You may have noticed that your high street off-licence has just turned blue. It will be one of the 30 Thresher Group stores – including branches of Bottoms Up – beingturned into Wine Rack shops.
The new stores will target the £5 to £15 wine brack
et, with the remaining Threshers concentrating on big brand wines and cheaper spirits.
So what can we expect to find? "A cleaner, fresher more contemporary look – with 500 wines, beers and spirits – and the most comprehensive range of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the market," says Jonathan Butt, head of global sourcing.
I would agree with Butt that the shops have a lighter, airier, and more professional feel with clearer labelling, but they still seem to be blandly corporate. It's a bit like visiting a mobile phone shop. Still, with a 25 per cent change to the top end of their wine range and tastings between 3pm and 7pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it's good news.
"We will have a new Italian range in July and updated South Americans, South Africans and Australians this autumn," he says.
For spirit drinkers there's a new malt range revamped by Dave Broom with Highland Park 18 (£58.45), Jura 16 (£40.69) and new premium spirits such as Blackwood's Gin (£15.99). There will be more focus on niche beers, such as River Cottage's Stinger organic nettle ale and Innes & Gunn (both £1.33 each in "three for £4 deal" or £1.85 bt).
• I will conduct tastings from Wine Rack's range at the Channel 4 Taste of Edinburgh festival, The Meadows, 29 May at 5:50pm, and 30 May at 2:20pm and 6:50pm. Visit
www.channel4.com/taste for details.
TASTE TEST
Time to take stock
WhitePECORINO 2007 Caldora(£9.99 a bottle, £19.98 for three)
No, this is not a cheese; rich nutty appley Italian, creamy rounded fleshy ripe fruits, delicious dry aperitif. 16.5/20
VINHO VERDE 2005 Quinta de Aveledo(£7.99 a bottle, £15.98 for three)
Light appley, gentle citric fruit palate, slight spritz, fresh, clean, but unexciting. 13/20
TUSSOCK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2006 Woollaston Estates(£9.99 a bottle, £19.98 for three)
Very aromatic, sweet green fruits, limey, crisp finish, good value from New Zealand. 14.5/20
CLOUDY BAY CHARDONNAY 2006(£12.99, half price offer for one week only in newly converted Wine Racks)
Pineapple, tropical fruit, very creamy leesy palate from one of New Zealand's most famous wineries. 16/20
Red
VOSS ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2006(£14.99 a bottle, £29.98 for three)
Plums, cherries, herby undertones, very ripe velvety palate, lovely finish. Very lush, delicious Martinborough Pinot. More like this please! 16.5/20
TORO 'T' 2006 Boutinot(£6.99 a bottle, £13.98 for three)
Light in colour and body for Toro, initially sweet herby vanilla bouquet, sweet spicy fruit on mid-palate, but rustic coarse finish. Disappointing. 9/20
CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2004 Piccini(£11.99 a bottle, £23.98 for three)
Herby nutty, quite lightweight for Chianti Riserva: this will be on offer for £4.99 in May. 13/20
CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2006 Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes(£19.99 a bottle, £38.98 for three)
Spicy, herby ripe cherry fruits, savoury notes – too young, needs time in bottle. 14.5/20
PILLAR BOX RED(£8.99 a bottle, £17.98 for three)
Plummy, ripe, sweet confected Shiraz/Cabernet from Australia; alcohol out of balance. 13/20
THE BEST DEALS THIS WEEKENDWhite MONTES RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007(£4.99, reduced from £6.49, Waitrose until 13 May)
Excellent value; crisp grassy succulent Chilean white.
Red
ERRAZURIZ SHIRAZ MAX RESERVA(£7.99 each in 3 for 2 deal at Wine Rack, 30 April-29 May)
Very spicy, gutsy rich Chilean – shows the potential of Shiraz in South America.
Red
MARCILLAC PEIRAFI 2000 Domaine Matha(£7.99, Les Caves de Pyrene, 01483 538820)
Cherry, herby red with mineral undertones; a delicious value find.
The full article contains 681 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
