Shopping: Safeway scores in wine department

Safeway has named Supermarket Wine Retailer of the year in a new guide for buyers.

The Which? Wine Guide praises the supermarket's range of 400 wines and its Eastern European selection in particular. "Safeway's combination of innovation and enthusiasm shines through even at a time when the range in nearly all of Britain's supermarkets is better than it has been for many years," the guide says. Wine Merchant of the Year is Oddbins, for the fourth year running: the guide says it "continues to find inspiration" setting it above the rest. Mail-order wine services also get the thumbs- up for offering good quality wines and some interesting bottles.

However, despite signs that Britons are becoming more adventurous in their choices, the guide says we are still too stingy when it comes to price. On average, drinkers in Britain spend pounds 3.60 on a bottle of wine, akin to buying a "second-hand Ford Sierra" when you could have a luxury model car.