If you live in the north of England, then you’ll know about Booths. If you live elsewhere, you’ll wish you had one nearby. Fondly termed the ‘Waitrose of the North’, it is a small chain of 26 stores with a focus on quality.
The range, under Victoria Anderson and Rachael Machin (sparkling and Champagnes), is one of the best in the UK, and a recent tasting of 142 wines from the 600-strong portfolio found much to shout about.
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 25 brilliant Booths wines to buy
Of the 142 Booths wines on show, 44 were new. These included notable additions to the Italian and Australian wine ranges in particular – one being Booths first orange wine.
From Italy, highlights were the organic Orange Inzolia, organic Grillo, Gavi di Gavi and Lugana Bianco, all from the 2023 vintage, plus Ornellaia’s 2022 Le Volte dell’Ornellaia. New Australian gems included red and white listings from Howard Park in Margaret River and Wynns of Coonawarra.
The home-grown range of English still and sparkling wines is commendable, and there are great discoveries for adventurous wine lovers from Armenia. Also seek out the two reds from the Vinovalie co-op in France’s Southwest – an organic Braucol and a Négrette-Malbec blend – which both punch well above their £9.50 price tags.
Renowned producers (beyond those mentioned above) are well represented, including Trinity Hill, Henschke, Jim Barry and Vasse Felix, while the 40 wines under the own-label EH Booth range, like the Riojas made by La Rioja Alta, offer value for money at all price levels.
This year marks 176 years since Edwin Henry Booth first set up his own wine and spirits business in Blackpool in 1847. He borrowed £80 of stock from his previous employer and, in just three months, thanks to his business nous, had not only paid the debt back but made a £50 profit.
Booths still honours his pledge to ‘sell the best goods available, in attractive stores, staffed with first-class assistants’.
Booths wines: 25 top autumn and winter buys
All wines tasted in September 2024. Prices do not reflect any special or multi-buy offers. Some wines might only be available either online or in selected stores. All bottle prices are correct at time of publication. Wines grouped by style and ordered by score, in descending order.
