In Conversation with Pierre Mansour, Director of Wine at The Wine Society

In Conversation with Pierre Mansour, Director of Wine at The Wine Society

Created by a small group of wine lovers, The Wine Society offers its members the chance to choose single bottles or mixed cases of wine from their expert-curated wine range – most of which are sourced directly from the vineyard. We catch up with the brand’s Director of Wine Pierre Mansour to find out more.

Luxurious Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got into wine?
Pierre Mansour: My wine curiosity was first piqued by my Dad, who started getting into fine wines whilst I was at university. Every time I went home, it fascinated me that the bottles he shared were a different experience to what I was drinking at uni, yet both were “wine”. So I put myself on a wine tasting course and discovered the amazing world of wine and all its flavours.

LM: How did the concept of The Wine Society come about? What inspired the idea?
Pierre: The Wine Society was created by a small group of wine lovers in 1874 with the simple objective ‘To introduce foreign wines hitherto unknown’. As a member, you have access to our market-leading range of 1,500 wines and some fantastic services.

A bottle of fine champagne and some choclates courtesy of the Wine Society

LM: What makes The Wine Society different from other wine subscriptions out there?
Pierre: We are not a wine subscription service – members can choose from any wine from our range in any quantity, and we deliver directly to your home. Membership is just £40, and this is a one-off lifetime fee – there are no tie-ins, and there is no obligation to buy.

The Wine Society is a co-operative, which means we put our members before profit. This frees us to put our passion – for good wine, for fair pricing and for ethical grower relationships – above anything else.

LM: What’s the process of sourcing the wine for the website?
Pierre: Our buying decisions are based purely on quality and value. We are privileged to have an 8-strong team of buyers who spend more time in vineyards than any other wine merchant. Their experience and skill in sniffing out delicious wines are admired by the wine trade and of course, our members. The majority of the wines we sell are shipped directly from the vineyard.

LM: What are some good Christmas wines from the range tThe Wine Society Christmas Tidings Caseo stock up on?
Pierre: My recommendation is to have some crowd-pleasing wines like Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge, Guigal 2017 (£10.95) and Duo Des Mers Sauvignon-Viognier, Vin de France 2019 (£6.95) for the spontaneous glass or two, along with something more serious for Christmas day, like the wonderful Exhibition Rioja Reserva (£16) and this excellent white Burgundy Château de Beauregard, Saint-Véran Vernay 2018 (£16.50).

LM: What trends current or new have you observed in wine?
Pierre: Wine Society members are becoming more adventurous in their choice of wines. We started a new range of wines called the Bin Series. Each release comes from an unknown wine region or grape, something that is off the beaten track, the wines are so popular they sell out incredibly quickly.

LM: Do you have a go-to wine for when you are relaxing?

Pierre: All wine makes me feel at ease! I have a particular passion for the classics: Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rioja.

LM: What are some of your favourite little luxuries, outside of the world of wine?
Pierre: A great question! I’m very into coffee, I adore buying different blends of beans and making my own blends, and I don’t hold back on all the kit you need to do it properly.

A person holding up a glass of red wine in a vineyard

LM: How are you looking to evolve The Wine Society’s portfolio going forward?
Pierre: We will continue to build on our strengths in the classic regions of Europe whilst discovering and shining a spotlight on less-known areas that are producing fantastic wines, places like Greece, Austria and Portugal. Our range of own-label wines is brilliant, and we have plans in place to release some special bottles under a new range to celebrate The Society’s 150th anniversary in 2024 – watch this space.

For more information on the Wine Society and to get in contact with Pierre Mansour, please visit www.thewinesociety.com.

Read more exclusive interviews in our dedicated section here. For more articles and guides on fine wines, please visit our wines and spirits section here.

In Conversation with Pierre Mansour, Director of Wine at The Wine Society 2

 

Leanne Kelsall

Luxury Travel and Lifestyle Journalist

Leanne jumped ship from a sleepy suburban town to the Big Smoke to pursue a career in creative writing and advertising. She now freelances as a luxury travel and lifestyle journalist for Luxurious Magazine. As an avid storyteller, she combines her love of the written word and luxury travel to review trending and undiscovered hotels, restaurants and events. Recent adventures have taken her as far as Fiji, Iceland and New York to discover what really makes the world’s top hotels tick. As well as writing, her passions include boutique luxury escapes, fine dining, theater and music events, alongside a keen interest in fitness having been a previous British swimming record-holder and a current fitness/figure champion.

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