The supermarket own-label wines to snap up now – including a brilliant £22 champagne
Picking a bottle of wine you’ll love at the supermarket is part art, part luck – not a science. There’s no failsafe way to do it. But there are hacks and tips that can point you in the right direction. You’re here, reading this from someone who tastes a ludicrous number of supermarket bottles, so that’s a start. My best advice for striking gold in front of the supermarket bottle-wall? Head straight for own-label.
Granted, some retailers do own-label better than others; read on to find the supermarkets whose wine ranges I rate most highly. But wherever you shop there are some seriously good bottles hiding behind anonymous supermarket livery. And some of them, like the Sauternes that Aldi sells at Christmas-time (it’s from Château Suduiraut) are made by stars of the winemaking world.
I’ve tasted hundreds of bottles to pick two standout own-label (or private-label) wines from each major supermarket. The selections take into account special offers, as well as a mix of countries, prices and styles (red, white, sparkling). Let me know which own-label bottles you rate.
Aldi
Most Aldi wines are created expressly for the discount store, whether they’re so-called private label (brands developed especially for Aldi, such as the popular Veuve Monsigny champagne), or part of Aldi’s Specially Selected or Unearthed collections. Aldi sells two seasonal ranges, for spring-summer and autumn-winter; the much-loved Crémant du Jura is part of the A/W range and already gone for this year. It also runs a wine of the week promotion.
What to buy
Asda
Extra Special is the name of Asda’s own-label range but, like other supermarkets, it also carries some wines that are made specially for its range and not available anywhere else. I’ve recommended one of these below since it’s a particularly good wine for the price.
What to buy
Booths
Booths’ reputation is so good, and its branding so smart, that the E.H. Booth & Co. label has become a stylish selling point, like a mini Fortnum & Mason. The wines are reliable across the range, so if you live near a branch of this northern chain, count yourself lucky. The supermarket does run promotions, but the own-labels are rarely sold on offer: the philosophy is year-round benchmark value.
What to buy
Co-op
Co-op is a very under-appreciated place at which to shop for wine although, for me, the own-label bottles aren’t its greatest strength. That said, there are still some seriously good wines in its range, including the Les Pionniers Champagne, which often triumphs in blind tastings against other supermarket fizz. Irresistible is the name of its main range but there are other own-label brands too.
What to buy
Lidl
Many of the best wines in Lidl aren’t own-label but found among the so-called “Wine Tours” – collections that change each month – rather than in the core range sold all year round. As far as own-label goes, I rarely find much to recommend in the Deluxe range that Lidl calls its own but there are some good picks amongst the “private label” wines, usually simply marked with the name of the wine and no other branding.
What to buy
M&S
Almost all M&S wines are own-label and to help customers navigate the bottles, the upmarket retailer has a number of ranges. M&S Collection is the top tier, Found is a collection of reasonably priced (£7-10) off-the-beaten-track grapes; Classics are representations of favourite styles; while Expressions is an affordable range (with a label that looks like an old tax disc) of expressions of different grapes.
What to buy
Morrisons
Morrisons’ The Best range is highly variable, but for a broad steer head towards Iberia, in particular the Portuguese red wines (The Best Douro and Dão) and the wonderful sherries. In sparkling, the Crémants de Limoux (both the white and rosé) are also noteworthy. The range is frequently promoted, using both multi-buy and straightforward discounting mechanisms.
What to buy
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has two own-label ranges. House is the budget option, with bottles priced around £5-6 but there is better value for money (and a lot more choice) to be had by trading up to the Taste the Difference range. Promotions typically last around three weeks with discounts available only to Nectar cardholders.
What to buy
Tesco
Tesco does own-label brilliantly, with a huge range that offers impressive variety as well as high quality at different prices. There are also a number of exclusive brands alongside its Finest and Tesco ranges, many of which are often offered at special prices to Clubcard holders. Picking out just two wines doesn’t do justice to the number of good bottles here.
What to buy
Waitrose
Waitrose has a number of own-label ranges, including Blueprint (a pretty reliable set of classic styles at entry-level prices); No 1 (a more premium range); Loved & Found (a collection dedicated to unusual grape varieties) and On the QT (finer, limited-edition wines made in collaboration with star producers).
