Italy’s first master of wine – Pierpaolo Petrassi MW – was born and raised in London to Italian parents and holds dual Italian and British citizenship. In 1983 he followed his father into the wine industry, clocking up stints at the Carnevale Group and Tesco before joining Waitrose in 2010 as its head of beers, wines and spirits.
For episode 101 of The Drinking Hour, Petrassi joins host David Kermode to chat about the thrills and spills of drinks buying, and the joy of a recent double win at the IWSC awards, where Waitrose was named Best Retailer for Wine and Spirits. The pair also delve into the topic of sustainability and the latest developments in eco drinks packaging, from the bag-in-box revolution to the rise of paper bottles.
Petrassi also looks into his crystal ball to predict which wine trends will soon be taking the world by storm, addresses the challenges of trying to get consumers to splash out on wine (rather than a Netflix subscription) during a cost of living crisis, and shares his excitement of being able to introduce UK customers to delicious, little-known wines with a story to tell via the retailer’s Loved & Found range, which includes a Sicilian Frappato and a Sciaccarellu rosé from Corsica.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here
