Out with Pinot Grigio, in with Picpoul - why Britain is upgrading its taste in wine

Growing demand for upmarket wines and beers boosts sales for Majestic Wine

Out with Pinot Grigio, in with Picpoul - Britain is upgrading its tastes in wine
From left: Picpoul de Pinet Prestige 2010 Domaine Cabrol, Languedoc, France. Picpoul de Pinet 2010, Domaine Félines Jourdan, Languedoc, France. Picpoul de Pinet, Benjamin Darnault 2010, Languedoc, France Credit: Photo: PEARTREE

Increasing numbers of British consumers are upgrading their alcoholic tastes by swapping Pinot Grigio for Picpoul and mass-produced lagers for craft beers.

According to Majestic Wine, consumers are “trading up” to more expensive options as their taste in wine and beer becomes more sophisticated.

The average bottle of wine purchased at Majestic now costs more than £8 for the first time.

This was driven by a sharp increase in sales for more upmarket wines and craft beer.

For example, sales of Picpoul, a white wine from France, are up 127pc year-on-year, while craft beer sales are up 164pc.

Steve Lewis, chief executive of Majestic, said: “The UK consumer in food and wine is really interested in what they are consuming. They are interested in provenance, they are interested in quality.”

This has led to an increase in demand for what Mr Lewis described as “quirky and interesting” products. For example, the company’s best selling craft beer is Curious Brew, which is produced at the Chapel Down winery in Kent. Curious Brew is a lager made using Champagne yeast and sales are up 50pc year-on-year.

Mr Lewis said that many customers who tasted craft beers “don’t go back to mass-produced beers”.

This trend has also led to a 22pc increase in sales of fine wines and growing demand for craft spirits.

Majestic Wine revealed the figures in its financial results for the 26 weeks to September 29.

Majestic said the average bottle of still wine purchased through the company was worth £8.02, up from £7.71 last year.

This helped the retailer to report a 2.8pc rise in like-for-likes and an expansion of its market share by 0.1pc to 4.3pc.

However, pre-tax profits fell from £9.5m to £8.5m as Majestic invested in new consumer research tools and technology that will develop its online business, which includes a fast-growing click-and-collect service.

Mr Lewis said: "Majestic has a compelling proposition with a differentiated model, strong customer service ethos and a clear strategy to deliver growth.

"The 2015 financial year is one of investing to put in place the building blocks to deliver future growth and shareholder value and we are progressing to plan."