Palmers Wine Store in Bridport has been named as one of the country’s best merchants of South American wines.

The wine store, owned and run by Palmers Brewery in Bridport, is one of five winners in the third Wines of Chile Independent Wine Merchant Awards.

To tie in with Chile’s National Day celebrations, Wines of Chile asked merchants entering the competition to promote their Chilean range during the month of September.

Retail Manager Mark Banham and sales assistant Luke Machin were judged to have demonstrated real innovation in promoting Chile – flair with their in-store displays, tastings and events, supported by social media activities and working together with their Chilean wine suppliers.

They have won £500 plus a buying trip of a lifetime to Chile in January 2013 to see the country at first hand and to find new wines for their lists.

Mark said: ‘We’re delighted to have been ranked as one of the top five merchants by Wines of Chile. We promoted wines from Chile during September, with weekly offers on our website palmerswinestore.com, in-store promotions and a series of tasting hosted by Johnny Bingham of Jackson Nugent Vintners and the wonderful wines of Casas Silva.’

Michael Cox, European Director for Wines of Chile, said: ‘Palmers Wine Store really raised the bar this year. They doubled their range to demonstrate regionality and focused on educating their customers on the diversity on offer from Chile. This faith in premium Chile brought significant sales uplifts with Palmers Wine Store reporting a doubling of their Chilean turnover.’

You can like Palmers Wine Store on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PalmersWineStore and follow them on Twitter at @PalmersWineShop.

Palmers Wine Store Palmers Wine Store is a leading wine merchant in Dorset. With continuous tasting and careful evaluation they have developed an extensive range of wines that offer value and quality, wines that offer great regionality and that are a reflection of the people who make them. They actively promote the understanding and enjoyment of wine at their monthly tastings and they believe buying wine should be a pleasurable experience whether in person or online.

The team is led by Mark Banham who is responsible for buying and has 20 years experience in the wine trade. Assisting is Luke Machin, whose background as a sommelier, confirms his great interest in food and wine combinations. Ronnie Mace completes our experienced team with over 20 years at Palmers Wine Store.  In November 2012, Steven Spurrier, consultant editor at Decanter Magazine, said: ‘Under the direction of Mark Banham, Palmers’ Wine Store has grown and grown to present a range of wine from all regions and for all pockets that rivals that of the best London wine merchants.’

Wines of Chile is an organisation committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London, and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. Wines of Chile also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile’s 93 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 90 per cent of Chile’s bottled wine exports.