Tanners Wine Merchants installs hi-tech wine dispenser

WineEmotion’s Quattro+4 is “a great way to encourage people to taste and buy better quality wines.”

Tanners Wine Merchants is a fiercely independent, family owned company that was founded in 1872. One of the six members of The Bunch, it is dedicated to the traditional values of finding good wines, supplying them at fair prices and looking after its customers. Now this historic company has installed a hi-tech wine dispenser, the Quattro+4 from WineEmotion, into its new Shrewsbury high street outlet, A Taste of Tanners.  

“We are a very broad merchant, offering a range from everyday wines up to extremely desirable labels,” says James Tanner, Chairman at Tanners. “Our historic connections with top Burgundy and Bordeaux producers give us access to wines that other retailers simply can’t get.”

Fine wine is the reason for the dispenser. “The WineEmotion unit gives us the chance to offer more expensive wines than we would normally have on tasting,” says Robert Boutflower, private sales director at Tanners. “We’ll use it to offer, say, Chablis Premier Cru rather than Chablis, and first growth Claret rather than petit château. To create demand it’s important to get people to taste these wines. Especially with a name like A Taste of Tanners!”

The Quattro+4 can store wine in premium condition for up to 30 days after it is opened. Its dual temperature zones are very tightly controlled, so customers can enjoy both white and red fine wines at their best. Up to eight different bottles can be stored and dispensed in 25ml ‘tastes’ or 125ml and 175ml measures by the glass, all at the touch of a button.

The ability to store opened wine for so long is due to WineEmotion’s patented ISOL Plus system. It uses an inert, food-safe gas to prevent oxidisation and preserve the wine’s properties. It stores individual wines in total isolation – each bottle has its own dedicated gas supply – to eradicate the possibility of cross contamination that could spoil the aroma of the wine.

Once they had decided to try a wine dispenser, Tanners researched the options carefully, even asking customers for their opinions. “The precise temperature controls and very accurate measures are both important – the one to protect the wine, the other to protect our margins,” says Robert. “However, what really set the WineEmotion apart is the independent gas supply for each bottle. That was critical for what we wanted in terms of quality for our customers. It was a deciding factor. It makes it the best on the market.”

Another critical factor was the look of the machine. A Taste of Tanners is the company’s outlet onto the street in Shrewsbury, with the head office and Cellar Shop located to the rear of the building. As such it will be a flagship and Robert and his team have planned the interior design painstakingly.

The dispenser sits inside the shop’s original brick oven. “It looks very smart, the designer features look great, fitting in well with our style. The unit’s LED lights give it a real edge.” The Quattro+4 is available in stainless steel and a choice of colours and finishes.

Installing the unit was straightforward. “WineEmotion UK has been very good to deal with, they were here throughout and have been back to help sort out any teething problems. They deliver great service.”

WineEmotion’s advanced software, WineIDEA, is integrated with Tanners’ Quattro+4. This allows customers to use the Tanners pre-paid wine card to help themselves to a sample, simply by inserting the card into the machine and selecting their choice. WineIDEA can monitor tasting trends and also enhance customer relations, as it maintains detailed user account profiles. These give staff access to the individual customer’s tasting history, helping enhance wine recommendations.

Dan Lovell of WineEmotion UK says: “Although Tanners is one of the UK’s truly historic wine merchants, they also keep up with modern trends. WineEmotion is young but, despite the age gap, it seems both companies thrive on the same principles: good traditional service and a continual drive to improve the products and services they feel so passionately about.”

Tanners’ Cellar Shop in Shrewsbury is tucked away off the high street. “It can be a bit of a challenge to find if you don’t know it,” says Robert. “A Taste of Tanners will offer a restricted selection of the 1200-odd wines available in our Cellar and help us enhance our customer service, as well as encouraging new customers. The WineEmotion unit plays a key role. We have five other branches and plan to expand further – I hope WineEmotion will be part of that, too.

“It’s a great way to encourage people to taste and therefore buy better quality wines.”  

For more information on the WineEmotion range visit www.wineemotionuk.com or call +44 (0)1635 282230.

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Tanners Wine Merchants case study.docx – Oct-14

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WineEmotion UK is part of the SEEGiR group, which offers a wide range of specialist wine storage and service equipment.

Links:

Tanners Wine Merchants: www.tanners-wines.co.uk

WineEmotion UK: www.wineemotionuk.com

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