Tesco wine Bibendum

From left: Bottega Cru Nuance Prosecco DOC Brut, Tesco Finest English Rose (Balfour), LFE Gran Reserva Roussanne Marsanne

Bibendum Off Trade has rolled 16 new lines into Tesco, with a focus on English, South American and prosecco wines.

The majority of the wines were new to the UK market, and also included a number of UK grocery firsts, the wholesaler said.

Among the English wines to be listed with the retailer are a duo of own-label wines produced by Kent’s Balfour Winery, as well as two sparkling wines from Kingscote in West Sussex.

The addition of two exclusive prosecco wines from Italy’s Bottega demonstrated “Tesco’s desire to develop its premium (£10-plus) sparkling category”, Bibendum Off Trade said.

A Semillon from El Enemigo and a Roussanne Marsanne from Luis Felipe Edwards joined a growing list of South American wines in Tesco’s roster, the wholesaler added.

Bibendum’s new Tesco listings in full:

  • Tesco Finest English White (Balfour)
  • Tesco Finest English Rosé (Balfour)
  • Bottega Cru Nuance Prosecco DOC Brut
  • Bottega Nero Silk Prosecco DOC Extra Dry
  • Angelica Zapata Chardonnay
  • Mount Rozier Classics Chenin Blanc (Journey’s End)
  • Mount Rozier Classics Merlot (Journey’s End)
  • LFE Gran Reserva Merlot
  • LFE Gran Reserva Roussanne Marsanne
  • Kingscote English Sparkling Brut (MDCV)
  • Kingscote English Sparkling Brut Rose (MDCV)
  • La Masseria del Burgo Primitivo di Manduria (Orion)
  • Tesco Finest Cotes de Gascogne Rose (Plaimont)
  • El Enemigo Cabernet Franc (Catena)
  • El Enemigo Semillon (Catena)
  • Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

“We are excited to welcome a number of new wines from Bibendum to our existing range, the majority of which are new to the market and will provide exciting and affordable options for our wine lovers,” said Tesco category buyer for wine Andrew Pattison. “We constantly strive to give our customers the best offering we can and the extension of this partnership will add quality wines to their shopping basket.”

Hannah Webster, commercial director for Bibendum Off Trade, added: “Working closely with our producers to identify quality, trends and innovation globally meant we could support Tesco with their wine strategy, identifying the best wines to bring to market that would excite shoppers.

“We are lucky to represent some incredible producers from around the world, and we can’t wait to see their products in store.”

It comes with interest in English wine soaring. Earlier this month, research from accountancy group UHY Hacker Young showed sales grew 15% among the largest English winemakers last year.

Analysis of Companies House accounts for the seven largest UK wine producers showed collective turnover rose from £32m to £37m last year, up from just £13m recorded in 2018-19.

UHY Hacker Young said a key driver of this growth had been “improved growing conditions in the UK as a result of climate change”.

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