Best place to pick up a top tipple is... Aldi

BUDGET supermarket Aldi has been named the best shop in the UK to buy beer, wine and spirits.

Judged by a panel of industry experts, the company won Drinks Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Business Awards, beating shortlisted upmarket rival Waitrose.

Aldi was praised for its drink offering over the past year at the awards ceremony at the London Wine Fair on Tuesday, and follows a successful year so far for Aldi in which it was named Multiple Wine Retailer of the Year by the Drinks Retailing Awards and also won 41 medals at the International Wine Challenge last week.

Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying at Aldi, said: ‘Customers don’t just have to rely on boutique wine stores for quality drinks nowadays. At Aldi, we make it easy for our customers to shop for quality, award-winning products that won’t break the bank.

‘Our UK buying team work hard to ensure each product, which is bought specifically for the UK market, is excellent quality and is sold at the best possible price to earn its place on our shelves.’

A Drinks Business spokesman said: ‘We saw some amazing entries into the Drinks Business Awards this year and the standard was very high.

‘Aldi successfully answered all of our criteria and were without a doubt this year’s Drinks Retailer of the Year.’