Slurp or Skip - Special Guest Episode - Andrew Bird, consultant and former wine buyer

What does a former wine buyer really think of English rosé, fruit fusion wine and low-alcohol red?

In this episode of Slurp or Skip, Jess is joined by Andrew Bird, a strategic consultant and former director at Selfridges, head of trading at Marks & Spencer and wine buyer at Sainsbury’s, to taste three very different bottles and unpack what they reveal about the future of wine.

We try Gusbourne’s English Rosé, Echo Falls Fruit Fusion Summer Berries and Wednesday’s Domaine low-alcohol red, while digging into the bigger trends shaping the wine category: English wine, Provençal-style rosé, sweeter consumer palates, wine-based innovation, moderation, no and low alcohol, duty changes, price pressure and whether younger drinkers are really changing the market.

Andrew also gives an insider view on how retailers think about shelf space, why rosé has become such a commercially attractive category, whether fruit fusion wine should really count as wine, and why low-alcohol red is one of the hardest formats to get right.

In this episode: 00:00 What does a former wine buyer make of today’s wine category? 00:45 Introducing Andrew Bird 01:28 Gusbourne English Rosé 03:45 Is English wine here to stay? 06:15 Can English still wine justify its price? 08:40 Why rosé keeps winning 10:10 Slurp or skip: Gusbourne Rosé 10:45 Echo Falls Fruit Fusion Summer Berries 13:05 Is fruit fusion wine really wine? 15:25 Are sweeter palates changing the category? 17:20 Is this innovation, or a sign wine is struggling? 19:10 Slurp or skip: Echo Falls 20:05 Wednesday’s Domaine low-alcohol red 22:30 Why alcohol-free wine is so hard to get right 25:10 Can 6.5% wine deliver the full wine experience? 28:15 Are consumers drinking less, or just differently? 31:00 Would a former buyer give low-alcohol wine shelf space?

Products featured: Gusbourne English Rosé Echo Falls Fruit Fusion Summer Berries Wednesday’s Domaine low-alcohol red

Slurp or Skip? Let us know in the comments. Is this the future of wine, or is the category trying too hard to reinvent itself?