Here are five recommended Laithwaites wines to buy
Picking out the cream of the crop...
These days Laithwaites wine portfolio almost exclusively operates within the £12 to £25 price range, comprising wines from producers around the world.
Below you’ll find five recommendations to buy from the UK retailer to enjoy with family and friends.
Sustainability
In 2022, Laithwaites saw itself doubling down on sustainability, with the aim of halving its carbon footprint by 2030.
It committed to increasing the number of UK-bottled wines in its range to help cut down on CO2 emissions from shipping glass bottles – shipping in bulk in large ‘bags’ drastically reduces the weight of the same volume of wine.
In September 2023, Direct Wines (owner of UK retail arms Laithwaites Wine and Averys) was announced as Decanter’s Green Champion, thanks to its ‘comprehensive’ action plan across many aspects of the business, from packaging to transport, training and biodiversity.
From strength to strength
Over the last few years, the range seems to have gone from strength to strength, and I’ve noticed a general uptick in quality. It’s still far too easy to find overly oaked wines (which is great, of course, if you like that), but there is also far greater variety that not only covers the classics but also does a great job of introducing customers to weird, wonderful and off the beaten track wines.
Take the Notebook Old Vines Pais (see below), for example. It’s not an easy grape to find in the UK, and it’s quite a unique style, but one that’s easy to love thanks to its soft berries and herbal lift.
Meanwhile, the Sartirano Barbaresco is great value for lovers of Nebbiolo. It’s getting harder and harder to find wines of this calibre under £20, so pick it up while you can!
Laithwaites wines are predominantly sold online and via wine clubs, but the retailer also has a smattering of stores around the south of the UK, including in London, Beaconsfield, Gloucester, Reading, Banbury and Windsor.
Laithwaites: Five to buy
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Amandla, Signature Chenin Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa, 2024
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This Chenin Blanc available at Laithwaites is made by an all-black, all-female team; a first in South Africa. It's classic Chenin, offering that slightly honeyed, waxy, lanolin-charged character and an oily viscosity to the body. The variety's prominent acidity is there, but the wine doesn't feel quite as fresh as it perhaps could be.
2024
Amandla
La Chica Bonita, Moscatel, Valencia, Spain, 2023
Looking for a light treat? At just 5% abv, this peachy sip from Valencia ticks the boxes. Orangey and floral, then pineapple and honey, it...
2023
La Chica Bonita
Sartirano Figli, Il Poeta Gaia-Principe, Barbaresco, Neive, Piedmont, Italy, 2020
Fourth-generation winemaker Paolo Sartirano ages this Barbaresco for 40 months. Aromas of chestnuts, woodland floor and gentle red fruits give it an autumnal character. It’s...
2020
Sartirano FigliBarbaresco
Notebook, La Constancia Estate Old Vines País, Maule Valley, Chile, 2022
From vineyards in the Maule Valley comes this spicy, mid-weight red, bursting with blackcurrant pastille, soft hedgerow berries, and some creamy, chocolatey notes in the...
2022
Notebook
Van Zeller, Lusus, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2022
The Van Zeller's are one of Portugal's premier winemaking dynasties: they founded Quinta do Noval in 1715, and since then have branched out into fantastic...
2022
Van ZellerDouro
