The best supermarket wines you’ve never tried

Buy wine like a pro: these are the best bottles hiding on supermarket shelves.

It doesn’t matter how much you know about wine – we’ve all gone down those supermarket wine aisles to find ourselves staring into an abyss of labels, not knowing where to start. With so much choice, it can be daunting to find something you’re guaranteed to like.

The good news is that you are in safe hands. Our UK supermarket ranges are put together by seriously experienced wine buyers and there are some great wines to be found. These are just a few of the bottles you need to discover.

1. Crémant

There is SO much good fizz out there that isn’t prosecco or champagne. Crémant is France’s finest sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region. It is crafted in exactly the same way, using the méthode champenoise, and comes with a much lower price tag. What’s not to love about that?

Try: Aldi is particularly good at finding interesting sparkling wines. We highly recommend their Exquisite Cremant du Jura for £7.99.

2. Greek whites

Greek white wines should be top of your list. Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it (yet) but Malagousia is one of the country’s main indigenous grape varieties. If you like the sound of limey citrus notes and flavours of exotic fruits coupled with a whole lot of freshness, then this is the wine for you. It's the perfect wine to drink if you want to pretend you're on holiday.

Try: Get the excellent Thymiopoulos Malagousia from Marks & Spencer for £10. They also stock an Assyrtiko which is well worth a try.

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3. Gruner Veltliner

Do you have a wine geek friend that talks about minerality? Well here is a wine that can help you see what they are talking about. Gruner Veltliner can have lovely peachy fruit and a ‘stoney’ character, in the wine world known as the above mentioned ‘m’ word.

Try: Try Morrison’s Wm Morrison Gruner Veltliner for an impressive £8.

4. Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio: are they the same thing? Yes and no. Yes, they are the same grape variety – ‘Gris’ is the French name and ‘Grigio’ is the Italian name – but the grape is made in two very different styles. Just to confuse the matter, this grape is also planted all over the world but, for the most part, international winemakers tend to align the style with the name. Gris wines will generally be more tropical and heavily spiced whereas those sold as Grigio are often citrusy, light and crisp.

Try: From the Australian island state of Tasmania comes the bright Eddystone Point Pinot Gris, lovely and tropical with hints of ripe pear. It’s excellent with spicy food. Get it at Asda for £13.98.

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5. Dry Tokaji

If you’re a sweet wine fan, you may have heard of Tokaji. Made exclusively in Hungary, mainly from a grape called Furmint, it can be extremely expensive and hard to get your hands on. You may not know that the Furmint grape can also be used to make excellent dry wines, offering lovely high acidity as well as full body. Think peaches, honeysuckle, lemon, spice and that aforementioned minerality. Any Furmint you can get your hands on is going to be worth trying.

Try: Lidl brings in Dry Furmint Dereszla for a limited time only, for around £6.

6. Barbera

Malbec fans, Barbera is going to scratch your itch. Grown in the north of Italy, it is typically chocolatey with a nice freshness and red fruits. Think of it as the wine equivalent of a catch up with an old friend: comforting and reliable, it’s sure to leave you feeling good.

Try: Start with Tesco Finest Barbera for only £9.

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7. Beaujolais

Beaujolais, always made from the light-to-medium bodied grape Gamay, is not only dangerously easy to drink but also a brilliant wine to drink with food. As the Crus, aka the top winemaking areas in the region, do not state ‘Beaujolais’ on their label it is sometimes hard to recognise. Brouilly is the most southerly Cru and known as a crowd-pleaser because it is just that: really, really lovely.

Try: Waitrose stocks Henry Fessy Brouilly for £12.99

8. Tempranillo

Love wines from Rioja? They're predominately made from the grape Tempranillo, often softened out with a touch of oak, which is one of the most-planted varieties in Spain. Spain, however, isn’t the only country making great Tempranillo. One of Australia’s most renowned family-owned wineries, Yalumba, is doing marvellous things with this vibrant variety.

Try: Swap the old world for the new world and head to Co-op for the Yalumba Running with Bulls Tempranillo for £7.99.

9. Garnacha

Garnacha or Grenache? Again, it’s all the same thing: one word is Spanish, the other French. Grenache is used in many blends, including those from the Rhone, to give body and fruit to a wine. It is also very easy to drink on its own. Think a red fruit hug with a whole lot of spice.

Try: The Spar ‘G’ series Garnacha is plain gorgeous at £6.

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10. Sherry

Sherry still remains one of the best value wines around. If you are struggling to get your head around the different styles, an amontillado is a great place to start. It's dry, nutty, rich and screams out for a bowl of almonds or plate of jamón.

Try: We love Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 12-Year-Old Amontillado. The best thing? It's only £8 and will stay fresh in your fridge for a month once opened.

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