Booths is known for its dedication to sourcing quality local produce. The selection below, of some top performers from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, showcases this northern retailer’s quality, range – and good value.
Just announced Supermarket of the Year at the 2022 Decanter Retailer Awards, Booths is a small, family-run chain of supermarkets with 27 stores in the northwest of England. It’s known for its commitment to working with smaller-scale, quality-focused producers and for its broad product range.
The Retailer Awards judges noted Booths’ excellent and growing wine list, progress – having opened a wine bar in Lytham, Lancashire, and introduced new fine wine concepts in Ilkley, Ripon and Windermere – and commitment to sustainability.
This year at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards, the retailer’s wine range included two Platinum medal winners, including a Value Platinum (awarded to wines under £15 retail). The latter was for Tohu’s 2021 Pinot Gris from the Awatere Valley in New Zealand. The judges approved of this wine’s silky texture and pure fruit flavours, awarding it 97 points. At £14, it is exceptional value.
Also awarded a Platinum medal was the exceptional González Byass Matusalem VORS 30 Year Old Cream Sherry. Its powerful, complex, fruit-and-spice characters earned it 97 points.
Scroll down to see our Booths shopper’s guide
Booths was also awarded three Gold medals this year – two of which were Value Golds, awarded to just 42 wines in the 2022 competition. From Argentina, Colomé Estate 2021 Torrontés was awarded 95 points, with the judges commending its lifted notes of lavender and citrus. At £12.75, it offers great value.
The second Value Gold was awarded to Beronia’s 2017 Reserva Rioja. Judges awarded this wine 95 points for its ripe cherry and floral notes. With a price-tag of £14.99, it is excellent value, too.
The third Gold to seek out at Booths: from New Zealand, Trinity Hill’s 2020 Syrah from Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay. Awarded 95 points, this wine shows excellent varietal character, with notes of cherries, plums and leather.
Of the 13 Silver medal winners Booths stocks, it’s own-label E.H. Booth English Sparkling Brut NV is worth seeking out for its strawberry and citrus notes, alongside more award-winning sparkling, white, red and fortified wines.
Needless to say, this award-winning retailer is firmly on track for quality, variety – and good value, too. If you have a Booths nearby, make a note of the award-winners below before your next shop…
Shopper’s guide: award-winning wines from Booths
*Value Gold, Platinum and Best in Show denotes wines under £15 retail. Learn more about DWWA Value categories here.
Platinum
Tohu, Pinot Gris, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2021
Value Platinum, 97 points
£14
Distinctive nose displaying pure and focused aromas of red apple, lemon, green fig and violets. Silky texture on the palate, with a fine leesy quality and a weighty core of fruity flavours. Delicious and persistent. Alc 13.5%
González Byass, Matusalem VORS 30 Year Old Cream, Jerez, Spain
Platinum, 97 points
£20
Lovely deep toast, raisin and dried fig aromas. Powerful concentration and a great balance of sweetness with marked freshness on the palate. A marvellously complex wine with an incredible, almost chewy, texture and a long, savoury finish of dried fruit. Such a stellar package from every angle. Bravo! Alc 20.5%
Gold
Colomé, Estate Torrontés, Calchaquíes, Salta, Argentina 2021
Value Gold, 95 points
£12.75
Pretty and attractive, with hints of lime leaf and seductive lavender on the lifted, floral nose, while the palate is braced with lemon sherbet, lean, well defined fruit and a subtle acidity. Alc 13.5%
Beronia, Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2017
Value Gold, 95 points
£14.99
A clean and precise expression with ripe cherry and floral scents and a nice sense of purity on the palate. Focused and fresh with plump, glossy tannins and vibrant acidity. Convincing throughout. One sip and you never want to leave. An irresistible Rioja with a long finish. Alc 14%
Trinity Hill, Syrah, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2020
Gold, 95 points
£22
Delicate, elegant smoky blacks fruits with delicious dark cherry, baked plums and layers of oak spice, smoke and leather. Youthful and quite powerful, excellent. Alc 13%
Silver
E.H. Booth English Sparkling Brut, East Sussex, England NV
Silver, 93 points
£23
Straw coloured with a pink tinge. On the nose, pretty strawberry aromas with raspberries, lime and orange. Light spicy biscuity notes add complexity to the concentrated fruit profile of the wine. Subtle finish. Alc 12%
Hambledon, Classic Cuvée Brut, Hampshire, England NV
Silver, 92 points
£30
This is a true classic, perfectly balancing citrus fruits and savoury, yeasty characteristics. Green apples, quince, lemons, pears and the soft skin of the peach greet the nose. On the palate, apples, honey, butter, brioche and creamy lemon delight the tastebuds. The mousse is lively and the finish, citrus and mineral. Alc 12%
Yealands, Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2021
Silver, 92 points
£14
Lovely savoury ripe fruit lift, sea air and tomato leaf notes on the nose. Ripe and inviting on the palate. Alc 13%
Penfolds, Koonunga Hill Chardonnay, South Australia 2021
Silver, 91 points
£10.50
Clear, complex and classy nose of citrus, peach and a whisper of coconut oak. Citrus and melon with good length. A smart wine. Alc 13%
La Guardiense, Janare Alfabeto Greco, Sannio, Campania, Italy 2021
Silver, 90 points
£9.50
Very expressive and aromatic, showing plenty of pear and nectarine notes. Refreshing salty acidity on the palate, perfumed and enjoyable. Alc 13.5%
Nicosia, Lenza di Munti, Etna, Sicily, Italy 2019
Silver, 94 points
£10.75
Aromatic textbook nose of dried herbs, cherry fruit, cranberries, liquorice ashes and floral nuances. Lovely and harmonious, fine-grained tannins. Long. Alc 13%
Akarua, Rua Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand 2021
Silver, 93 points
£22
Smoky nose with notes of black currant, plums, dark cherries and cloves. Youthful and vibrant on the palate, silky texture. Alc 13.5%
Penfolds, Max’s Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia 2019
Silver, 91 points
£20
Rich black fruits with violets, liquorice and spice. Good acidity and concentration. Fresh and enticing. Alc 14.5%
Château Maris, La Touge, Minervois La Livinière, Languedoc, France 2019
Silver, 90 points
£16
Ripe raspberry aromas, notes of black fig, acacia, peppery spice, Dark berries on the palate, meaty hints and touch of oak. Alc 15%
E.H. Booth, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy 2020
Silver, 90 points
£8.75
Violets and crunchy cherries followed by floral hints and light smokiness. Light and straightforward with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Alc 13.5%
E.H. Booth, Gran Norte Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2018
Silver, 90 points
£13.75
Black cherry and farmyard aromas; with an oaky and chocolatey palate and chewy tannins. Impressive finish. Alc 14.5%
González Byass, Leonor Palo Cortado, Jerez, Spain
Silver, 91 points
£15
Aromas of caramel and curry spices. Milk chocolate on the palate with a soft texture and delicate body. A very harmonious wine with a long and spicy finish. Alc 20%
Taylor’s, LBV Port, Portugal 2017
Silver, 92 points
£15
Dense with a hint of dark chocolate concentration on the nose; similarly rich and well defined on the palate with firm ripe tannins on the finish. Rather lovely. Alc 20%
Bronze
E.H. Booth, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2021
Bronze, 88 points
£9.50
An interesting bouquet with a pea and spice note, with citrus and apple aromas. Mouthwatering acidity. Alc 13%
E.H. Booth, Beaujolais-Villages, France 2020
Bronze, 87 points
£9.50
Crunchy red fruit nose; palate of raspberry, cranberry, cherry, plum and a touch of cassis. Alc 13.5%
