waitrose

Waitrose was named both Supermarket of the Year and Specialist Retailer for England at this year’s IWC

Waitrose has won two top prizes at the 2021 International Wine Challenge awards.

The retailer was named both Supermarket of the Year and Specialist Retailer for England at this year’s IWC, one of the world’s most rigorously judged wine competitions.

In addition, its Waitrose & Partners Nº1 Fino del Puerto Don Luis, NV, produced by Emilio Lustau in Jerez-Sherry in Spain, also won the trophy for IWC Great Value Champion Fortified 2021.

“This is testament to the monumental efforts of the whole team in what has been a tricky year,” said Waitrose drinks experiences manager Anne Jones.

“We are thrilled for the whole wine buying and drinks experiences team, plus our colleagues in supply chain and of course our BWS partners and specialists in shops.”

The competition sees judges go through several stages of blind tastings before selecting their favourite wines in categories such as red, white, sparkling, sweet and fortified.

Wines from over 50 nations entered the contest but only eight countries, including Greece, New Zealand and Australia, were picked as the winners for the top categories.

Another retailer that fared well in the competition was Marks & Spencer, which won the IWC Own Label Range of the Year.

The IWC awards were given out at an in-person gala dinner at The Oval cricket ground in London on Wednesday.