Wine Tasting at Virtual Vino Festive Event

A group of Nisa’s key accounts partners have been involved in a unique opportunity to sample festive favourite tipples in a special virtual event.

Designed to offer insights and tips on what to stock for the all-important trading period, the session allowed retailers to taste a selection of wines as well as quiz buyers and suppliers.

Jointly hosted by Co-op wine buyers and Nisa’s category controller alongside representatives from Accolade Wines, key account partners were invited to taste several top selling red, white and rose wines from both Co-op own-brand and branded.

Co-op’s Irresistible Prosecco, Irresistible Fairtrade Organic Malbec and Irresistible Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc were all showcased alongside favourites; Jam Shed Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc from Mud House, and a premium French Rose from Studio by Miraval.

Partners quizzed the hosts on a range of subjects and received helpful information on topics including Fairtrade products and pairing wines to help drive linked sales in store.

Matthew Hunt, director of Filco Supermarkets and Nisa key account partner, said: “I found the virtual wine tasting very informative, hearing the provenance of the product helps bring the quality of the liquid to life."

“Sales in the wine category always benefit from adding knowledge to the team who are then in a much better position to upsell the product and in turn educate the consumer creating loyalty and trust between the team and our customers.”

Valerie Aston, director at Proudfoot Group, said: “These events are so useful, allowing us to focus on products and think about how to feature them in our own businesses. It was a very worthwhile event.”

Danielle Sylvester, category controller at Nisa, said: “The response we get from this sort of event is very good and we know our partners appreciate the opportunity both to sample the wines and to speak to the buyers who have such a wealth of knowledge to share about the product."

“As we approach the busiest trading period of the year, the purpose of our wine tasting event was to really showcase some of the very best wines available and get partners set for the festive season."

“The combination of Co-op own-brand and branded wines worked well in this session, and I believe it provided some great food for thought for partners when it comes to their decisions on what to stock this Christmas.”