Despite Booths’ diminutive size, its wine selection punches above its weight and many of the best Booths wines can be found in its own-brand range. There are around 40 bottles in this line, with many of them offering drinkers an impressively accurate reflection of a variety or style. The buying team also chooses well when it comes to branded wines, with pricing that often compares favourably with rival retailers. A bastion of the north-west, it is little wonder that Booths customers are so famously loyal.
Often called ‘the Waitrose of the North’, the description of Booths is slightly misleading as its branches are almost entirely limited to the north-west of England, with the majority in Lancashire. Pop into a branch to pick up a bottle of wine and you’ll likely find that the in-store experience is a notch above the average Waitrose too.
Many of the best Booths wines can be found in its own-brand range
Founded in 1847 by an aspiring tea dealer, Edwin Henry Booth, with its first outpost in Blackpool, the chain is now run by the fifth generation of the same family, with the current Edwin Booth as chairman. For a while, he also served as wine buyer, a period in which he was frustrated by how little coverage and recognition Booths received from the national press. A lover of Booths’ own-label Barolo, he apparently still takes a keen interest in the range, now overseen by Victoria Anderson with Rachael Machin looking after the sparkling category.
As mentioned, most of Booths’ 27 stores are in Lancashire but there is a smattering of branches across Yorkshire, Cumbria and Cheshire. The chain is small by the standards of UK food retailing (Tesco has 4,273 outlets), yet it boasts an extensive range of wines. To help you navigate the shelves of the wine aisle next time you venture in, read on for ten of the best Booths wines.
What are the IWSC Drinks Supermarket of the Year Awards?
The IWSC Drinks Supermarket of the Year Awards were introduced to provide consumers with an in-depth evaluation of supermarkets’ alcoholic beverage offerings, inclusive of non-alcoholic alternatives. A panel of judges spend months evaluating the biggest UK retailers. Attending supermarket tastings forms part of this process, offering judges the chance to taste many of the wines available in-store and see how buyers are responding to trends and consumer demand.
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10 of the best wines at Booths in 2024
