Majestic Wine is set to return to the en primeur market with Bordeaux’s 2021 vintage.

By allowing consumers to access the wine before it is bottled, the en primeur market enables wine collectors to “build their own cellar over time in specialist ageing facilities”. Majestic also noted consumers who buy via the en primeur market can purchase wines before “any inflation or extra costs creep in”.

Majestic discontinued its en primeur selection in 2012, after acquiring Lay & Wheeler, but will return to en primeur after observing a “growth in interest in the provenance and connection to wine” among consumers.

The move reflects a rise in Majestic’s average bottle price to above £10 for the first time, the retailer said. The business will be targeting “a new, wine-engaged audience” with its campaign; a demographic they believe are “keen to take their enjoyment of wine to the next level”. 

Majestic’s chief commercial officer Robert Cooke said the 2021 Bordeaux vintage showcases the “expertise” of “great winemakers” in the region, adding: “[En primeur] puts customers right in the heart of the winery itself with the opportunity to buy incredible vintages before they’ve even reached the bottle.”