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29

Nov

In Conversation with Planet of the Grapes

Jacob Gaffney  in In Conversation

After a two-month break, ‘InterWined In Conversation’ is back.

This week, InterWined.com brings you a special one-off interview with Matt Harris of the hugely likeable, always interesting, Planet of the Grapes wine sellers in London.

Matt Harris of Planet of the Grapes InterWined: Matt, let’s get going with some history. Tell us about you and your business partners. Who came up with the idea for Planet of the Grapes?

Matt Harris: Me and Marc Wise (the other half) kicked things off around 3 years ago, as we were fed up working long hours to make money for other people who didn’t seem to care about the wines they sold.

IW: And the name?

MH: The name came from a long night’s drinking session on real ale (!); a friend had done a DJ mix album called Planet of the Breaks, and we just changed the last word. We think it’s catchy and shows our leanings towards enjoying the product without pretence.

IW: Why did you start a wine business in such a competitive market, like London, and why do you think that you’re proving so successful?

MH: London is a wealth of both wine knowledge and hard cash, and there would seem to be a place for a merchant like us, namely well chosen wines at good prices with lots of interesting older vintages, smaller parcels etc… We like to put good quality service to the fore as well, so we keep a loyal and happy clientèle.

IW: Two things: what do you look for in a wine to put on your shelf, and what are some of your personal favourite wines, grapes, etc.?

MH: Some wines are chosen purely because we like them; regardless of whether we think they will sell. But, others are just great quality examples of classic wines. We try to have a balance so that the range is interesting and dependable. Personally I am a Burgundy fan, red and white, and also love older Nebbiolo when the pocket allows (or supplier feels generous!).

IW: Do you ever worry that the business may fail?

MH: I don’t worry about the business failing — more my health. Trade is good, and it’s an enjoyable industry to work in. But the hours can be tough, and the liver invariably suffers! I suppose running your own business is a risk, but, so far, we have managed to grow without owing a huge amount of money mdash; we decided from the start not to take on too much, i.e. 50 branches nationwide etc… We’ll stick to doing the little things right, and the rest should take care of itself.

IW: OK; almost done. When is the wine bar opening, and who came up with the £10 corkage?

MH: The wine bar is up and running at long last! Spread the word. The £10 corkage for bottles and £5 for halves on top of our retail price was Marc’s idea — it makes drinking there such great value that you don’t need to have too many wines by the glass. (We still have 10-12 on any given day.) There’s not many places in this city that you can stroll in off the street and drink a bottle of 1er cru red Burgundy for £28 so come on down…

IW: Thanks man, be around this afternoon…

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