Released on: October 16, 2007, 5:21 am

Press Release Author: Victoria Hatton

Industry: Food & Beverage

Press Release Summary: Laithwaites won the coveted Independent Wine Merchant of the
Year title at the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards ceremony held in London.

Press Release Body: Laithwaites won the coveted Independent Wine Merchant of the
Year title at the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards ceremony held in London.

The judges in particular praised Laithwaites\' \"crack team of buyers and writers\",
\"good selection of offbeat wines\" and \"stunning\" list from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
They were also impressed with Laithwaites' high standards of customer service and
considerable investment in staff training.

UK retailers were asked to submit a summary of their activity in the last 12 months
for the Decanter judges - Steven Spurrier, Stephen Brook, Anthony Rose, Guy Woodward
and Sarah Kemp. A shortlist of the strongest candidates was then put to reader vote
via Decanter.com.

Head of Buying at Laithwaites, Peter Greet said \"This a lovely boost for a great
many people who work very hard to give our customers the best possible service. It
is an award everyone has contributed to .from our wine growers right through to the
team delivering cases to people's homes\".

The awards ceremony was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London on Tuesday
4th September.

Web Site: http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/

Contact Details: Victoria Hatton

Laithwaites Customer Services
New Aquitaine House
Exeter Way, Theale
Reading, Berkshire
RG7 4PL
Phone: 0118 903 0903
victoriahatton@directwines.co.uk
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/