Hannibal’s February Newsletter – 2022

It won’t come as a surprise to learn that most wine merchants hibernate in January.

With the exception of 2021 (a bonkers year of wine consumption brought on by pandemic lockdown), January falls silent, as the world comes to terms with December over-indulgence, over-spend and the dreaded New Year abstention plans.  Uggghh!

Finn McCool on early patrol

But here we are, in the blink of an eye, February is upon us and possibly, just possibly, an opportunity to really start planning for a happier and healthier new year.

SPRING IS ON ITS WAY!

We imagine, like us, many of you have had events and holidays cancelled – trust us, we know and share your frustration and disappointment.  Indeed, having to cancel Hannibal’s annual Christmas tasting for a second year running was a blow, not least because it starved us and you of the chance to meet up and enjoy an evening of great wine and great company.  Rest assured that we are already working on a Spring revival and will let you know more details as they unfold.

DRY JANUARY MEANS A WET FEBRUARY!

My attempts this year to achieve that ever-illusive ‘dry’ January were once more put to the test.  Still, I had a shot at it and am pleased to report that I rallied for the first couple of weeks, before the remaining month (such a long month) became damper by the day.  But it got me thinking about wine in general – the joy it brings, the amazing way the right wine can combine so perfectly with the right food; the significance of organically grown/produced wines and of course the need to maintain moderation.  One point to make is the impact of introducing food whilst drinking, improving the body’s ability to metabolise alcohol more efficiently.  In my opinion, moderate wine consumption alongside exercise and a balanced diet leads arguably to a happier lifestyle.

Which leads me onto February… the days are longer and the outdoors beckons.  It’s not quite barbecue weather, but the running shoes are out, as are the healthy cook books.  All that’s needed is a dabble into the range of wines to find some perfect healthy combos.  When you peruse the wines on our website, be sure to check out our ‘food pairings’ section within each product description.  Most suggestions are tried and tested.  Indeed, if you have a great wine and food pairing suggestion, we’d love to hear from you.

DOING OUR BIT FOR THE WORLD

You may recall back in November, with COP26 bearing down upon us, we took a look at Hannibal’s own sustainability.  We continue to ask the same questions – what can we do better?  What can we contribute to the enormous world burden of achieving the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals?

We already recycle all of our waste, right down to the last coffee granule!  We print our missives on recycled paper using ‘green’ ink.  We’ve even installed recycled carpet recently to keep our feet warm and keep the heating off as much as we can bear during the winter.

Our biggest usage is undoubtedly packaging.  This said, we managed to reduce our cardboard outer packaging usage by over 30% in 2021.  We did this simply by recycling the use of existing packaging wherever we can.  For you, our customers, you will see us re-using cardboard more and more.  And where we can, we’ll deliver in the wine’s original cartons.  You can be assured that the cost savings of surplus packaging will help keep our wine prices stable.

STOP PRESS – February PROMO!  We’re kick-starting February with a quick bin-end sale.  It helps us tidy our shelves a little and make way for the new vintages later in the year.  Don’t delay – take a look HERE>

Cheers for now!