Bidvest drinks division launches new Chalk Farm wine range

The Chalk Farm wine range includes a Chilean Merlot, Australian Pinot Grigio, Australian Shiraz, Californian Zinfandel Rosé and a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and is aimed at providing operators with a flexible "backbone" for their wine menus.

Matt Towe, marketing manager at ViVAS, said: "The Chalk Farm collection consists of all the essential variants needed for pub, restaurant and bar operators to offer consumers a complete, well-rounded wine menu."

Core range​

More experienced operators could use the collection as a 'core range' to build on and introduce more grape varieties to create a more extensive list, he suggested.

"With wine becoming the UK's most popular alcoholic drink, where six in 10 people describe it as their drink of choice, the majority of consumers know what they want to drink when making out-of-home purchases."

This means it is vital that operators ensure their wine menus are spot on, he added.

Growth​

Earlier this month Bidvest Foodservice, which rebranded itself from Bidvest 3663 in 2015, announced significant plans for growth across the country.

Chief executive officer Andrew Selley told the Publican's Morning Advertiser​​ the company was looking for potential acquisitions and building new sites. These plans included the acquisition of Caterfood​, a south-west distributor.

The company's eventual aim was to be within no more than 80 miles of its customers, Selley said.

Last week, the company unveiled its summer range, which featured a focus on vegetarian and barbecue products​.