sp#13 - andrew johnson: the brutal reality of the wine trade

this weeks news from the wine industry digest looks at the trade headlines, including champagne’s early harvest and the wsta board changes. andrew johnson from woodwinters joins us to discuss the brutal realities facing the uk wine trade. we deep dive into the practical side of agency life, navigating cash flow pressures, and the evolving landscape of restaurant wine lists. andrew shares his love for the current south african and italian wines and laments the loss of the wine trade friday lunch. he’s an advocate for greece too, with a new greek wine scholarship project aimed at championing indigenous varietals for the on and off trade. *********[00:00] – opening and wine trade news[01:07] – champagne on course for its earliest harvest ever[02:44] – whispering angel invests in premium alcohol-free[04:27] – steve finlan joins the wsta board[05:25] – andrew johnson joins the podcast[06:06] – from classical music to the wine trade[09:07] – building woodwinters and why south africa keeps winning[14:31] – what buyers really look for in a wine[18:35] – cash flow, agencies and the realities of importing[21:28] – the uk wine trade: restaurant closures and a long road ahead[25:35] – why greece is one of wine's most exciting regions[27:24] – exclusive: the greek wine scholarship[29:52] – cooking, music and life outside wine[32:09] – death row wines: giacosa, assyrtiko and champagne[35:10] – interview wrap-up, cambridge wine festival and sign-off*********links and noteswine industry digest – the week in wine every fridayhttps://wineindustrydigest.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit secondpresspodcast.substack.com