The Bunch

The Bunch is a group of Britain’s leading independent wine merchants whose priorities are to promote interesting wines while setting the standards of consumer satisfaction for the industry and ensuring the security of customers’ wines held in storage by its members.  The Bunch’s activities have included the creation of a Code of Practice and the establishment of a well-attended annual tasting for journalists.

The Bunch Code of Practice is listed below.

The Bunch Guarantee.

If you don’t like any wine that you buy from us, for whatever reason, return it within a month of purchase and we shall refund your money without question or delay.

This Guarantee applies to ‘en primeur’ sales in the sense that customers have the right to change their mind within one month of being charged for their order.

Customers’ paid reserves, duty paid.

All customers’ paid reserves are stored separately from any stock belonging to the merchant, and such storage areas are clearly identified.

Separate stock records are maintained for all customers’ reserves.

Every case held duty paid on behalf of a customer is clearly identified in a way that unambiguously asserts that customers’ ownership.

Individual stock certificates are supplied annually to each customer, or on request.

No wines will be removed from individual customer reserves except on instructions from the owner, or where the customer requires frequent withdrawals from reserves (e.g. in the case of restaurants) following receipt of a letter of indemnity from the owner authorising verbal instructions.

Wines are insured on the customer’s behalf, at least to the value of the original purchase price.

Customers may inspect their duty paid reserves at any time during normal business hours, with reasonable notice.

Customers’ paid reserves, in bond.

Members of the Bunch who provide bonded storage for customers’ reserves are moving rapidly to compliance with the standards outlined above for duty paid stocks, or have already completed the implementation of these conditions, consistent with the requirements of H.M. Customs and Excise.

Customers’ paid reserves, overseas.

It is not possible to provide the same level of separate identification and access for inspection in the case of overseas stocks (particularly when this relates to ‘primeur’ sales of wine still in cask) but members of the Bunch are working on establishing some accord on this matter with foreign suppliers and, meanwhile, provide certification based on current best practice.

Members ensure that they only deal with established and reputable suppliers (the producer where possible), preferring to pay slightly more if necessary to achieve this end.

Suppliers provide stock certifications to the merchants and the merchants provide stock certifications for their customers, clearly stating which additional charges, if any (duty, shipping etc.), may be payable at a later date.

Wines are paid for promptly by the merchant in accordance with the supplier’s terms and shipped to the UK as soon as practicable after bottling, and then delivered promptly to our customers or placed in their duty paid or bonded reserves.

Mail Order. 

Members of the Bunch are signatories to the Mail Order Code of Practice, promulgated by the Wine and Spirit Association.

The Bunch is working on a clear summary of this Mail Order Code, comprehensible to Customers, and will incorporate any further enhancements when seen necessary.

The Bunch consists of the following merchants:

Yapp Brothers, Tanners, Lay & Wheeler, Corney & Barrow, Berry Brothers and Rudd, Adnams