Supermarkets vs Independents

I was in a real dilemma this week regarding my wine purchases. Do I support the local independent wine retailer or buy my wine from the supermarket?

I had to buy some food so I was in the supermarket. In fact it was Waitrose who had an excellent wine selection and made it very tempting to buy something at some very reasonable prices. The only comment I would make about their selection which is common to most supermarkets with high turnover was that many of the vintages were 2007 and 2008 which is fine for wine designed to be drunk young. For those of us who like a drop or two of more mature wine the selection was tiny and suddenly went from a few pounds a bottle to in excess of £15.

So I left it and a few doors away popped into a new independent retailer who seemed to focus on obscure wines from France. There were two advantages to this decision. Firstly they did have a bigger selection of top wines than Waitrose so I could look longingly at the Chateau D’Yquems, Pommards and Grand Cru Bordeaux’s, all at prices that only bankers with large pension funds oblivious to the credit crunch could afford.

The rest of the stock was encouraging, mostly in the £8 to £20 a bottle range but with lots of 2004’s, 2005’s and 2006’s which are all drinking well now. I purchased a Southern French wine from an obscure Appellation ( Madiran ) which I was told was just south of Bordeaux and somewhere near Cahors. It was delicious and at 13.5% was full of fruit, alcohol with a hint of acid.
My conclusion is that it is horses for courses. If you want convenience, like your wine young or want to splash out a bit more with limited choice then shop at the supermarkets. If you want a broader selection in one location with more interesting vintages and arguably better value for money then go to your local independent. Either way, enjoy and keep drinking.