Cambridge Wine Merchants scoop two awards

at the Wine Industries ‘Oscars’

Local independent retailer Cambridge Wine Merchants won two awards at Tuesday’s International Wine Challenge (IWC) Dinner, held at the Park Lane Hilton.

Managing Director Hal Wilson received the awards from IWC Chairman Derek Smedley MW (see picture) for Regional Merchant of the Year for Eastern England and National Specialist of the Year for Fortified Wines. The company was also short listed for National Large Independent Merchant of the Year.

The judges reported that Cambridge Wine Merchants were 'Very much going places, opening new stores, astonishing list of fortified wines especially Madeira and sherry, active in promoting events, innovative. Visual websites, Tastervision!! Outstanding.'

Hal Wilson said “ We are naturally thrilled to receive this recognition for what has been a really exciting year for our company. Buying wine should be a fun and informed experience, so we try to have fun in our business, while offering the very best wines, advice and service. We’ve got a great team and lovely customers.”

“We have the largest range of Fortified wines in the UK, especially Sherry and think Cambridge people have a great appetite for these most undervalued of the world’s great quality wines. We are serious about innovation too, opening the city’s first wine shop and wine bar in Cherry Hinton Road and offering wine in high-tech low CO2 packaging.”

Cambridge Wine Merchants run a wine school offering industry qualifications as well as regular tutored tastings with winemakers and their own qualified tutors. They were established in 1993 and are run by the two owners Brett Turner and Hal Wilson and retail director Lyndsey Spellman from four shops in Cambridge and further shops in Royston, Ampthill and Edinburgh. This year the company has also won National Independent Drinks Retailer 2010 through the Drinks Retailing Awards.

We are Independent Drinks Retailer of the year!

On Feb. 2nd, we received the Drinks Retailing Award 2010 in the Independent Drinks Retailer category. We were also nominated Runners Up in the Independent Spirits Retailer category. A tremendous success that will hopefully be followed by many more future successes!

Thanks to all our customers, our great suppliers and everyone who is working for us - you have made this success possible. See below some of the comments customers sent to us to congratulate.

Good news travels fast...

Many congratulations. Well deserved.
Kind regards, Rod Rippin

Congratulations to Cambridge Wine Merchants and all its staff, from a committed customer! Bravo!!
Ian Bent

Congratulations! As a long standing customer, I am proud to have helped!!!
Regards, Nicos Neocleous

Fabulous news. Well done!
Di Beddow

Bloody excellent news! We attended the Cambridge Wine Show and bought a mixed case... you guys deserve it!
Christine Rush

Congratulations
Kim Speller

Drinks Business Awards 2010

At last week's London International Wine Fair Cambridge Wine Merchants were named Independent Retailer of Year - Runner Up in the prestigious Drinks Business 2010 Awards.

After winning  Independent Drinks Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Retailing Awards   in February and being named  runner-up at  both  the International Wine and Spirits Competition and Portuguese Wine Awards, we have yet another feather to put in our  cap.

Competing against some of the countries' most successful independent wine retailers, we managed to beat Adnams , Naked Wines and Roberson and came second just after Cheshire-based merchant Corks Out . Interestingly Corks Out came second to us in the Drinks Retailing Awards in February, establishing our two companies as probably the best two Independent Wine Merchants in the UK at the moment.

Judge Paul Schaafsma, UK director for Australian Vintage, said about Cambridge Wine Merchants that we "demonstrate flair and an innovative streak with a big emphasis on staff training."

Once again we could prove that our sense of innovation and our commitment to people - our customers and those who work for us alike - make us an outstanding and successful company, a fact that is being increasingly recognized and rewarded throughout the industry. Well-deserved, as we naturally believe.

The Drinks Business Awards are in their seventh year and the annual ceremony in which the winners are announced has become one of the nation's major events in the wine and spirits sector.

International Wine and Spirits Competition 2010

Great news again – we have been named Runners-up at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) Independent Retailer Award.  The IWSC was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world's best wines, spirits and liqueurs.

The Awards ceremony took place on 17th March at Mosimann’s, London. Hal Wilson, managing director and owner of CWM, says “The Independent Retailer Award recognises the work this sector does in recommending and selling premium wine in the UK. Our message is to Drink better and Know more, not Drink more. Our customers receive honest friendly advice about wines and spirits.

Receiving a huge number of endorsements from them and the recognition from the IWSC judges is a real honour. Competition was tough with 10 really good companies getting through to the National Finals, so we are very proud to be Runners Up . We’ll certainly give it a go next year again, and hopefully we can carry home the award for 2011.”

Portuguese Wine Awards 2010

For the second year running we won the Independent Wine Merchant Runner Up Award at the Portuguese Wine Awards dinner.

A unique event being held at the Ambassador's residence in Belgrave Square, the awards celebrate those companies and individuals that have excelled at bringing fine Portuguese Wines to the forefront of the consumer's mind.

Hal Wilson, Cambridge Wine Merchants' managing director, says "We've been working on expanding our range of Portuguese wines and fortified wines for years, thanks to our committed and highly competent team of buyers. We’re thankful  for this recognition of our specialist status within the trade."