Tell us about your portfolio tasting - what can buyers expect?
With a portfolio representing over 20 world class wineries, it can be quite a job to select which wines to show at a tasting like this. We’ve honed it down to around 300 wines which we believe can fit the most eclectic of wines lists. Buyers should expect a mix of the latest vintages of Hatch perennials such as Louis Jadot Chablis, Errazuriz Don Maximiano and Cune Reserva, together with wines from the newer parts of the portfolio.
For example we have a trio of wines from South Africa’s Visio Vintners, a selection of Vinos Naturales by Zuccardi’s Santa and the multi-award winning Cherubino range.
It is also your 30th year - do you have anything special planned at the tasting?
Visitors to the Hatch Mansfield tasting will have the chance to look back on 30 years of the business
As well as the main tasting, a highlight of our day will be the ‘Celebrating 30 years of Hatch Mansfield’ masterclass. We’re planning this to be a very special seminar showcasing stories from Hatch’s three decades, marked with a selection of hand-chosen wines.
I am excited to be speaking alongside David Stephan from Louis Jadot and Pepa Chadwick from Viña Errázuriz. (The masterclass takes place at 11am and has limited places).
Any other particular spotlights this year you want to highlight in terms of the wider tasting?
Visitors will have a chance to win a magnum of Château des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent Clos de Rochegrès 2015, by taking part in the Hatch Blind Tasting Challenge and deducing the grape variety, region and vintage of the eight wines in the line-up.
What producers will you be having coming over for the event?
The Hatch Mansfield tasting will feature all its major producer partners and agencies
Having been able to spend time with so many of our producers in May at the London Wine Fair, we’re thrilled that we’ll be seeing some key faces again for this tasting.
We’re spoilt at Hatch to have in-market support for several of our brands. Key representatives such as Katie Macauley from Oatley Wines and Eugenia Gonzalez from Zuccardi are an extended part of the Hatch team and will be available at the tasting.
In addition to the speakers from the masterclass, we’ll be joined by RJ Botha, Cellarmaster at Kleine Zalze and our key export contacts such as Pedro Vieira from Esporâo, Javier Rodriguez from C.V.N.E., Martin Champagne from M. Chapoutier, Gregory Barbet and Darren Jahn from Oatley Wines.
We’ve now completed our first full year representing the Cherubino portfolio and both Larry and his son Illario will be at the tasting.
Patrick McGrath with Ben Knollys who stepped up to managing director of Hatch Mansfield in 2021
What are your main aims for hosting a tasting like this and how do you go about making sure you achieve them?
To showcase the depth and breadth of our incredible portfolio to our loyal customers and anyone new to the trade and to highlight that we have “something for everyone”, every sector of the trade is catered for with our bespoke ranges.
Our busy sales team spend a lot of time on the road, out and about visiting their accounts so we hope our customers already feel they have access to our expanding portfolio. There’s really nothing like seeing so many faces together tasting our wines in one room though.
Have those aims become more focused or changed at all in recent years?
It’s always a bonus at the end of a long day of tasting to count the number of attendees and pat ourselves on the back, but Hatch has always been more about focus so all of our sales, brand management and marketing team will be present on the day to ensure each and every visitor will come away having tasted the best selection of wines for their needs.
Who do you hope will attend?
In previous years we’ve had a fantastic turnout from customers across the on and off-trade. We understand it can be tricky to find the time to attend events like this so we’re always delighted to see so many of our Indies contacts attend.
What other activities are you doing to mark 30 years?
Next year sees the first wines being released from Domaine Evremond the English wine project developed with Champagne Taittinger.
A special edition of our catalogue which can be found online here and a commemorative case of wine was created for people who have been with use since the start. We’ve also already celebrated as a team, with our summer party back in July.
The next chapter truly begins next year with the release of the first cuvée from our joint venture with Taittinger, Domaine Evremond, a quality English Sparkling wine from Kent in Spring 2025.
Anything else to say?
It really feels like only yesterday that together with Pierre Henry Gagey from Louis Jadot, Eduardo Chadwick from Errazuriz and Villa Maria’s Founder, Sir George Fistonich, I founded a small but focussed wine agency to bring these premium wines to the UK.
The original team of five, including Mark Calver and Philip Tuck MW, all shared tea-making and vacuuming duties in our little office in Frimley so it’s incredible to compare with the 75-strong company Hatch Mansfield has become, supplying world-class wines to all channels in the UK.
Reflecting back, this is down to our extraordinary family of producers, our ever loyal base of customers and the phenomenal Hatch team – all valued partners and true friends and would like to simply say a huge thank you to all who have helped Hatch become what it is today.
* Hatch Mansfield tasting takes place on September 16 at 116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED between 10am-6pm.
* Hatch Mansfield is a commercial partner of The Buyer. You can find out more about their offer for the premium wine market here.
