New Distributor for Balthasar Ress Wines in the UK

In a move to provide its UK customers improved service and a larger selection of its wines, Weingut Balthasar Ress/Rheingau will work with Berkmann Wine Cellars as of September 2006. Berkmann has just been named "On-Trade Supplier of the Year 2006" in the UK's  IWC (Intenational Wine Competition).

Berkmann's nationwide network of warehouse and distribution facilities (London, Southwest, Gloucester, Yorkshire, Scotland) enables it to deal with logistics in a timely and cost-efficient manner. At the same time, Berkmann's turnover is high enough that it can operate as a large buyer and thus, offer customers Balthasar Ress Rheingau Riesling wines at competitive prices.

Berkmann's strength has been in the restaurant trade, supplying leading restaurateurs with top-notch wines. The company is currently expanding its distribution to wine shops on all levels. The Berkmann portfolio to date has focused on French and Italian wines, but also includes wines from the New World, e.g. North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Their new working relationship with Balthasar Ress adds German wines from a prestigious Rheingau Riesling producer at a time when the Riesling renaissance has firmly taken hold throughout the world - with restaurateurs/chefs de cuisine/sommeliers, the press, and consumers alike.

According to Berkmann: " We'd like to see Riesling equated with the name Ress." Berkmann will be distributing a full range of Balthasar Ress Rheingau Rieslings, from dry-style, food-compatible wines to lusciously sweet dessert wines and rarities. Berkmann is also working together with the German Wine Institute/Mainz office in London (Wines of Germany/www.winesofgermany.co.uk) to ensure participation in events and trade fairs that offer an opportunity to showcase Balthasar Ress wines. The next major event scheduled is a sommeliers' luncheon in early October at the Design Museum in London. In addition, those interested in German wine news are advised to check the German Wine Institute's English-language website (www.germanwines.de) for current news, including the monthly "specials" that feature a quiz (with nice, wine-related prizes), recipes, and famous site of the month.

Christian Ress, co-proprietor (with his father, Stefan Ress) of Weingut Balthasar Ress is quite optimistic about this new arrangement. "We have worked with Alex Hunt for quite some time and his move to Berkmann Wine Cellars was reason enough for us to continue our working relationship by moving our business to Berkmann. We are confident that our current customers will benefit from the move and hope to attract new customers as well. Despite globalization, we're still both family operations...Berkmann has been in the wine business for some 40 years...we've been around as producers and merchants since 1870. It's a match that bodes well for both of us."

Contact: Berkmann Wine Cellars, Tel +44 (0)20/7609-4711.

info@berkmann.co.uk