Famille Perrin has moved its UK and Ireland distribution from Fields, Morris & Verdin (FMV) to Liberty Wines with immediate effect.
Famille Perrin, which includes wine from the Southern Rhône covering appellations from Côtes du Rhône to Châteauneuf du Pape, said the move was in light of FMV’s “recent news”.
“Over the last decade, with FMV, we achieved some wonderful listings and developed a great on-trade presence for our Famille Perrin wines in the UK.
“Following their recent news, we decided it was necessary for us to take the next step, to seek a new distributor immediately and secure a long-term partnership in the UK - a key export market,” said owner Marc Perrin.
Andrew Bayley, UK & IRE general manager, added the opportunity to broaden Famille Perrin’s relationship with Liberty Wines and place the Famille Perrin wines within its portfolio was a “perfect natural progression”.
“We have been working very successfully with Liberty Wines for some while now with our Northern Rhône range, Domaine et Maison Les Alexandrins, Miraval Provence and more recently Château de Beaucastel. We are very excited and really looking forward to introducing the wines to a larger audience; further developing our distribution across the whole of the UK and Ireland.”
David Gleave MW, MD of Liberty Wines, said: “I have long admired the Perrin family for their unstinting commitment to excellence. Their wines, whether Famille Perrin, Château de Beaucastel or Miraval, have a signature stamp of quality that is derived from their knowledge of and work in the vineyards of the Southern Rhône (and beyond). We think these wines fit perfectly into our portfolio and are delighted to build upon the strong foundations laid by FMV.”
Earlier this month, Liberty revealed it had scooped up Godello champion Rafael Palacios from FMV, strengthening the profile of its foothold in Spain.