It has become almost unseemly to talk about drinking in January, but however many of us are doing dry January, it’s clear that the majority are not. We may be cutting back on the bills as well as the booze, though, so what I’m guessing you’re in need of right now are cheap reds.
They’re thinner on the ground than they were back in November and December, when all the retailers seemed to have an across-the-board promotion if they could tempt you into buying six bottles; it does make me wonder how much prices have been pushed up since to make up for that, especially in smaller outlets. Marks & Spencer is open about the fact that its wines are more expensive in shops that are run as a franchise, but that varies from product to product, a spokesperson told me: “For example, a certain wine could be 25p more in a station, but 50p more in a BP petrol garage.” Similarly, the Co-op sometimes quotes a higher price online than it does in store (which I’d argue is better than the other way around).
Anyway, a lot of the wines I’m tasting now are priced at between £9 and £11, presumably to allow for those regular discounts. Not all of them, though, and some of the bargains currently out there might well surprise you. Bordeaux, for example, which you can still find for less than £6 – a good example is the Tesco wine in today’s pick – and rioja reserva, which is regularly available at less than a tenner, particularly if it’s an own-label. But wines that used to be consistently good value, such as northern Italy’s barbera and reds from Portugal’s Douro region, are now hovering just under the £9 mark at best and are often more than a tenner, so I’d hang on for a discount before buying those.
When, though? At the time of writing, I had been told that the supermarkets currently have no plans to do any across-the-board promotions, but I wouldn’t rule it out. After all, if your main competitor is offering a multibuy, it’s highly likely that you’ll follow suit. Aldi, which never normally does discounts, slashed the price of more than 70 of its Specially Selected lines the week before Christmas, some of them by more than half. And someone – most likely the customer – has to pay for that somehow.
The other thing to bear in mind is that supermarkets rely on the fact that we are creatures of habit. If we discover a wine that we like when it’s on promotion, chances are we’ll carry on buying it when it goes up to full price, because there is so much choice out there that trying to find another wine you like just as much can stress you out. But it really doesn’t pay to be brand loyal these days.
Four cheap and cheerful winter reds
Specially Selected Costières de Nîmes 2022 £6.49 Aldi, 14%. An under-the-radar appellation that’s generally better than similarly priced côtes du rhône. Perfect January drinking.
Estevez Chilean Shiraz 2019 £6.49 Aldi, 13%. Chile produces some great shiraz these days, but not usually at this price. Vivid, bright and juicy.
Des Tourelles Claret Bordeaux 2022 £5.49 Tesco, 13%. A reminder what terrific value inexpensive bordeaux can be. Bargain.
The Scarlet Pimpernel 2020 £7.85 Co-op, 14%. Odd name for a wine, but an elegant, bordeaux-style red from the solidly reliable South African producer Journey’s End. Plus it’s Fairtrade.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
