The best easy-drinking supermarket wines

If your take on ‘value’ means snagging a bargain on fine wine, Tesco has upped its game with more stores stocking real treats, and 20pc off with a Club Card. Besides last week’s Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte (€34.40/€43), think a svelte super Tuscan like Gaja Ca’ Marcada ‘Promis’ (€52/€65) or mineral Calvet Chablis 1er Cru (€30.40/€38).

If ‘value’ for you means easy drinking around the €10 mark for cracking open at the ring of a doorbell, then there’s something in every supermarket for you. For red wines under €10, Aldi’s clean and fresh Estevez Merlot Reserva (€7.99) is one of the better, though the Ponte de Xisto Duoro in selected Dunnes is worth the extra few euro (see below). In SuperValu, Nugan Estate’s simple, fruity Wally’s Hut range includes a smooth cabernet sauvignon and unoaked chardonnay (both €7.99).

Sticking with whites under €10, Dunnes has several crackers which enjoy 20pc discounts until Christmas. Try the lively Esparao Bico Amerelo Vinho Verde (€10) or elegant Chateau de Lauberdiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 2022 (€9.32). Lidl’s Iron Horse Barossa Chardonnay (€9.99) will please unabashed lovers of oaked chardonnay, or its Haraszthy Sauvignon Blanc (see below) will be less divisive. Many of the Tesco Finest range hover around €11–12 (less with a Club Card) and include somewhat left-field treats like a smart pecorino, as well as decent pinot grigio and friendly saint chinain.

Portugal and Italy stand out across several supermarkets for bang for buck. The new M&S Expressions range gathers well-priced wines featuring grapes that deserve to be better known from regions that do them reliably well.

It’s particularly strong on good value northern Italian whites: I’ve featured the Pecorino as today’s Wine of the Week, as the most versatile. From northern Portugal, Dunnes has two new exclusive Douro reds that offer great value thanks to the schist soils of this steep-terraced valley upriver from Porto. Lidl’s Isolado Douro Tinto is heftier in style but also in price (€15.99).

SuperValu also has deals on favourite classics. Château Lacombe Cadiot Bordeaux Superiere 2020 was a highlight of September’s French wine sale (back to €12.99, from €16.99); others have up to 50pc discounts, such as Chateauneuf du Pape Remy Ferbras (€15, from €29.99). Expect more classic Christmas wines in next week’s food issue.

Wines of the week

M&S Expressions Pecorino, Terre di Chieti IGT 2022, Italy, 12pc, €13.25 A classy all-rounder with or without food, this carries through on attractive aromas of lemon curd and almond skin with good concentration, crisp freshness and decent length. Try with seafood, pork or sheep cheese. From the same Expressions range, the peachy, herbal Ribolla Gialla (€11.75, 12pc) and fleshy gastronomic Roero Arneis (€13.25, 12.5pc) are solid bets and versatile, food-friendly options. Tesco Finest and Lidl also have decent pecorino at €9 but this is worth the extra euro. Marks & Spencer

Ponte de Xisto Duoro DOC 2021, Portugal, 14pc, €10 (from €12.50) An elegant wine that overdelivers with its balance of forest fruit and floor, minerality and structure thanks to hand-harvesting from higher altitude terraces, treading presses and partial ageing in new French oak. The grippier Vinhas de Xisto Reserva has wider availability (€11.20, from €14). Dunnes Stores; dunnesstoresgrocery.com

Haraszthy Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Hungary, 12pc, €9.99 A crowd-pleasing sauvignon sitting midway between New Zealand and French styles, with slightly smoky pink grapefruit aromas, and a restrained but fresh and zesty citrus and green apple profile on the medium-bodied palate. An easy pairing for cheese or fried snacks. Lidl

Cru Bourgeois Chateau Les Trois Manoirs Medoc 2019, Bordeaux, France, 13pc, €11.99 If you’re looking for a claret-style wine to serve to a gang (maybe with Stephen’s Day leftovers) this cabernet-led bordeaux blend is a solid if simple choice, medium bodied with cedar, spice and oak-framed forest fruit and firm tannins. Aldi

Finca Labarca Gran Reserva Rioja 2016, Spain, 14.5pc, €16.99 (from €21.99) Gran Reserva ageing (two years in oak, three in bottle) brings notes of black tapenade and dried fig to this bold blockbuster of a Signature Range rioja, with its rich black fruits based on 100pc tempranillo and dark spice and mocha notes from American oak. Goes well with roast meats and hard cheese, or enjoy solo. SuperValu ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​