TROY Tribe: Marlo Wine

We chat with Pip the co-founder of MARLO wine and learn all about their lockdown started business and the way they are revolutionising the way fine wine is talked about and bought, read on also for your exclusive discount code and chance to WIN!

Tell us about Marlo - how and when did you start the business?

Dawesey has worked in wine for over twenty years and founded Richard Dawes Fine Wine in 2008, where predominantly he trades fine wine and manages private collections. We were always inundated with friends asking us how they could access wine via Dawesey because they loved his dinner party selections and trusted his no nonsense advice, so we set about creating Marlo, a no fuss fine wine website that makes top wines available by the bottle. The wines are beautifully wrapped in sustainable packaging, include a handwritten present note, and is delivered next working day, making Marlo a great port of call for last minute dinner parties or presents alike.

Marlo, named after our children Milo and Margot was launched coincidentally in the February just before the world was hit by the pandemic, fortunately we were on hand to send wine around the UK to home schooling mothers, families separated, corporate clients and those wanting to tuck into something delicious amidst the chaos of Covid!

 Wine is a subject that some find daunting, tell us about your philosophy on the subject.

Drink what you enjoy! What makes life interesting is that we all like different things, by making our wines accessible by the bottle you can really try lots of different styles of wines and build an understanding of what you do and don’t like. What I love about Dawesey’s selections is that it’s never about the value or the prestige, it is always about whether he likes it or not, whether the bottle is £10 or £100.

 How often do you visit the vineyards and meet the makers of wine, is it a constant search for new producers?

We visit wine producing regions as often as we can, in fact the team are just back from tasting En Primeur in Bordeaux. We are fortunate that we have great relationships with producers from the existing trading business, who absolutely love the concept of Marlo and are happy to offer us great wines. Producers love to see the general public drinking the labour of their love as opposed to it always being bought up by investors. We are always looking for new and interesting producers, for example we stock La Cappaletta, which is the only wine produced in Portofino and exclusively distributed by Marlo, which is exciting!

 

 How do you find building a business as a couple?

It definitely comes with challenges, especially when it comes to juggling small children!! But happily, we both have very different roles, Dawesey looks after the wine and I concentrate on the branding and the social media, and I think we have mutual respect for each other’s skill sets, but we are both very much learning about growing a start-up and experiencing the highs and lows together, which is both daunting and exciting.

 Are there any new trends in wine that we should know about? Any moves to make wine more environmentally friendly?

Whilst organic farming is nothing new, with lots of wineries having practiced organic methods for years without shouting about it, there is however definitely a wave of drinkers who care more about what they are buying and the production methods. This is therefore making producers consider their environmental footprint and changing both production and bottling methods. Marlo stocks a range of wines that are bio-dynamic and natural, but these wines have made the list not necessarily because of their production but because we rate the wine. From our perspective we are trying to do everything in our power to reduce our carbon footprint, choosing to work with companies such as Flexi-Hex, who offer sustainable packaging and Pack fleet who deliver the wine in electric vans and plant a tree for every delivery.

 How do you recommend tackling a wine list in a good restaurant, any tips, or ideas?

Restaurants make the biggest margin on their house range, so generally looking a tier or two above it gives you better value for money. Also sticking with key regions that you’ve heard of can be a safe bet. 

Outside of work, how do you both relax?.

We love heading the country on the weekends and letting the children go feral. We also love family holidays in Greece, these are currently the things that we treasure and that keep us motivated during a busy week.

Your Exclusive Discount

MARLO has also kindly given TROY customers an exclusive 20% discount code to use on your first purchase from their website.

Enter code TROY20 at checkout.

Your Chance To Win

Not only did we have the pleasure of chatting with Pip and picking her brain for the best vino tips, but we have also teamed up with her to bring you a chance to WIN the perfect summer bundle. 

A hand-selected Marlo hamper which includes 6 bottles of delicious wines and champagne, along with some Marlo merchandise, and your choice of our iconic his or hers TROY London Wax Parka, summer picnic's sorted!

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