An indispensable guide to the best wine shops, online retail, wine specialists and wine support services in the UK, the Decanter Retailer Awards 2022 winners have been partially revealed, with more results to be announced tomorrow, 28th September.
Challenges are simply part of the landscape for retailers these days, but there are those who are rising to these challenges in style.
The UK wine retail scene has undergone huge changes in the last five years, and our evolving categories aim to reflect this: online is ever-more important, virtual events are here to stay, sustainability is a vital issue.
This year’s judging has thrown up intriguing and exciting winners, all of whom are well worth your time and attention. They do us wine lovers proud.
Scroll down to see the 2022 winners
See the Decanter Retailer Awards 2022 Shortlist
Decanter Retailer Awards: The 2022 winners
Specialist Categories
Australia Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The Vinorium
Securing this category for the third year in a row, north Kent-based The Vinorium ‘lives and breathes’ Australian wine. It is a true specialist, offering more than 370 wines, with a range that’s as exciting as it is diverse. Customer engagement is excellent, sustainability is prioritised, and the company recently invested £100,000 into its new e-commerce platform.
Austria Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The Wine Society
Members of The Wine Society ‘have a thirst’ for Austrian wines, as witnessed by sales exceeding £2m for the second year in a row, including more than £400,000 for en primeur, a rare venture for a UK retailer. ‘Great producers, outstanding own-labels,’ said one judge, as The Wine Society took the award for the third year in succession.
Bordeaux Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Goedhuis & Co Fine Wine Merchant
Runner-up: Bordeaux Index
‘Bordeaux isn’t just one thing, and Goedhuis covers it all brilliantly,’ was how one judge summed up. £10m sales, 1,800 wines, 42 vintages, 21 appellations – and excellent communication and engagement to back it up, including The Wine Dinner (featuring all five first growth estates) raising £300,000 for charity. Bordeaux Index also offers a huge range and is notably proactive en primeur.
Burgundy Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Goedhuis & Co Fine Wine Merchants
Runner-up: House of Townend
Goedhuis describes its team as ‘Burgundy fanatics’ – and it shows, for a second consecutive year. Be it in the careful sourcing of new domaines, relentless engagement with customers, or simply pure passion for the product, Goedhuis goes above and beyond. House of Townend offers an excellent Burgundy range featuring many mature vintages.
Central & Eastern Europe Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Novel Wines
Runner-up: Best of Hungary
‘Brilliant to buy from’, ‘Supports the local community’, ‘Very successful’, were the judges’ comments on Novel Wines, the dynamic Bath merchant with an outstanding and growing range, which secured it the top position once again this year. Best of Hungary ‘does a great job drawing people into a category that’s more diverse than you think’.
Champagne & Sparkling Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Sip Champagnes
Runner-up: Cambridge Wine Merchants
A very tight call between two outstanding operators. Newcomer Sip Champagnes has a laser-like focus on cutting-edge wines from the region and, in the words of one judge, ‘is changing the game for Champagne’. Cambridge, meanwhile, offers an outstanding and diverse range of Champagne and sparkling wine.
England & Wales Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Grape Britannia
Runner-up: The English Vine
Cambridge-based Grape Britannia is an excellent evangelist for the English & Welsh wine cause, stocking 228 wines across a range of prices. Triumphing again this year, it has refreshed and updated its range, bolstered its online presence and resumed events (even featuring ‘wine and crisp matching’). The English Vine also does a laudable job.
Germany Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The WineBarn
Runner-up: Justerini & Brooks
The WineBarn is a bona fide German specialist whose small scale fails to impede its vociferous championing of the cause, reflected in its promotion from runner-up in the 2021 Retailer Awards. Enthusiasm, knowledge and experience are what you get with The WineBarn – that, and a fabulous range of 283 German wines across a range of prices. Justerini earned praise for its ‘great list’.
Italy Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Jeroboams
Runner-up: Bat and Bottle Wine Merchants
A highly competitive field saw Jeroboams emerge victorious this year, by dint of its excellent (and ever-improving) Italian range, passionate communication and engaging events including a Festa Piemontese tasting. Bat and Bottle offers an outstanding Italian list and highly personal service.
New Zealand Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Jeroboams
The judges were impressed by Jeroboams’ commitment to ‘doing something different’ with its New Zealand list, looking beyond the Marlborough Sauvignon trope to less-established pét-nat and Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc wines. Producers include the likes of Craggy Range, Hunter’s, Kelly Washington and Kumeu River.
Organic & Biodynamic Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The Good Wine Shop
A genuine commitment to stocking small family producers who make organic or biodynamic wine shines through from southwest London-based The Good Wine Shop, which also does a good job of flagging these wines up in store. The ‘Quirky Sommelier’ mixed case also works well.
Portugal Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The Wine Society
Runner-up: Majestic Wine
‘Exciting’ was the word one judge used about The Wine Society’s Portuguese range – which secured it this category for a second consecutive year – citing indigenous varieties and fine own-label wines. No wonder then that its Portuguese wine sales have topped £4.2m. Majestic’s Portuguese range is also fast improving.
Rhône Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Carringtons
Manchester-based Carringtons took the Rhône category again – it is an excellent destination if Rhône wines are your thing, having worked hard to develop the regional range over three decades.
South & Regional France Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: The Wine Society
‘Terrific trio of buyers, terrific range,’ commented one judge of The Wine Society, repeating its last two years’ triumph in this category. It is a real forte: 247 wines comprising 17% of the range (but about half in the £8-£15 sweet spot), majoring on value, diversity and deliciousness. Madiran en primeur, anyone?
South Africa Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Museum Wines
Runner-up: Majestic Wine
Dorset-based Museum Wines continues to develop and improve its already impressive South African list and specialism, which safely secured it this category in the 2021 and 2020 Retailer Awards. This year the merchant has added three new farms and a fun new blind online tasting format. Majestic is developing an excellent list with great value and diversity.
South America Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Taste Argentina
Argentina has taken huge strides lately, something that’s not always reflected on the high street but certainly is at online specialist Taste Argentina, which wins this category for a third time in a row this year. Turnover is up, customer retention is high, events are impressive and the 214-strong list goes from strength to strength.
Spain Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Highbury Vintners
Runner-up: Ultracomida
Another fiercely fought category. Last year’s runner-up, Highbury has improved an already impressive list, leading one judge to comment on a ‘lovely range across the piece from Vega Sicilia to Lanzarote’. Aberystwyth-based Ultracomida also earned praise for an excellent range and brave pivot from tapas bar.
Sweet & Fortified Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Vintage Wine & Port Limited
Runner-up: Cambridge Wine Merchants
Two outstanding specialists here, in a reversal of last year’s category positions. Vintage won for its epic 1,500-strong list, with the sweet wine range in particular having been bolstered this year (from 18 to 145 wines), as well as its efforts to win over a younger audience through YouTube and social media. Cambridge has a joyous range in this category.
USA Specialist Retailer of the Year
Winner: Roberson Wine
Runner-up: Wanderlust Wine
Roberson has ‘bust out dancing’ from the pandemic, its USA range outstanding in California but also beyond, and its achingly cool events featuring Californian tacos, live graffiti and ‘the sweet beat of retro vinyl’. Wanderlust continues to grow and impress with its USA range.
Wine Support Services
En Primeur Campaign of the Year
Winner: Goedhuis & Co Fine Wine Merchants (Burgundy Campaign)
Runner-up: Goedhuis & Co Fine Wine Merchants (Bordeaux Campaign)
A double win for Goedhuis, impressively for a third year in succession. The merchant earned praise for overcoming Covid-related obstacles not only to deliver impressive numbers and excellent ranges but also to engage with its customers admirably. Good service and effective communication is the key to successful en primeur: Goedhuis nailed it.
Subscription Wine Club of the Year
Winner: The Little Fine Wine Company
Runner-up: Bat and Bottle Wine Merchants
A category that continues to grow and become ever-more competitive, yet producing a repeat of the result in the 2021 Retailer Awards. Little Fine Wine champions its niche with aplomb, featuring an excellent range of half-bottles and a highly personal service. Bat and Bottle’s subscription offers an engaging adventure into Italian wine.
The 2022 judging panel
- Peter Richards MW is a regular contributor to Decanter, the DWWA Regional Chair for Chile, and Chair of our Retailer Awards since 2013
- Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is a wine writer, consultant, educator and WSET lecturer, and was a DWWA 2022 Acting Regional Chair for Tuscany
- Laura Clay is a member of the Association of Wine Educators, an accredited Bordeaux and Rioja tutor, and was UK Champagne Ambassador in 2010
- Leona De Pasquale is a wine educator, writer and translator, and founder of London-based tea and wine training and events company Camellia & Vine
- Simon Field MW was a buyer for merchant Berry Bros & Rudd and now works as a consultant. He is the DWWA Regional Chair for Champagne and the UK
- Vidya Narasimhan is an independent wine consultant and writer with previous international experience in banking and management consulting
In support of the UK drinks community, for a third year all proceeds from the 2022 awards will be donated to UK drinks industry charities, including The Drinks Trust and The Ben.
More 2022 results announced tomorrow
Additional results will be announced tomorrow, Wednesday 28th September at 11am BST on @Decanter and @Decanterawards Instagram stories and Twitter, followed by full results here on Decanter.com
Winners announced tomorrow: Regional, National, Online, Newcomer, Green Champion, Hybrid, Virtual, Judges’ Choice & Outstanding Retailer of the Year