ASDA groups wine by grape rather than region

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 26 April, 2021

Asda has unveiled a major change in the setup of its wine aisles by becoming the first major UK supermarket to group all wine by grape instead of by country.

The retailer said the change is based on research which shows customers prefer to shop via variety rather than region, with pilot schemes in several stores receiving a “warm reception” from shoppers.

Taking effect from today, the merchandising change follows on from research which shows that 74% of UK wine shoppers view grape to be the most significant factor when purchasing wine.

Asda hopes the move will help navigate the supermarket wine aisle with ease and help people experiment with new varieties.

Off the back of the move, Asda is also launching a wine range which groups wines by grape type and style rather than by country of origin.

Ross Watson, senior manager for ASDA Wines, said: “We know wine can often seem like an intimidating category to shop for many people and so we believe that the change we have made will make it really easy for customers to find more of the wines they love.

“We have also grouped wines of a similar style in with some of the most common grape types to help shoppers to explore new wines safe in the knowledge they will be of the style they know and regularly enjoy. We hope customers will love the new range and enjoy (…responsibly) some great new wines as we head towards summer.”

The move comes as new research shows that Brits expanded their wine repertoire during lockdown, with two-thirds of the UK trying a new grape variety during the period.

According to research conducted by the supermarket, a quarter of shoppers said they had tried at least three new varieties over the past year, while one in five believe they could now correctly identify a certain type of wine by taste.

Merlot is now the most tried variety, followed by Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, according to Asda.

Following on from this year’s changing shopping habits, Asda launched a pilot programme in several of its stores nationwide to understand how the change could benefit UK consumers.

The changes were “warmly received”, the supermarket said, and led to an increase of almost 20% in customer ratings for how inspiring and engaging their wine shopping experience had been.

The move will now roll out to every store across the country this week, alongside a roster of new launches.

Asda is launching 95 new wines to its selection, including 11 from the Extra Special range.

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