Weekday wines

Tina Gellie recommends 25 great-value wines you’ll find on UK shelves for under £25

Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s associate editor Tina Gellie has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less

Joseph Chromy, Pepik Sekt, Tasmania, Australia NV 91 £19.99-£24.99 GP Brands, Ministry of Drinks, Oz Wine, The Fine Wine Co, Vinum The judges’ best-value winner at the recent Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards. This bottle-fermented Riesling is off-dry, but the juicy peach and orchard fruit flavours are balanced by a firm mousse and limey acidity. Alc 12%

Mullineux, Old Vines White, Swartland, South Africa 2017 92 £23.25 Berry Bros & Rudd Another brilliant wine from one of the Cape’s leading producers. It’s a 65% Chenin-dominant blend, that’s aged for 10 months in neutral, large-format oak. Rich, bruised apple notes and lifted, spiced mandarin flavours – very complex with a savoury, nutty edge. Mouthfilling and moreish. Alc 13.5%

D’Arenberg, The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2015 91 £17.95-£19.95 Amazon UK, Great Wesern Wine, Hailsham Cellars A highlight from a tasting with chief winemaker Chester Osborn. Fermented in barrels, it boasts leesy, crisp Granny Smith apple notes. Long, weighty and focused, it will benefit from aeration. Alc 14%

Maison 54, Pét Nat, Vin de France 2017 91 £15 Borough Wines & Beers This gently spritzy Chenin Blanc-Sauvignon Blanc blend (which is bottled while still undergoing fermentation) is the perfect picnic wine – especially with its crown cap. Lightly cloudy, it is lip-smackingly dry with a tart zing of fresh gooseberries, green apple and lime blossom. Alc 11%

Château de la Grave, Grains Fins, Côtes de Bourg, France 2016 91 £10.50 The Wine Society Cracking value for this unusual, tangy blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Colombard, given complexity and weight from barrel fermentation. Great weight of waxy lemons and creamy cashews, yet balanced by refreshing acidity. A fine discovery to show off at your next dinner party. Alc 13.5%

Eden Road, The Long Road Pinot Gris, Murrumbateman, New South Wales, Australia 2016 91 £20.49 Great Wines Direct, Just in Cases, Strictly Wine An orange-esque wine, the pretty copper hue here comes from time on skins. Grippy, long and textural with rich musky peach and bitter orange peel flavours. It’s perfect for tuna steak or roasted veg. Alc 14%

Domaine Huet, Pétillant Brut, Vouvray, Loire, France 2010 93 £24.40 Armit Wines Seductive, grippy, bone-dry palate (only 1g/l residual sugar) of russet apple skin, honeyed quince and zesty grapefruit acidity. Lovely mousse leads to a weighty, textured and fresh palate with a malty autolytic character. A great sparkling Chenin Blanc from one of the Loire’s most famous names. Drinking beautifully now, but you could easily cellar it for a decade – if you can wait! Alc 12.5% ➢

Stratus, Charles Baker Picone Vineyard Riesling, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada 2012 91 £21-£22 Buy Great Wine, Christopher

Keiler, Ministry of Drinks, The Fine Wine Co A super off-dry Riesling, boasting generous peach and orange blossom notes, zesty acidity and a slatey edge. Light smoky petrol and leafy development, but still has several years ahead. Alc 10.5%

Quinta Nova, Pomares White, Douro, Portugal 2017 90 £9.50-£11 Oakley Wine Agencies,

The Wine Society Musky Viosinho, Gouveio and Rabigato blend. Fine minerality and acidity are allied to a broad, creamy palate. Floral, nectarine and nutty flavours with a long, smoky finish. The 2016 unoaked red from this producer won a Value Best in Show at this year’s DWWA. Alc 13.5%

Cantine San Marzano, Tramari Rosé di Primitivo, Salento, Puglia, Italy 2017 90 £11.49 All About Wine, Strictly

Wine, Vivino, Wineman A well-made, well-priced rosé that’s packed with tangy pomegranate, ripe red berries and soft aromatic herbs. The palate is creamy yet fresh, thanks to bright acidity. One for grilled prawns. Alc 13%

Frescobaldi, Tenute Ammiraglia Alìe, Toscana Rosato, Italy 2017 89 £17.99 Strictly Wine, Wineman,

Wine Poole A blend of Syrah and Vermentino grapes from Frescobaldi’s Tuscan coast vineyards, named for an Italian sea nymph. Soft ripe redcurrant and red cherries with sweet pink grapefruit acidity. Alc 12.5% Leitz, Eins Zwei Dry Riesling Trocken, Rheingau, Germany 2017 90 £14.99 Laithwaite’s A modern style of German Riesling from Johannes Leitz, who runs his family estate of 28ha in Rudesheim. This has lovely wet stone flintiness, lively acidity and creamy, smoky peach fruit on the round palate, offset by zippy citrus acidity. Versatile as an aperitif or with food. Alc 12%

Ironstone, Obsession Symphony, California, US 2016 89 £13.25 Bibendum, Matthew Clark

If you like the lychee, guava and jasmine notes of Torrontés or Gewürz, try this. The Symphony grape is a crossing of Muscat and Grenache Gris and is usually made into a sweet wine, but this exotic, off-dry style (blended with 15% Chenin Blanc) is a perfect choice for pairing with spicy Asian food. Alc 12%

Chivite, Las Fincas Rosado, VdT 3 Ribeiras, Spain 2017 90 £15-£20 Exel, GP Brands, Great

Western Wine, Great Wines Direct Created to honour top Spanish chef José María Arzak, this (obviously) food-friendly, Provençal-style pink is a blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo. Dry, fresh and sunny summer pudding flavours cry out for paella. Alc 13.5%

Dominio do Bibei, Lalama, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2013 92 £22.50 Berry Bros & Rudd

From vines up to 100 years old planted on steep, high-altitude, slopes, this Mencía-based blend spends 20 months in barrel and foudres and 16 more in bottle. Perfumed, juicy and expressive peach, red berries and savoury, herbal, meaty tones, supported by velvety tannins and lively acidity. Limited stocks. Alc 13%

CVNE, Monopole Clásico Blanco Seco, Rioja, Spain 2015 92

£20.99 Holland Park Wine Co, The Solent Cellar Harkening back to the 1950s, this mainly Viura blend boasts the addition of manzanilla Sherry and is aged on its lees in old oak vats for eight months. Unique, vital and complex, showing distinct oxidative flor notes of fresh almonds, camomile and tangy salinity on the textural palate, along with orchard fruit freshness. Fabulous length and balance – and exceptional ageability. Alc 13.5%

Yalumba, The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia 2014 92 £18.50-£23 Arkwrights, Hailsham Cellars, Hennings This impressed at both the Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards and Matthew Jukes’ 100 Best Australian Wines. Sister to Yalumba’s great Menzies Cab, it has dense bramble fruit, smoky oak and mocha tones. Complex, elegant and ageworthy. Alc 13.5%

Fabian Jouves, Haute Côt(e) de Fruit Malbec, Cahors, France 2017 91 £14.95 Field & Fawcett A clever name for a delicious organic Malbec (aka Côt) made in an elegant, Burgundian style. Vital, inky black berries and sweet spices are brightened by firm acidity and refreshingly low alcohol. A lovely alternative to what is traditionally a very heavy, tannic wine. Alc 13%

Frankland Estate, Isolation Ridge Shiraz, Frankland River, Western Australia 2015 90 £22.95 Berry Bros & Rudd

Powerful, meaty, inky Shiraz with bags of plum jam fruit, smoky vanilla oak spice and peppery olive tapenade notes. The fine, grippy tannins and balancing acidity ensure a good future lies ahead. Limited stocks. Alc 13.5%

Ara, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2016 89 £11.99 Waitrose

New Zealand Pinot doesn’t often come cheap, but this is a great-value option from a reliable producer. Sustainably made, it boasts attractive notes of ripe raspberry compote and cherry pie on a light, bright and smooth palate. An elegant quaffer. Alc 13% Château de Mérande, La Belle Romaine Mondeuse, Arbin, Savoie, France 2015 91 £17 The Wine Society A biodynamic estate run by Daniel and André Genoux, whose winemaking heritage dates back to the 13th century. The sappy blue and black berry fruit has a lovely rustic touch. Complex, long and very drinkable with fresh acidity and dusty tannins. Alc 12%

Tesco, Finest Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2013 91

£16 Tesco Made for Tesco by Fratelli Martini Secondo Luigi, one of Italy’s largest, family-run wine producers, this is just hitting its stride now, as evidenced by its strong Silver win at this year’s DWWA. Aged in oak casks for two years, adding complexity to the firm, spiced balsamic cherry fruit and violet hints. Alc 14%

Ventisquero, Root 1 Carmenere, Peralillo, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2016 90 £8 Morrisons

From vines still on their original ungrafted rootstocks, this shows Carmenère’s classic green pepper aromas, joined on the palate by dense blackberries, vanillaspiced plums and smoky oak, with structured tannins and fresh acidity. Brilliant value from a top winemaker. Alc 13.5%

Henriques & Henriques, MediumRich Single Harvest, Madeira, Portugal 1998 93 £24/500ml The Wine Society

From a famous producer, founded in 1850, comes this special single-vintage bottling made unusually from Tinta Negra Mole. Complex dried fruit and nuts, sweet spices and creamy mocha. Incredible length. Serve slightly chilled with cheese. Alc 19%

Pardas, Sus Scrofa Sumoll, Penedès, Spain 2017 92

£10.95 The Wine Society Sus scrofa is Latin for ‘wild boar’, which graze the organic vineyards on the 60ha Finca Can Cornas estate, founded in 1996 by growers Ramón Parera and Jordi Arnan. This delicious, vibrant red, made from 60-year-old vines of the rare Sumoll grape, is unoaked and appealingly earthy, full of crunchy red fruit and fennel notes, and backed by refreshing acidity. A real discovery at this price. Alc 12%