in Reviews
This week’s top tips and current promotions
My supermarket stars this week include a favourite Portuguese red from the shelves of Iceland and a clever Chenin Viognier blend. Read on and you'll find the usual round-up of discounts, promotions and offers and my good value picks from each.
Rabo de Gala Vinho Tinto (£5.95 at Iceland)
This long-time favourite red (produced in Portugal from essentially local grapes) continues to sparkle on the shelves of Iceland.
Aromatic and medium bodied, it delivers bright and intense cherry and blackcurrant flavours with firm tannin, good acidity, a savoury, mace and clove background yet hints of sweetness too.
2020 Fruit Orchestra Chenin Blanc Viognier (£6 – instead of £8 instore until 16 March – at the Co-op)
Centrally imposed restrictions are making life tough for South Africa’s winemakers and even cast a shadow over the upcoming harvest. That is such a pity when they produce tasty wine like this clever blend of Chenin and Viognier.
Perfumed and textured, it has bright apple, peach and ripe melon flavours with pithy grapefruit acidity and hints of butterscotch to round the whole thing out nicely. It is on offer instore until tomorrow.
Current promotions
At Tesco
Tesco launched a new promotion last week which will run until the end of the month. A highlight among the offers is this white which we featured back in September:
- McGuigan Reserve Chardonnay (Down from £7 to £6 until 29 March)
At Asda
Don't forget, the current discounts at Asda end this week. One bottle well worth snapping up at the discounted price:
- Extra Special Soave Classico (Drops to £5.50 until 17 March)
At Morrisons
Discounts at Morrisons also finish this week (16 March). Here's one to try if you can get to a Morrisons store before the promotion ends:
- The Best Priorat (Down to £8 instore until 16 March)
At Marks and Spencer
The current set of offers at Marks and Spencer will continue until Easter. Head to your local store to see what's included, keeping an eye out for this one in particular:
- Lock Keeper's Reserve Shiraz (Down from £9 until £6 until 5 April)
At Waitrose
A new promotion kicked off at Waitrose last week and is expected to run until 6 April. This red, which we highlighted back in August, is included in the discounts with an impressive 25% off:
- Tempus Two Silver Series Cabernet Sauvignon (Down to £5.99 until 6 April)
At Co-op
Looking ahead, a new promotion starts this week at the Co-op. Among the offers is this good value Fairtrade white:
- Irresistible Sauvignon Blanc (Drops to £7 until 6 April)
At other retailers
The discounts at Sainsbury's continue this week. See last week's Top Tips post for details and my picks.
Thursday’s post takes a further look behind the wine scene to see which wines with 4+ star ratings on retailer websites also get a thumbs up from us.
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Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott is an established wine journalist, taster, judge and writer with a weekly column in Scottish newspapers.
Comments
6 Comments
Hi Brian, Not my ‘go to store’ for wine but I’ve bought the Rabo de Galo many times, can’t fault it for the price, they also do a reasonable Spanish red the ‘Marques del Bravo’ from Utiel -Requena (blend of Tempranillo & Bobal) for around the same price, it’s ok for a mid weeker if lacking a little depth, earthy and smokey, pretty tannic but softened a little in the glass., worth a try.
Thanks for the tip Dave – I will seek out a bottle.
Good to see the Iceland red highlighted.It really is a very decent Portuguese wine at a good price.
As you say, Paul, a more than decent drop and it is nice to feature a different supplier ….. Best ….. Brian
Hello Brian
I always shop Iceland for its readily available supply of decent frozen seafood at competitive prices. Holidaying regularly in Portugal these last several years there is a quasi-Iceland outlet near Albufeira where I discovered the Rabo de Galo originally. Along with Porta6 and Sainsbury’s Lisboa it provides for the cheapest of these, this style, and my shelf always accommodates several bottles, has even throughout the pandemic. I bought several at a time on delivered orders because there was an inconsistency in supply, one minute they had it, the next unavailable. Get it while I could. Maybe we shouldn’t expect too much from Iceland as a high-street wine provider where the Rabo’ is something of an anomaly and be grateful it is there at the money, sometimes £5.50, and take it when we go in, for whatever other groceries we choose from that shop. My disappointment was that at this time last year Decanter flagged-up a rather interesting Rioja at Iceland, a bottle amongst few, ever, where that magazine and store are concerned, as their ”High Street red choice not to be missed” . £7.45 would buy you Burgo Viejo Crianza 2017. and on investigation it was ”on the list” and reduced to £6.45 as well. Unbelievable I thought! But did it last more than a week or so? Iceland deliberately removed most of its wine offerings at this point. They probably thought that wine was the last thing of any importance in supplying the necessities during COVID. Availability of anything interesting but the ‘Galo was over, and that Rioja gone. Now in-store when they have put more choice back on the shelves there is none of this Burgo Viejo. Knowing your ”connections” with the retailers maybe you could find out where this ”absolute bargain” according to Decanter, has gone. I’d really like to get my hands on some to try. Meanwhile back to the ‘Galo
Best as ever … Eddie.
Good to hear from you Eddie as always and thank you for your thoughts on this wine. As you know, I have asked Iceland’s PR folk about that Rioja and will report back to you.
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