O W Loeb is an important UK wine importer. Begun by German Jewish refugee Otto Loeb (see this fascinating new entry on Jewish heritage in German wine culture in the latest Oxford Companion), it used to specialise in top-quality German wine but today is better known for its selection of fine burgundies.
Their speciality has long been supplying restaurants, and they were recently acquired by wine-loving restaurateur Marlon Abela, their strong suit in his eyes presumably being their long-standing allocations from some of Burgundy’s top producers. With his upmarket establishments, he was probably not especially interested in Loeb’s...