Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Pierce Mattie: If a publicist is planning a formal press party to launch products this fall, is it better to offer the press dry or sweet wine? Or both? Do you have any favorites? 

Ed Gerard: I’d never serve a “sweet” wine. If I was throwing the launch party I’d look to provide a Champagne, a dry white and a dry red. For the Champagne I’d choose N.V. Pol Roger as this is my favorite of the Grande Marques houses and indecently it was also Sir Winston Churchill’s favorite drop so I feel I’m in good company. As for the white and red you want to choose something with mass appeal so you could go with a Sancerre or Chablis for the white and a Chianti or Cotes du Rhone for the red.   

Pierce Mattie: What media outlet, ie; magazine, blog or TV show do you view as the best in educating the consumer on wine? 

Ed Gerard: In terms of magazines you have Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator over here that are very good. However for the best knowledge the following websites are invaluable: www.erobertparker.com – This is the website for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Parkers Reviews are the most powerful around. If Parker scores a wine 95 points or over you can almost guarantee that the wine will sell out and rise in price. 

jancisrobinson.com – Jancis Robinson MW was the first person outside of the Wine industry to achieve a Master of Wine and is very highly regarded within the wine world. This site is one of the best sites to learn about anything to do with wine.   

Pierce Mattie: What is the most exclusive and expensive bottle of wine you have in-stock to retail to one of your members? 

Ed Gerard: I have recently been asked to find some Domaine de la Romanee Conti wines for a member and these range from $500 to $10,000 per bottle depending on the vineyard and vintage. On a more day to day level I have recently been selling some 1999 Regina Vides, Hermanos Sastre, Ribera del Duero, Spain  which I am offering at $95 including tax, and at this price I’m over 40% cheaper than anyone else in the US.  

Pierce Mattie: What are your top three most popular wine labels? What makes them so well liked? 

Ed Gerard: For Q wine these would be the Domaine de Fondreche Rose ($13.99), 2004 Chateau Bel Air St. Estephe ($49) and 2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay ($85). The reason these are so liked is purely down to value and quality. The Bel Air is only available through Q Wine in the US and when it’s tasted side by side with more well known Bordeaux wines of twice or three times the price, this will come out favorably on most occasions. Also the 2006 vintage of the Leeuwin Art Series Chard is touted as one of the greatest vintages ever to be released and Q Wine was the first to offer it in the US.  

Pierce Mattie: What region is most popular for wine with the Quintessentially Club members ; France, Germany, Italy or California?  

Ed Gerard: I’d say France has the edge but only just over Italy and California.  

Pierce Mattie: Do you believe that consumers are becoming more comfortable with bottles of wine that have been corked by other materials other than cork due to the shortage, ie; “fake cork?” Is the shortage of cork legitimate or just a market gimmick due to the cost of the cork tree material going up? Does it affect the taste of the wine if it’s not bottled with real tree cork?

Ed Gerard: Personally I can’t stand fake cork but I do like screw caps and the industry is much more open to the idea than they where 8 or 9 years ago. More and more wines are coming under screw cap closures and we’re not just talking about cheap wines anymore. There are a number of top new world wines from Australia and New Zealand that have been released under screw cap for the last 2 or three vintages. We’re still quite a way off the top Bordeaux being under anything other than cork, but I can foresee someone doing it within a decade. As for the shortage, there is certainly a shortage of good cork but this is also due to the fact that the Portuguese farmers who produce the majority of the corks for the wine world cannot survive with the prices they’re being forced to sell at and so a lot of cork farms have closed. As for taste, if it is a young wine then the closure does not come into effect so much as the whole point is for the cork to allow a wine to breath and age over the years in a controlled way. To this day there is still no better alternative to a natural cork, although experiments with screw caps are showing promising results.  

Pierce Mattie: Ed tell us a little bit more about Quintessentially Wine, what types of services to you provide your club members?  

Ed Gerard: We are dedicated to providing Q Wine members with a range of wines to suit all their needs. We have a fantastic selection of ever changing wines, not to mention regular special offers, unique opportunities to buy rare and special wines selected by Matthew Jukes and a selection of mixed cases. We provide a hand–crafted, personal and highly individual service, based on our member’s specific needs and requirements. 

Members of Quintessentially Wine  have access to the following benefits:

•           Sole access to rare and exclusive wines bought by Matthew Jukes, the UK's leading wine expert

•           Wine advice

•           Invitations to exclusive fine wine dinners and tasting events

•           Access to our Fine Wine list

•           Cellar evaluations and consultation

•           Guaranteed emergency wine solution

•           Access to exclusive wine trips and visits to historic wineries

For those of you who have not yet join the world’s elite and become a member of Quintessentially - call (212) 206-6633 for more information.