The Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants

Was set up in 1998 to specialise in top French wines from the Rhône Valley and other classic wine-producing regions of France. We buy all our wines direct from the producers and sell by the (mixed) case to offer the best prices throughout the UK for wines of this quality.

Jill and I formed the company in 1998 after I considered the wine trade a rather more pleasurable business than the legal career I had embarked on. Having travelled extensively through the world's vineyards, both literally and figuratively, we decided to import wines from France only in the first instance. We had two reasons for this:

1. France still offers the highest quality and widest range of styles of wine of any wine-producing country;

2. By concentrating on a smaller geographical area it is possible to offer better value.

We specialise in importing directly from some of the best vineyards in the Southern Rhône Valley and work with producers and negociants throughout France to offer a comprehensive range of quality wines.

Wines are stored in a temperature-controlled bonded warehouse so they never suffer overheating and dried-out corks which can so easily spoil good wines bought from shops and supermarkets. As we don't have a shop, our overheads are low which in turn enables us to keep our prices as low as possible.

Furthermore, unlike many other internet wine merchants, The Big Red Wine Company will mix cases at no extra charge.

We are specialists in fine vintage wines from the Southern Rhône with a range of excellent mid-price Bordeaux and Burgundy and some lesser-known regions such as the Languedoc. Because we enjoy them (and one of our producers has an estate there), we also have one great wine from Australia and we have recently added a new bodega in Rioja. Great food wines all so, whatever you are eating, you will find something to match it here.

We have tried to keep the site as straightforward and user-friendly as possible. We do not currently have an on-line ordering facility as this only adds to the cost of the wines and we believe that the wines we import are interesting enough to make you pick up the phone or send a quick e-mail.

If you would like a hard copy or if you have problems accessing the site, please contact us.