Top Ten Wines Under £10
All 5 star rated using the wineuncorked.co.uk rating system and all available now in UK supermarkets and independents ready to enjoy this festive season. The Co-op and Aldi are represented here – which isn’t a surprise as their wine ranges have gone from great to wow – but now we also find the nation’s long-term favourite Marks and Spencer in the list with their Classics range. New on the shelf, their Classics are priced at around £8 but offer great value examples of wines you may have heard of but not necessarily tried. Well now’s your chance.
Here are the Top Ten listed in ascending price from £5.99 to £10.
1
Lidl Chianti Riserva 2015
£5.99 Lidl
The fresh fruity flavours are a surprise when the label tells you this wine is five years old. Wines of this age normally start to lose their fresh flavours as they turn more into cooked fruit with a gravy edge. This wine has none of that with its blackberry and cherry juiciness with a hint of liquorice. There’s a bit of redcurrant sharpness to balance things out.
2
Aldi Exquisite Collection Australian Shiraz 2018
£5.99 Aldi
This is a complex red with aromas of sweet cherry, earthy plum and smoky chocolate. If that wasn’t enough then the flavour adds spice and a minty finish. You get a lot of flavour for the money.
3
Wine Chat Malbec 2019, 2.25-litre winebox
£18 (equivalent £6/75cl bottle) Sainsbury’s
Outstanding everyday wine in an unusually designed outer for this three bottle equivalent winebox. It may look whacky but inside is complex and fruity red that tastes predominately of blackcurrant jam which has a woody background and some violet floral notes going on. Great value.
4
Aldi Exquisite Clare Valley Riesling 2018
£6.99 Aldi
An attractive green-tinge to the yellow colour draws you in to the pear and sponge cake aromas. Fruity flavours of apple, lime and grapefruit are satisfying.
5
Orbis Organic Tempranillo Shiraz
£7 SPAR
A really fruity red with flavours of damson, strawberry and raspberry along with some creamy cherry. There’s also a bit of milk chocolate but that doesn’t add any excessive sweetness. A good food wine.
6
Co-op Irresistible Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2020
£7.50 Co-op
This pale yellow Sauvignon Blanc smells invitingly of Key Lime pie and floral passionfruit. The flavour is an interesting mix of gooseberry with a sprinkle of oregano. A complex and refreshing wine.
7
Torres Santa Digna Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2018
99wines £7.75
What a lovely wine. It starts all tinned mandarin segments then moves into gooseberry sharpness and finishes with melon. Intense sweet-sour flavours are a delight with or without food.
8
M&S Classics No.27 Chilean Carmenere 2019
£8 M&S
A lovely wine that keeps on adding to its taste list the longer you leave it open. The aroma starts all smoky and meaty then moves into mocha with plum and cherry fruitiness. Creamy vanilla yoghurt dominates the flavour with a nice touch of violet floral sophistication and a spicy finish. Just when you thought that was it the flavour adds another layer of barley cough drops.
9
M&S Classics No.30 Austrian Gruner Veltliner 2019
£8.50 M&S
Austrian wines may not normally be in your top picks of the wine aisle but you’ll change your mind after tasting this one – it’s a fruity, balanced, mouth-filling fragrant sensation. Aromas of fresh pears guide you in (no tinned pears here) along with a touch of toffee then the flavours open out into zingy green apple, ginger root and peach.
10
Extreme Bobal 2018, Spain
£10 Co-op
This is one of those grape varieties that is widely planted but not normally seen on the label as it usually forms part of a blend – it’s high levels of tannin and acidity mean its taste can be mouth-drying and mouth watering at the same time. So expect light fruity flavours of cherry then liquorice, followed by creamy coffee and earthiness.
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© Paula Goddard 2020 www.wineuncorked.co.uk
