Waitrose launches consumer wine event

Upmarket retailer Waitrose is targeting consumers with the launch of its first two-day Drinks Festival in central London this September.

The festival, which is being held on 16-17 September at the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London, will bring together more than 200 of its beers, wine, spirits and cider producers at a wine fair which will give consumers the opportunity to meet the producers and taste their products, along with a series of master-classes and food-matching workshops.

The long Riverside Room will feature wine producers from England, France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, with consumers able to cherry-pick particular wines with a ‘guided wine walk’ around the festival, in which Waitrose experts highlight particular wines and countries of interest for each group.

There will also be two spirits room, focusing on dark spirits and light, botanical spirits, as well as a beer bar and an ‘Orchard Room’ devoted to English cider.

Suppliers confirmed so far include beer producers Hobgoblin, Meantime Brewery, Heineken, alcoholic tonic brand Pedrino, spirit suppliers Chase and Sipsmith, wine producer Mirabeau and Rustenberg.

Master-classes can be booked in advance and include sessions on Rioja, Sherry, oak cask spirits, wine brands Rustenberg and the WSET, as well as food-matching workshops with There’s a Beer for That and tapas and sherry pairing with Gonzalez Byass, and a Craft-your-own-gin workshop with Audemus Pink Peppercorn Gin. Gins produced by consumers at the workshop will be judged by a panel of expert, and the winning gin is set to become available on Waitrosecellar.com later in the year.

The Drinks Festival will also feature a rooftop cocktail bar hosted by Goose Island Vodka, Codorniu Cavas and Provence wine producer Mirabeau, alongside a BBQ.

Wines, Beers and Spirits category manager Anne Jones said the retailer had been wanting to do a customer event combining its “favourite food and drink suppliers”, for a long time. “It’s incredibly exciting that it’s finally happening. Our close relationship with suppliers means that we are able to open a fantastic range of tasting rooms, to provide Waitrose fans with the opportunity to try highlights from all of our ranges under one roof,” she said.

Tickets costs £25 for a 3 ½ hour session, with pre-booked master-classes and seminars priced at an additional £5-15.