Decanter Retailer Awards

Offering wine drinkers in the UK an indispensable guide to the best wine shops, online retail, wine support services, experiences and wine lists across the nation, the Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Shortlist has been announced.

The 2021 edition of the Decanter Retailer Awards saw its biggest year to date with more entries than ever before.

In this highly competitive year, entries hailed from retailers located across the UK, including Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and 23 counties in England.

‘I’ve been judging the DRA now for several years and continue to be amazed at the quality and diversity that we have in the UK retail trade’ commented Andy Howard MW. ‘Over the past 18 months the world has been turned upside down by the pandemic, yet this has has not fazed UK wine retailers. This year we saw a record number of entries, with fantastic new start-ups going head to head with the more established companies.’

Fellow judge Peter Ranscombe added, ‘It’s been fantastic to see the growth in the number of entries from outside London over the past few years. The high quality of this year’s entries demonstrated that nations and regions throughout the UK have dynamic and exciting wine scenes, with independent bottle shops sitting at the heart of their communities.’

Scroll down to see the Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Shortlist

New to the judging panel, Mags Janjo also highlighted the UK’s remarkable wine scene, commenting, ‘As a wine enthusiast and scholar, I’ve always felt so blessed to be based in the UK, as I’ve never had an issue finding any type, style or quality of wine. It is again so easy to assume that this must be the case around the globe.

‘Many readers and my fellow judges will agree that this isn’t necessarily so, and I would like to urge readers to continue to support their local wine merchants, as well as have the confidence to try some wines which might be somewhat off the beaten track! The Specialist Retailer categories are an incredible vote of confidence from the Decanter judges.’

In support of the drinks industry, and for the second year running, revenue from the Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 will be donated to UK drinks industry charities The Drinks Trust and The Ben. Learn more about last year’s donation here.

The judging process & shortlist

Judged across three stages by our expert judging panel, led by Chairman Peter Richards MW, entries were examined based on what Decanter readers think is most important to them when purchasing wines: Quality, Value, Range, Service, Innovation and Performance. Learn more about the judging process here.

On judging this year’s entries, three-time judge Laura Clay commented, ‘Every year, the judging gets more and more difficult as the entrants become ever more innovative in what they offer their customers. For the most part we were in agreement however, and all those shortlisted should be justifiably proud.

‘Those who didn’t quite make the shortlist should know that the competition was fierce and that they all made our job supremely difficult.’

Peter Richards MW added, ‘In the nine years I’ve been chairing these awards, I’ve never seen such a dynamic, exciting, heart-warming set of entries. Covid-19 has changed wine retailing forever – in many ways for the better. It’s hastened change, opened the market up to positive disruption, and led to a boom in sales and innovation.

‘Now is a great time to be a wine lover in the UK – but the best wine retailers need our support and custom if they are to thrive. So I’d encourage people to check out the shortlists and awards, and seek out the retailers that appeal to them.’

Final results will be announced on Wednesday 6 October at 11am BST on @Decanter and @Decanterawards Instagram stories and Twitter. They will also be published on Decanter.com and included in Decanter magazine’s November 2021 Issue, on sale Wednesday 6 October.

Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Shortlist

Specialist Categories:

Australia Specialist Shortlist

The Vinorium
Majestic Wine

Bordeaux Specialist Shortlist

Bordeaux Index
Goedhuis & Co
Justerini & Brooks

Burgundy Specialist Shortlist

Goedhuis & Co
House of Townend
Justerini & Brooks
Lay & Wheeler
Stannary Wine

Central & Eastern Europe Specialist Shortlist

The Wine Society
Best of Hungary
Taste of Georgia
Novel Wines

Champagne & Sparkling Specialist Shortlist

The Whisky Exchange
Lay & Wheeler
Waitrose & Partners
Cambridge Wine Merchants

England & Wales Specialist Shortlist

Corkk
The British Wine Cellar
Grape Britannia
The English Vine
Waitrose & Partners
Wickhams

Germany Specialist Shortlist

Handford Wines
The WineBarn
Justerini & Brooks

Italy Specialist Shortlist

Atlas Fine Wines
Bat and Bottle Wine Merchants
Goedhuis & Co
Jeroboams
Independent Wine
Noble Grape
The Oxford Wine Company
Uncorked

Loire Specialist Shortlist

Lay & Wheeler
Majestic Wine

New Zealand Specialist Shortlist

Jeroboams
Majestic Wine

Rhone Specialist Shortlist

Carringtons
Justerini & Brooks

South Africa Specialist Shortlist

Museum Wines
Swig Wine
Lay & Wheeler
Handford Wines
Majestic Wine
Waitrose & Partners

South and Regional France Specialist Shortlist

Majestic Wine
The Wine Society

Spain Specialist Shortlist

Highbury Vintners
The Tapas Room
Flavours of Spain (L’Oculto)

Sweet & Fortified Specialist Shortlist

Vintage Wine and Port
Waitrose & Partners
Cambridge Wine Merchants

USA Specialist Shortlist

ALLY Wines
Majestic Wine
Wanderlust Wine

Wine Support Services:

En Primeur Campaign of the Year Shortlist

Goedhuis & Co (Burgundy Campaign)
Goedhuis & Co (Bordeaux Campaign)
Justerini & Brooks (Germany Campaign)
Justerini & Brooks (Burgundy Campaign)
Uncorked (Burgundy Campaign)

Subscription Wine Club of the Year Shortlist

Bat and Bottle Wine Merchants
Highbury Vintners
London Sake
Mummy Wine Club
The Little Fine Wine Company
The Sourcing Table
The Wine Society
The Online Wine Tasting Club

Judges’ Choice & Outstanding Wine Retailer of the Year

Judges’ Choice is awarded at the judges’ discretion to highlight a retailer who is doing something different, innovative and creative. There is no shortlist for this category, but every entrant is considered. This category includes one runner-up and one winner.

Outstanding Wine Retailer of the Year is awarded to one retailer only and is selected from all entrants in all categories. This award is given to the retailer who, in the eyes of our panel of judges, has delivered the best wine retail experience for UK consumers between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021. There is no shortlist for this category.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 6 October at 11am BST on @Decanter and @Decanterawards Instagram stories and Twitter. They will also be published on Decanter.com and included in Decanter magazine’s November 2021 Issue, on sale Wednesday 6 October.

See the Decanter Retailer Awards 2020 winners

Decanter Retailer Awards homepage

Scroll down to see the Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Shortlist

The judging process & shortlist

Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Shortlist

Local Wine Shop of the Year Shortlist

Local Multi-Store of the Year Shortlist

London Neighbourhood Wine Shop of the Year Shortlist

London Wine Shop of the Year Shortlist

London Multi-Store of the Year Shortlist

Newcomer of the Year Shortlist

Green Champion Award Shortlist

Virtual Wine Experience Shortlist

Small Online Retailer of the Year Shortlist

Midsize Online Retailer of the Year Shortlist

Large Online Retailer of the Year Shortlist

National Wine Retailer of the Year Shortlist

Supermarket of the Year Shortlist