Last minute buys from Sainsbury’s 25% off deal

Sainsbury’s hasn’t held a press tasting this year so I’m not totally up to speed on their range but here are some wines I’ve enjoyed in the past and which are currently on a 25% off six bottles deal until tomorrow night (December 13th 2020)

Note the offer is not available in Scotland and excludes bottles under £5 in England or £7 in Wales. It also excludes bottles 200ml and under, Sainsbury’s House wine, fortified wine, boxed wine & gift sets. Max 36 bottles. Available in selected stores.

Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco On offer at £8 so £6 on this deal

Always a reliable prosecco option and at £6 it’s a no-brainer

Ellercombe English sparkling wine on offer at £18 so £13.50 on this deal

One of the best inexpensive English sparkling wines I’ve tasted. Well worth snapping p at this price

Taste the Difference Douro White

75cl on offer at £8.75 but £6.56 on this deal

Appealing, crisp Portuguese white from a region better known for its reds (and port, of course) A really good bet if you want something different. Would be great with a fish pie

DV Catena Malbec on offer at £10 so £7.50 on this deal

Really nice smooth malbec. Perfect with a steak

Other wines I’d be inclined to go for though can’t vouch for the vintage

Taste the Difference Saint Chinian normally £9 so £6.75 on this deal

Saint Chinian can be quite rustic but the high proportion of syrah makes this really quite elegant despite its 14% alcohol. Good for a beef stew

The Taste the Difference Languedoc red and white are ultra-reliable too. The white which is a slightly spicy Rhône-ish blend is on offer at £6.75 so would be £5.05 on this deal. The red isn’t so at £7.50 would be £5.62. Good for everyday drinking over the Christmas period.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Courlandes on offer at £15 so £11.25 on this deal

The last vintage I tasted was the excellent 2015 but the website isn’t showing which one is available currently. At this price a younger vintage would be preferable but it’s worth a whirl not least cos it looks the part. Drink with the turkey.

Also, I can’t find it online but the Taste the Difference Ribera del Duero 2018 I recommended a few weeks ago in the Guardian at £9 is a really good buy if you find it in store and should make rioja fans very happy. I'd drink that with roast lamb.

7 bottles to buy from Sainsbury’s (updated)

Sainsbury’s has got one of its periodic 25% off 6 bottles deals over the Easter weekend of which you may want to take advantage.

It applies to bottles that are already on promotion but has a fair number of exclusions - bottles under £5, their House range, mini bottles, fortified wines (so no sherry - boooo!) and is not available in Central or Local branches or in Scotland. It ends on April 23rd.

Taste the Difference Azana White 2017 on offer at £6.75, £5.06 on this deal

What’s called a Cape White in South Africa - a smooth full-flavoured blend of chenin blanc, grenache blanc, chardonnay and viognier. Good for an early barbecue.

Taste the Difference Grüner Veltliner 2017 £8.25, £6.25 on this deal

Crisp, fresh versatile white - one of the consistently best wines they do in the TTD range.

Taste the Difference Zweigelt 2017 on offer at £8, £6 a bottle on this deal

Attractively fruity Austrian red you’ll love if you're into Beaujolais and pinot noir. Good for lighter spring meals.

Taste the Difference Saint Chinian 2016 £9, £6.75 a bottle on this deal

Saint Chinian can be quite rustic but the high proportion of syrah makes this really quite elegant despite its 14% alcohol. Good for grilled meat. (Cheaper still if you're looking for everyday drinking is the ever-reliable TTD Languedoc red which is on offer at £6.25 so therefore £4.69 on this deal.)

Taste the Difference Saint-Emilion 2016 on offer at £10, £7.50 on this deal

I’m not a big fan of supermarket Saint Emilion but 2016 was an exceptional vintage and this is a really appealing wine - smooth and ripe with a touch of oak but not overly obtrusive. Would go well with roast beef or lamb

Maison du Cirque on offer at £12, £9 a bottle on this deal

Smartly bottled sparkling wine from Limoux in the Languedoc from the clever Jean-Claude Mas (who also makes the Languedoc red I mention). 100% chardonnay so it's a blanc de blancs. Attractively smooth and creamy. Perfect Easter fizz.

Sainsbury's also has its Taste the Difference Prosecco Conegliano 75cl on promotion at £7.50 a bottle which makes it £5.63 a bottle when you buy 6.

10 good wine buys from the current Sainsbury’s offer

In anticipation of a England World Cup win that sadly didn’t happen Sainsbury’s is running a 25% off six bottles deal this weekend (with some exclusions* including sherry which I normally hoover up when they have one of these promotions). But there are plenty of other good deals

Here are 10 I think are worth snapping up before the offer closes on Sunday night - note you only have to buy six bottles in total not six of the same wine. (I'm recommending these on the basis of the vintage I've most recently tasted so look out for the vintages given here)

Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco in magnum - usually £21, on promotion at £16.50 and £12.38 a bottle when you buy 6 - i.e. £6.19 a standard bottle
One of the most reliable own label proseccos - well worth buying if you’re a fan.

Taste the Difference Blanc de Noirs champagne - normally £18 but £13.50 a bottle when you buy six
Rich and toasty - not quite as good as it once was, maybe, but hard to complain at this sort of price.

Taste the Difference Barrihuelo Rioja Blanco 2017 - normally £7.50, reduced to £6.25 and £4.69 a bottle when you buy 6
Nicely rounded smooth white rioja that you could drink with seafood, tapas or paella

Taste the Difference Austrian Riesling 2017 £8.50 reduced to £6.38 if you buy six bottles
There’s just a touch of sweetness in this Austrian riesling but not as much as you’d expect from a German one. Pretty, floral and crisp - great as an aperitif or with Cantonese or south-east Asian food.

Taste the Difference Cotes du Jura Chardonnay 2016 - normally £11, reduced to £8.25
Jura chardonnay doesn’t taste like chardonnay from anywhere else - its minerality is Chablis-like but it’s got an earthy edge that’s almost like a natural wine. Complex and textured - it would be great with roast chicken with a white wine sauce or with Comté cheese. If you’re interested in alternative flavours definitely give it a try - it’s a bargain at this price.

La Terrasse Rosé 2017 - normally £10, £7.50 on this deal (also available in magnum)
Not super-cheap but a fair price for a darker-than-usual full-flavoured rosé that would be great with a barbecue (or Sunday's world cup final). Also spot on with a nice chunk of Brie and a baguette.

Baron Gassier Provence Rosé 2017 in magnum - normally £24 a bottle but £18 if you buy six bottles
If you like rosé in magnum this is a cracking buy (though I’m not sure I’d pay the full price for it). Classic pale, pink/gold Provence rosé - it would be lovely with a salad niçoise

The best food pairings for rosé

Taste the Difference Languedoc Red 2017 - normally £7, on promotion at £6.25 and £4.69 a bottle when you buy 6
One of the most consistently reliable own label reds, a classic blend of southern French grapes (grenache, syrah, carignan and mourvèdre) Great everyday drinking, now and through the autumn.

Taste the Difference Lisboa Portuguese Red 2016 - normally £7, £5.25 on this deal
Appealing, juicy, quaffable Portuguese red - perfect for barbies or a Friday night pizza

Taste the Difference Gigondas 2015 - normally £14, reduced to £10.50 when you buy six
It’s also worth taking advantage of this sizeable discount to buy wines you might not normally feel justified in splashing out on. A big ripe Chateauneuf-style red from the excellent 2015 vintage. Save for a Sunday roast

*Excludes bottles of wine under £5, bottles 200ml and under, all House wine, all fortified wine, boxed wine and gift sets. Subject to availability. Selected stores only. While stocks last. Offer excludes centrals and locals. Offer available online. Offer applies to online orders delivered from 11 July 2018 until and including 15 July 2018.

Rioja - and rioja drinkalike - bargains

Rioja remains one of the most popular reds in the UK, not least because of its price, and there are two bargains right now that any rioja-lover should snap up.

Majestic has 25% off all riojas this weekend which brings their gold medal-winning* own label 2009 Definition Rioja Reserva down to £8.99 if you buy six bottles instead of the ‘normal’ price of £11.99 (though admittedly it’s usually discounted to £9.99 on the ‘mix six’ deal). That’s a really good price for a nearly seven year old wine that still shows plenty of opulent ripe fruit. Unusually it’s aged in French and Caucasian barrels rather than the usual - for Rioja - French oak. One for your Sunday roast.

The other is a more unusual wine from Sainsbury’s - the Taste the Difference Graciano 2014 which actually comes from La Mancha, not Rioja, but is made from one of the grapes used in the Rioja region. It’s a younger wine - a deep, exotic, fragrant red that would work well if you were cooking a middle-eastern Ottolengi-ish lamb dish and is fantastically good value at £6 a bottle with a further 25% off from next Tuesday if you buy six. So just £4.50 - a no-brainer really.

I’ll be posting my selection of Sainsbury’s wines early next week so you can take advantage of that offer.

*At this year’s International Wine Challenge