Toasting 21 yrs of DUNCAN MURRAY WINES with a few guests and bottles of their trusted friend H.Blin

For any independent business to celebrate 21 years of trading in a single town is indeed a remarkable achievement, given all the obstacles and hoops to have gone through just to survive in recent times.

But there is no doubt that DUNCAN MURRAY WINES from its conception in 2001 to the present day has thrived in its own unique style and has had a delightfully positive impact on Market Harborough town and the surrounding regions.

It was therefore a privilege to witness a few treasured memories of business owners Duncan and Megan Murray's '21 year journey' which I feel should be shared with our bestof readers and local community.

Their story begins when Megan and Duncan having met in Leicester in 1994, 'eloped' (they'll hate me!) to the South of France in 1997, finding work at 'Domaine du Poujol' - an independent vineyard based just outside Montpellier. Their experience over the next 2 years, was to form lifelong friendships and an ever infectious knowledge and passion of the wine trade which would ultimately define their ambition to open their own DUNCAN MURRAY WINES shop in 2001.

Domaine du Poujol mobile bottling unit gathering c. 1998 -
where it all began, with Robert, Kim, Mandy and Gavin

On returning to the UK in 1999, Duncan first went to work at London wine merchants 'OddBins' and Megan resumed her teaching career before deciding when the opportunity arose in the popular town of Market Harborough, that the time was right with all their contacts in the wine trade to open their own shop - " a shop that they themselves would like to shop in" recalls Megan.

They knew that with their special brand of expertise and humour, their shop would be welcoming to everyone and an enjoyable, fun place to work in to suit their personalities with maybe 'less of the formality' as possibly associated with many such like businesses! But they would be 'picky' about the wines they stocked, the suppliers they worked with and they would always only select the best of the best that would pass the Duncan and teams' nose and taste buds test!

First on the stock list would be the produce of Domaine du Poujol and H. Blin Champagne; wines they knew well and would also be the wines of choice for Megan & Duncan's forthcoming wedding.

2002 - Duncan and Megan welcome a visit from their good friends Robert and Kim Cripps, owners of Domaine du Poujol, a vineyard outside Montpellier in the south of France where Duncan & Megan had worked before opening the shop. 

They wanted their shop to be inclusive, accessible and inviting with all shoppers made to feel welcome. From the very start, it was important that all comers would enjoy the experience of shopping with DUNCAN MURRAY WINES.

(A lovely memory) - Megan shaking hands with Chris Sewart of Harborough Council outside the shop in 2008, after gratefully receiving a much welcomed grant from the council to make the then 'old fashioned' shop more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Also in the picture with Duncan is John Moffatt. It's also reminiscent of the time of presenting their very popular aptly named 'Cuvee Crunch' wine selection from Domaine du Poujol to help ease the tough 'credit crunch' times of 2008'!

And so, celebrating 21 years of business in December 2022, the memories came flooding back from the Domaine du Poujol days, to the early business start up days, and all the events leading up to the present day. They were reminded of their local community activity, their charity fundraising events and their unique brand of customer service which has apparently influenced multiple local and national awards.

Here's just a few highlights from the archive (but not necessarily in chronological order!):

 Promoting Local Independent Trading
outside the grammar school in 2007.

This occasion in 2007 is significant for Megan because of their energy for endorsing quality wines from small independent producers. It also represents their zest for campaigning with other local traders, as in this photograph, in promoting the benefits of local independent trading and supporting local businesses.

Duncan has more recently had the opportunity to address post grad students of retail design to encourage the importance of consistently supporting all local initiatives.

 Duncan is somewhat elated at winning the IWSC award in 2012!

 
And speaking of awards, they put in an entry for the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in 2012 and to their delight they WON the Independent Retailer Of The Year award!

Megan recalls that they applied with some back-up point of sale materials, and pictures to give the judges a better understanding of what it was like to shop at Duncan Murray Wines. They wanted to illustrate the amount of care that goes into the selection of wines in the shop and also the lengths they might go to give the best customer service and experience to everyone that comes in, even to the point of providing wind-up toys to keep the little ones entertained while their parents take time to select their purchases!

The report in the Independent Retailer issue remarked how the judges 'praised Duncan and his team for their infectious enthusiasm' - high praise indeed!

Raising funds for the 'Movember' initiative in 2014 with Jon Sim of Movember, Sarah Blacker, Duncan
and Chris Carter of Prostate Cancer UK

And here's an example of Duncan and friend's initiatives to support local charities including 'Movember' - encouraging (mostly) men to grow a moustache and optional beard during the month of November raising money (and having some fun!) to support men's health awareness. In 2014 in particular, with a special effort from the community, and collaborating with The Langton Brewery who generously donated a % of each beer sale, about £14,000 was raised for Prostate Cancer Research.

The boys in strenuous training for their
Geneva - Nice fund raising cycle trip in 2019!
(I can't help thinking they forgot to bring something?)

Now as we all know, Duncan is a keen cyclist and the next significant memory is of June 2019, when Duncan and friends (Matt, Edward and Glen) successfully took on the challenge of a fund raising cycle ride from Geneva - Nice, (approx 330 miles) again demonstrating that Megan and Duncan's life isn't just about selling wine but also fund raising for notable causes when the opportunity arises.

 A typical Saturday Afternoon Tasting at Duncan Murray Wines, seen here with Matt & Nicola

Informed wine tasting and occasional masterclasses at DUNCAN MURRAY WINES have been a popular feature of the business over the years offering an opportunity for customers to informally sample carefully selected wines (and sometimes spirits and beers) with Duncan's unique narrative of interesting information about the wine's origin and features. Mainly in the shop on Saturday afternoons, these free tastings are entertaining and help people understand the varying qualities and characteristics of various wines to suit individual palettes enabling people to make better choices.

Amy Winehouse and Professor Froth
(aka Duncan and Mark Herdman)
entertaining the crowds at Arts Fresco 2019.

This is another lovely memory of this 'odd pair' supporting Arts Fresco in 2019. Often described as a “mini fringe festival”, this free annual summer event transforms Market Harborough town centre into a brilliant street art festival. The team of local volunteer performers always surprise, dazzle and delight helping to raise funds for various charities.

Together with Nick and Matt, Duncan stands firm (or rather kneels with dodgy knee) in defiance of Covid, supporting our NHS workers and offering a highly popular delivery service to customers during the lockdown of April 2020.

Of course, no one anticipated the covid lockdowns of 2020, and the way that local businesses responded was paramount to both their survival and reputation.

Well Duncan, Megan and the team, while forced to temporarily close the shop for normal trading, typically went out of their way to support the local community offering a much enhanced delivery service to keep their customers happy and the business alive. An 'at shop door' beer service ('bring your own vessel') also kept beer drinkers lubricated while pubs were closed, and although it's a defining memory of the 21 year history of the business, it's one that hopefully won't be repeated.

 The 'Wunderbar' wine bar serving customers
with wine, beer & nibbles

Pre-covid, the wine shop in August 2017 became a pop-up wine bar (the 'WUNDERBAR') for a few hours in the evenings after normal trading from Wednesday to Friday, serving 2 purposes - a facility for drinkers to purchase and be served at 'table' (ie a barrel) with a sociable glass or two of their chosen tipple, (wine, spirit or beer), with complimentary "locally-sourced cheese, charcuterie and nutty nibbles"! It was also an opportunity to sample and purchase a new selection from the shop. Unfortunately, the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 put an end to this very popular facility, until it may by popular demand one day return!

And so the 'delicious' memories of the past 21 years go on, aided with a further selection of photos as seen below, but to Duncan and Megan Murray, the people of Market Harborough salute and congratulate you for reaching this enviable milestone and thank you for your much valued service to the community, always delivered with panache, professionalism and humour and we all say 'Here's to the next 21 years!'

I'd like to thank Andrew Carpenter for the use of his photographs in this article.

Simon Perry - thebestof Market Harborough

was reviewing:

Duncan Murray Wines
10 Adam and Eve Street
Market Harborough
Leicestershire
LE16 7LT

01858 464935