matthew Clark’s leading region. Buyers and producers will be available to talk customers through the wines, and Spanish tapas will be served, with dishes carefully selected to match with particular wines on show.
With Matthew Clark’s wines winning over 530 awards in 2013, visitors will have an opportunity to taste some of these wines in a dedicated trophy winning zone.
The “Building Blocks” zone will house a series of flights all themed to demonstrate how understanding different styles and price points can make the difference when trying to influence consumer choices.
The focus of these flights will vary from popular and commercial to diverse and quirky styles of wine and grape variety, to represent the full spectrum of consumer tastes with the aim of helping customers make the most of these trends.
Among other highlights on offer will be commercially-relevant masterclasses hosted by external experts running throughout the day, a fully merchandised bar area, as well as street food vans serving food.
Stephen said: “Consumers’ thirst for wine knowledge moves on unabated and it is important that we help our customers gain commercial advantage over their competitors in the wine category.
“We have decided this year to increase the size and scope of our annual wine tasting and include wine list engineering, marketing and merchandising techniques that will excite consumers and ensure that Matthew Clark’s customers generate a greater level of profit from selling wine. It’s all just part of Matthew Clark helping to make our customers’ businesses successful.”
The tasting runs from 10am to 5pm. Visitors can register at www.theexperiencematters.co.uk.
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