Waitrose wine, beer & spirits buying team

At Waitrose, we have more Masters of Wine than any other supermarket. All our wines go through a rigorous quality control and tasting process with the Masters of Wine and the rest of the wine buying team. We also have a further 220 wine specialists to advise you in branch.

Pierpaolo Petrassi - Master of Wine

Pierpaolo joined Waitrose in July 2010 after 3 years with Tesco and has spent his entire working life in the wine industry. He is a Master of Wine and has worked in a variety of areas of the trade from suppliers to retailers and now with Waitrose. He says "I think I was always meant to do this job; I feel I have found my natural home" and "I’m very excited that we will be shaping the grapes grown on our Leckford farm into a very special sparkling wine in the next few years. No other company would make that kind of investment where you plant the vines and 4 or 5 years later you see a return. In 1997 I sat on the other side of the desk from the Waitrose buyers so I know them all quite well and now it’s lovely to be on the team."

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Andrew Shaw - Wine Buyer

Andrew joined Waitrose in January 2007 and is now Buying Manager, Wines. He sources wines from Italy and Australia that reflect a sense of the place and the winemaker’s philosophy while ensuring they offer good value for money.

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Dee Blackstock - Master of Wine

Dee joined Waitrose in 1991, becoming a Master of Wine in 1992. She’s a member of the Chevaliers de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole and buys wines from New Zealand as well as our champagne and sparkling wine range.

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Nick Room - Wine Buyer

Nick joined Waitrose in 1987, buying beers and spirits, before moving into wine. His specialist areas are South America, Spain and Portugal, and he sources our award-winning sherries, as well as fortified, rosé and sweet wines.

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Ken Mackay - Master of Wine

Ken joined Waitrose in 2008, with over 5 years of wine buying experience at an independent merchant. He was also one of the youngest people ever to pass the MW exams, doing so back in 2006. He sources wines from the Loire, Bordeaux, the Rhône, Alsace, Germany, Austria, North America and South Africa.

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Matt Smith - Wine Buyer

Matt joined Waitrose in 2007 and holds the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma in Wine. He sources wines from Eastern Europe, Burgundy, Beaujolais, England and Wales as well as our Kosher range.

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David Wyllyams - Beer & Cider Buyer

David joined Waitrose in 2002 and became Beer & Cider Buyer in 2010. He has been particularly impressed by the Waitrose premium beer and cider selection and is excited to explore and further develop the range.

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Herchelle Perez Terrado - Spirits Buyer

Herchelle joined Waitrose in September 2010 as Spirits Buyer after 2 years buying at John Lewis. She brings 7 years of buying experience to the team and is looking forward to developing our range of spirits.

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Wine Specialists

We currently have 286 specialists over 242 branches, and the WSET certificates (Intermediate, Advanced, Professional Certificate in Spirits and Diploma) are the corner-stone of all our bespoke training packages. In the last two years, many of our specialists have taken part in trips to Germany and Austria and a Specialist Conference at our own farm in Leckford. They also gain a thorough understanding of Food & Wine matching, which is an especially relevant concern for our customers. The training is not simply exam based- there is a full programme of continuous professional development including selling skills and customer service training, dvd training in specialist areas (for example pronunciation guides), conferences, speeches, visits and tastings.

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