90

2021 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

( £6.50-£7.50, 13.5%, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose )

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.

BuyDrinking window: 2023-28Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90-94, Chile, Red, Cabernet Sauvignon
92

2020 The Hedonist Shiraz, McLaren Vale

( £11.99, 14%, Waitrose )

If you like your Aussie Shiraz big, ripe and richly wooded, this wine might seem on the light side, but I love its perfume, texture and balance. Subtly oaked in larger French barrels, it has bramble, raspberry and wild herb flavours, supporting freshness, a dusting of five spice and supple, fine-grained tannins. A lot of wine for £11.99.

BuyDrinking window: 2023-28Similar Wines: £10-15, 90-94, Australia, Red, Syrah
92

2021 Little Giant Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills

( £12.99, 13.5%, Waitrose )

Australian Chardonnays have been through a revolution over the last decade, emerging as fresher, brighter and better balanced wines that work really well with food. This example from the cool climate Adelaide Hills is a real find at the price, with aromas of gunflint, lemon butter, and layers of peach and citrus zest. Beautifully balanced.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-26Similar Wines: £10-15, 90-94, Australia, White, Chardonnay
93

Villa Cafaggio, Chianti Classico, Tuscany

( £10.49 until November 29th, 13.5%, Waitrose )

At the reduced price – hurry because the offer ends next week – this is the best value Chianti Classico in the UK right now. Made with the help of veteran consultant Attilio Pagli, it’s a spicy, floral, perfumed Sangiovese, with impressive underlying structure, violet, plum and red cherry notes and subtle hints of clove, tobacco and oregano. Very tasty.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-28Similar Wines: £10-15, 90-94, Italy, Red, Sangiovese
92

2021 Waitrose Loved & Found Loin de l'Oeil, Gaillac

( £8.49, 12%, Waitrose )

Waitrose’s Loved & Found range is a great value source of lesser known varieties. This one is made from the very rare French grape Loin de l’Oeil – easier to drink than it is to pronounce – and packs a lot of flavour for a sub-£10 white. Tangy and juicy, with layers of pink grapefruit and nectarine, some weight from ageing on its fermentation lees and a bright, chalky finish. Delicious stuff from Jean-Noël Barrau.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-25Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90-94, France, White, Loin de l'Oeil
91

2021 Waitrose Loved & Found Frappato, Sicily

( £7.99, 13.5%, Waitrose )

Young Frappato is Sicily’s answer to a juicy Beaujolais, bursting with perfume and bouncy fruit flavours. This impressive find from Waitrose comes from vineyards in Trapani and Marsala and is a very well-priced example of the grape’s charms, with flavours of wild strawberry, pomegranate and candy floss, tangy acidity and a nip of tannin. The perfect end-of-summer chilled red.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-24Similar Wines: £5-9, 90-94, Italy, Red, Frappato
91

2021 Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose, Coteaux de Béziers, Languedoc

( £6.99 until August 30, 12.5%, Waitrose )

Fed up with paying high season Côte d’Azur prices to drink your favourite Côtes de Provence rosé? Then try this from the Languedoc instead. At the £3 off price until the end of the month, it’s one of the best pink bargains in the high street. Marrying Grenache with 40% Cinsault and 10% of a much rarer grape called Caladoc, this tastes as good as it looks, with raspberry, redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit, a hint of Medieterranean herbs and impressive depth and concentration. Perfect for the last two weeks of summer.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-24Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90-94, France, Red, Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah
92

2020 Weinhaus Sauvignon Blanc Kalkstein, Pfalz

( £7.49 until July 12th, 12.4%, Waitrose )

A white wine for Pouilly-Fumé lovers on a budget, especially at the reduced price until next month, this brilliant Sauvignon Blanc comes from the German Pfalz region of all places. Combining aromas of elderflower and nettles, it has a stony, gunflint-scented nose, flavours of kiwi fruit and gooseberry and a dry, racy, low-alcohol finish.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-24Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90-94, Germany, White, Sauvignon Blanc
91

2021 Domaine Zafeirakis Malagousia, Tirnavos

( £12.99, 13%, Waitrose )

This delicious Greek stunner isn’t available in all of Waitrose’s stores, but it’s well worth tracking down. Made from organically farmed Malagousia grapes on schist soils close to Mount Olympus, Christos Zafeirakis’ unoaked white is floral, musky and enticing, with passion fruit, citrus and clementine flavours and stony, refreshing acidity.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-25Similar Wines: £10-15, 90-94, Greece, White, Malagousia
93

2020 Laurent Miquel La Vérité, IGP Pays d'Oc, Occitanie

( £17.99, 14.5%, Waitrose )

Every bit as good as the much more vaunted (and expensive) wines of Condrieu in the northern Rhône, this is an appealingly rich, scented, heady Viognier from the Languedoc that still manages to keep its feet on the ground. Peach, citrus and honeysuckle notes are framed by nuanced, spicy oak and supported by acidity. Exotic, palate-coating stuff.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-26Similar Wines: £15-20, 90-94, France, White, Viognier
90

2021 Luis Felipe Edwards Macerao Naranjo Orange Wine, Itata Valley

( £8.99, 13.5%, Waitrose )

It’s good to see a well-made orange wine making it into the Chilean mainstream thanks to Luis Felipe Edwards. And this is definitely at the cleaner, less funky end of the spectrum. Macerated on skins for 90 days, it’s an unfiltered Moscatel de Alejandría from the undulating, spectacularly beautiful Itata Valley, with black tea, honey and orange zest flavours and bright, tangy acidity.

BuyDrinking window: 2022-24Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90, Chile, White, Moscatel de Alejandría
90

2020 Stemmari Grillo, Sicily

( £6.74, 13%, Waitrose )

I thought this seafood friendly Sicilian white was really good value at £8.99, but it’s even better on offer at £6.74. Picked at night to retain acidity and sourced from vineyards at 400 metres in the foothills of Mount Aurelian, it’s suitably tangy and refreshing with no wood to interrupt the precision or vibrancy of the fruit flavours. Salty and briney, with a stony undertone, wild herb and citrus intensity and a refreshing, tapering finish.

BuyDrinking window: 2021-24Similar Wines: £5-8, 90-94, Italy, White, Grillo