Bottles to look out for this week include a great value Portuguese red from Sainsbury’s and a superb Aldi Austrian white. Scroll down and you’ll also find my highlights from new promotions at the Co-op, M&S and Morrisons.
2018 Taste the Difference Lisboa Red (£6 – instead of £7 until 17 November – at Sainsbury’s)
Although the hilly region behind Portugal’s capital is excellent white wine country, the reds it produces can be impressive too.
Enjoy, then, this particular great value version from the region with soft, black fruit flavours, good acidity along with suggestions of eucalyptus and cinnamon.
Find it on Sainsbury’s site here.
2019 Austrian Grüner Veltliner (£6.99 at Aldi):
Inevitably, the reduced value of sterling has pushed up the average price of a bottle of wine, even in premium discounters like Aldi and Lidl.
With those guys, however, when prices ease up, quality often can too. The crisp orchard fruit flavours in this superb Austrian white underlines that point strikingly – as do the green herb influences, flinty minerality and touches of sweetness that accompany them.
Current promotions
Marks and Spencer
Tomorrow a new round of offers start at M&S. Below are the bottles I think are worth a look before the discounts end on 30 November.
- Gold Label Chardonnay 2019 (Down from £7 to £6)
- Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Drops to £6)
- Rastras Malbec 2019 (Down £1 to £6)
- Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (Down to £6)
- Gavi del Comune di Gavi 2019 (Drops from £12 to £10)
- Irish Cream Liquer NV (Down from £12 to £8)
Co-op
A new promotion also starts this week at the Co-op. The following are good value buys but do note, prices are subject to change and customers should visit their local Co-op store for more information. The promotion is expected to end on 24 November.
- Corte Molino Prosecco (Down from £8.50 to £7)
- The Ned Sauvignon Blanc (Down to £7.50)
- Corte Mayor Rioja Crianza (Drops from £8.50 to £7)
- Trivento Malbec Reserve (Drops to £6.50)
- Fruit Orchestra Chenin Blanc Viognier (Drops to £6)
Morrisons
The following wines currently on offer in Morrisons are all good bets. The three at the bottom of the list are available as part of their two for £10 offer but only in England and Wales (due to multi-buy restrictions in Scotland). Discounts are expected to run until 24 November.
- Most Wanted Malbec (Down to £5.50)
- The Best Verdicchio (Drops to £6)
- Cono Sur Viognier (Down to £6)
- Alzar Merlot (2 for £10)
- Head Honcho Sauvignon Blanc (2 for £10)
- McGuigan Black Label Shiraz (2 for £10)
News
The race for Prosecco
Regulations were changed this year to allow Rosé Prosecco for the first time and retailers here are falling over themselves to get some. Examples should be in Aldi and Sainsbury’s this week and were thought to be in some Lidl stores yesterday. I will update you as soon as I can taste some.
£10 Fizz Friday
This Friday (6 November) we will be co-hosting the second of Wine Events Scotland’s Fizz Friday online events. Join us for this “BYO” style tasting where we will look at (and taste) six great value supermarket sparkling wines.
Buy one, two or all six of the wines or sit back and hear what everyone else has to say so you can choose you Christmas fizz with confidence.
Tickets are just £10 and available here.
We’ll be back on Thursday with our Pick of the Clicks feature looking at reasonably priced wine available online from retailers widely considered to be reliable.
