So, 2023 is well and truly underway and all signs of Christmas are being consigned to the storage cupboard for another year. It’s time to open the windows, let in a blast of fresh air and start thinking about the year ahead.
It’s also the time to make resolutions for the year to come. Now we know that for some, resolutions are made to be broken (to adapt an old phrase). But at Simply Spanish Wine we’re firm believers in setting goals, so we’ve put together a brief list of things we want to achieve in the coming months. If you’ve been following our Instagram account over the last week or so, you may already have seen the headlines, so apologies for the repetition. But for those who have missed the pics, here are 5 things on our “to do” list for 2023:
1. Get the Sherry out
We’ve been banging on about sherry, or the fortified wines of southern Spain, for a while now. So it’s time we got some in the shop.
As our good friend @undertheflor says, “the sherry world is full of tradition and packed with history, as well as some very knowledgeable and experienced people. And Andalucía, its homeland, is perhaps one of the most exciting wine regions in the world right now. A region that has long worshipped the cellar is now learning to celebrate the fruit of its vines, the soils of its terroir, and the character of its vintages, casting off the worst excesses of its recent industrial past to rediscover a history unmatched by other regions.”
We’ve got our eye on a few options, so we hope to be adding some sherry to the site soon.
2. Keep up the vineyard visits
In 2022 we put in plenty of miles sniffing out superb wines from all across Spain. Over the last 12 months we’ve visited Manchuela, Bierzo, Rioja, Lanzarote, Jumilla, La Mancha, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and more.
Our visits to vineyards are not just a great opportunity to taste wines at source. They are a chance to meet (and make friends with) the people at the heart of the wine industry - the winemakers – and to understand winemaking at its most fundamental level. Which is not only a joy but a privilege as well. We’ll be hitting the road again soon to explore new parts of Spain, and hopefully be bringing you some new wines that we discover on the way.
3. Up our Delivery Game
A wine business isn’t just about wine; from a customer perspective, smooth logistics is key to the whole experience. We’ve done our best to fine-tune the whole back-office system over the past year.
When we started our business, we outsourced our storage and shipping. But the service didn’t meet the levels we expect for our customers. So in 2022 we brought the whole process in-house, and things have improved dramatically. We’ve taken on a new shipping partner, Paack, who have a 96% success rate at first attempt deliveries. And we’re deepening our relationship with Correos to ensure that we can offer 100% coverage across the whole of Spain.
In 2023 we’ll be looking at ways to further improve our transport and delivery service, and maybe even see if we can start sending our wines outside of Spain – watch this space.
4. Meet More Customers
Back in October we took a trip down to Málaga to take part in an open day at the Triple A Animal Shelter who were raising money to keep their project up and running. We were one of the sponsors of the event and set up a free tasting stall to help oil the wheels throughout the day.
We loved being able to help raise some money, but it was also great to meet some of our customers (and potential customers) face to face. It gave us a chance to understand more about their backgrounds, their lifestyles, and the communities they live in, as well as to get a better understanding of their likes and dislikes when it comes to wine. We also used our visit to meet people from different local communities – arts societies, networking groups, schools and work groups. It was a full-on trip and hugely rewarding.
So we’ll be taking every opportunity in 2023 to get out more. If you have any suggestions of where to visit, or you’re involved in an organisation that might be interested in having us along for a visit, let us know and we’ll see if we can get something in the diary.
5. Even More Content
As a subscriber to the Simply Spanish Wine newsletter, you know that every week we try to shine a different light on the world of Spanish wine. We also have a wealth of content on our website covering grapes, regions, and winemaking techniques. And you may not know it, but we also have around 70 videos on our YouTube channel ranging from wine tastings and grape explanations to interviews with winemakers.
We also share regular content through Facebook and Instagram, and we’re experimenting with stories, reels and more to work out the best way to share our thoughts and insights with the widest possible audience. We’ll be continuing to grow our content in 2023. So let us know what you think, share what you like with your friends, and if there’s something you’d like us to focus on, drop us a line and let us know.
There we have it. Simply Spanish Wine’s resolutions for 2023. If you have any suggestions for any more then let us know. But more importantly, stick with us throughout the year to make sure we stick to our promises.
Cheers!
