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In the latest edition of My Wine Journey, our regular column under the Moodie Wine Project umbrella, we speak to The Nuance Group Global Head of Liquor Kevin Baker. The “butcher’s boy from Greenwich” recalls his earliest wine experiences and looks forward to a positive future for the category in travel retail..
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Yamas! Kevin and Tina Baker |
How did you first become interested in wine?
Kevin Baker: My very first wine experience was an inauspicious occasion, marked with a glass of either Blue Nun or Black Tower, which, given my palate almost 40 years later, seems a world away! Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people who introduced me to some extraordinary wines, and from there my love of wine has continued to grow.
Do you remember the first bottle to truly make an impression on you?
The first wine that really made an impression was in fact a port, a bottle of Delaforce His Eminence’s Choice that was unlike anything I’d ever drunk before.
What is your most memorable wine experience?
I’ve been lucky enough to visit a number of wine-producing areas and they all have a special magic, but there are several stand-out memories, as follows.
The cellars of Taittinger provide me with a very vivid wine memory. I have to say, though, that this runs equal to an amazing training course I attended at Château Loudenne in Bordeaux, where the Chatelaine took great delight in sharing some incredible wines with us. This in turn was topped by a party in the living room, in which I DJ’d with a mix of vinyl and cassettes with 20 like-minded IDV colleagues!
I am privileged to include Peter Nixson and Andy Sparrow amongst my friends. They, while a formidable buying team at British Airways, also delighted in sharing their amazing wine knowledge with this butcher’s boy from Greenwich.
And how could I forget this year’s Penfolds Grange launch at Linley’s showroom in Belgravia, London. I have been blessed with some remarkable experiences.
If you had the chance to visit a wine-producing country/region, where would it be and why?
I’ve always had a yearning to visit the Stellenbosch wineries, having heard so many fantastic reports. Another friend and former colleague now lives and works in South Africa, so it would give me a great excuse for a trip.
What is your favourite wine, and why?
It’s difficult to pick just one, because I enjoy so many. But the wine that evokes the most memories for me is a constant reminder of so many holidays, together with my wife’s Greek heritage. Retsina is certainly an acquired taste, which I’ve spent a good few years acquiring!
Where do you usually buy your wine?
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit my regular source of underestimated wines, but I like to take advantage of the gems to be found in the destockage outlets around Southwest France.
What is your opinion of the wine category in travel retail?
I’m pleased to see that wine is now being taken seriously by travel retailers, but I understand why it has taken some time to reach the level of understanding necessary to claim its place in the liquor strategy. Compared to the spirits category, wine and Champagne struggles to deliver the margins and brand investment demands of the airport contracts, placing pressure on space and ROI.
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The Nuance Group’s cooperation with Treasury Wine Estates’ Penfolds and the retailer’s First Families of Wine installation at Sydney Airport are travel retail highlights for the category, says Baker |
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What is your favourite airport for wine retail and why?
I’m afraid I can’t claim enough knowledge of wine offerings in airports around the world, but I am familiar with the work our team has done in cooperation with Treasury Wines and also our First Families of Wine at Sydney Airport, which I believe is amongst the best wine executions anywhere in the world.
What does the future of wine in travel retail look like?
Positive, but challenging. I say that because the wine offer is so varied and variable. It needs a far greater level of customer insight than currently available, so that retailers can continually evolve their offer to cater for customer demands.
You have a table for two reserved on the beach at an idyllic desert island resort. What wine, what food?
I’m a simple bloke with simple tastes. For me, it is not a desert island that appeals as much as a beach or harbour-side taverna with my wife, Tina, with a dinner of freshly caught fish, obligatory fries, and an ice cold glass of retsina. Yamas!
Earlier editions of My Wine Journey:
1. LS travel retail Pacific General Manager Duty Free Ivo Favotto
2. Flemingo Main Board Director Paul Topping
4. CEO of Emirates Leisure Retail Group and MMI, Andrew Day
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