Co-op is focusing on wines for high-quality home experiences, explained Sarah Benson MW, wine buyer at the retailer.
Among the 54 new products for its autumn/winter season, Benson noted a particular emphasis on expanding the Irresistible range.
“We’ve realised that enjoying premium wine at home is of growing importance to consumers, especially those who are cooking from scratch and wanting that restaurant experience in a home setting.”
For this reason, Benson continued, “We’ve grown the Irresistible range significantly and given it 22% more space within our range.”
In white wines, new launches include a 2023 Bacchus produced by Balfour in Kent; a 2024 Grenache Blanc by Paul Mas Wineries, made in IGP Pays d’Oc, France; and a 2024 Alvarinho produced by Vercoope in Vinho Verde, Portugal.
In reds, new launches under Irresistible include a 2023 Douro produced by Real Companhia Velha; a 2024 Petit Verdot by Alexander Ivanov from Jumilla, Spain; a 2023 Primitivo produced by Terre di Sava in Puglia, Italy; a 2023 Chianti produced by Tenuta Vicchiomaggio Srl Società Agricola in Toscana, Italy; and a 2024 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva produced by Argea in Abruzzo, Italy.
The line gives consumers a sense of security, Benson said, which is reflected in sales figures. “For example, in the past I moved some Carignan from Chile into the Irresistible range and sales doubled.”
Future innovation
Looking ahead, Benson noted that the retailer has introduced two Moldovan wines for the season.
These include the Casa Felina Sauvignon Blanc Fetească Albă 2024 made by Asconi, and the Casa Felina Merlot Fetească Neagră 2023 from the same producer.
“We explored Moldova previously, but it was obviously an unexpected fallout of the Russia and Ukraine situation,” Benson said. “Now that’s improved, we were able to provide a route to market for those wines, which are great quality and have interesting aromatic varieties.”
As a country, Moldova is largely led by international varieties like Merlot, Benson noted. “But then we’ve also had the chance to bring in some indigenous varieties like Fetească Neagră and Fetească Regală, which give a real point of difference and show up really well in terms of price point between £8–£10.”
Finally, looking to the future, Benson explained that Co-op has become the first retailer to sell wine in a PET bottle with a fully mushroom cork. “It’s an Italian sparkling wine in that format,” she said.
This forms part of the retailer’s continued focus on sustainable packaging, something especially important in the context of EPR, Benson explained.
“For example, bag-in-box has also grown in distribution by 10%, and we’re doing a lot of work with producers calling out the benefits,” Benson said.
“The Co-op is always ahead in sustainability,” she added. “Even then, we’re always asking, ‘what else can we do to explore this field?’”
