Early in 2006, Amordivino joined the Association of Small Direct Winemerchants (ASDW), a group originally formed in response to the change in the licensing laws which adversely affected smaller businesses. This pressure group soon came to realise that the synergies which existed between the diverse businesses could be used to further mutual benefit, not just in terms of bulk purchasing and co-operation but also by combining promotional activities.

Hence, on Wednesday 7th June at the Atlas pub in Fulham, a recognised London winetasting venue, the ASDW held its inagural event for the press, trade and, in the evening, the general public. Although the hot weather (yes, really!) presented some challenges, the professionalism of the venue in the provision of copious amounts of ice, allied to the enthusiasm of both exhibitors and attendees, resulted in a hugely successful day.

One of the invited members of the press, Tim Atkin, wine critic of The Observer Magazine, was the first to write a piece on the event:

"When the email arrived, I wasn’t sure what to make of an invitation from the Association of Small Direct Winemerchants. Had a group of vertically challenged importers banded together to stand on each other’s shoulders like some vinous circus act? Or were they just referring to the diminutive size of their businesses when set alongside mail-order giants like Laithwaites and The Wine Society?

I was intrigued enough to go along to their first ever tasting. The ASDW was set up last year to protest against some of the anomalies in the 2003 Licensing Act and their effect on small businesses. The organisation has since grown from seven founders to 20 members and has expanded its remit to become a trade association with its own website (www.asdw.org.uk) and an appealingly amateurish newsletter, Grapestalk.

Most of the members are enthusiasts. By this, I don’t mean the sort of people who bore you witless at parties about the Chateau Musar they had with dinner last night. These men and women are the real deal: genuine lovers of wine who can’t help sharing their passion with other people. The majority of the companies are small affairs – a Tesco store probably sells more wine in an hour than most of these guys manage in a year – but that’s what makes them appealing.

As consolidation takes hold, the UK wine market is increasingly dominated by large retailers and producers who tend to serve one another’s interests. One- and two-person bands importing wines from small domains are a welcome antidote to the power of the big boys. Most of the ASDW members know their suppliers personally and, in many cases, are the exclusive importers of their wines. In general they specialise in a single country or area, be it Spain, Italy, Australia, Champagne or regional France.

The ASDW members are a diverse bunch. The majority are part-timers dreaming of wine as a full-time occupation, but a few of them, such as the Big Red Wine Company, Amordivino and the Boutique Wine Company, have already taken the plunge into deeper financial and logistical waters. Others have day jobs as varied as publishing, law, materials and logistics management, IT, land registry and banking.

I wasn’t crazy about all the wines at the ASDW tasting, but the average quality was high. More to the point, most of the wines were new discoveries, rather than the me-too brands that occupy so much retail shelf space. All of the merchants have websites and are happy for you to mix and match your own cases from their lists. Delivery charges vary from company to company, so check online.

There were a dozen wines I could have recommended, but eventually I got down to four. From Provence, the 2004 Domaine des Anges, Cotes du Ventoux (£8.99, BRW, 01638 510803, www.bigredwine.co.uk) is a rich, mealy, honeyed white made entirely from the comparatively rare Roussanne grape, while from further south, the 2003 Neffiez, Cuvee Balthazar, Coteaux du Languedoc (£10.50, Leon Stolarski, 0115 952 9387, www.lsfinewines.co.uk) is a dense, hauntingly perfumed Syrah with notes of Liquorice and black olives.

Country specialists provided my other two picks. Italian-focused Amordivino was showing a complex, robust, pasta-bashing 2001 Taurasi, Urciuolo (£14.75, 01784 441965, www.amordivino.co.uk) made entirely from Aglianico, while the Boutique Wine Company had the poised, minty, vanilla-perfumed 2003 Eppalock Ridge Shiraz (£20, 01604 638280, www.boutiquewinecompany.co.uk) from a brilliant 2,000-case producer in Heathcote, Victoria. Like the members of the ASDW, small really can be beautiful… sometimes."

Article appeared in The Observer Magazine, Sunday 25th June 2006.

Watch out for Amordivino at further ASDW tasting events around the country!

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