SUNDAY TIMES WINE CLUB
Tony Laithwaite started his business by driving a van to France to buy wine directly from producers then selling it from his railway arch premises in Windsor. In response to the notorious wine fraud scandal of 1972 (in which certain Bordeaux wines were found to have been adulterated), he wrote to Harold Evans, the editor of The Sunday Times, with the message: “honest wine merchant guarantees source and quality of wines.” This must have struck a chord as the letter drew 2,000 enquiries from readers.
In 1973 The Sunday Times Wine Club was established, prompting a move from Windsor to an ex-munitions turned bra factory in Slough. Hugh Johnson was elected Wine Club President and Wine Times was launched. The following year the Club imported the first few bottles of Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon to the UK and Hugh made his first trip to Australia.
Some 35 years on, little has changed except for the scale of the enterprise. It is still Tony’s company, Hugh Johnson OBE is still Club President and Wine Times is still being published to help guide Members on their tour of discovery.
The Sunday Times Wine Club is part of the biggest mail order drinks business in the world but it remains true to its original principles of travelling to the wine regions and buying wine directly from the producer to deliver more authenticity, more history and more flavour.