Refreshing the list

I wonder what odds the bookies would have given on Morland appointing a woman with no previous experience of buying wine to be their new wine and spirits development manager? Pretty long, I suspect, especially as hitherto Morland has had a very traditional wine department and wine list.

Whatever the betting odds, New Zealander Maxine Collier was appointed to the post last year and joined the company in August 1996. "My background is marketing," explains Collier. "I did an agricultural science degree at Massey University, Palmerston North, and then worked for the ministry of agriculture and fisheries before coming to the UK. My experience is in sales and marketing. My job is to enthuse the licensees and sales people about wine and to improve profit and volume. Beer is still very much number one at Morland."

Tailored to a theme

One of Collier's immediate tasks has been to overhaul the company wine list as well as tailor the wine selection in the company's growing number of themed eateries. Morland owns 130 managed pubs and several concepts are being developed, either in-house or through acquisition.

There are now 18 Artist's Fare pub restaurants intended to offer "informal dining in a relaxed environment". "Artist's Fare is very much family based - appealing to a broad spectrum," says Collier. "There is a privilege card which gives OAPs discounts on their meals." Artist's Fare is the most conservative of Morland's concepts.

The menu for Artist's Fare lists 13 still wines and two sparkling, an Asti Spumante (£9.95) and Champagne Reynier NV (£19.95). For still wine choice, there are eight whites and five reds. Excepting the sparklers, all of the wines are available by the glass as well as by the bottle. The Verre du Vin system is used to keep opened wines fresh. The abv (alcohol by volume) is also listed on the menu as a useful guide to those driving.

Collier is aware of the danger of going too far, too fast. "You have to be careful not to overestimate people's willingness to experiment. For instance, on the Artist's Fare menu, our Vin de Pays de Gers has gone down well but has not been dry enough for some people's taste, so we have put a Muscadet back on the list.

"I could make the wine list ultra-modern but I need to listen to the feedback. OAPs are not necessarily the age group most keen to experiment!"

New world focus

In contrast, the American-styled Exchange Diners are youth orientated. Morland bought the 23-strong chain from Allied Domecq for £32m in January 1997. A new wine list will be introduced at the end of June. "The selection is quite different and is heavily New World-focused," says Collier. Of the 12 wines listed, only four come from the classic European areas, and France is represented by a Champagne. "There is also a more upmarket Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon than you find at Artist's Fare."

The wine descriptions are more colourful. "Hey Amigo! This racy, zingy, fruity, dry white will really blow your sombrero off" describes a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc at the Exchange Diner. In contrast, from the Artist's Fare list, the Montana Chardonnay is "a delicious dry, golden wine from New Zealand".

The seven Wig & Pen high street café/bar-style outlets have a wine approach between that of the Artist's Fare and the Exchange Diner. Of the 12 wines, five are from Europe and seven from the rest of the world.

The three Peppercorn Bistros have a more extended wine selection, listing 23: eight white, a rosé, eight red, three dessert and three sparkling. Maximum prices are also higher: £28 for the Moët et Chandon Brut and £17.50 for Gevrey Chambertin 1993 from Labouré-Roi. The eight branded Newt & Cucumber city centre pubs do not have a separate wine list.

Mark-ups are encouragingly moderate. On the trade list, the Reynier Champagne costs £14.17 with VAT and is sold for £19.95 in the Artist's Fare, a mark-up of just 40%.

In addition to these selected wines in the various outlets, Morland has Wines of the Month, a white and a red. "Previously, Wine of the Month was used almost as a bin end," explains Collier. Now the wines feature in Morland's monthly bulletin and are new discoveries. For instance, for May 1997, two from Argentina were selected: Vistalba Estate Syrah 1995 (£3.85 trade) and a Chardonnay from the same property for £4.08.

Managers also have the scope to increase the range of wines by adding their own selections taken from the trade list. "We don't want all the outlets to look the same," explains Collier.

Changes in Morland's trade list are already apparent. The wine list has been separated out from the main drinks list of which it had been a part. Wine came after beers and spirits. It is interesting to compare the November 1995 list with the most recent one. The new list is more ordered, approachable and focused. Out have gone several classed-growth Bordeaux and village Burgundies that Collier believes were on list for the sake of the directors or the wine buyer. There are now six Chilean instead of one; five from New Zealand instead of two; and, for the first time, a Mexican - LA Cetto Petite Syrah 1993. Burgundy references have dropped from 12 to nine. Most importantly there are friendly notes guiding licensees through the list.

Collier has also extended the selectionof wine boxes, bringing in the Stowells range, such as the Australian Colombard/Chardonnay. "This is a big improvement on before, when pubs used to stock screw-topped bottles in an old-fashioned cabinet," explains Collier, "and with a rapid turnover, wine boxes are not a problem."

Further work is still needed. "Southern France is definitely one area to work on," says Collier. Morland's new list has no wines from this dynamic area. The old list had several but - like a Côtes de Gascogne 1991 - they were past their sell-by date. Much of Morland's wine market is in the £3-£4 trade bottle price, and Collier intends to focus on this price sector. Everything has to be ready for October when the new list is launched at Morland's trade fair.

The most important part of Collier's work is to train and enthuse the publicans about wine. "We have monthly courses, which are a mix of tasting and training," says Collier. She shows them the difference between a long-opened bottle and a fresh one and points out the importance of serving wine in the right glasses.

"Some pubs in the past have been very bad in their choice of wine," says Collier. "A lot of wine drinkers visit pubs but do not buy wine."

But that is changing at Morland. Already this year its wine sales are up by 30% in the free trade sector.