After many hours of planning headaches, Sebastian Woolf took over the former Trafalgar Wines shop in Brighton to open a hybrid whisky shop and bar in September 2021. He tells Lucy Britner about the perks of independent bottling and his ambitions for the shop reborn as Cut Your Wolf Loose My background is in creating brands. I have an independent bottling business called Artful Dodger…

Post-Christmas sales data from both Sainsbury’s and Berry Bros & Rudd has confirmed that own-label sparkling wine was a big hit over the festive season. In a Q3 trading update for the 16 weeks to January 8, Sainsbury’s reported “record sales” for its Taste the Difference Champagne and sparkling wine. The supermarket said overall Taste the Difference sales were up 13% over two years in…

Spar has made all 70 of its own label wines vegan, as it looks to make the range more inclusive. The company said the move comes after a pledge by the business in 2019 to become the first grocer to shift its own label range to vegan. “More than half a million people took part in Veganuary 2021 and 85% of those surveyed said they…

Premium own-label still and sparkling wines were big winners for supermarkets this Christmas, according to the latest figures from Kantar. The data specialists said today that overall premium own-label sales broke records this Christmas, with shoppers spending £627m on supermarkets’ own upmarket lines over the four weeks to 26 December, an increase of 6.8% versus 2020. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at…

Wine bar group Vagabond has launched a wine subscription service, as it looks to use artificial intelligence to discern drinkers’ likes and dislikes. The service, called Vagabond SOMM, includes a monthly or twice-monthly subscription to five 100ml taster bottles. The idea is to allow drinkers to “discover lesser-known grape varieties, emerging wine regions, and upcoming producers, and ultimately learn more about their own wine preferences…

Waitrose has reported a 50% increase in searches for the term ‘Christmas’ on its website, compared to 2020. The supermarket said terms including ‘mulled wine’ were up 32%, while ‘Panettone’ saw a 103% increase. Director of Waitrose own brand, Natalie Mitchell, said: “The uncertainty of last Christmas has definitely had an effect on how our customers want to spend the upcoming festive season.  As…

East Anglian wine shop chain Adnams has introduced two own-brand organic bag-in-box wines to its drinks portfolio. The line-up comprises 2.5-litre white and red wines from Vino de la Tierra in Castilla in Spain, both priced at £19.99. The white is a Verdejo-Sauvignon Blanc blend and the red a Tempranillo-Shiraz. The Suffolk-based company said the move fitted in with its sustainability…