Producers

Philippe Boucheron goes into deepest Worcestershire and discovers Upton-upon-Severn Wines

‘ The best specialist food & drink retailer in Worcestershire’

The wine trade is full of Jonah’s going round telling us that independent merchants and small family businesses are endangered species. Well, perhaps they should go to Upton-upon-Severn and meet the Goadby family – former chef Alan, his wife Toni and their son Andy – who not only survive, but actually prosper.

Alan got the bug for cooking at 13½ when he came third in a Birmingham competition run by McDougalls, the self-raising flour people, with a Dundee cake –  and it has never left him.  He met his Irish wife Toni when he worked in the kitchens of the Raven Hotel, Droitwich, where she was a receptionist. Between them over the years they have turned a dilapidated Victorian manor house in Wales, with its own goldmine, into a country house hotel – “it turned out to be anything but a goldmine”, sighs Alan –  ran a 16th century village pub with five letting rooms, and a still-talked about farmhouse restaurant with rooms in Worcestershire.  Altogether a pretty tough life, especially when you are bringing up a teen age son and daughter.

In 1989 he changed sides when he joined Evertons of Ombersley as director for on-trade sales.  “In those days”, says Alan, “ they were a major national wholesaler with agencies like Laroche and Laurent Desmazières champagne, a Cattier sous marque, and customers that included leading hotels and restaurants from London to Manchester.”  The least part of the Everton empire was a tiny bow-fronted 17th century off-licence in Upton. In 1997 they got enough money together to buy it with Toni becoming the licensee.  “We gutted the place and turned it into a respectable wine shop.  The flat upstairs became our home, with a tiny patch at the back being turned into a pretty garden.”

940% growth in ten years

“During our first full year of trading we turned Evertons’ previous £90,000 into £150,000 turnover split pretty evenly between the shop and on-trade.” By 2007 this had leapt by almost 940% to around £850,000 with some £250,000 through the shop and the balance to a steadily increasing number of on-trade customers.  Today Upton Wines is a preferred wine merchant to Michelin starred restaurants and top country house hotels in a triangle that runs roughly from Birmingham to Bristol and Reading.  “Our customers,” says Alan with justifiable pride, “ include L’Ortolan at Shinfield, Bath Priory, Mallory Court near Leamington Spa and Simpsons in Birmingham as well as Corse Lawn House and more recently La Becasse in Ludlow, plus of course Brockencote Hall near Kidderminster  – our first trade customer and still going strong.”

Alan has a simple philosophy: “if we have to work, then let’s do it with people we like and have fun doing it.”  As a result the family is very particular about the shippers they work with, – “ above all they have to be nice people with whom they can become friends”.   Among their suppliers are Fields, Morris & Verdin with Jonathan Scarfe, Mentzendorff with Antony Davies – who used to be a customer when he ran the Lombard Room in Birmingham – Nick James of Pol Roger UK, Andrew Nichol of Champagne & Châteaux and David Boobbyer of Reid Wines.

In recent years, with the help of Charles Sanderson, Alan and Andy have began to ship on their own account buying container loads of Concha y Toro Cyt directly from Chile that they sell in vast quantities as house wines to restaurants and pubs. In addition they also ship Ayala champagne; Chablis from Nathalie and Giles Févre as well as Laroche; Burgundy from Chanson Père et Fils; Côtes du Rhône from Chapoutier, and Girelli from Italy  “No wine merchant worth his salt”, said Alan, “ can afford to ignore the d’Oc and we ship in from Domaine Montmarins  in the Côte du Thongue”.

On Saturdays the tiny Tardis of a shop is full of locals and week-end visitors searching for mature bottles from the pick of Bordeaux’s petit châteaux and the best from Burgundies growers as well as such jewels as New Zealand Pinot Noir from Ortaga, or Duckhorn Cabernets from California’s Napa Valley. On display are no less than 17 champagnes including four different vintages of Dom Perignon, while a top shelf contains half bottles of some of the more delectable dessert wines from France, South Africa, Germany and Italy.

A weakness for Alsace

“Over the past few years we have noticed that retail customers are moving away from Australian wines” says son Andy, “ much preferring the more complex, longer styles from France, Italy and New Zealand”.  Like most chefs, especially Chefs Pâttisier, Alan has a weakness for Hungarian Tokay and Alsace wine, most specially the Vendage Tardive.  These are well represented, but probably don’t pay for their space! “Well”, he explained,“they are only a tiny proportion of our stock that incidentally includes a great choice of both Irish and Scotch whiskies, including 57% abv Edradour ‘straight from the oak’ at £40.55 as well as a range of Lheraud cognacs”.

The shop has become a haunt for professional men and women who either work in and around Birmingham, or in London and have weekend cottages in the area. They not only buy for themselves but also point Alan and Andy towards private cellars that they know are for sale. This has led to the business growing its own broking arm that has resulted in a number of amusing episodes. “Not long a go a lady offered me a £10 note for a bottle of 1986 Petrus, marked at £888, that she had heard about and thought she would like to try”.  Alan didn’t know if he should laugh or cry when he had to explain the true price. “But”, he said,” she left with a very drinkable bottle of Claret for under a tenner”.!

Mind you there are still a few bottles of Vega Sicilia Unico, including a 1965 for £499, hiding between the cases of old vintage Port and the magnums and double magnums from Bordeaux and beyond.  Pick of the bunch has to be a bottle of 1949 Château d’Yquem for £1,500 that Andy is protecting for his father’s 65th birthday next year.  Alan has promised that, if it is not sold, he will share it with the family.

Finally there is also something else rather special about the Goadby family business – service.  By working all the hours of the day they make sure that their trade customers have the wines that they want, when they need them.  That is the kind of service that in just eleven years has enabled them to build a successful and highly respected business from a very small base.  But then I don’t know what the Jonah’s would have to say about that.

More on Upton Wines HERE