Big four grocer Morrisons has been crowned 2015 Supermarket of the Year at the International Wine Challenge Awards (IWC), ahead of stiff competition from upmarket food retailers Waitrose and M&S (winners in 2013 and 2014). The IWC merchant awards are considered the ‘Oscars‘ of wine retail and are amongst the most prestigious in the wine world.
The IWC Supermarket of the Year gong is given to the retailer who is best able to prove the quality, value and service credentials of their wine offering and this is the first time that Morrisons has won.
Morrisons‘ own brand wines scooped a total of 80 awards in the 2015 IWC competition. It was the only supermarket to win gold for own-label Grüner-Veltliner, an Austrian grape variety currently trending on the UK wine scene. It also scored gold for its own-label M Signature 1er Cru Chablis (£14.99), which was judged to be the same quality (gold) as wines costing three times as much eg. Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots RRP £49.99.
This latest endorsement of Morrisons drinks comes after the recent win at The Drinks Business Awards, where the Morrisons BWS (Beers, Wines and Spirits) team took the prestigious 2015 Retail Buying Team of the Year Award.
Mark Jarman, Senior Wine Sourcing Manager at Morrisons, said: “Over the past three years we have completely revolutionised our wine offer; we‘ve worked hard to develop a range that is both exciting and great value, which demystifies wine and encourages our customers to buy with confidence. We strive to ensure that every product in our range offers fantastic quality and brilliant value for money and this is a tremendous accolade.”
