LWF 2016 signs up for Bottlebooks UK launch

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 02 February, 2016

The London Wine Fair is to partner with wine-data platform Bottlebooks for its upcoming 2016 show, the two companies have announced.

Bottlebooks will be hosting the fair's official digital directory and will also launch a standard platform for wine-data capture in the UK.

Bottlebooks offers all stakeholders in the trade a comprehensive and reliable single-source data platform.

Producers can enter comprehensive information about their products, including a range of sales data, product descriptors, and logistics information across 162 fields.

Bottlebooks believes it has an opportunity to profoundly improve and integrate business processes for all parts of the sector, from importers, agents and wholesalers to retailers and sommeliers.

Other services offered by the site include the management of logistics and duty data, the development of portfolios and wine lists, and the hosting of consumer and trade wine events.

Bottlebooks will be available to both LWF exhibitors and their suppliers for an annual fee of £77. Exhibitor micro-sites for the fair are priced at £135.

Bottlebooks is also providing a range of bespoke features for the event, including taste-driven searches, an industry briefing booking system and on-stand tasting schedules.

LWF is the first major event to partner with Bottlebooks.

Jonathan Harclerode, founder and chief executive of Bottlebooks, said: "We decided to enter the UK market because of its reputation in the wine world as an innovator. As the second largest import market for wine, the UK trade is constantly developing new ways to discover, review, promote and sell great wine.

Bottlebooks logo

"Most of these innovations start with having comprehensive wine information, and Bottlebooks is proving to be a natural fit. The London Wine Fair is at the heart of the UK trade; it is the platform for information exchange and as such was the perfect partner choice for us."

Ross Carter, director of the London Wine Fair, said: "Bottlebooks is set to change the way the global wine industry does business, providing real, workable solutions for real, everyday problems for everyone working in this sector. We are delighted they have elected to launch in the UK and we are proud to partner with them."

Philip Tuck MW, wine director of Hatch Mansfield, which is an early adopter of the service, said: "We think the Bottlebooks initiative to provide a standard way to exchange wine information and data could have significant cost and time benefits for the entire trade. If it can be made to work, it will be a win-win situation for producer, importer, retailer and consumer alike."

Bottlebooks was founded in 2013 by Jonathan Harclerode, a former senior manager in Accenture's emerging technology innovation team.

Its has already been adopted by over 1,000 wine business worldwide.

The 2016 London Wine Fair will take place between May 3 and 5 at the Olympia, Kensington.

A brief introductory film about the Bottlebooks platform is available online here.

To sign up to the London Wine Fair Bottlebooks portal, please email David Lees.