“What’s the best supermarket for wine?” That’s a question I am often asked, and there is no definitive answer. It depends on what you’re looking for: bargain buys or interesting bottles?
What I don’t always point out, but should, is that the answer can and does change. Supermarkets have good and bad phases, depending not only on the buying team, but also on the constraints under which they’re operating. Will their customers tolerate higher prices? In the case of Aldi, for example, I suspect not, and, based on its most recent tasting, the store seems to be struggling to deliver the quality it has in the past.
In general, Aldi’s best range is Pierre Jaurant, one of the umbrella names for its French wines (the other being Chassaux et Fils, which is also not bad). There’s a clutch of new additions to the PJ range, including the fitou in today’s pick, which should go down well with fellow lovers of rustic French reds. Its Estevez Chilean wines, especially the reds, are also generally decent and drier than some of Aldi’s other wines, many of which are over-soft and sickly sweet.
Marks & Spencer, on the other hand, is on cracking form right now, with a really good range of Italian wines in its Found and new Expressions ranges. My only criticism is that both ranges have become unduly complicated: Expressions, for instance, apparently consists of wines that are typical of the region they come from, and wines that start off in the experimental Found range, such as the Ribolla Gialla (£7, 12%), tend to be moved to Expressions after a while, presumably once we’ve discovered them. The Classics range seems to suggest time-honoured favourites such as bordeaux and côtes du Rhône, but also includes less obvious wines such as grüner veltliner. It also features an appealing 2021 New Zealand pinot noir (12.5%) at £12 that could sit equally well in the Collection range, which is in theory more expensive, but actually seems similar in terms of price and quality (the 2022 Collection Tradición Malbec from Argentina, for example, made by the excellent Susana Balbo, is also £12). And some wines, such as the verdicchio in my pick, inexplicably don’t fall into any of these categories.
M&S is also not the easiest place to buy online: yes, some wines are available on the store’s website, but others only via Ocado, which seems to charge 50p to a pound more than you’ll pay in store. That said, though, Marks & Sparks currently has some really good buys with surprisingly keen prices that bear comparison with the discounters, as well as some genuinely interesting wines for anyone who is adventurous about what they drink.
Five good supermarket wine buys under £10
M&S Found Refosco 2022 £7.50, 13%. Bright, breezy, beaujolais-style red from the Veneto that would be perfect with pizza.
M&S Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2022 £7.50, 12.5%. Neutral, slightly nutty, goes-with-anything Italian white. One of the few wines that works with artichokes.
Estevez Chilean Merlot 2022 £4.29 Aldi, 13%. Bright, fruity and astoundingly drinkable for the price. Tip off your student offspring.
Pierre Jaurant French Fitou 2022 £6.99 Aldi, 14%. Good to see fitou back on supermarket shelves. A good, hearty, autumnal red.
M&S Expressions Marsanne 2023 £9, 13.5%. Full- flavoured, rich, South African white with a delicious whiff of grilled pineapple. Think satay skewers or other grilled pork or chicken.
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