ASDA has become the first supermarket to group its wine by grape – rather than region – from today (April 22).

New research conducted by the supermarket reveals that we have become a nation of wine lovers in the past 12 months, defining and refining our taste for wine while at home.

Two thirds of Brits (60%) revealed they had tried a wine from a different grape for the first time this year, with a quarter (26%) trying at least three new varieties, while one in five (20%) believe they could now correctly identify a certain type of wine by taste.

Lockdown may have stopped people travelling to faraway wine regions, but that hasn't stopped Brits exploring new wine and different varieties to their usual tipples with Merlot coming out on top as the most tried varietal, followed by Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

Wine Expert, Helena Nicklin, said: "The world of wine is social and exciting but it can also be daunting as there is so much to learn. I built my wine communication career teaching people to start by getting to know the key grape varieties as it offers wine lovers a solid place to begin their journey, so I am delighted to see ASDA taking this bold step to help their customers navigate the wine aisle.

"ASDA's research has shown that their customers understand wine almost entirely by grape, so it's fantastic to see them change their wine layout, not just to help customers find what they are looking for, but to easily help them discover new varieties and styles that they know they are most probably going to like."

Senior Manager for ASDA Wines, Ross Watson, said: "At ASDA we're committed to delivering a brilliant shopping experience and to help our customers discover exciting new wines.

" We know wine can often seem like an intimidating category to shop for many people and so we believe that the change we have made will make it really easy for customers to find more of the wines they love. "