Latest in my “introjuicing” series is Ian Dornan from simplywines.ie

So, Ian, how long are you up and running with Simply Wines and what prompted you to start the business. What did you do before?

Simply Wines has been in existence since October 2003. It started as a web-only operation running alongside a wholesale business until December 2009 when we opened the Simply Wines Warehouse.  I’d spent the best part of 20 years working in various roles in I.T. in a couple of industry sectors but I always had a passion for wine and spent whatever holiday time I could in various wine regions in Europe and beyond.

I’d bring wine home from these trips and you’d share it with friends and family and the feedback I’d received was always positive. By late 2002 I was starting to get feed up with IT. I’d been through both the Y2K and euro and I really wanted to do something for myself, something that would hopefully be a little more family friendly as by then I had two small children who I wasn’t getting to see very much of.  So I started crunching the numbers and doing the research and the rest is, as they say, history!

You have some stunning wines from Australia, particularly the Battle of Bosworth and Pertaringa labels. Do you lean towards Australia in particular?

I didn’t plan it that way, it just sort of evolved. From the cooler climate delicate whites of Tasmania to the big McLaren Vale and Western Australian reds, I think Australia offers a stunning range of wine styles.  I also must say that in general I find the producers very straight forward to work with. What you see and what you hear is what you get, “me old cobber”, which is refreshing. That said, we also have some cracking wines from some family vineyards in New Zealand, South Africa, France and Spain.

What’s your approach to sourcing wines?

I’ve no specific tried and tested way of sourcing wines, it’s a real mixed bag. Sometimes a producer that I’m already working with will recommend someone’s wines, other times I’ve visited a particular region to find something I’m looking for. Trade tastings or wine fairs like London International Wine Fair, ProWein, Vinisud or Vinexpo I’ve also found to be very useful – lots of new wines in a relatively short space of time.  I’ve also started to work with a couple of the smaller specialist importers in Ireland to help enhance our retail offering in a couple of categories, particularly Italy.

Are there any wines you particularly like, what’s your dessert island wine?

The Pirie Sparkling NV Brut from Tasmania is a stunning wine.  Made Méthode Champenoise from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it easily surpasses many Champagnes but at a fraction of the cost.

As for a desert island wine, I’d be happy to be stranded with a couple of cases of one small producer’s Gran Reserva Rioja.  I’d rather not say who the producer is at present as I’m trying to get the distribution rights for the wines in Ireland but they’re one of the last wineries that cling to the notion that it must age its wines until they are ready to drink.

Rioja requires Gran Reserva wines to receive a minimum of six years of aging before they can be released and the current vintage for many Gran Reserva wines on the market is 2001. This particular producer has just released Gran Reservas from 1991 and 1987, graceful wines that show the lightness of texture and finesse that only comes from long ageing.

Any unusual or new wines on the shelves which your customers are responding well to?

I must say I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how well the Waterstone Bridge Tarrango from Gapsted Wines in the King and Alpine Valleys of Victoria has been selling – a really good alternative to Brown Brothers.

I also import the Bodegas Bohigas wines from Catalunya.  Their Crianza and Reserva are Tempranillo based blends, aged in American oak, and offer a really good alternative to Rioja (and their Cavas are fairly good as well).

Are your customers mainly retail and do they tend to try new wines or stick to their old reliables?

For the most part, our Simply Wines customers are a mixture of straight retail and corporate business.  We do have a couple of smaller restaurants who, for whatever reason, just simply prefer to buy their stock direct and we’re obviously happy to service their business.

As for their purchasing trends, most of our customers will buy eight to ten bottles of their old reliables but are happy to experiment with another two to four bottles of something new to make up their case, generally taking direction from us.

It’s really nice to then see them come back and select your previous recommendations for themselves, confirms that you’re doing something right.

How do you persuade customers to try new wines?

We generally work with smaller, family owed vineyards who all have a story to tell.  We find that by telling their story to the customer, be it (in the case of the Battle of Bosworth wines) explaining why there’s a picture of a little flower on the bottle or how Dr. Andrew Pirie was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the Tasmanian wine industry or how Jean-Claude Mas developed the Arrogant Frog brand as a tongue-in-cheek riposte to the somewhat cool reception that French wines have had over the past decade, we get them to connect to the wine. We also run our “Tasting Today” every Friday and Saturday and we use that to occasionally showcase new wines.

What changes would you like to see in the wine world?

To start with, I’d really like to see the higher level of excise duty that is currently charged on sparkling wines abolished. I’m not old enough to be familiar with its origins but I certainly don’t believe that there’s any need for it in today’s marketplace, particularly when it’s so easy for people to pop over the border and take advantage of the lower UK excise rates.

In terms of online, has it grown well over the last few years and where do you see it going?

Our online business has been growing steadily over the years and we have a loyal following of customers living outside Dublin who were perhaps finding it hard to get much more than the branded wines in their local Spar or Centra or wherever and so have been very happy to place their business with us.

Dublin customers are obviously spoiled for choice when it comes to places to buy their wines and I was never satisfied with how our retail business was doing here so that’s why I opened the Simply Wines Warehouse, to give people the chance to come and have a look and try the wines we offer and to have a chat with us.  We always ask new customers how or where they heard about us and it’s been very reaffirming that we’re doing the right thing when the answer is that “Such-or-such a person bought some wine and recommended you” or “I got a bottle from a friend and asked them where they got it” and I think that the twin track approach of online and warehouse is the way forward for us.

How are the likes of blogging, twitter and Facebook working for you – what do you see as their benefits?

I only really started to use Facebook in the last couple of months so it’s really hard to gauge how that’s working for us.  I do however really like the immediacy and informality of Twitter and I’ve been using it to strengthening existing relationships and building new ones with would be customers and as a way to drive people to our website through special offers or our rugby related competitions.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Just that we can be found at Unit 2 Ballyogan Business Park on the Ballyogan Road (Dublin 18) and that we’re open from 11:00 to 18:30 Tuesday to Saturday or online at www.SimplyWines.ie

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