I also give thanks to Howard Goldberg of the New York Times who, with the objectivity that an ocean’s distance away can impart, suggests that I offer a forum here for those who have been affected by the demise of Uvine, the fine wine trading outfit run until recently by the now-bankrupt Christopher Burr MW who had previously made such famous inroads into Christie’s expenses budget.
My colleague Jim Budd specialises in company collapse and you can read considerable detail about this very sorry affair at decanter.com. This high-profile example of corporate failure does nothing for consumer confidence in the wine trade, coming as it does so soon after the collapse of Mayfair Cellars, another London-based fine wine trader. When buying en primeur, it is often sensible to pay a few more pennies to the older and bigger the companies – however well run some of the newer outfits are. The Wine Society, for example, is surely as safe as its century-plus reputation, and it offers extremely good storage rates (and I have no connection with them whatsoever, although Nick is a member).
It might indeed be helpful for those whose wine investments are threatened casualties the fall of Uvine to have a way of communicating with each other. Do please feel free to add any comments below. If you would like to contact or be contacted by any others who make comments but would rather not publicise your email address, write to me c/o Contact>General Enquiries and I will do my best to put relevant parties in touch with each other.