£200 superwine you can now get for £13.99 at Lidl

...well, almost. It’s one of the surprisingly affordable ‘taste-alikes’ of some of the world’s most sought-after wines

WHISPER the words Screaming Eagle or Penfolds Grange to a wine buff and they’re likely to go weak at the knees. Why? Because these are two of the most sought-after cult wines in the world — the first a Californian Cabernet, the second an Aussie red — made in such small quantities even oenophiles with the deepest pockets often struggle to get their hands on a bottle.

George Clooney, a cult wine fan, is said to have sipped on a so-called ‘Super Tuscan’ Italian wine called Sassicaia, worth an eye-watering (for the rest of us) £200 a bottle, at his wedding.

The term Super Tuscan was coined in the 1980s for wines made by a small number of producers from a coastal region called Bolgheri in Tuscany. The stony soils, similar to those in Bordeaux, inspired rebel wine-makers to plant grapes that weren’t permitted in the Tuscan blends of the time, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. As a result, the wines tasted quite different to a typical Tuscan red, richer and more complex, with an ability to age — and improve — for years.

They remained a prized secret among wine lovers for ages but, eventually, word got out and, with demand far outstripping supply, the bottles became highly prized among the cognoscenti.

But if your budget doesn’t stretch to spending hundreds on the real thing, it’s now possible to get a taste of it — if you know where to look. One of those places is Lidl, where you can pick up a bottle of Super Tuscan red for just £13.99.

Launched as part of its ‘Summer Wine Tour’, Medici Riccardi 2016 from Bolgheri has been classified as ‘outstanding’ by Lidl’s Master of Wine Richard Bampfield, who gave the bottle a score of 92/100 on the points system used by critics and competitions around the world.

And it’s not just Super Tuscans. Lots of other cult wines have cheaper — but still sublime — duplicates that are now more accessible.

Here, I pick seven cut-price superwines worth sniffing out.

SUPER TUSCAN RED

Bolgheri Medici Riccardi, £13.99, Lidl

THE original Super Tuscan might sell for an eye-water-ing £200 a bottle but if you want to get a taste for the style, try this for size.

It’s made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, more usually associated with the red wines of Bordeaux than those of Tuscany.

Rich with dark fruit flavours and a smoky streak of oak, it’s reassuringly polished. Still not super-cheap but great value.

DOUBLE VISION: 4/5

BUDGET BRANGELINA

Studio by Miraval, £12, coop.co.uk

AS THE pale rosés of Provence have become more fashionable, so prices have risen. A bottle of Garrus rosé from top producer Chateau d’Esclans, mak-ers of Whispering Angel, now sells for around £80. Some have an added sprinkle of celebrity stardust — a magnum of Muse de Miraval, from the chateau still owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, sells for more than £200 a bottle. But this pretty Provence rosé from the Co-op is made by the same wine-making team — the Perrin family — as Chateau Miraval wines. A blend of local red grapes including Cinsault and Grenache, it’s a snip at the price. DOUBLE VISION: 4/5

LEBANESE DELIGHT

Levantine by chateau Musar, £16.50, marksand spencer.com

LEBAnOn’S most famous red comes from Chateau Musar, a Bordeaux-influenced producer in the country’s Bekaa Valley.

The wines are traditionally only released once they have been aged in the bottle for years. notoriously eccentric in style, you either love it or you don’t.

Bottles cost around £30, but for half that you can buy a second label from the same chateau, called Levantine. Younger, softer and friendlier on first taste, this is a juicy blend of Cinsault and Grenache grapes.

DOUBLE VISION: 4/5

SAVVY SAUV BLANC

Tesco Finest pouillyFumé, £13, tesco.com

THE Loire Valley in central France is the Sauvignon Blanc grape’s spiritual home, and legendary Pouilly-Fumé wine-maker Didier Dagueneau devel-oped a cult following for his wines from the region before his untimely death in 2008 aged just 52.

Bottles with the Dagueneau name on still sell for around £100 a bottle thanks to his son continuing the family wine-making tradition.

But for a taste of the same area for a far cheaper price, try this gorgeous, crisp white made just down the road, still with Pouilly-Fumé’s classic smoky edge. Fantastic with seafood.

DOUBLE VISION: 3/5

CHEAP CHATEAUNEUF

Famille perrin Vinsobres, £10.25, coop.co.uk

OnE of the most famous names from the Rhone Valley in France is Chateau-neuf-du-Pape, where wines from sought-after producers sell for hun-dreds of pounds a bottle. But go to a less fashionable neighbouring town and you won’t pay nearly as much for a similar blend. The wine appellation of Vinsobres makes rich, full-bodied reds. This one is well worth seeking out. DOUBLE VISION: 4/5

ENGLISH SPARKLE

Lyme Block Sparkling, £16.99, aldi.co.uk

EnGLISH sparkling wines are good enough to give champagne a run for its money, but many of them are similarly priced at £30 a bottle or more.

Some harder-to-get-hold-of English wines now sell for well over £100 a bottle. This one, however, made exclusively for Aldi in Devon by Lyme Bay winery, means you can raise a toast to the new breed of English wine without breaking the bank.

It’s not as delicately complex as some of the more expensive ones — but is still great value.

Made from a blend of classic champagne grapes together with some of the more traditional grapes found here, like Seyval Blanc and Solaris, this tastes of apples with the whiff of hedgerow that is so often found in top English wines.

DOUBLE VISION: 3/5

CORKING CHAMPAGNE

Moët imperial Brut NV, £38, tesco.com

SAVVY champagne lovers are raving about Moët — made by the same company as Dom Perignon, a vintage blend that sells for around £145. Moët is one of the most famous names in champagne and its stand-ard blend is on flying form right now. Beautifully balanced with bright citrus fruits and a touch of crushed biscuits, it also comes with a reasonable price tag. DOUBLE VISION: 5/5 HeLeN’S latest book, The knackered Mother’s Wine Guide, is out now (£8.99, Bluebird).