Revisiting Luke Hemsley at Wednesday’s Domaine: ‘We’re becoming the mid-week wine’

I last spoke to Luke Hemsley, founder of Wednesday’s Domaine, in June 2023. He had started his brand with two wines: Piuant, an Airen-Blanco white wine, and Sanguine, a Tempranillo-based red wine. The decision was to introduce quality alcohol-free still wines to a market dominated by sparkling wines.

Back then, Luke worked with a drinks development agency to make his wines but today that has changed and they now work directly with a winemaker. It has meant the relationship is more fluid and holistic, working together to figure out what liquids could be produced and released under the brand to meet future demand.

The new products were released all at once. Luke explains when we meet that to release them in a staggered way would be ‘too expensive’ and put too much stress on the company. So they have gone straight from two to six wines. The range includes two sparklings and four still, expanding to include a heavier red wine and a rosé.

In the new, fluid relationship the wine is now made slightly differently. A selection of base wines is chosen to de-alcoholise. They can now access the latest technology to do this, working closely with a partner in Europe. Once the alcohol is removed, Wednesday’s Domaine blends in a small amount of grape must and juice to develop different body, flavours, length and structure across its range.

The new range offers a half dozen quality alcohol-free offerings for the market. I caught up with Luke to discuss the new range and we dove straight in.

How have your new products been received by customers?

Wednesday’s Domaine used to have two wines and consumers had their preferences over one of the other. ‘Now we have six wines, the variety is much larger, and people’s preferences have moved across a wider scale. Our heavier red lands well with people and offers an alcohol-free choice in an under-served space in the market. It hasn’t sold as well as our rosé yet, but it’s been spring and summer.

‘Our sparkling wines received a great reception. It’s a more crowded space though, so it might be harder to crack and win market share.’

How easy is it to sell alcohol-free wines?

‘Notoriously more difficult than alcoholic wines, which have years of tradition. Alcoholic beer is now fully mainstream, which helps, and you can see the popularity of big brands like Heineken 0.0% and Guinness 0.0% adopted on a global scale. These products get millions of dollars of sponsorships and show up at sports events like F1, or the Champion’s League. Guinness is sponsoring the Premier League.’

This success in beer is great for the wine world. ‘It makes people ask the question, where is the alcohol-free wine?’

‘Now alcohol-free wine offers quality with brands like ours and those like it, we are able to increased customers’ expectations for the category. We need to work with on-trade buyers to show them the potential, but convincing them is the biggest problem. We need to show them alcohol-free is a thing.’

Education is a big part of this, right?

‘Yes, it’s hard to make a non-alcoholic still wine – even moreso than a non-alc sparkling. Sparkling wines have a mouthfeel from carbonation that can cover some of the missing alcohol, but alcohol-free still wine must rely wholly on its ingredients. In the consumer’s eye, non-alcoholic sparkling wines are considered closer to their alcoholic counterparts than still wines. Something we want to change.’

In an anecdote, Luke shares that in a tasting a few days’ prior someone apologised for telling people in the past they don’t get the point of alcohol-free products. They said they used to say, ‘Why not just have water?’

‘I suspected everyone who enjoys alcohol-free drinks today has at some point asked what’s the point?‘ Luke says. ‘But it’s about the ritual. You can enjoy a cold pint after a long day at work, and there’s often that sigh of relief and relaxation after the first sip. It’s not the alcohol that does this, it doesn’t hit your system that quickly, it’s more psychosomatic and much more ritualistic and about the familiarity of the occasion.’

How do your new products expand on your offer?

‘It’s extremely rare someone is just a white wine or exclusively red wine drinker, or they’ll only drink rosé or sparkling wine. We all have different preferences in different moments, often because of the occasion; is it lunch or dinner? A birthday party? A dinner date?

‘By having a range we can ensure there is the opportunity for Wednesday’s Domaine to be present in more of those moments. If you can win over a customer, they’re more likely to choose you again in other moments, too.’

This ultimately increases retention rates and sales for the brand. As customers browse the website they buy other products available and can become something of an advocate for your brand at events and occasions.

Luke says, ‘It’s about having a space in the market where customers can trust your brand. In the past alcohol-free has been a notoriously untrustworthy area, but with better wines we are creating more opportunities to win over new customers and engage existing ones.’

Founder of Wednesday’s Domaine, Luke Hemsley, holding ‘Elan’ & ‘Vignette’ bottles respectively.

Have the demographics changed for those buying Wednesday’s Domaine?

‘Demographics are evolving all the time,’ Luke says, while reiterating that the brand is still committed to its mission of becoming ‘the mid-week wine alternative for food and drink lovers’. 

The core customers for the brand are largely consistent.

‘Our customers are busy, might have young families, and a busy work life. They often have a reason why they’re looking to moderate their alcohol or hold back at certain moments. More and more people are opening their eyes to alcohol-free products like beers – but where’s the wine?’

How important is further investment for growth?

‘Fundraising is a critical part of building any consumer brand,’ Luke says. ‘We need funds to develop and create the products, purchase stock, and to build awareness. Getting product into peoples’ hands and into their homes.’

However, fundraising for any brand is a competitive space. Wednesday’s Domaine navigates the fundraising space by collaborating to generate awareness that alcohol-free wine is a thing and that there are quality options, like Wednesday’s Domaine, on the market. Luke hopes this builds appreciation for the brand and unlocks more opportunities. It’s largely done by marketing and getting the product into more accounts. For that, they need resources to sell, market and get the product from A to B.

‘The bulk of fundraising goes towards building the team. We have to plug the gap between profit and the need for people who can sell the product to get there.’

At the beginning, Luke admits that he underestimated the costs of storing and transporting stock, which in turn meant the journey to profitability will take longer and the need for fundraising increases.

‘Supplements are a great business. They’re high value, high margin, and fit through a letterbox. Bottles don’t.’

How do you manage trade activity with your online presence?

‘Wednesday’s Domaine is an omnichannel business,’ Luke says. They are currently selling the brand through retailers, like wine shops and delis, the on-trade – pubs, restaurants and wine bars – and through their own online website.

‘All three are equally important,’ Luke says. ‘They don’t do the same volumes. We sell the majority online, but each channel creates equal value for the product.’

Luke has noticed that trade shows offer a good space to be questioned about the brand and get insights into how customers are thinking. ‘It’s a healthy thing for your brand,’ Luke says. ‘I’m always looking to meet buyers and it’s easier to build those relationships in person, rather than being a name that lands in your inbox looking to hassle you. They become a person you want to build a business relationship with.’ 

London Wine Fair was a stand out for Wednesday’s Domaine. They found the Low/No area of the exhibition particularly valuable as a space for the brand to be discovered. There was also a reduced fee that meant more alcohol-free brands could attend and enabled more guests to discover the range available on offer in the space.

Do you split your sales ambitions across on- and off-trade route to market?

‘There’s a traditional idea that brands are built in the on-trade and that volumes come from the off-trade, through retail. In reality, on-trade is hard because there are so many great drinks and great products, so you have to have your offer placed on the right part of the menu. If you’ve never heard of a brand, there’s a reluctance to pay £6-7 for a glass of alcohol-free wine you’ve not heard of. 

‘Ultimately we want to keep growing the number of places you can find Wednesday’s Domaine, so we’re focused on growth through both channels.’

What’s the plan for Wednesday’s Domaine going into 2025?

‘Our business mantra is to become the midweek wine for food and drink lovers,’ Luke says. ‘We create delicious wines and we want to continue to serve the need for quality an alcohol-free option. Our two newsletters, Picky Bits and Table Talk, celebrate food and drink culture. We want to embed ourselves there, in the food and drink space, and dispel the idea you can’t get quality in alcohol-free.’

Following the brand recognition and opportunities being given to no/low beer and spirits, Luke aspires for wine to get on equal footing. Could Wednesday’s Domaine be the brand that opens those doors?