Our Story
Atlas Fine Wines was founded in 2010 by Simon Larkin (Master of Wine) and Richard O’Mahony, both of whom had extensive experience in fine wine prior to Atlas’ inception. They believed that there was space for a fine wine company that could operate differently to the traditional merchant or the commercial broker models that dominate the market.
Traditional merchants are often bound to their stocklist, and therefore their advice prioritises wines in their stock over and above the best available wines in the market. For commercial brokers, it is all about the trade and the margin, irrespective of the qualities of the actual stock. Each has their place, but the aim for Atlas was to bring a level of impartiality to bear, by maintaining a tight stocklist, so that there was never the need to push stuck stocks to unsuspecting clients, as a traditional merchant might be obliged to do. By extending our sourcing network to incorporate many of the leading merchants and brokers in Europe, we can draw on the best aspects of the brokerage model, while being selective about the wines we trade, in accordance with our views on the quality of the wine or vintage. Additionally, with such an extensive sourcing network, Atlas can react to clients’ requests and source appropriately, without needing to ‘sell our own book’.
Crucially, our inventory is kept low, and we do not speculate within our own stock holding, instead investment opportunities are simply relayed straight through to the client and sold at a fair market value. We seek to be transparent in our business practices and operations. Our revenue is generated from buying and selling wines on behalf of clients with ancillary services, such as cellarage, insurance and delivery effectively relayed at cost. It is this ethos that Simon and Richard developed in the earliest days of Atlas, and which underwrites the company’s personalised approach to private clients; in a busy marketplace, it is this ethos that sets Atlas apart.