The importer and wholesaler of premium wines and spirits is pleased that the internet allows customers to learn more, although this brings with it challenges.

Amanda Wammer, Co-Founder and director of 99 bottles Co. Ltd.

What kind of products are you particularly interested in at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2023?
My shopping list includes Whisky, Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, Gin, Rum, Vodka, liqueur and Japanese wine and spirits with high accolades and innovative packaging. Older vintages are a priority. 

What are the key criteria do you look for when deciding on whether to purchase a new product?
There are many elements that affect the final decision, but some of the key criteria are packaging, taste style, accolades, quality consistency, price, payment term, and the producer’s business vision. It takes time and financial commitment to be successful, every product is not an overnight hit, so it’s important that the producers’ goals are aligned and their support is critical. 

How are consumers’ tastes and expectations changing in your market?
The consumers’ tastes are often affected by trends locally or internationally, much like fashion. It’s important to be on-trend and satisfy those demands, but most trends don’t last for ever. The traditional categories of spirits (e.g. aged Scotch Whisky, cognac, red & white wines etc.) are still central to our needs and account for constant sales growth.

What do you think is driving these changes and does this present new challenges?
The world is smaller in many ways – consumers have easy access to all kinds of information from the internet, they are more knowledgeable these days, which is fantastic. But one of the drawbacks to the proliferation of information is price transparency. Without necessarily understanding the various duties and other costs involved in importing a product to one country vs another, they see the cheapest price published anywhere, forcing price competition and really compressing margins.

What segments of the market do you think will see significant growth over the coming years?
The way consumers purchase wines and spirits products is becoming easier and faster. We’re finding major growth tends to come from service-based channels – private & corporate VIP clients rather than traditional demographic segments such as gender, age, price, and so on.  

How important is Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris for buyers like yourself?
It’s very important as many of our working partners participate in Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris. I can meet with many of my existing suppliers at one event while also seeking new products and developing new connections.