Waitrose has passionate devotees who wouldn't shop elsewhere but there are also those who wouldn't cross its portals. It holds itself aloof above the push and shove of the market leaders with their deep discounting and loyalty cards. Instead it aims to "combine the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop". However it's not been immune to market forces and now opens late evenings and on Sunday and Mondays. Yes, until recently this supermarket chain closed these two days every week so their staff could enjoy a weekend break.

Waitrose is the supermarket arm of the John Lewis Partnership, an employee owned organisation with twenty-five department stores throughout the UK, manufacturing facilities and a farm. There are 136 Waitrose stores, all in southern Britain, with a turnover in excess of £2 billion.

I am a long time Waitrose shopper. But in recent years Snorbens has seen a huge Sainsburys and Safeway open and I find there's more chance of finding what I want there than in the smaller Waitrose.

Unusually Snorbens Waitrose has a separate wine shop. Half a dozen shops away from the supermarket entrance is the wine outlet. It's good to get away from the supermarket bustle to browse the shelves of this dedicated shop.

Waitrose wine buyers, headed by Master of Wine Julian Brind, hunt out interesting wines to go alongside the more famous names and they've avoided the mass of cheap Gallo and similar brands that pack the shelves of lesser stores. Waitrose is strong in South African wines, a relationship dating back to when they were the only major shop stocking SA wines during the apartheid years.

But, I can hear you asking, what about New Zealand? Well, currently New Zealand isn't one of their strengths. They stock fourteen NZ wines from solid names like Montana, Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Villa Maria. The cheapest is Tiki Ridge Dry White 2001, Gisborne (£3.99) and the most expensive Deutz Marlborough Cuveé, sparkler (£10.99). They know we Brits cannot get enough NZ whites and Sauvignon Blanc in particular. So there's only two reds, Montana's Reserve Pinot Noir 2000 Marlborough (£9.99) and Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2001 East Coast (£6.99).

My picks are Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc2001 (£7.99) and Jackson Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (£8.99).

They have eight wines additional to their current wine list:-

I've mentioned before the cult status of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Last year Wine Society rationed members to three bottles each of the 2001 vintage. This year the only way to get the 2002 is as part of a mixed case. The Society says "demand exceeds supply". Instead of including it in the mixed 'Kiwi Sauvignon Case' it's in a case with 8 Australian wines, 6 of them red, and costs £154. Cloudy Bay fans will be disappointed. But being disappointed seems to be the lot of those that can get their hands on Cloudy Bay. A re-occurring discussion on the UK wine discussion forum is how CB isn't as good as it was and is way overpriced. Berry Bros & Rudd are listing it at £25 a bottle while a returning tourist to New Zealand rubs salt in by reporting it costs under £6 there.

So if you're visiting Britain this summer, please bring a few bottles of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. It'll make a welcome present and allow a few more of us to mutter that its not as good as it once was.

If you have been, thanks for reading.

© Peter May
7 April 2003

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