Italian supermarket chain Esselunga has launched an online wine shop, offering over 1,400 wines and spirits from around the world, mainly from Italy and France.
An assortment of labels such as Krug, Château Mouton Rothschild, Dom Pérignon, Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Cervaro della Sala will be offered, with prices ranging from €10 to €1,000, the company noted.
The exclusive selection will not be available in the wine shops located in the group's 88 superstores and eight laEsse neighbourhood stores.
Enoteca Esselunga
Enoteca Esselunga also offers information about the wines, producers, regions of origin, the type of soil, the tasting notes, the correct serving temperature, and the indication of the best glass to use.
Esselunga plans to deliver wines to customers throughout Italy, even in areas where it does not have physical stores.
The wine department has a fair amount of weight for the large-scale retailer both in terms of revenues and margins. Last year, 100 million bottles were sold from over 400 producers.
Fine Wine Market
Esselunga hopes to use the shop to expand its reach into the fine wine market and compete with other online wine retailers such as Tannico (controlled by LVMH and Campari) and Callmewine (Pesenti group). The market is currently small, with an estimated turnover for the main players of over €200 million.
The specialist online wine store follows other specific initiatives of the retailer such as the Elisenda pastry shop and Le excelenze di Esselunga, a shop in central Milan that serves as a showcase for selected gastronomy items and products from the Cucina Esselunga private-label line.
