6 Great Value Wines at a Store Near You

Amid all the frenzied jostling for market share among other supermarkets, the Co-op calmly continues to launch promotion after promotion at three week intervals – invariably with examples of well made, kindly priced wine that typify what MidWeek Wines is all about.

The current promotions end on 2 August 2016 and here are its highlights.

Click on any of the bottles shown for an enlarged image to help you pinpoint the wine on a crowded shelf.

A rounder type of sauvignon

Quintessential sauvignon blanc – and the vibrant acidity it usually contains – relies on a critical combination of latitude and climate; Argentina may not enjoy those exact conditions but its sauvignon can still offer compelling attractions.

The flavours in 2014 Trapiche Varietals Sauvignon Blanc (£4.99 instead of £5.99 and 13% abv) are less gooseberry and more (rounded and soft) apple and orange centred but its background components still provide those trademark lemongrass, asparagus and pithy grapefruit touches we love so much.

But ….for all those acid heads

Much more typical, is this classic from Brent Marris who created this Marlborough vineyard shortly after he left Wither Hills; it is overlooked by a group of mountains with the tallest of them called – you guessed it – The Ned.

The acidity in 2015 The Ned Sauvignon Blanc  (£6.99 instead of £9.39 and 13%) is penetratingly and reassuringly familiar, embodying touches of crisp lemon and sherbet lime to vie with the wine’s grassy herbal and tangerine depth.

Spanish fizz at its most appealing

Codorniu actually went to court to allow the company to continue calling this Spanish sparkling wine cremant rather than cava and the result – to me, one of the country’s best bubbles at the price – is well worth protecting.

With lemon centred acidity Codorniu Gran Cremant Vintage Brut Cava (£6.99 instead of £9.39 and 11.5%) has all the liveliness you need but adroitly combines it with orchard fruit depth and an attractive savoury yeastiness.

Branded red that ticks boxes

Sometimes branded wines spend more “supporting the brand” than they do on the bottle’s content but this Australian take on a Rhone style blend – with almost perfect balance between tannin and acidity – is not only well made, but is well priced too.

I especially enjoyed the warm, chocolate, blackberry and oregano touches the mourvedre brings to 2015 Hardy’s Voyage Shiraz Mourvedre (£4.99 instead of £6.69 and 13.5%) and the palate-pleasing alliance it strikes up with soft red cherry and cinnamon elements from the shiraz.

The hottest red for 2016

Undoubtedly malbec is the current hot grape variety in terms of quality:price ratios and this delightful unoaked version from, of course, Argentina admirably underlines the attractions the variety offers the wine drinking public.

With pronounced cherry and plum fruit, 2015 Las Moras Barrel Select Malbec (£5.99 instead of £7.99 and 12%) brings you intensity, chocolate and herbal touches with firm acidity yet only modest levels of tannin. Decanter magazine liked it too

The secret is out

Just how good Garnacha from Spain’s Calatayud  region can be, is a well-kept secret – but add a respected Australian winemaker, as here, and the almost inevitable result is excellent red wine that punches well above its price point.

Red cherry and damson dominated, but with a neat tingle of acidity, 2014 Honoro Vera  (£6.99 instead of £7.99 and 14%) has real substance which is nicely rounded out by suggestions of cinnamon and, probably from its short spell in French oak, gentle hints of vanilla too.