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Oddbins opens customer tasting contest
UK wine retailer Oddbins has confirmed details for the second year of its amateur wine tasting competition, The Palate.
Oddbins MD Ayo Akintola
Initially devised in 2012 as part of the retailer’s commitment to greater engagement with its customers, the free competition is aiming to attract 8,000 wine enthusiasts from across the UK.
The first round takes place in the retailer’s 34 branches over the weekends of 1-2 June and 8-9 June, followed by further rounds at the end of June and early July.
The final will take the form of a tasting “boot camp,” conducted by husband and wife MW duo Susie Barrie and Peter Richards, with the winner receiving a 10 day trip for two to Australia and New Zealand.
Last year’s inaugural competition saw Fran Evans, a sustainability officer for Camden Council in London, beat 5,000 other contestants to win a holiday for two in Tuscany. She also picked out from a blind tasting the Languedoc Chardonnay La Closerie des Lys, which at £8.25 has now become one of Oddbins’ best sellers.
Despite the competitive nature of this initiative, Oddbins managing director Ayo Akintola stressed the aim of encouraging consumers to be more relaxed in their approach to wine.
“Consumers shouldn’t be intimidated by descriptions of wine tasting like chilled gooseberry posset or walking naked through the long grass or anything else as pretentious!”, he remarked.
“At Oddbins we are dedicated to proving that wine tasting and appreciation need not be an intimidating experience and The Palate is part of our commitment to listening and responding to consumers.”
Richards echoed this aim, observing: “Wine should be fun, engaging and rewarding, and that’s what The Palate is all about. We want to dispel the myth that wine tasting is just for experts. This is a competition that is open to everyone – all you need is an open mind, a decent set of taste buds and a healthy thirst.”
The competition is open to everyone over 18, so long as they are not employed in the wine trade. For more information, click here.