Asda turns back to the Old World

Asda’s latest wine range review revealed a focus on improving its Old World selection.

Boosted by IPL, the sourcing and import arm owned by parent company Wal-Mart which last year extended its remit to wine, Asda’s head wine buyer Philippa Carr MW and her team have added over 60 new wines to the multiple retailer’s range.

The majority of these new listings come from France, Italy and especially Spain, a country which Carr admits “was a bit unloved in Asda; we hadn’t probably given it the care and attention it needed.”

However, she noted: “The IPL coming on board made us focus.” Having made a number of buying trips to the country over the last 12 months and worked closely with the IPL’s sourcing teams there on a compilation of exclusive listings and blends, Carr described being “blown away” by Spain’s offer.

While highlighting the nascent Moscato trend as one that “is definitely going to be a biggie,” and confirming that Asda is also “challenging the alcohol levels on all wines” in line with the wider shift towards lower alcohol, Carr stressed the value of revisiting more established wine styles.

“Rather than talking about new trends all the time, why don’t we revisit wines that have been around a long time and still offer great value and great quality?”, she asked.

In particular, Carr highlighted the ability of many long-established wine styles to fit modern trends. “When you talk about very fresh, fruity wines everyone tends to think about the New World, but the Old World can do that too – and often at lower alcohol,” she argued.

With the Asda range now featuring varieties and regions unfamiliar to many of its customers, such as Falanghina from Italy and Spain’s DO Rueda, Carr flagged up the importance of the retailer’s own label, Extra Special, in persuading consumers to try the “quirky” parts of its range.

“It’s trust, it’s confidence and it’s us saying we believe in this so much we’ll put our name on the label,” she insisted, adding: “Most buyers invest a huge amount of time into own label – it has my name on the back and so it’s my reputation on the line.”