Wine critics and wine retailers have not always seen eye to eye when it comes to agreeing on what the British consumer should be drinking.
But a partnership between Oddbins and several influential wine bloggers is set to bear fruit after the independent high street wine merchant announced that the nation’s first case of wine, selected exclusively by online scribblers, is now available.
The idea is to give consumers more confidence in choosing different styles of wine to the ones they usually buy.
Emma Nichols, Head of Buying at Oddbins, said:
“Many wine bloggers see themselves as informed consumers, who want to share their expertise with drinkers in an unstuffy way. We loved the idea of a case selected by wine bloggers, this approach fits perfectly with the Oddbins philosophy of making wine as accessible as possible for our customers.”
The bloggers case idea was conceived by David Lowe and Tara Devon O’Leary, who approached Andrew Barrow, Tom Lewis, Belinda Stone and Paola Tich for the project before taking the idea to Oddbins.
David/Tara said:
“Some of us work in the wine trade. Some of us don’t. But what unites us is a love for wine and making it more accessible to consumers. While we have different tastes, our rule for the case was choosing quality, affordable wines that we would all happily drink and recommend to our friends.”
Each blogger chose two wines for under £10 from the shelves at Oddbins. The Oddbins Wine Bloggers mixed case costs £98 (with free delivery) and is available online http://www.oddbins.com/wine/Wine_Bloggers_Case.html
Oddbins is currently searching for the best amateur wine palate in the UK. The winners of the UK search will join the Oddbins tasting panel that will select some of its range to go in-store and on its website.
