Meet the buying team

Pierpaolo Petrassi
Master of Wine

Head of Buying - Wines, Beers and Spirits

Pierpaolo joined Waitrose in 2010, having spent his entire career in the drinks and retail industry. His speciality is the wines of Italy, from where he originates.

"The most exciting thing about my role is having an overview of so many amazing products. Waitrose have a wide and exciting range of wines and something for every customer's budget."

Xenia Irwin
Master of Wine

Wine Buyer - Waitrose Cellar and Germany

Xenia Irwin MW joined the team as Buyer for Waitrose Cellar in December 2013. Xenia has over 24 years experience in the wine trade, having worked as an independent wine consultant, as well as a buyer for a large regional brewery, retailer and wine importer.

Xenia became a Master of Wine in 2003.

Nick Room

Wine Buyer - Spain, Portugal, Burgundy, Fortified and Sweet Wines

Nick is celebrating 25 years in wine buying! He specialises in wine from South America, Spain and Portugal.

He also sources our award-winning sherries including Waitrose Solera Jerezana Fino, fortified, rosé and sweet wines.

In recognition of his contribution to the Spanish wine trade, Nick is current chairman of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino.

Alexandra Mawson

Wine Buyer - New Zealand, Australia, USA and Rosé

This year Alexandra is celebrating her 10th year in the wine industry. Having returned home to Britain after spending 4 years in the wine trade in Australia, she is thrilled to join the award-winning wine buying team at Waitrose.

Alexandra says she looks forward to delving into the exciting regions in her categories and bringing new and interesting wines to Waitrose customers.

Becky Hull
Master of Wine

Wine Buyer - Champagne, Sparkling, England and Wales

Becky joined Waitrose in 2005. She received the rare double of winning the Vintners Cup for the highest mark of the year in the WSET Diploma, and then scooped the Tim Derouet Award for exceptional performance in the Master of Wine exams, which she passed in 1997.

Maria Elener

Wine Buyer - Italy, Rhône, Eastern Europe, Austria and Other World

Marie started her career in wine buying over 8 years ago, since then she has worked in various roles within the trade. She is responsible for purchasing wines from the Loire, Italy, South Africa and exciting ranges from the rest of the world.

James Bone

Wine Buyer

James joined Waitrose 11 years ago and has been in buying for the last 9. He has worked in a number of product areas and joined the wine team as a buying manager in December 2012. He is thrilled to be involved in such an interesting and integral area.