Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 12009
Auction date
If you find yourself in New York at the beginning of May, one of the USA's oldest wine retailers, Acker Merrall & Conduit of New York, will hold its first auction of fine and rare wines under the experienced hand of former Christie's auctioneer Paul Bowker on 2 May.
The sale will feature first-growth Bordeaux from the late 1800s to the present, star Californian Cabernets such as Screaming Eagle, Colgin, Harlan Estate and Bryant Family, as well as a variety of collectable US, Burgundy and Rhône wines, Champagne and Port.
Smaller lots of Italian, German, Australian and Spanish wines will also go under the hammer.
All wines come from temperature-controlled cellars and long-standing private collections. "We expect our first sales to meet and possibly exceed $1,000,000," says Steve Puccini, Acker Merrall's auction director. The company is planning three further auctions in September, October and November.
Fax them for a copy of the sale catalogue: 00 1 212 799 1984.
Frontonnais fever
Sichel took on distribution for Montauriol in 1997, as part of its strategy to promote quality "petit chÆ'teau" wines on export markets.
Produced on the stony hills north-west of Toulouse, the 1995 red is made from local varieties of Négrette, Cot, Merille and Fer, with a dollop of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 1996 rosé, made by the saignée method, is a blend of 80% Négrette and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Contract win
Matthew Clark is sitting pretty with a new contract worth £30m from independent pub owner Pubmaster, which has 1,400 tenancies and franchises across the UK. Products range from Blackthorn draught cider and Guinness to trendy bottled lagers, soft drinks, wines and spirits.
Pubmaster claims that it is the first major pub owner to take all of these drinks from a single wholesaler rather than a brewer.
