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by Joe Gilbert
Published: 07 November 2023
Joe Gilbert catches up on Roberson's latest venture – a first-of-its-kind platform, which promises to provide consumers with the opportunity to buy English wine, direct from the producers, at vineyard prices.
England is the world's most exciting cool-climate wine region. Yet 99% of the wine we drink in this country is imported. Our goal is to grow 1%. We're doing this through our new company Marasby – a content-rich platform where we hope to spread the word about the revolution happening in the UK food and wine scene, while also being a curated niche market. Uniquely, consumers can buy directly from producers at cellar door prices, meaning no wasted packaging – and no extra miles on the road. It's great for producers too, as they can control their pricing, branding and messaging.
It is a collaborative approach, which holds that we can all strive for our individual share of the 1%, but we would be better off working together to grow into the 99%.
Just 10 years ago, many had to be convinced that English sparkling wine was worth trying. By now, even the most vaguely interested consumer has heard that we have soils as chalky as Champagne and that our sparkling wines are world-class (still wines, too). There is an abundance of talent and innovation in the UK wine scene, and we are confident that it will not be long before English Pinot Noir is internationally recognized.
