Leading wine trade director on the future of wine: ‘I’m passionate about spotlighting Ireland as a pioneer of change’

After 201 years in business, Findlater & Co understands what it means to innovate and drive the Irish wine market forward. It prides itself as Ireland’s largest supplier of wine – key to its portfolio is people, innovation, sustainability and social responsibility – and it’s in this industry that Findlater & Co has been a real changemaker.

For starters, the Irish wine market is highly fragmented and mature (over 60 per cent of wine drinkers are in their 40s or older, according to the IWSR report), and it has been in decline for the last number of years.

It’s up against the highest excise duty in Europe at €3.19 per bottle (before 23 per cent VAT) and many changes across the legislative landscape, so the challenges are plentiful.

What’s the solution? For Findlater & Co, it’s innovation: “Innovation is a key pillar to our growth strategy. We constantly push for innovation from our wine partners which is what ultimately drives our success.

“We were first to the market with non-alcoholic wine – Natureo – an exceptional product. And original initiatives like Give Wine a Future (GWAF) and Women in Wine (WIW) are core to our portfolio,” trade director Michelle O’Sullivan tells Irish Tatler.

From its humble beginnings of hard-working spirit merchant Alexander Findlater founding the business in Dublin in 1823, to where it stands today as a trusted provider of premium goods, O’Sullivan explains what its next chapter of innovation looks like through its initiatives: GWAF and WIW.

Give Wine a Future

Tell us about GWAF. What’s its purpose?

GWAF is an original Findlater & Co initiative brought to life by myself and Laura Peterson of wine consultancy Wine Allies.

Laura and I had an ambition to drive an awareness of premium wines through our customers to the consumer, and we created GWAF to act as a platform to speak to and educate the wine trade about our partners in winemaking and the role they play in sustainability: social, economic and environmental.

Why do we need initiatives like GWAF?

We have seen devastating climate events increase over recent years, like wildfires, flooding, heatwaves and drought. While these events are causing huge global challenges, there is a marked impact on the day-to-day running of vineyards and wineries.

One of our winemakers, Mireia Torres Maczassek of Familia Torres, told us about the challenges they have with the Merlot grape. It can’t withstand the increased temperatures in areas of the Penedès in Catalonia, so they have had to plant more Petit Verdot to increase this grape variety in some of their wines instead.

We are proud to have wine partners like Familia Torres. They have been at the heart of sustainability for over 30 years and are co-founders of the International Wineries for Climate Action.

They are pioneers of regenerative agriculture, water saving programmes, and their own energy generation and carbon capturing initiatives. They have set a target to become carbon neutral by 2040, and are well on their way to achieving it. Other sustainable wine partners in our portfolio include the B-Corp certified Chile-based Cono Sur winery and Mirabeau winery in Provence.

What’s next for the initiative?

From 2024 onwards our portfolio will exclusively feature sustainable wineries. We will continue to drive GWAF by investing in people, education and engaging the wine industry across trade, producers, winemakers and policy makers.

Women in Wine

Why did you launch WIW?

There have always been amazing women winemakers. To mention a few from our portfolio: Madame Lily Bollinger, the head of Bollinger Champagne for thirty years, was a trailblazer of her time.

Sue Hodder at Wynns Coonawarra is one of Australia’s best-known winemakers, and Mayo native Róisín Curley is one of 414 Masters of Wine in the world. Through WIW we endeavour to spotlight these changemakers and encourage more women to join the traditionally male-dominated space.

Can you give an example of WIW in action?

For International Women’s Day, we are inviting invited six industry professionals, wine buyers, educators and writers who will guide us through a tutored tasting of wines from women winemakers we are proud to represent in our portfolio.

It will allow us to bring the wonders of their winemaking straight to leading professionals in the trade.

Why is it important?

Of California’s lead winemakers for instance, women make up 14 per cent. I’m passionate about making a difference in the world of wine and spotlighting Ireland as a pioneer of change and leading the charge.

Big businesses have the power to drive change. Our aim is to educate and inspire the wine trade to make better informed, sustainably-led, and responsible decisions, which in turn educates consumers.

Enjoy Findlater & Co wines responsibly. See findlaterandco.com for more information