London-based importer Modal Wines has launched its Nuvo Nivo range, pricing the majority of wines at £20 or below and limited releases at £25. Founder Nicolas Rizzi built the project on existing grower relationships rather than new sourcing, targeting UK restaurants and independent retailers with what he describes as a collaborative label model.

What gap does Nuvo Nivo fill?

Modal positioned Nuvo Nivo at the price point where everyday commercial ranges end and premium listings begin. Rizzi framed the project's ethos around accessibility for operators and end drinkers.

"How to make genuinely well-farmed, characterful wines accessible enough for restaurants to pour and people to drink regularly," Modal said of the range.

A £20 wholesale ceiling lets operators put Nuvo Nivo bottles on lists at accessible glass prices without sacrificing margin. The £25 limited releases give the importer headroom for small-production drops that justify higher pour pricing in the on-trade.

Why did Modal launch its own label?

Rizzi said Nuvo Nivo emerged from longstanding grower conversations, not a blank-slate sourcing exercise.

"Nuvo Nivo really came out of conversations with our growers," he said. "Over the years we'd repeatedly come across great fruit, wine or ideas that for one reason or another didn't have an obvious home."

The collaboration model lets Modal commission specific styles from producers it already works with, reducing reliance on the spot market for finished bottles and giving the importer pricing leverage across vintages.

Which producers are in the first drop?

The initial Nuvo Nivo lineup spans South Africa to Spain, covering red, white, and spirits categories:

• Domaine Elodie Jaume biodynamic Côtes du Rhône 2025
• Inyanga 2025, a 100% Merlot from Paarl, South Africa
• In Limbo 2023, an organically farmed Pinot Noir and Pinot Menuier blend
• Spirit Level, an eau de vie produced with South London distillery Vintersol

Further releases from New Zealand and German producers are scheduled for subsequent drops, broadening the range beyond its current European and Cape focus. The producer spread signals Modal's intent to position Nuvo Nivo as a multi-origin umbrella rather than a regional project.

Where does Spirit Level come from?

The Spirit Level release originated from a quality control failure on Modal's existing stock. A problem affected 900 bottles of Sicilian orange wine. Rather than scrap the batch, Rizzi worked with Vintersol to distil the entire volume into 240 bottles of eau de vie.

That kind of stock recovery matters for an importer's working capital. The 900 bottles that could have been written off converted into a spirits SKU with its own retail margin and a production story operators can use on a list or back-bar.

What's next?

Modal Wines and Indigo Wine will host a joint autumn tasting on 19 October at Noisy Oyster in Shoreditch, London. Trade buyers can assess the current Nuvo Nivo lineup ahead of the Christmas trading period, when restaurant pour volumes typically peak. New Zealand and German additions are expected in the next release window, with further SKUs likely added to the range before the end of Q1 2026.