Finding it increasingly difficult to find reliable wines that don’t threaten break the bank?
Frankly, I would be surprised if that is not the case.
There are, however, a few gems about – but finding them can be a challenge especially as some are not in the most obvious places.
Ominously, though, their numbers are dwindling.
An alternative, then, is to bite the bullet and stump up a bit more or wait for a promotion that brings the price back closer to yesterday’s normality.
Today – for a red wine – I feature one of those elusive modestly priced options.
Its companion is a white by a dependable producer but from a region where prices have long sat just above average.
It does, however, enjoy a discount for much of this month which may bring it inside your personal budget red lines.
Both wines are well worth seeking out.
In the usual way, hyperlinks and pictures are used where possible to help you locate the bottle in question.
First to Majestic
Les Frères Lumière Rouge (from £6.99 at Majestic and 13.5% abv):
I know from this site’s comments section, that many of you feel budget level price points is not where Majestic performs best.
This new red, then, could be a witness for the defence.
Nimbly using non-vintage status and the flexible Vin de France classification, it provides excellent value for money in my view.
Dark with savoury aromas the wine delivers medium bodied, rich, prune, cherry and loganberry flavours.
These are coupled here with an acidic prickle, firm tannin and suggestions of coffee, baking spice and citrus peel.
Next the “dependable producer” white
2024 Yealands Sauvignon Blanc (£8.50 – instead of £10.50 until 22 April at the Co-op and 12.5% abv):
Double figure prices for many Marlborough sauvignon blancs takes some getting used to, but they are probably here to stay, so grab this £2 discount while you can.
The wine has all the crispness, intensity, and herbaceous elements that put Marlborough into a top place in the sauvignon league.
Fresh and bright, it features lingering apple, grapefruit and peach centred tropical fruit flavours.
Accompanying components include tongue tingling grapefruit acidity, impressive clarity and attractive herbal components.
NB:- The retailer’s web site may not reflect this promotion yet.
See you again on Thursday when the issue of responding to rising prices again comes under the spotlight.
10 responses
Various bargains at the moment Brian – picked up a range of inexpensive, widely available wines that overdeliver for #1 child’s student party; these will all suit any general audience: https://medium.com/@tomsk71/inexpensive-wines-for-a-student-party-08b79acb3155
Morning Brian
I can see how Majestic is problematic to some and lacks flexibility. I try not let that get in the way of using them when I want to visit a specialised wine outlet instead of my usual supermarket retailers used for a weekly shop.
My two closest Majestics require a 40 mile round trip and the time and car juice to do that. So I’d never, ever go to buy one bottle of anything from Majestic at say £8 that becomes £14 when adding expenses. Even 2 bottles pro rata is £11 each. Etc..
So I wait … as I do for all supermarkets, to offer a deal price … Tesco Clubcard… Sainsbury’s Nectar … Morrisons More .. et al, with 25% off mix 6 to buy at the most affordable price to me. But always mindful still that any Majestic trip will add the price of car fuel/my carbon footprint in any case.
This judicious style of shopping is not for everyone; I understand that. Neither will everyone want to buy 6 bottles in one go regardless of savings. OK, but savings nevertheless are to be had by being canny. Write down recommendations as we receive them, here especially, and when the deals comes up go and shop.
I went to Majestic the week before last to get your AG White label red bottle to try and collect a favourite that is the Portuguese Herdade de Gambia at £6.99 but also made the discovery of the AG Reserve Black label that is newly discovered stunner!! £48 for 6 bottles plus travel costs. They will last me a month at least, so to me are affordable but more to that superior drinking with the Reserve AG. It left financial wiggle room for a next time trip to pick up more recommendations and enjoy the ambience and smell of a cave and put me in a specialist shop where I can enjoy a browse for as long as it takes.
When you speak today about the provenance of the Les Frères Lumière Rouge and it being designated Vin de France this bottle is just about in the same place . I’d already written this to be posted sometime soon … if I may …
Alaine Grignan AG Carginan Vielles Vignes Reserve (black label) Minervois-Languedoc, 2023 12% abv Majestic. £12/£10.**
The white label version of this recommended a couple of weeks ago on MWW, £10/£8, and indeed it was most acceptable. Lighter in body than the Reserve it was a true mid-weeker for application with easy-to- quaff body and a £8 price tag. The Reserve takes us somewhere else entirely, for an extra £2, enough for Decanter to flag it up April issue, Weekday Wines, as ”must try red” and hand it an astonishing 94/100 points. If we never drank another bottle of French red again this would have to be tried once at least before we departed. Somewhat a contradiction in terms when the designation here is Vin De France … though certainly not vin de table! The current crop of wine makers in this neck of the woods really are doing something special with the less fancied varietals. Who knew stand-alone Carignan could be this good.
**Stop press … looks like Majestic have at least gone sensible and dropped this 99p malarky. Now bottles seem to be listed as straightahead £7 or £10 … £7.50 … £10.50 .. etc.
Just to finish I still think TWS has the drop on all wine selling especially sourced online with free delivery to our door of any number of bottles chosen and decent, affordable prices for top draw drinking.
PS off out shortly to Aldi to try for that fizzy Mimo Moutinho Vinho Verde £6.99 you recommended last week.
That Grignan Reserve gets high billing in this Thursday’s post – so my observations then should be read in conjunction with Eddie’s helpful conclusions here.
PS The fightback just gets better. Tesco 25% off buy 6 with a Clubcard plus double dips if we will on Eglise St Jaques and Prima Luna Frascati at just over £5 each!!!
The Eglise St Jaques doubles as a mid week wine and an essential ingredient in my Ragu sauce…. fabulous bargain @ £5 and a few pence at the moment
Nice one Damian – and it is a great, inexpensive red wine option. Hat’s off to Eddie who discovered it lurking on the bottom shelves of a local Tesco store.
The Vin de France classification is a pragmatic way for French producers to blend serviceable wines for everyday consumption and, well chosen, I can see they fit perfectly the Midweek Wines brief. The Wine Society’s Cantoiseau Rouge Vin de France (until recently less than £7 and even now only £7.25) is another easy-drinking bottle that can works well both in the ragu and with a glass or two to accompany the meal. And of course the popular red Le Vieille Ferme (‘chicken wine’) from Famille Perrin is another VdF that can be sourced from Tesco for just £6.38 with the 25% off 6 deal mentioned by Eddie above.
But in the interests of completeness today I should just point out that Brian’s other recommendation, the Yealands NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2024, is available for just £7.97 as part of their latest Rollback initiative if you happen to be near an Asda store.
Yes. As you say, Keith that sauvignon is in other retailers and some of them have it on promotion too.
Thanks Eddie for the Alaine Grignan AG Carignan Vielles Vignes Reserve recommendation, I was attracted by its modest 12.5% ABV, so popped into our local store to have a browse, and buy a bottle.
Their mixed 6/single bottle pricing has been tweaked. There were a number of bottles where the single bottle price was only 50p more than the mixed 6, some a pound more, but for their Fine Wine sale the difference was large. Fair enough, if you want some real bargain bottles, then not unreasonable to have to put a decent order together? The Manager explained that they do get some criticism for their 2 tier pricing, but did feel it was a touch unfair given the supermarkets’ frequent 25% off 6 price strategies – which is also 2 tier pricing. But Majestic are trying to have a selection of choice wines where the price difference is minimal – just to get people into their store to get the Majestic Experience.
Browsing their aisles, the range seemed better to me than many supermarkets. And I was positively encouraged by the manager to stop by their drinking bar and try whatever was offer. So I tried a variety of wines – a range of under £10 bottles (“Wedding bottles”), as well as a nice Premier Cru Chablis, very nice Pauillac, and a CdP. Nice chat with a fellow enthusiast, and no pressure to buy, at all. On paying for my single bottle the Manager noticed I had bought quite a lot in the past, but not much in the past 3 or 4 years. So he gave me my single bottle at mixed 6 price – as a “welcome back” gift. I took photos of quite a few bottles that look very interesting, so may well put together an order. They also do monthly ticketed tastings, at £20 a head, which I will try to attend, and a free to all Easter Showcase turn up tasting.
I rather liked my Majestic Experience!
Glad it worked for you Richard and pleased we seem to be on the same page here.