'I'm a wine expert and here are my top Asda picks for under £10 a bottle'
It was only a few weeks ago that I wrote about Asda’s great value wines, but having tasted through 111 of their wines recently, I thought it worth adding a few more bargains to the list.
Apparently, the average price paid for a bottle of wine in the UK is now £7.85, which is about 7% higher than last year. This should mean that we are buying better quality wine, but it doesn’t. Duty has gone up by around 7% depending on the alcoholic strength of your favourite wine, and by adding VAT, plus all the fixed costs of bottles, labels, transport and margins, it turns out that we are just spending more on the same wine as before.
Asda works with a wine sourcing company who cut out middlemen along the buying chain and so keep prices down. Their team has inside knowledge of which Bordeaux château has a spare tank or two of wine that they really need to sell on, and how to get the best prices for some Asda own-label wines from Chile, South Africa and the rest of the world.
With £10 as my absolute top price but also bearing in mind the UK’s £7.85 average spend on a bottle, here are a dozen wines to look for on your next trip to Asda.
Fizz
The Wine Atlas Lake Garda Sparkling Brut, Italy £6.97: Walk away from Prosecco and try this delicious fizz that is made from flavoursome Garganega grapes instead of the rather boring Glera variety that goes into Prosecco. There are peach, almond and lemon flavours with a light, almost-dry style so it works as an aperitif as well as an end of the day reviver.
Reunite Sparkling Red, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, £6.52: There is something ridiculously fun about a sparkling red wine. Frothy, fruity and full of flavour, this wine is essentially red Lambrusco with a splash of Ancellotta grapes adding a touch more freshness and colour. The result is a deep, blackcurrant coloured wine with a frothy pink mousse, and a taste that is full of cherry and bramble fruit, a touch of herbs and a clear, cleansing acidity that makes it perfect alongside meats, sausages and as a fun party wine. Just 9.5% alcohol.
Whites
Asda Extra Special Viognier 2024, Vin de France, £7.74: Vin de France means that the wine is a blend from different appellations which sounds a little dodgy until you compare that with some extremely good wines from Australia that have a splash of wine from Tasmania, some from Clare Valley and the rest from Barossa. For this Vin de France, all the winemakers are doing is blending the right flavour characteristics to make a balanced wine from vineyards that are probably no more than over the next hill in another appellation. The result is this apricot-scented, peachy, vanilla-edged wine that goes well with chicken and creamy fish dishes.
Paul Mas Marsanne 2024, Occitanie, France, £7.74: Occitanie is the new name for the Languedoc, but whatever you call it, this is the region that has been transformed over the last two decades and Jean-Claude Mas has been the driving force behind that change. With a handful of his own estates, plus grapes sourced from the best growers in the region, Jean-Claude has encouraged new plantings, new varieties, sustainable viticulture and expert winemaking. This Marsanne is a fine example with light honeysuckle notes, peach and apricot flavours with a gentle, rounded finish.
Asda Extra Special Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2024, France, £7.96: Sneaking in just above the average bottle price, this is a gem of a wine, with all the zest and citrus crunch of good Sauvignon without some of the peapod and cut grass aromas of the Kiwi versions. It comes from the central region of the Loire Valley, and it has gooseberry and citrus flavours with a distinct minerally streak on the finish.
Exceptional by Asda Grüner Veltliner, Niederösterreich, Austria, £8.12: Any word with an umlaut in it is a bit scary but just call it Grooner. This has crisp peach and white pepper flavours that go perfectly with herby roast chicken or a light Thai curry.
Stellenrust Mason’s Kloof Sauvignon Blanc, Coastal South Africa, £9.97: Pushing right to the top of my price band, this is well worth the outlay. Stellenrust make top-notch wines, with a particular focus on picking the grapes at exactly the right moment to capture all the flavour. This has crisp citrus aromas, with bright, lively crunchy lemon and lime flavours, a sprinkle of herbs and a pebble beach finish.
Reds
The Wine Atlas Île de Beauté Red, Corsica, £6.97: There are plenty of lovely Corsican rosé wines on supermarket shelves, but this is the first great value red wine I have come across from this lovely island. Made from local grapes Neillucciu and Sciaccarellu, it has dark red fruits, supple tannins and a hint of spice on the finish. It will go well with a midweek pasta dish or cottage pie.
Exceptional by Asda Cahors Malbec 2023, France, £6.97: We are all so used to Malbec from Argentina with its sunshine ripened plush fruit and silky tannins that it is easy to forget that Malbec started out in France before cuttings were taken to South America. This is a taste of the original, with big mulberry fruit, a hint of spice and perhaps an edge more structure than Argentina can muster. Perfect with a steak, or meaty casserole.
Burdizzo Chianti Riserva 2021, Tuscany, Italy, £7.07: This is a real discovery and a bargain. Mainly juicy Sangiovese grapes with Caniolo and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon filling in the flavour profile, this is a light, fresh-tasting Chianti with creamy red cherry fruit and a long, savoury finish.
Asda Extra Special Barbera d’Asti 2021, Piemonte, Italy, £7.47: With a scattering of medals including a Silver from The International Wine Challenge, this is a wine to snap up for its great flavours and bargain price. It has lively, cheerful, spiced cherry fruit with a rounded, fresh palate that will go perfectly with pasta.
Asda Extra Special Leyda Pinot Noir 2024, Chile, £7.48:
Pinot Noir does really well in Chile’s Leyda Valley where sea breezes keep temperatures down and flavours stay fresh. This has jammy red fruit with bright summer berry and cherry fruit with a touch of spice and a finish that is well above its price point.