Waitrose puts its faith in Andalusia

Waitrose is putting its faith in southern Spain via a new wine from Andalusia soon to go on sale in 77 of its stores ­– the only non-fortified from the region currently available at a UK supermarket.

Anda is the first non-fortified wine from Andalusia to go on sale at a UK supermarket

Priced at £7.99, Anda is a Tempranillo/Syrah blend made from grapes grown at 1,000m altitude in the province of Almeria in the southeast of Andalusia, where the cool nights allow the grapes to retain their acidity and freshness.

Anda is a Tempranillo/Syrah blend

The wine is the brainchild of Englishman Harry Hunt of Bodegas Tierra Hermosa, who created Anda in collaboration with Andalusian winemaker Nacho Suárez.

“Andalusia is the most quintessentially Spanish part of the Iberian Peninsula. Millions of Brits holiday there every year as it encapsulates everything they love about Spain – flamenco, castles, olive groves, sun, sea and sand and tapas,” said Hunt.

“But most know very little about the exciting wines being made up in the mountains behind their sun loungers – wines that are a perfect match for the Spanish dishes they love.

“Andalusia is an undiscovered wine region. We believe Anda is going to change that and will serve as a fantastic introduction to Andalusian wine,” he added.

Waitrose wine buyer Nick Room revealed that Spain is an “extremely important” category for the supermarket. “We are continually looking for new excitement in this impressive wine region.

“Tradition, innovation and value are Spain’s watchwords and Spanish wine sales at Waitrose continue to grow,” he said.

“Anda represents another new departure for us, which we are thrilled to be working on with,” he added.

Hunt plans to roll out the Anda brand to other international markets and is keen to develop a white offering.

Anda is due to go on sale sat 77 Waitrose stores and online via Waitrose Cellar.