Christopher Rogers of Falernian supplies wines to quality restaurants, pubs and discerning individuals and tells us, “You won’t find our wines in supermarkets!”

Why the name Falernian?
Falernian wine was produced from Aglianico grapes on the slopes of Mt. Falernus near the border of Latium and Campania where it became the most renowned wine produced in ancient Rome. There were three vineyards recognized by Romans; Caucinian Falernian from the vineyards on the highest slopes of Mount Falernus; Faustian Falernian from land on the central slopes owned by Faustus, son of the Roman dictator Sulla; and wine from the lower slopes that was simply called Falernian. The area is now occupied by the modern day vineyards of Rocca di Mondragone and Monte Massico.

Who are your customers?
They tend to be entrepreneurs who have set out to be different and have the vision to offer top quality food, allied with the wines to go with them. We supply places such as Illtuds 216, The Bush Inn at St Hilary and Knights in Mumbles.

How did you get into wine?
I read about a new wine in a Sunday paper whilst I was at University in Lampeter. I didn’t come from a wine drinking family, but had enjoyed the odd tipple at University, so a friend and I pooled our resources and bought the bottle. I’ve never looked back!

Who’s involved in the business?
We’ve got a great team and we have lots of fun. Paula does all of our deliveries and as well as being a friend of long standing she is very highly qualified with numerous WSET exams to her name. Kim is based in the office and handles all of the paperwork that I ignore and my wife Jocelyn has recently joined again, now that the children are a little bit older, to help with sales and customer support.

Which wines do you stock?
Aaggh! Lots! We have special relationships with some of the best people in the business from all over the world and all of our wines are exclusive to us, here in south Wales. Some of my favourites include Pol Roger Champagne (a coup to get the distribution of that as we’re such a young company), Two Hands wines from Australia and the T’air d’Oc from Domaine Gayda which were the pouring wines in Jamie Oliver’s 15 Restaurants and are simply delicious!

Where do you source your wines?
From all over the world, although I don’t get to travel as much as I’d like to. I go to many tastings in London and talk to a lots of people. We’re now in the fortunate position that if there’s something new and interesting on the market people often come to us, although I make it a golden rule never to buy from people who come knocking at my door. If I’m interested in a product, I’ll contact them myself!

What’s new in the wine world?
Lots of new wines from all over the world from many new and exciting producers. I have a particular love for the wines from Burgundy and have found an exceptional new producer in Alex Gambal. Burgundy can be a bit of a lottery so the advice is stick with a producer you like and not just the name of a wine.

What’s your particular favourite?
It simply has to be Pol Roger Champagne. I could drink it all day and all night - well I could have done before I had children!

Where can customers visit you?
At our premises in the Brynmenyn Industrial Estate, although it’s always wise to make an appointment as we’re always rushing around. We make sure that there are some wines open for tasting too.

What are the benefits to customers buying from you?
Personal service from someone who makes wine enjoyable and hopefully takes all the snobbery out of what should always be an enjoyable experience. The wines are all chosen by me and are totally exclusive. As an added convenience, customers will soon be able to order online and our website is under development at the moment to facilitate this.

Do you do wine tastings? If so, please tell us more?
I do lots. I’ve done a season of gourmet dinners for the St David’s Hotel as well as private wine tastings for individual customers and everything in between. It’s a nice testament that I’ve always been asked back again. We’ve also just launched an exclusive members only wine club for a maximum of fifty people in and around south Wales where I choose your wine personally and do two complementary tastings a year. It’s proving to be very popular indeed!