Asda unveils wine makeover

Asda has announced a “complete review” of its wine range, including the introduction of a new exclusive label, as the UK retailer seeks to offer its customers “more choice and inspiration”.

The relaunch involves “dialling up the quality messages” of the supermarket’s own label Extra Special and Winemaker’s Choice ranges, simplifying its overall offer and the introduction of a new in-house brand called Wine Atlas, which is described as a “passport to wine discovery”.

Featuring wines priced between £4.97 and £7, Wine Atlas aims to encourage Asda customers to explore lesser know regions for an accessible price, with a “bright, eye-catching” label design to convey the origin of each wine.

The 17-strong collection includes a Feteasca Regala from Romania and a Furmint from Tokaj, as well as less familiar grape varieties from countries such as France and Spain.

Introducing the new brand, Asda senior wine buying manager Ed Ashley pointed to “a growing trend amongst customers to branch-out and try new wines from more obscure locations, or grapes that they’ve never heard of before,” highlighting the retailer’s “14% year on year growth in wines from countries such as Hungary and Romania.”

To explain this uplift Ashley suggested: “Customers also tell us that they like to experiment with new wines when they’re on holiday, and want to re-create that experience at home, however they still look to us for help when it comes to making that new choice.”

As a result, he remarked, “I’m really proud of the Wine Atlas range as the team have scoured the globe to source some really unique wines, and I’m confident we’ve managed to pinpoint exactly what excites the nation and give customers something fresh and new that they won’t have seen before.”

Other changes to the Asda range, effective across its 592 stores from this week, will see its Wine Selection brand replaced by the newly extended Winemaker’s Choice label, which will now feature 28 wines priced between £4 and £4.88.

At a more upmarket level, the retailer’s Extra Special range has been given a label overhaul to communicate its quality. In addition, eight new wines have been introduced, including a Bordeaux Superieur and Barossa Chardonnay, to create a 47-strong collection.