There is a slight bias towards the Old World in the range, but Carr said Asda would be looking around the world for suitable wines to carry the Extra Special branding. “We are looking to fill the gaps,” she said.
She said the Extra Special range comprised “benchmark” wines that reflected the true character of a particular wine region.
“It’s never going to be weird and wacky in the Extra Special range. If you want to know what real Medoc tastes like, this is what we believe it does,” said Carr.
Asda, she said, liked to work with leading producers for Extra Special, such as Wither Hills for both the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the range and Tim Knappstein for the Australian Clare Valley Riesling.
Additions to the range will be based on what shoppers are buying in-store.
“It’s driven by what customers are looking for. If there is a category where there is a lot of consumer interest, we will go looking for what we consider to be the benchmark wine,” she said.
Carr said the range of mini wine taster bottles introduced last November is proving to be a success, particularly since the 250ml bottles have been promoted on a four for £5 basis.
The range had previously offered consumers money-off vouchers on the full 750ml bottles. “What we are seeing is growth in the equivalent 750ml bottles,” she said.
