David Gill MW, now retired, is a highly respected figure in the wine industry whose career spanned decades of sourcing, trading, and shaping wine programs for buyers and producers worldwide. As a Master of Wine, he has witnessed — and influenced — many of the pivotal changes in the global bulk and private label wine markets. In this conversation, David reflects on the lessons from his career, shares advice for the next generation, and offers his perspective on where the trade is heading.

Looking back, what moments stand out most in your career in the wine trade?

- Passed MW in 1988 at 3rd attempt. Relief & elation combined. Major thanks to Cliff Roberson for fully funding my 3-year slog.

- Having passed, I then worked on MW Education for several years and - though I say so myself – I was pivotal to moving from the old “turn up & have a go” system to the creation of a more considered, focused educational experience for MW students and finding a sponsor to assist in that objective.

- I became UK MD for Nicolas UK in 1988 and was lucky to have worked with the Nicolas team, especially Alain Favereau, their head selector: a man with an amazing palate. Also, their Commercial team introduced me to computers and spreadsheets – a massive learning curve which gave me a whole new skill-set at a crucial time.

- Taking groups of MWs and then Journalists out to Bulgaria in the heyday of Bulgarian Wine. So much fun.

- Setting up from scratch bulk import & UK packing for Romanian Samburesti Pinot Noir while at Waitrose. It was a risk and a test that I really enjoyed.

- At Bottle Green Ltd, I worked with Jerry Lockspeiser - an incredible dynamo & idea-developer - and alongside some of the finest (in-house) winemakers & QA technicians to bring an amazing array of wines to the UK market. We developed new wines from the most unfashionable places and also improved & modernised wines from very well-known regions. The winemaking & tech teams are the Unsung Heroes of the UK Wine Trade IMHO. Their work – and its effect on the rest of the wine world – has graced the lips and palates of more people here than you could possibly imagine.

At Kingsland, while there were many highlights, the thing I enjoyed the most was working with the team in the tasting room, especially with the younger members, passing on knowledge & technique & building confidence in their own abilities.

What was the biggest challenge and most rewarding achievement on your journey to becoming a Master of Wine?

The biggest challenge? Back in the mid-1980s, there was no internet, no “fount of all knowledge” for any one part of the wine industry. Study came from books & journals much of the time. However, that was never going to be enough to be able to understand the realities of wine production, treatment, bottling, and commercialisation. To get to that level of detail required to talk to so many experts in each field. I give thanks to all of those – too many to mention – who humoured me and gave me their precious time and insights.

The most rewarding achievement? Probably working out what would be the best questions to ask of those people. I learnt so much from so many, but I was able, somehow, to learn most from those at the coal face of production and those at the cutting edge – the “doers” who would give real insight as opposed to eg PR teams who would trot out the commercial line.

In retirement, what aspects of the industry do you still follow most closely?

I’ve only been retired for 6 or so months, so it’s not been a long time away. I obviously follow Kingsland Drinks, but tbh I don’t want to be a spectre at their feast :-)

I keep tabs, mostly on LinkedIn, on what people are saying. I occasionally challenge things that I believe to be wrong or misguided. Overall, however, I have been so busy doing other things that I haven’t paid too much attention to the wine business since.

From your vantage point, how has the bulk wine trade changed over the course of your career?

The bulk trade has changed massively. When I managed to import Romanian Pinot Noir for Waitrose in 1990, I had to set the whole thing up from scratch, turning my theoretical knowledge into a practical system for importing a delicate red wine from a “rustic” source, getting it shipped, and then bottling it safely. It was a massive learning curve, and it illustrated to me just how little attention was paid to bulk wine shipments into the UK at the time. In recent years, that has been turned on its head. Now there is so much focus on bulk shipment, and the resources, systems, and technical expertise are amazing. Notwithstanding the cost for tiny volumes, I would happily pack anything here in the UK from suitably shipped wines at any price and quality level.

Which innovations or practices made the biggest difference in how bulk wine is bought and sold?

I think the internet has made bulk wine pricing incredibly transparent on a global basis. That means there is no room for “flim-flam” nor for sub-standard quality at inflated prices. Every wine producer is now competing against the rest of the world in many respects. They may have a strong local-market following, allowing them to gain a premium price, but on the bulk market, their wines have to stack up against similar producers who don’t have that luxury and who may well be more competitive as a result.

Technically, too, there have been great advances in everything from filtration systems & techniques, wine preservation technology, flexi-tank technology & global logistics. These have all helped develop a much more secure business in ever-better wines.

How do you view the rise of private label today compared to when you were active in the trade?

From a UK perspective, private label wines, particularly supermarket own-brands, used to be pretty much basic standard, the cheapest possible for any given quantity. In more recent times, much more care has gone into wine development and selection. That, and the improvement in bulk shipping and packing-in-market, has led to an explosion of much more interesting private label wines. In addition to adding a more premium level of core wines, some retailers also now buy smaller parcels of more obscure wines to put under “Discovery” ranges.

Over time, this may enable smaller producers to find a more mainstream (UK) market for their own more premium and/or unknown wines, as it should encourage consumers to experiment.

What advice would you give to younger buyers and producers entering the bulk wine sector now?

To Buyers: Be adventurous and try to find new ways to engage consumers in your selections. The UK wine market is falling in consumption terms, but there are still a massive number of consumers out there. They all have different needs & wants at different times. They do need to be enticed to buy into something other than the rather tired “status quo” wines, but that’s not as hard as it sounds(so long as the retailer isn’t constantly chasing marketing cash from big brand owners).

Also, by working with good packers/bottlers, UK buyers should be able to use the same wine across several formats – glass, PET, cans, boxes, etc – to appeal to different user needs & occasions. This requires a bit of risk-taking and a lot of ongoing planning/attention to detail, but it will pay dividends in the long run.

To Producers with a Bulk Wine Offering: Concentrate on making your wine stand out, without loading the price. Experiment more with wine styles and production techniques to add value. There may be a short-term cost incursion, but that should be paid back over time by stronger sales & a more engaged group of retail buyers. If all you have to compete with is price, then it soon becomes a zero-sum game.

How can today’s businesses prepare for both opportunity and volatility in the global wine market?

Two key ways:

Collaboration: Find good partners for your business in each market or source country. It’s very hard – and often futile – working in a silo. The most successful players will be the ones who partner with good operatives in pursuit of mutually agreed long-term goals. Producers need to invest in markets, and Buyers need to invest in Producers. That requires a lot of compromise, especially initially, but the benefits to both can be much greater and longer-lasting.

Diversification: Having worked to collaborate, also where possible, spread your risk across different markets, different styles of market, and – for producers – different wine offerings, relevant to each. It does require a lot of effort to both diversify and collaborate in each market, but that is how to profit from both opportunities and volatility.

If you’re interested in exploring the future of bulk and private label wine, join industry leaders and peers at the IBWSS UK Show — a key platform for buyers, producers, and distributors shaping tomorrow’s wine trade.

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