How to uncork a real bargain Victoria Moore selects the seriously good quality wines that won’t set you back any more than a tenner
You don’t need to look far for affordable assyrtiko or a pinot grigio that even PG phobes will love, says Victoria Moore
One of my favourite aspects of my job is finding the bargains: the affordable wines that taste so good you want to drink them again and again and again. This list of 50 excellent wines that you can buy for a tenner takes in 30 reds and 20 whites (don’t write in, I’ll do a feature on rosés as we head into summer).
It encompasses some serious discount store and supermarket bargains; the £5 beaujolais from Tesco along with the primitivo and assyrtiko from Aldi stand out in particular as being ludicrously good wines for a very small amount of money.
As we edge towards the £10 mark there are also some seriously good quality wines, such as the Château Paret, a beautiful bordeaux from Haynes, Hanson & Clark; the Petite Syrah from Lea &
Sandeman; and the Rustenberg grenache blanc from Waitrose. In between you’ll find all sorts of treasures including a glorious, on-trend German pinot noir, an earthy malbec from south-western France and one of my long-time favourites, a red from Marcillac
that tastes of iron (or blood) and is refreshing and comforting at once. If you’re tempted by some of these then act quickly as some wines always sell out fast. Happy drinking!
Soave 2020 Italy, 11.5%, M&S, £5
The duty of a cheap white wine is to refresh and this new-season soave from M&S certainly achieves that, with a degree of elegance and calm and just the faintest note of almond blossom. Try it with carbonara, spaghetti vongole or mac’n’cheese.
Vale dos Pombos Vinho Verde 2020 Portugal, 9.5%, Co-op, £6; Booths, £6.75
A white that is lowish in alcohol, off-dry, effervescent and smells of lemon barley water, grapefruit and sweet apple. It’s a swimming-pool white but would do well in pale spring sunshine, too.
Gavi 2019 Italy, 12%, Lidl, £6.69
Made from the cortese grape in Piedmont, Gavi has become a popular white, loved for its citrus qualities and its refreshing bite. This one’s great value, zesty and bright with notes of fresh and preserved lemons and just the faintest herbal tinge.
Filos Estate Assyrtiko Single Vineyard Aspri Petra 2020 Greece, 13%, Aldi, £6.99
Hello summer. Assyrtiko is a bracing Greek grape that famously grows on Santorini. Think lemons, white grapefruit and blue skies. Assyrtiko usually costs more than this smasher.
Les Routes Côtes Catalanes Blanc 2019 France, 12.5%, Majestic, £6.99/9.99 mix six/single bottle price
This isn’t a wine I’d pay a tenner for, but it’s good at the mix six price. A blend of grenache blanc, chardonnay and muscat, made where France meets Spain.
Irresistible Fiano di Benevento 2019 Italy, 12.5%, Co-op, £7
Made in Campania by the La Guardiense cooperative and it’s an excellent option: a succulent white that’s refreshing but also has some thickness and that tastes of ripe yellow peach, fresh oranges and melon.
Taste the Difference Pinot Grigio 2020 Trentino, Italy, 12.5%, Sainsbury’s, £7
Exemplary pinot grigio: if you like refreshing whites but don’t do PG then please try it. From the mountainous Trentino, it’s crisp and lively with whispers of stone fruit, rocks and greengage.