Weekday wines
Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting wines available in the UK and priced at £20 or less – perfect for everday drinking, and ready to enjoy now Harvey Nichols, Prosecco Rosé Brut, Veneto, Italy 2019 90
£16.95
Harvey Nichols
Made by sisters Antonella and Ersiliana Bronca, this has a lovely breeziness to it, and good weight of fruit. Coralcoloured in the glass, lively red berry and redcurrant, citrus and some cherry flavours, fragrant and juicy, finishing with decent length too. AW
Alcohol 11%
Banfi, Principessa Gavia, Gavi, Piedmont, Italy 2019
91
£14.81
The Drink Shop
This single-vineyard Gavi from Novi Ligure is freshly scented, with nutty, herbal and floral characters leading to a honeyed palate dripping in apricot, baked apple, herbs and spices. Well balanced and deliciously zesty, the finish is packed with lemon and pear fruit. JB Alc 12.5%
Paternoster, Vulcanico Falanghina, Basilicata, Italy 2018
91
£14
Toscanaccio
This important Basilicata estate is an Aglianico specialist, but don’t let that take away from this excellent Falanghina. Juicy peach aromas mingle with herbs and yellow plums. It has lovely weight and richness: peach skin, apricots, orchard fruits and lime are balanced by saline acidity. JB Alc 13%
Gottfried Mittelback, Rosshimmel Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria 2019
92
£15.50
Champagnes & Châteaux
A step up in quality from many commercial Grüners you see on the shelves, this has pear-drop, lime and white floral notes, along with a zippy lemon-sherbet energy. Steely with a mineral length, it’s intense but somehow ethereal at the same time. AW
Alc 12.5%
Bruno Cormerais, Vieilles Vignes Sur Lie, Muscadet Sèvre-etMaine, Loire, France 2017
91
£13.50
Lea & Sandeman
If you think Muscadet is bland or one dimensional, try this! With considerable time on lees and in bottle, it has great intensity and drive, with tangy lemon, fresh herbs and slatey minerals. Crisp acidity keeps it focused through the long finish. TG Alc 12%
Cazas Novas, Alvarinho, Minho, Portugal 2019
90 V
£12.99
Majestic
Portuguese Alvarinho hasn’t gained the same traction as its alter ego, Spain’s Albariño, but this is a good introduction to the style. It is just crying out for seafood – fresh and fragrant, elegant and pale, with lipsmacking acidity, ripe tropicalfruit flavours and a hint of spice. AW Drink 2021-2022 Alc 12.5%
Pere Ventura, Primer Reserva Cava, Penedès, Spain NV 90
£12.99 Waitrose
There are some cracking-value Cavas to be had if you know where to look, and this is one of them, made by a leading family estate. Remember that Cava is produced using the traditional (Champagne) method, this one spending 15-18 months ageing on lees for the fermentation in bottle. It’s fresh, harmonious and faintly toasty, with mellow red apple and citrus notes. Very drinkable. AW Alc 11.5%
Marjan Simciˇc,ˇ Classic Pinot Grigio, Goriška Brda, Slovenia 2019
90 £18.99
Askew Wine, Brunswick Fine Wines, Handford
Pink-hued with a nose of ripe peach and yellow apple, plus a touch of flint. Grapefruit and green apple on the palate, backed by dried apricot and cinnamon. Marmalade and melon-like sweetness linger. Aged on its lees for six months. SW Alc 14%
Yealands, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand 2020 90 V
£11.59
Waitrose
Blackcurrant, passion fruit and pink-grapefruit aromas; a palate of ripe pear, guava and passion fruit. From one of New Zealand’s greenest wineries. The vineyard is so near the ocean, the grapes get misted with seaspray. TG Alc 13%
Tokaj Nobilis, Dry Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2019 O
89 £9.95
The Wine Society
Dry wines have always existed in Tokaj, but the move to purposely made, high-quality dry wines is more recent. A perfect match for mildly spiced Asian dishes, this has spicy apple, ginger and yellow peach flavours. It’s straightforward, but good value at this price point. AW Alc 13.5%
Castillo Perelada, 5 Finques Reserva, Empordà, Catalonia, Spain 2016 92
£16.75
Amps
A seven-variety blend, aged for 18 months in American and French oak for a toasted, sweet cedar character. Black-fruit, plum and mint-chocolate aromas; silky berry attack on the palate. Velvety tannins, cassis, leather, spice: great with hearty meat dishes. JS Alc 14%
Morrisons, The Best Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa 2019 90 V
£6.75
Morrisons
Golden-hued, with aromas of red chilli, asparagus, freshly cut grass and passion fruit. An exotic palate of preserved peach, papaya and pineapple, with white pepper. A distinctive, tropical take on Sauvignon Blanc from the Western Cape. SW Alc 12.5%
Chapel Down, Flint Dry, Southeast England 2019 89
£13
Chapel Down
A white blend made from a range of varieties from various vineyards. As its name suggests, this has a flinty nose with stone fruit, green apple, asparagus and minty freshness. Plenty of limey acidity and some crunchy green apple dusted with white pepper. Lime-zest bitterness; drying finish. SW Alc 12%
Château La Gordonne, Côtes de Provence, France 2019 91
£16.49
Ocado
A bright, expressive rosé with berry, peach and pinkgrapefruit aromas. Made from a classic Provence blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, it’s generous and refreshing, with strawberry and raspberry juice offset by a subtle floral touch, finishing dry and full of citrus zest. GH Alc 12.5%
Piandimare, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy 2018
92
£12.95
Jeroboams
Expressive, with tertiary aromas of dark chocolate, leather, blackcurrants and cherries with soft floral and perfumed touches. The smooth texture lightly frames the juicy cherry and plum fruit with a mouthfilling density. Great freshness. GH Alc 13.5%
Oldenburg Vineyards, Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2018 93
£14.95 Jeroboams
From the Banghoek Valley, between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, this has a crystalline, honeyed nose full of apples, pineapple and honeysuckle. The palate is beautifully textured with a lively, zesty freshness underpinning ripe peach and apricot flavours. It’s complex and characterful; touches of cinnamon, toast and petrol give weight and interest. Elegant, precise, moreish. GH Alc 13.5%
Anon, Pinot Noir, Tasmania, Australia 2016
91
£14.99
Majestic
Classy packaging for a classy Pinot from cool-climate Tasmania. A vibrant, limpid cherry-red in the glass. Fresh, crunchy strawberry fruit, some spice from the oak, silky, with supple tannins. Note the vintage – the evolution in bottle adds interest. Snap this up. AW
Alc 13.5%
Orbelia, Melnik 55, Struma Valley, Bulgaria 2018
91 £10.95
The Old Cellar
From 15- to 17-year-old Melnik vines, made by a family producer, this has red-cherry, prune and raisin aromas followed by preserved cherry, blackcurrant, plum and black coffee on the palate. Tannins are fine-grained but give a tea-like grip on the tongue. SW
Alc 14%
Château Val Joanis, Les Griottes Reserve, Luberon, Rhône, France 2017
90
£18.95
Champagnes & Châteaux Alluring nose of blackberries, stewed plums and berry compote on toasted sourdough. True to its name, the palate is bursting with griotte cherries, peppery spice and a slight bitterness on the finish. Milk chocolate and bitter coffee from the oak. NE Alc 14%
Chateau Musar, Levantine, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon 2018
89
£18
Ocado
From low-yielding vines at 1,000m. Grenache shows its warm, high-toned herbal note, with Cinsault’s juicy berry fruit and sweet baking spices. Good concentration, mouthcoating tannins and fresh acidity. Enjoy young with chargrilled meats and vegetables. TG Alc 14%
Morrisons, The Best Marqués de Los Rios Crianza, Rioja, Spain 2017
91
£7.50
Morrisons
A savoury attack of earthy, gamey notes twinned with preserved cherries and red plums. Elegant red-berry fruits, black tea and ripe tannins on the palate. Two years of ageing gives a creamy, mouthcoating texture. Great value at this price. SW Alc 13.5%
Sesti, Grangiovese, Tuscany, Italy 2017 91
£17.50
Tanners
From hills to the south of Montalcino, this vibrant, tangy cherry and blackberry wine is made from fruit-forward Sangiovese grapes that wouldn’t sit well in the estate’s Brunello. But here they work, with touches of herbs, good acidity and sturdy tannins leading to a long, fresh finish. JB Alc 14%
Yalumba, Bush Vine Grenache, Barossa, South Australia 2018
90
£16.75
Flagship Wines
From 35-year-old bush vines. Red-berry and cherry aromas leap out of the glass, mingling with peppercorn spice. Good intensity of black and red berries on the palate, plus crunchy pomegranate, warm spice and fresh acidity, with juicy tannins. JS Alc 14.5%
Las Dalias, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2020
89
£9
Marks & Spencer
An easy-drinking Malbec, with all the chocolatey smoothness that lovers of the grape are looking for. It’s unoaked, so the dark plum and ripe blackberry fruit shines through, alongside sweet anise spice and balancing acidity. Incredible value when on offer at just £6. Stock up for summer barbecues! TG Alc 14%
Tesco, Finest Chilean Merlot, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2019 92
£8 Tesco
New to Tesco, this gorgeous wine offers incredible value. It’s made by Luis Felipe Edwards in the Colchagua Valley, and the fruit is sourced mainly from vineyards on granitic soils in the coastal region, with cooler conditions ideally suited to quality Merlot. Fragrant and fleshy, this has some vanilla spice, rich plummy fruit and a hint of sun-dried tomato. A standout at this price. AW Drink 2021-2023 Alc 14.5%