'I'm a wine expert and I'm so impressed by Asda's offerings - here are my favourites'

The great point about the Asda range is that they have a strong focus on own-label wines, often developed with long-established suppliers, but they also have regular brands that can be found in other shops.

This means that a browse of the Asda shelves will offer you familiar wines that you may have tried elsewhere but also the chance to try some of the Asda blends that have been specially made with their customers in mind and often priced at a great value level.

Here are some that really stand out for taste and quality.

Whites

Wine Atlas Feteascǎ Regalǎ, Romania, £6.08: This comes from Cramele Recas, an impressive winery I visited quite recently. Based just outside the city of Timisoara in western Romania, the winery is run by Philip Cox who originates from Bristol and his Romanian wife Elvira.

Over the years they have brought together huge hillsides of vineyards, replanted most of them and now run the most modern, well-organised winery I have seen in ages. The wines are fresh and lively in style, and they are exceptional value. This grape is slightly challenging to pronounce, (fet-asker) but it is well worth the effort.

It is packed full of delicious aromatic honeysuckle notes with peach, crunchy apples and a sprinkle of spice. Try it alongside lightly spiced prawns.

Exceptional by Asda, Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, Paarl, South Africa, £6.82: ‘Exceptional’ is Asda’s name for its new category of own-label wines, rather than my opinion, however this really is exceptional.

Made from grapes grown on old bush vines, although it doesn’t carry a ‘Heritage’ label, this has all the right baked apple and citrus flavours with a rounded, mouth-filling texture that has enough weight to cope with slow roasted pork or fishcakes.

Azul Marinho Alvarinho 2024, Vinho Verde, Portugal, £7.47: Portugal’s Alvarinho is the same grape as Spain’s Albariño, but because it comes from the southern side of the River Minho, it is spelt differently. It still has the same peaches and pears fruit flavours with a bright citrus backing. A Gold medal winner in the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Lugana 2024, Italy, £11.42: You may be able to find this wine under £10 but it is difficult to know just how long Rollbacks at Asda will last, so hurry to your local store as soon as possible to snap up this lovely, elegant wine. This comes from the Lugana area on the southern shores of Lake Garda. Made from the fairly unremarkable Trebbiano grape it still manages to gather up notes of white peach, honeydew melon and almond with a rounded, food-friendly texture.

Pink

The Wine Atlas Ile-de-Beauté Rosé 2024, Corsica, £6.97: Whoever thought of giving Corsica’s wine region the name Ile-de-Beauté was a genius. The island is beautiful in its own rugged way and the wines, in particular the rosé wines have developed a market of their own. Pale as Provence rosés they manage a touch more flavour from their mix of local grapes including the impossible to pronounce Sciaccarellu with Grenache and Syrah adding weight and flavour. Think strawberries and raspberries, with hints of peach and herbs.

Extra Special Pinotage Rosé 2024, South Africa, £6.23: As rosé prices climb higher, it is good to see that South Africa can make a really good, flavoursome dry rosé from its unloved Pinotage grape. Cherry and raspberry fruit, clear freshness and great value.

Red

Extra Special Douro 2023, Portugal, £6.97: There is a trend for cheap Portuguese wines to have a jolly scene on the label and a lot of sweetness in the wine. This wine bucks the trend and has a fairly boring label, and it is totally dry, which means it will go with food, in particular meaty dishes such as roast lamb, tagines or just a plate of sausages. Terrific value.

Extra Special Sicilian Reserve Red, 2021, Italy, £7.47: On offer at £7.47 at the time of writing, but liable to go up by £1 soon, this is still worth the money. Made from Nero d’Avola grapes grown on the beautiful island of Sicily, this is packed full of cherry, plum and blackberry flavours, with a gentle structure and a hint of spice on the finish. Perfect with burgers and sausages, but also terrific alongside a tomato-based pasta dish.

Exceptional by Asda, Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023, £8.03: The hot summer has probably meant that this kind of robust, flavourful, bramble and spice-filled wine has not been seen, apart from around a barbecue. But just wait a week or so and as temperatures fall, this will partner all kinds of pasta suppers, roast dinners and chunks of cheese. Amazing value.

Marques del Norte Extra Special Rioja Reserva 2019, Spain, £8.07: Possibly one of the best-value Riojas on the shelves, this is a Reserva, at around the same price as many Crianza wines. It is slightly old-fashioned in that it doesn’t have the lively, juicy fruit jumping out of the glass, and it has spent 18 months in barrel, maturing and developing complex flavours. It has blackberry, cherry and plum flavours supported by hints of clove and chocolate with a touch of oak on the finish but team this alongside a casserole or steak and it shines with flavour.

Fizz

Extra Special Crémant d’Alsace Brut, France, £9.98: Crémant is the word used for any French sparkling wine that doesn’t come from Champagne. It has to be made using the long, slow in-bottle fermentation method, which undoubtedly adds to the cost, so this one at under £10 represented great value. Local grapes Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc make up most of the blend, and it has zesty citrus fruit with floral notes and a fresh finish. Perfect as an aperitif.

Extra Special Crémant de Loire Rosé, £9.98: Crémant scores again, this time from the Loire, but still made in the traditional way. Cabernet Franc is the main grape with Grolleau Noir and Chenin Blanc making up the balance, giving this pink, frothy fizz a gentle taste of red fruits and a clean, fresh finish.