Hallgarten’s winning run at Ascot

The official wine supplier to Ascot Racecourse since 2018, Hallgarten has poured over three-quarters of a million bottles and trained thousands of staff. With the partnership extended, both sides are doubling down on premiumisation, education and wines fit for royalty. In a world of trilbies, fascinators and sky-high odds, supplying the wine for Ascot Racecourse might seem like a genteel affair, until you realise you’re dealing with a crowd of a quarter of a million, Michelin-starred menus and 750,000 bottles. Since 2018, Hallgarten & Novum Wines has been the official supplier of still and sparkling wine at Ascot, navigating the glorious pandemonium of both weekday fixtures and the high-octane theatre of Royal Ascot. The partnership has grown steadily over seven years and now includes an expanded wine offering across all enclosures, bars and restaurants. Over 120 different wines are featured throughout the racecourse and more than 5,500 front-of-house staff have been through Hallgarten’s WineSure training programme. Add to that over 200 WSET certifications, and you have a hospitality force more prepared than most Saturday-night city restaurants. Howard Corrigan, head of channel – sports and leisure at Hallgarten, described the process as one that begins months in advance, collaborating closely with chefs to tailor wine lists to their menus and philosophies. This year’s Royal Ascot featured no fewer than 16 restaurants, collectively holding 29 Michelin stars. Bespoke pairings were everywhere: Lismore's ‘Age of Grace’ Viognier with fish in Tom Barnes’ Vista restaurant, Simpsons Wine Estate’s Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir in Raymond Blanc’s Panoramic and Coral do Mar Albariño with summery dishes by Lisa Goodwin-Allen. And when guests want to elevate their experience even further, they can. Premium upgrades such as Château Mouton Rothschild and Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume are served at Simon Rogan’s Parade Ring and Tom Shepherd’s Sandringham restaurant, respectively. Naturally, staff know the wines inside out, thanks to Hallgarten’s wine education team on hand before the week kicks off.

The business of bubbles and branding

Being an official supplier to Royal Ascot is not just about pouring wine; it’s also about prestige. Corrigan said the event gives Hallgarten a significant edge in the trade, helping distinguish the brand in a crowded market. The visibility extends to producer partners, too. Wineries gain international exposure from having their bottles front and centre in one of the world’s most iconic social and sporting events. This is not lost on Hallgarten’s marketing director, Colin Cameron, who reflects on the complexities of running a wine business today. “Many businesses across the country are facing extremely challenging times with increasing duty and tax pressures,” he said. Yet Hallgarten has grown its portfolio by a third and increased staff numbers by 40% in just 18 months, hardly the behaviour of a company bracing for a downturn. Their focus? Staying ahead of the curve, quite literally. From deep dives into consumer trends with its insights team, to the strategic use of Google Agentspace (a platform blending AI search and automation), Hallgarten is banking on data to power its future.

The wine crowd: changing tastes in the grandstand

The Ascot crowd, with its hats, heels and habitual Champagne, is not immune to the broader shifts in consumer tastes. According to Corrigan, there’s been a marked premiumisation since 2018, as well as a move towards fresher, cleaner wine styles and the arrival of non-alcoholic options on the menu. Still, some things never change. Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru continue to top the restaurant sales charts each year, trailed closely by Sancerre and Rioja. In many ways, Ascot is a microcosm of the wider UK drinks scene. With tens of thousands of punters milling about, each wine list becomes a kind of barometer. “Ascot provides a good insight into what the wider public is drinking,” said Corrigan. For Hallgarten, that’s vital intelligence and an opportunity to stay not just relevant, but influential.

Betting on the next big thing

If there’s one wine region Hallgarten would back with the fervour of a racecourse whisperer touting a 100-to-1 outsider, it’s Greece. Steve Daniel, Hallgarten’s long-time buyer, has been flying the flag for Greek wine since the 1990s. Today, that persistence is paying off. Greek bottles are becoming staples on lists across the UK, with demand rising from both the hospitality sector and consumers. As part of their recent portfolio expansion, Hallgarten is also leaning into wines from Mediterranean-bordering regions such as Roussillon and Sardinia, proving that a keen nose for emerging trends can still outpace the competition.

The final furlong

So, does running a wine business today feel like a gamble? With duty hikes, cautious drinkers and spiralling costs, it might seem so. But if Hallgarten’s Ascot strategy tells us anything, it’s that long-term partnerships, meticulous curation and investment in training pay dividends, perhaps even more reliably than a favourite in the 3:45.