Wine for Everyone: How Brodie Meah Took Top Cuvée from One Restaurant to Retail to National Distribution | 111

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis! Brodie Meah, co-founder of Top Cuvée, reveals how one neighborhood restaurant in Highbury became the foundation for a "wine for everyone" movement that achieved national distribution. Starting in 2019 with 40 covers nightly, Top Cuvée's journey from restaurant to retail to wholesale exemplifies bottom-up brand building. Having witnessed fine dining's intimidation tactics firsthand in Melbourne, Brodie flipped the industry's most exclusive phrase:"top cuvée" (wines deemed too good for regular guests) into a symbol of accessibility. The COVID pivot unlocked game-changing insights: wine labels matter enormously in retail but not restaurants, £8 glasses translate to £22 retail bottles, and wine's aversion to "openly commercial" marketing creates opportunity. By building trust glass by glass, turning regulars into brand ambassadors, and proving neighborhood hospitality can scale, Top Cuvée transformed from one Highbury restaurant to shops to national wholesale—keeping "wine for everyone" real. Timestamps: 00:00 From Fine Dining to "Wine for Everyone" Philosophy 03:00 One Restaurant to National Distribution Journey 06:00 Wine Intimidation and the Leather Entrance Story 09:30 Flipping "Top Cuvée" from Exclusive to Inclusive 12:00 Why Wine Bars Shouldn't Feel Educational 15:00 Building Community - The T-Shirt Customer Story 18:00 Labels Matter in Shops, Not Restaurant Lists 21:00 The £8 Glass = £22 Bottle Sweet Spot 24:00 Wine's "Dirty Word" Marketing Problem 27:00 Trust Engines and Part Two Preview This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom. Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section. You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.