UK: Why we are becoming a nation of website wine buyers

(DailyPost) - Britain is becoming a nation of internet wine buyers.

Websites account for over six  per cent  of UK wine sales – more than five times the worldwide average - and that figure is forecast to double in the next five years.

Why? The reason is largely down to British supermarkets’ aggressive development of their online trade plus a number of specialist internet wine retailers and clubs.

These include Laithwaites, the Wine Society and Virgin Wines, which was acquired by Richard Branson in 2000. No longer owned by Branson but still trading under the Virgin livery, the company sells more than 600 brands, many sourced from small producers.

Their wines are promoted by style  such as “Huge Reds” and “Full and Fruity”. So having acquired six of Virgin’s newer releases – three reds, two whites and a rosé – I decided to put their style guide and quality to the test.

The muscat grape is commonly associated with sweet, fortified or sparkling wines, but large-scale Piedmont producer Araldica has made a tasty dry white from the grape Italians call moscato.