With unrivaled expertise, Goedhuis Waddesdon provides trade and private clients with the world’s finest wines
Founded in 2023 from the merger of Goedhuis & Co and Waddesdon Wine Ltd, Goedhuis Waddesdon is a fine wine merchant boasting over 60 years of combined expertise in providing fine wine to both trade and private clients. As a formidable presence in the wine industry, Goedhuis Waddesdon unites the expertise, prestigious portfolios, and first-class customer service of both businesses to create an unrivaled destination for wine collectors, retailers, and high-end hospitality outlets.
As a subsidiary of the Rothschild Foundation, the former Waddesdon Wine business represents wines from Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite and Edmond de Rothschild Heritage exclusively within the UK. By offering a wide selection of wines, the merger allows both trade and private customers to experience wines not previously available to them.
We’re joined by Chris Campbell, CEO of Goedhuis Waddesdon, to learn more about the merger, rebranding, and operations. “Goedhuis Waddesdon was formed as
a result of a merger when Lord Jacob Rothschild suggested his company merge with Goedhuis & Co,” Chris begins. “Our new branding focuses on embracing the heritage of the two businesses while establishing us as a vibrant and exciting new fine wine merchant that is relevant in today’s market. We wanted our branding to reflect the joy of sharing fine wine with family and friends on special occasions at some of life’s greatest moments.
“Goedhuis & Co was a traditional, high-end fine wine merchant, primarily selling wine from the regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy in France to wine collectors around the world. Having built a strong customer base over the last 30-to-40 years, Goedhuis & Co supports real people who genuinely enjoy the process of buying, storing, and collecting fine wine. Aside from customers, the company has also established relationships with the finest Burgundy domaines and small producers at the highest part of the wine pyramid, as well as creating some strong links across the Bordeaux growing region including several top-rated chateaux.
“Waddesdon Wine, on the other hand, sells fine wine to trade clients, such as high-end hotels in Mayfair and private clubs in London, as well as to trade clients with national accounts like Ocado, Waitrose Cellar, and M&S,” he continues. “There are a huge number of benefits reaped by bringing together these two different businesses, which are now unified under a long-term plan. We can now provide smaller producers with a route to market into the finest dining spaces, but we work completely in conjunction with the winery or chateau to ensure they want such added exposure.”
Although the French regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy remain at Goedhuis Waddesdon’s core, the business also works with fine wine producers in the world’s top regions; Tuscany, Piedmont, Rioja, Champagne, the Rhône and many more in the Old World, in addition to some of the most exciting producers from the New World. “We’re the UK partner for high-end Australian producer Penfolds, and we’ve got great exposure of some premium wineries in Napa, California,” Chris explains. “We also work with the Rothschild family’s domaines in Argentina and Chile and represent South Africa’s Rupert & Rothschild wine. Although Bordeaux and Burgundy remain at the heart of the wine we provide, every fine wine region is represented in our portfolio.
“The company is rooted in these regions,” he states. “In 1855, chateaux in the Bordeaux region were given a level of classification, with only a handful receiving the highest level. The Rothschilds own two of the five First Growths, making the family owners of two of the greatest wineries on the planet.”
Seamless storage
Goedhuis Waddesdon also provides complementary services within the fine wine market. “We have an offshoot storage business, Private Reserves, which is a wholly owned subsidiary that operates entirely independently,” Chris shares. “The storage aspect is crucial for fine wine, as it allows customers to store their wines, which are often purchased before they’re bottled, in optimum underground conditions at Octavian, Corsham, until they’re ready to drink. Customers can easily access their inventory, and we jump through hoops to make the storage process as seamless as possible.
“We’ve also recently acquired the rights to an innovative data consultancy, Wine Compare, and established a business insights team to provide real data to wineries, chateaux, and domaines on market conditions and how their wine is performing. This data is invaluable to our partners who are often distanced from the end consumer, as it enables them to see where demand is strongest.”
The company recently hosted its inaugural Portfolio Tasting in London, welcoming both trade and private clients. “It was an absolutely fantastic event that brought together all aspects of our business,” Chris states. “This event allowed trade clients to taste the Burgundy wines that the Rothschilds couldn’t previously sell but also introduced private clients to Rothschild wines.”
Storytelling strategy
As our conversation ends, Chris turns to Goedhuis Waddesdon’s strategy for the future. “We’re keen to grow both the commercial and trade sides of the business around the world,” he shares. “As fine wine sales have softened across Asia over the last 12-to-24 months, we’re targeting growth in the Middle East and experiencing success in Bahrain. We’ll continue to focus on carefully placing our wines into the finest establishments in the Middle East in 2025 and beyond.
“We’re also keen to target the category of under 36-year-olds. Although younger people are drinking less wine, they’re tending to select higher quality wines. We’re spending a lot of time and effort with this category as part of a ten-to-15-year strategy because although financially they may spend less with us, their spending will increase in line with their salaries.
“For us, the future is dominated by how we work with our domaines,” Chris concludes. “We want to reinforce our ties with existing wineries while very carefully selecting a small number of partners to enhance our portfolio. Over the next five years, we want to extend this relationship to the end client like hotels or restaurants to strengthen how the winery is perceived by the consumer. We play a small role in the overall chain, but we want to enhance the storytelling behind our wines by talking less on numbers and instead focusing on the strategic importance of our relationships.”