Dunell’s Premier Wines, Jersey

Dunell’s is a family run wine merchants based in Jersey. It prides itself on sourcing the best wines from around the world in order to please their discernible customers. In 2011, the decision was taken to totally refurbish their Beaumont flagship store, changing the way that wines were displayed, as well as being able to show off more of the wines which they stock. The idea was to make the wines more accessible, and to make the store light and airy.

The space is huge, and means that thousands of wines can be displayed, which includes their huge Wine Wall, which runs the length of the store. The refurbishment was also chance to try something new, and they installed two 16-bottle By The Glass systems with Self-Serving Card Readers.

This means that not only can Dunell’s display thousands of wines, but they can also have 32 bottles open around the clock, ready for people to try before they buy, and taste new and exciting wines they may not have tried before. This is coupled with a fantastic marketing effort, to ensure that the latest deals, offers and wines on taste are available for anyone to see.

In a year of firsts for the company, Dunell’s opened their second town shop, ‘La Cave’ in St Helier. It is perfectly positioned for the business professionals and tourists who live and visit St Helier all year round. The town shop is smaller than the Beaumont store (but I am yet to see a larger one than Beaumont – Chris) but has just as good a selection of wines available. It also houses a 16-bottle By The Glass system, again for sampling and organised tastings.

One of the main uses that the systems have in both stores, is for organised and tutored tastings. These are often held on week nights (especially on Fridays) and often they are held whilst a leading wine merchant or wine maker is visiting the island. This gives customers a unique opportunity to meet the people who know the most about the wine, and to find out as much as possible about the wines they are trying.

Launch Party

The Dunell’s Launch Party was a huge success, with over 140 local people and industry professionals turned up to see the finished Dunell’s refit and new By The Glass machines in action! The feedback was terrific, with many people appreciating the fact they could try new wines before buying a whole bottle. Take a look at the video and photos below of the launch party!

In their own words…

In their own words...