Top Ten Wines of 2016 priced between £6 and £9 this week. Majestic and Sainsbury’s are putting up a good show with other supermarkets making up the rest of the Top Ten. So what can you expect from a white wine in the above average price per bottle bracket?
Lots of flavours that all complement each other so that no one flavour dominates, plus the ability to keep on drinking to the end of the bottle rather than getting bored half way down – which can be the case with some cheaper whites where only one or two flavours make up the wine.
And when you start getting into the £8+ range you’ll also notice a distinct change in the label quality and design. This is because when a wine maker can get more profit per bottle they can justify spending just a little bit more on good graphic design and thicker paper for their labels. Which is part of the ‘posh’ feel you sense when handling the vessel leading to warmer, possibly less judgemental analysis, on drinking the wine.
So how can you avoid this high price bias? Well you could buy all your bottles ‘blind’ without seeing the label (which is going to be difficult to do unless you attend what is know as a ‘blind tasting’ where the labels are deliberately covered up) or you could seek someone else’s advice on what to buy – possibly a wine columnist who has tasted lots and lots of wines so is able to put each wine into context.
Well here they are in ascending order of price.
Top Ten White Wines of 2016 £6 to £9
Finca Las Moras Argentinean Pinot Grigio 2015
£6.99 Co-op
A really refreshing and fruity white with flavours of peach, pear, apple and apricot. A good choice for the festive season if you’re not sure of the wine likes and dislikes of your guests as it’s hard to not like it.
La Casa de Sitios de Bodega Spanish Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£6.99 Co-op
Light gooseberry, mandarin, melon and apple – a nice mix of fresh flavours.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2015
£7 Sainsbury’s
A juicy wine with flavours of lemon, lime, melon and hints of honey and freh herbs. A good match to roast chicken.
Tesco Finest Argentinean Torrontes 2015
£7 Tesco
Aromas and flavours of oranges and lemons (say the bells of St. Clements).
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference South African Fairtrade Chenin Blanc 2015
£7 Sainsbury’s
Lemon Bakewell – without the custard.
Aldi Exquisite Collection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£7.49 Aldi
Nicely balanced wine.
Le Bernet French Graves Sauvignon Semillon 2014
£7.50 Sainsbury’s
Light and creamy with flavours of apple, orange and almond. It’s got the sweet-sour flavours that match so well to food.
Pazos de Ulloa, Spain
£7.99 Majestic
Another sweet-sour flavoured white: pear, melon and lemon.
Morrisons Alsace Gewurztraminer 2015
£8 Morrisons
Juicy sweetness: melon, pear and pineapple.
Morandé Chilean One to One Gewurztraminer 2016
£8.99 Majestic
Lovely fresh flavours of mandarin orange, apple and a bit of lemon.
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© Paula Goddard 2016
