£4.37 plonk from Asda is one of best wines in the world

A CHEAP bottle of red from Asda has been named one of the best wines in the world.

The La Moneda Reserva Malbec, which is on offer at just £4.37, was the best in its category at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. The Chilean red was praised for flavours of ‘freshly crushed black fruit, creamy vanilla yoghurt and pepper spice’.

The wine, which has a normal shelf price of £5.75, won the best single-varietal red under £15 category. ed Betts, Asda’s wine-buying manager, said: ‘La Moneda Reserva Malbec is the perfect example of how we’re able to offer shoppers exceptional quality at low prices. it is a perfect match for barbecued meats.’

The supermarket’s online wine shop crashed after a flurry of orders. english wines were also praised in the Decanter Awards, with 90 per cent of those entered into the competition receiving medals.

Two were awarded platinum medals: a Gusbourne Pinot Noir in the best red over £15 category, and kits Coty estate, a Chardonnay from Chapel Down estate in kent, the best white over £15.

The success is further evidence of the quality of British wines, which are taking sales away from other countries with a more established wine heritage, particularly France.

Marks & Spencer has seen a 74 per cent increase in sales of english wine in the last two months compared to the same time last year. its sales of Chapel Down Sparkling Rose are up by some 200 per cent.

A total of 16,000 bottles were entered in the Decanter competition, which were judged in blind-tasting tests by a panel of 240 experts.