From its roots as a humble off-license in West Cross, Swansea, Cheers Wine Merchants has grown into a celebrated institution under the stewardship of Dafydd Morris and his father, Andrew. Founded in 1983, the business has evolved from serving its local community to becoming a respected retailer and supplier to bars, restaurants, and venues across Wales. With over 65 years of combined experience, Dafydd brings a deeply personal yet forward-thinking approach to wine selection, ensuring the perfect balance of quality, value, and innovation. His passion for exploring emerging wine regions and his commitment to maintaining long-standing relationships with suppliers reflect a dedication to both global discovery and local tastes.

As a judge at the London Wine Competition 2025, Dafydd shares his insights into sourcing wines, navigating industry challenges, and fostering the vibrant wine culture of Swansea.

Cheers Wine Merchants has a long-standing reputation as both a retailer and supplier. What are your key criteria when selecting new wines for your portfolio, and how do you balance local preferences with introducing innovative offerings?

With over 65 experience between myself and my father, we firmly believe in listening to our customers when sourcing new products as well as introducing a few new things that may not have reached the mainstream yet.  Our key objective is to offer value for money, whether that is an £8 bottle of Chilean Merlot or a Burgundy Grand Cru.  We want to be confident that what we are selling is near enough unbeatable at that price.  Everything we stock is tasted before reaching our warehouse.  Either by myself or the team and decisions are made from there.  Pricing, availability, and routes to market are all considered before we finally add wines to our portfolio.

We have a strange affinity with Rioja in South Wales so we are able to offer more Rioja than most would ever dare to our customers, this is obviously consumer-led but then we are also huge fans of Portugal as we had a house there for ten years so we just love being able to sell wines from the Alentejo especially as they are dear to our heart.  This has been something that has taken a little more time to convince customers but now they are fully on board with the value that Portugal can offer.

Image: Dafydd Morris tasting a sample of wines.

How involved are you in exploring emerging wine regions or lesser-known varietals, and what trends in the global market are most influencing your buying decisions?

I am as involved as I can be with any emerging wine region.  I am a bit of a trip junky!   I have a bag packed at all times just in case someone asks me to go on a trip to any wine region.  I think it is very important to visit wineries and speak with winemakers.  It is something I have done for 25 years and I strongly believe it has given me a great education about wine.  More lately I have done online tastings with Wines of New York for example which are great to meet people and taste some slightly more unusual wines, but nothing beats being there and soaking up the atmosphere.

I’m not sure how much global trends are ever too influential apart from things like Prosecco becoming an overnight phenomenon.  If anything we are always trying to find these things before everyone else.

When integrating a new supplier or wine producer, what does the onboarding process look like? How long does it typically take to move from initial discussions to having the wines on your shelves?

New suppliers normally involve a tasting either at a trade show or if they come to visit us in Swansea.  We will always sample a good range and then if we can see value in their wines and make it work logistically, we are more than open to giving them shelf space.  Sometimes this takes weeks or months.  Sometimes this can happen much quicker.  If it is wines we are going to import ourselves, this can obviously take a lot longer.  The process is pretty similar though, although logistically we are having every barrier put in our way possible at the moment.

Image: Dafydd Morris with Troy Jones from Payten and Jones Winery in the Yarra Valley. Source: Cheers Wine Merchants.

What forms of support or collaboration do you expect from suppliers to ensure the successful promotion and sales of their products? Are there specific promotional strategies or educational tools you find most effective?

We don’t expect much support from suppliers but anything they can give us definitely helps.  Whether that is in the form of discounts, point of sale, or value-added giveaways they all work well.  Promotion from their own social media etcetera can work well, but that is generally for wines that we import exclusively. Promotions such as Rioja Wine Month generally work well to highlight a region or similar in the shops or online.  They are not quite as successful in the trade for us though.

Image: Cheers Wine Merchants’ 40th Anniversary Winter Wine Tasting; Source - Cheers Wine Merchants.

How are you navigating the challenges of sourcing wines amidst fluctuating exchange rates, supply chain issues, and market uncertainties?

Importing wines ourselves has obviously become much more difficult since Brexit and it is only set to get worse following the new ridiculous duty rates on Feb 1st.  We are determined to keep going though.  It is an important part of our business, and I don’t want to simply give up.  It is going to make producing price lists for our customers an absolute nightmare though.  The government has no idea how time-consuming and costly this is going to be.  It makes me angry!

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Conclusion

Dafydd Morris’s journey with Cheers Wine Merchants is one of staying true to one’s roots while embracing the evolving world of wine. His dedication to sourcing wines that resonate with his customers—whether a well-loved Rioja or a hidden gem from Portugal—reflects a genuine passion for the craft. Amid industry challenges, from supply chain hurdles to shifting regulations, Dafydd’s resilience and commitment to fostering meaningful relationships with suppliers and winemakers shine through. As Dafydd continues to champion both emerging regions and familiar favourites, his role as a judge at the London Wine Competition emphasizes his dedication to excellence in wine.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network

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