One of those mass-market wines that rarely, if ever, lets you down, this 26 million bottle blend from Chile’s biggest producer uses grapes from Maule, Rapel and the Maipo Valley. Subtly wooded, with classic blackcurrant pastille, mint and fresh herb flavours and a whisper of oak spices. Outstanding at the price.
Retailer: Morrisons
2016 Morrisons The Best Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont
( £6.50 down to £5.75, 14.5%, Morrisons )The Araldica co-op makes some of the best inexpensive reds and whites in northern Italy, typified by the quality of this juicy, spicy, sappy Barbera from Piedmont. Plum, black cherry and raspberry fruit are framed by savoury tannins and the tangy acidity that’s typical of the variety. Smooth and full-bodied, it’s a great all-purpose red to ease you gently into autumn.
2019 Morrisons The Best Verdicchio, Marche
( £6, down from £6.50, 12%, Morrisons )This is an outstanding bargain at £6.50. At the cheaper offer price, it’s close to a steal. Sourced from Monte Schiavo, it’s a wine that looks as good as it tastes. Perfect for seafood or white fish, it’s crisp, tangy and dry, with citrus and pine needle notes and the faintest hint of the salty seashore.
2015 Masseria Pietrosa Verdeca, Cantine San Marzano, Puglia
( £6 down from £8, 13%, Morrisons )Even at its normal price, this fine-looking Italian white from the country’s boot heel is a total bargain, but at £6 it shoudl ahve people queueing out of the door. Blending the local Verdeca grape (not the same thing as Verdejo) with 2.5% each of Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia, it’s a tangy, crunchy thirstquencher with flavours of pear and orange zest and lovely texture.
2014 Weingut Markus Huber Grüner Veltliner Morrison Signature, Niederösterreich
( £8, 12%, Morrisons )It’s great to see an Austrian Grüner of this quality in a major supermarket. It’s not a power packed wine, but what it lacks in weight, it makes up for in freshness. Floral and medium weight, with some pepper spice, pear and citrus fruit flavours and a zesty, tangy finish. A really good food wine – and I don’t say that very often.
2013 La Bodega de los Altos Andes Malbec, Mendoza
( £4.99, 13.5%, Morrisons )Excellent value at less than a fiver, this is a savoury, peppery Mendoza Malbec with good acidity, no obvious oak and attractive plum and bramble fruit. Ligther fresher and – crucially – drier than many commercial Argentinean reds.
2011 Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
( £16.99, 13%, Morrisons )This is one of the best value Pinots, not only in Australia, but the entire world. It’s just as good as plenty of village level Burgundies that would cost two or three times more. Subtle and refined on the nose, with aromas of wild flowers and a hint of earthiness, it’s fresh and persistent on the palate with impressive length, bright minerality and sweet and savoury notes. An Aussie Saivgny-lès-Beaune.