Waitrose is to stock a range of wines created by cricketing legend Sir Ian Botham.
Four wines from Botham’s portfolio, which launched in 2018 through Benchmark Drinks, will hit the retailer’s shelves exclusively from 4 February.
They are: The Botham All-Rounder Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 and Chardonnay 2017, the Botham 76 Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2017 and the Botham 80 Series Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (rsp: £7.99-£10.99/750ml).
Waitrose Australian wine buyer Alexandra Mawson said: “Sir Ian has worked alongside well-known winemakers to personally craft these great quality wines and I am sure they will appeal to cricket and non-cricket fans alike.”
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The brand also has an upper-tier selection of wines, currently sold in Berry Bros & Rudd at £42.50 per bottle.
Benchmark MD Paul Schaafsma previously told The Grocer the brand wanted to avoid being considered “a celebrity wine brand”.
He said: “We’re going to take our time and find the right retail outlets. We’re being quite careful about the placement of them. If you think about what’s available out there, we are well ahead of the competitive set.”
It comes as Waitrose’s share of the wine market took a dive in 2018, falling from 7.1% to 6.3% and overtaken by Aldi whose share rose from 6.6% to 7.1%, exclusive data revealed last month [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 30 December 2018].
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