The Winesdirect Consumer Choice Awards returned in October 2026, where we asked our members to vote for their favourite wine & spirits merchants and drinks brands.
Throughout September 2026, members rated retailers and brands across a range of criteria which were combined to build a comprehensive picture of those deserving of medals this year.
Wine Retailer Awards
The retailer awards combined scores for ratings across:
Trust
Value
Range
Website/Shopping Experience
Customer Service
Winners were chosen based on the best ratings across these and you can read exactly why below.
Wine Supermarket of the Year
WINNER: Lidl
Lidl is the WinesDirect Consumer Choice Awards 2026 Wine Supermarket of the Year. Strong ratings on competitive pricing, quality wines and an excellent range helped them achieve the highest overall score. The store experience was also well received with comments on staff and the shopping experience making the supermarket standout further.
Why They Won
- Outstanding ratings for value and promotions
- Strong quality-to-price ratio across the range
- Positive customer feedback on store experience
- Broad appeal for both everyday and special occasion wines
What Shoppers Said
“I find Lidl extremely adventurous and creative in their wine selection and as far as bang for the buck goes for quality - they are outstanding”
"They have a excellent choice and the cashiers and staff are very helpful not like other supermarkets where you can not always find a member of staff to help"
”Great range of wines - Weekly offers , with good description . Quaffable everytime”
”I have been shopping in the Lidl store for more than 10 years now and I would most definitely highly recommend and trust them in every way”
Online Wine Supermarket of the Year
For the online shoppers, there’s none better than Waitrose Cellar. With an exceptional range rating, a seriously good choice of online exclusives, fair prices and an easy-to-use website, Waitrose Cellar was hard to beat. In fact, it wasn’t.
Why They Won
- Exceptional range of wines spanning everything from everyday drinking to fine wine selections.
- Highly rated website experience, making it easy for shoppers to browse, compare and buy online.
- Strong value for money, combining competitive pricing with regular promotions and offers.
- Exclusive wines and premium-quality selections that consumers felt were difficult to find elsewhere.
What Shoppers Said
”From budget to fine wine, best range of wine of all the supermarkets and merchants”
”I just think they’ve got a better selection than anywhere else.”
”They have a great selection of high quality wines at prices that won't break the bank”
”Good quality wines at super prices when on special offer.”
”Honest supermarket and sustainable products."
Wine Merchant of the Year
Most people who shop at Naked never turn back. Their mission to invest in small, independent winemakers is not only admirable but successful in creating some truly amazing wines. This shone through in the high rating for their range in particular, whilst their customer service was rated exceptionally well too.
Why They Won
- Outstanding wine range featuring independent winemakers from around the world.
- Strong support for small producers, giving customers access to unique and exclusive wines.
- Exceptional customer service ratings, with shoppers praising friendly and knowledgeable support.
- A distinctive wine-buying model that combines discovery, quality and value.
What Shoppers Said
”There is so much to choose from from all over the world, small growers that still use old style wine making giving some wines a very unique taste.”
”They support independent wine makers with hundreds of bottles in their range.”
”Every time I've got in touch with the advisors at Naked they do their best to own the query and respond in an efficient and friendly manner. First name terms, always.”
”Great customer service if we've contacted them and also easy returns if don't like”
Wine Merchant of the Year
As one of the newer players in the wine market, Warehouse Wines have already left an incredible impression on winos. To win silver versus all the longer lived wine merchants says it all. Their ability to deliver value wines between the £7-£10 mark that are also good quality helped them sail through, along with a strong rating for trust as well.
Why They Won Silver
- Outstanding value for money owing to their specialism.
- Strong trust and recommendation ratings from shoppers despite being a relatively new name in the market.
- Consistently good-quality wines at prices that appeal to everyday drinkers.
- An impressive performance that saw them compete with and outperform many established wine merchants.
Club & Subscription Awards
For this category, we really wanted to learn what made each subscription tick from of course the quality and value, but also how well they operate and how well they take their members through a real wine journey.
Wine Clubs and subscriptions were scored by consumers on the following factors:
Quality of the wines
Discoverability Factor
Customisablitiy
Cancellation/Case Skipping Ease
Knowledge Gained
There are a range of keen wine club members out there who were compelled to vote for their favourite.
Wine Club of the Year
Laithwaites have a number of different wine clubs, and case subscription orders you can take up. We were impressed how variable the take-up across these seem to be, but even more impressed with the ratings. Flexibility and ease of cancellation were exceptionally high making Laithwaites a great place to learn if a wine subscription is right for you, but they also scored extremely well in terms of value and quality too.
Why They Won
- Exceptional flexibility, making it easy to customise, skip or amend upcoming cases.
- Outstanding ratings for quality and value across a range of subscription options.
- Excellent for discovering new wines, regions and styles through carefully curated selections.
- Highly rated customer service and a hassle-free membership experience.
What Shoppers Said
”A fabulous mix of old favourites and new wines. Very easy to amend the next case to reflect your preferences. We really look forward to the next one delivered (16 weeks) and if we had the money, would happily take all the different wine style subscriptions.”
On the Bordeaux Collection subscription: ”This wine club turns every ordinary Tuesday into an impromptu trip through sunny French vineyards.It delivers pure liquid happiness straight to the front door, making every sip feel like a small vacation.”
On the Bestselling Reds subsctiption: ”Flexibility good service and fast delivery and they deal with problems immediately and if the wine has an issue refunds are easy”
On the Bestselling Mix Subscription: ”Laithwaites delivers high quality wines right to my doorstep with outstanding customer service and fast shipping. Their expert tasting notes turn every bottle into a fun discovery, making it the perfect club for anyone looking to explore fantastic new vintages.”
Wine Club of the Year
Claiming their second award this year is the Naked Wines Angels subscription service for their regular members known as Angels. Angels are essentially wine investors who into their account each month which Naked use to invest in their independent winemakers’ latest projects. The Angels get to use this money on their next order and are directly funding the craft they love. The result reflected in the ratings showed excellent quality, value and real enthusiasm for how much members learn about the wines. There’s an interactive community where you can talk to the winemakers about their wines!
Why They Won Silver
- Outstanding wine quality and value ratings from long-standing members.
- Direct support for independent winemakers through the innovative Angels funding model.
- A highly engaged community that allows members to connect with winemakers and fellow wine lovers.
- Excellent opportunities to discover new wines while learning more about how they are made.
What Shoppers Said
”Consistent quality and a great team to talk to by phone if you have any problems. Good communication too re upcoming subscriptions and deliveries”
”Fantastic range and subscription services as well as good communication with real people by phone if there is a problem. Great socials too if you're an Angel”
”I usually don't make recommendations, but I would recommend naked wines to friends because it is always good to share subscriptions and as subscriptions go Naked Wine has a good one with competitive prices, wide choice and many extras.”
Spirits Awards
Our Spirits Award category is for anyone who loves gin, rum, whisky, vodka or anything in between and outside of those. The spirits market is alive with some serious stuff from collectibles and unique rarities to exciting bold, new flavoured spirits as well as the classics.
There are two award types in here. The merchant awards were scored on the same ratings as the wine merchants and supermarkets, whilst we chose the spirits brands on a weighting of people’s favourite spirt, which they actually purchased most often, the best value spirit and what they would cast their overall vote for.
Spirits Specialist of the Year
Mastery seems to be the name of the game for Master of Malt. Their value for money achieved a very high score whilst strong, consistent ratings across their range, great shopping experience and good value proved to get them the Gold.
Why They Won
- Outstanding value for money across an extensive spirits range.
- Excellent ratings for product selection, covering everything from everyday favourites to specialist bottlings.
- A highly rated online shopping experience that makes discovering new spirits easy.
- Strong and consistent scores across all judging criteria, securing the Gold Medal.
What Shoppers Said
”Great products, prompt delivery”
”The customer services is fab”
”More niche but good for gifts”
Spirits Specialist of the Year
The Whisky Exchange have been mainstays of the spirits retailing world for a long time, with the ability to find you rare gems, limited editions and more. As a result, their range was voted highly as was their customer service and recommendation score. It’s no surprise they scored well across the board!
Why They Won Silver
- Exceptional range ratings, with an unrivalled selection of whiskies and premium spirits.
- A destination for rare, limited-edition and hard-to-find bottles.
- Outstanding customer service and expert knowledge trusted by enthusiasts.
- Strong recommendation scores driven by consistently high ratings across the board.
Spirits Brand of the Year
You could have bet that a Gin brand would have won the spirits award, and it is no surprise to see Gordon’s at the top. Between the classic dry gin and all the various exciting new flavours they make these days, Gordon’s was a standout. The alcohol free version was also mentioned as being excellent too, helping make Gordon’s and all round brand winner.
Spirits Brand of the Year
Taking the Silver medal was Whitley Neill, another gin brand of distinction. Their entire range was highlighted largely for having a brilliant selection of interesting flavours that keep people coming back for more.
Wine Brand Awards
Finally, consumers took their opportunity to vote for their favourite wine brands and make them heard. These were voted similarly to the spirits brands, looking at which people singled out as their favourite, whether it was indeed the one they actually purchased most often and how good value they considered it.
Wine Brand of the Year
WINNER
Yellow Tail might not come as a surprise winner such is its prevalence on the supermarket shelves. But, Yellow Tail isn’t just any old wine, it was rated highly across the whole range from the Shiraz and Merlot to Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Balanced, smooth, tasty and refreshing were just some of the words used by those who felt compelled to vote for them.
Wine Brand of the Year
Another Australian brand took second place, with 19 Crimes receiving praise again across the whole range. The red was commented on the most for its smooth, rich and bold flavour. Our survey respondents also loved the bottles they come in, including some wacky limited editions during events like Halloween.
Sparkling Wine Brand of the Year
Moet was chosen as Sparkling Wine Brand of the Year owing to its luxury brand appeal, ubiquitous association with celebrations and distinct taste amongst the Champagne houses. There were also a number of people who felt that Moet is good value and makes a great gift. This is always going to be a Champagne to come back to.
Sparkling Wine Brand of the Year
Beating out other Champagne brands came Freixenet to take second place as Sparkling Wine Brand of the Year. Aa brand established in Spain making Cava, they made the brilliant decision to branch into Prosecco production in Veneto, giving them a robust range of wines to fit every palate. Consistently enjoyable and more luxurious than the price suggests, both the Cava and Prosecco were praised. The Prosecco was more popular, with its premium bottle being of particular note for its celebratory feel alongside a taste that in many ways defines the Prosecco market.
Deserving winners across the board. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in our Award’s survey for voting for their favourite across all these different categories.
If you are looking for the next best thing, we’d recommend starting with the winners and runner’s up you can find here!