Drinks of the Month

 Six of the best reds to buy from Tesco

Six of the best reds to buy from Tesco

Tesco has 25% off six bottles of wine running through until December 1st 2020, a deal it would be worth taking advantage of if you’re stocking up for Christmas. (Note though that the offer does not apply to Tesco Express or branches in Scotland so check the exclusions - and the vintages. I'm only recommending ones I've recently tasted.)

Here are six reds that I think represent great value:

Madfish Shiraz 2018 on offer at £7 so £5.25 on this deal

A fresh peppery shiraz from Western Australia rather than the usual Barossa. Still quite substantial though at 14.5%. Would actually go really well with turkey or the Christmas ham. A bargain at this price.

Tesco finest* Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues 2019 - on offer at £7 and £5.25 on this deal.

If you’re a fan of Côtes du Rhône you’ll love this warm generous spicy red from the village of Signargues. Think hearty stews and sausages. Another fantastically good deal.

2018 Paco by Paco & Lola red down from £12 to £9 on this deal

This stylishly labelled juicy young Spanish red from Navarra is a blend of garnacha and tempranillo and would be a good wine to drink with tapas or the Boxing Day spread. The accompanying crisp white Paco & Lola albarino 2019 which is made from the on-trend albarino grape would also be a great buy but is only available in 292 branches and online which may be a problem if you can’t get a delivery slot by the 1st. Terrific match for seafood though.

DV Catena Cabernet Franc Historico 2018 down from £12 to £9 on this deal

Exceptionally classy cab franc from Argentina that bears favourable comparison with red Bordeaux. Would be great with roast beef or steak.

Latis Reserve Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 down from £10 to £7.50 on this deal

Two terrific wines from the south of France made by a French winemaker Herve J Fabre who worked in Argentina for many years which gives them quite an Argentinian character. Both would go with beef or lamb. Great value at this price though I wouldn’t baulk at paying £10 for them. (I’m not as impressed by the sauvignon blanc in the same range FWIW)

Wine of the week: a cut-price Sauternes

Wine of the week: a cut-price Sauternes

If you’re unsure what to buy it’s always tempting to go for a big name but when you find you’ve got an equally good option at half the price it’s mad not to go for that.

Tesco’s finest Dessert Semillon is an Australian sweet wine, made for them by the respected De Bortoli which would be the perfect wine to have with the last of the summer fruit (especially peaches and nectarines). The 2015 vintage is light (just 10%), lemony (with a touch of apricot) and lusciously sweet and incredibly good value at £6 a half bottle.

The Sauternes is good too and will age better but I suspect you’re not going to do that and at twice the price it really doesn’t make sense to buy it just for the name. (There's a great value one coming up in Lidl at the end of the month though.)

Incidentally a half bottle may not look much but will easily serve 4 and even 5 or 6 if you serve it in small glasses. And because it’s sweet it should be really well chilled.

If you’re wondering what else to pair with the semillon it will go with similar food to Sauternes

The best food pairings for Sauternes

10 bottles under £10 to buy from Tesco

10 bottles under £10 to buy from Tesco

Tesco has a 25% off six bottles deal running until December 3rd that’s worth taking advantage of for your Christmas booze shopping. It applies to both still and sparkling wines though bear in mind not all bottles will be available in all branches and that the discount doesn’t apply in Scotland.

Here are 10 under £10 I think are worth buying - mostly from the Tesco finest* range. Annoyingly I can't get the wines to link to the specific page on their website, just to tesco.com. Sorry.

Tesco French Malbec Pays d’Oc 2017 £3.75 down from £5

If you want a wine for mulling, cooking, swigging while you’re cooking or a good all-round party wine you can’t beat this southern French malbec (although the gutsy Tesco Nero d’Avola at the same price wouldn't be a bad alternative)

Tesco Finest Minervois La Livinière 2016 on offer at £8 - £6 on this deal

Minervois tends to have a higher proportion of syrah than other Languedoc appellations which gives the wines a more elegant character. A generous ripe robust (14.5%) red at a great price. Good enough for the turkey

Tesco Finest Médoc 2016 on offer at £7 - £5.25 on this deal

A really decent basic Bordeaux - though one to drink with food (like a Sunday roast) rather than on its own

Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2014 £6.38 down from £8.50

Smooth elegant rioja from one of the most consistently reliable producers Baron de Ley. Ideal with lamb.

Masalto Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 £6 down from £8

Having just been to Chile I’ve been reminded just how attractive their cabernets are. This is impressively smooth and structured - perfect for a steak or for slightly spicier beef dishes. Like the jazzy label too.

Tesco Finest Cauquenes Carignan 2015 £7.50 down from £10

Better still - and interestingly from the same producer, Chilean giant Concho y Toro, is this rich, gutsy carignan from Chile’s Maule valley aged for 20 months in oak (but amazingly not over-oaky) A wine with a lot of character that needs a big beefy stew

Tesco Finest Gavi 2017 on offer at £7 - £5.25 on this deal

A versatile smooth, dry ‘take me anywhere’ white you’ll like if you’re a Chablis fan

Tesco Finest Viré-Clessé 2016 on offer at £9.50 - £7.13 on this deal

Smart white creamy burgundy from respected negociant Bouchard Ainé et Fils. Perfect for fish pie or scallops

Tesco Finest SR 2017 £6 down from £8

An unusual blend of sauvignon and riesling with a smattering of Marsanne and Roussanne from the endearingly eccentric D’Arenberg. Not totally dry but not sweet either. Perfect party drinking especially with Asian-style nibbles.

Tesco Finest Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut in magnum £14.25 down from £19 (also available in standard-sized bottles though I can’t find them currently online)

Wines from the Valdobbiadene DOCG are always better than basic prosecco - this is really quite elegant and not over-sweet.

 Off the shelf: Tesco Cotes de Gascogne Blanc

Off the shelf: Tesco Cotes de Gascogne Blanc

At just £5* and 11% this is the perfect wine for this cash-strapped, trying-to-be-a-bit-healthier time of year.

I had the idea a while back of plucking the occasional bottle off the shelf to review and promptly forgot about it but readers tell me it's useful so I will try and remember to do it from time to time.

It comes from Gascony in the south-west of France where it’s made by the excellent Plaimont co-operative and has the same tropical fruity character as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

At only 11% it’s only 1.4 units and 81 calories per 125ml glass which makes it perfect if you’re cutting back rather than cutting out wine for January. (By comparison a 14% wine would be 1.8 units)

What to drink it with? Fresh-tasting food such as salads and fish. It’s a good early evening tipple and a perfect party wine.

Value for money 8/10

*from my local city centre Tesco Metro. It seems to be cheaper still online at £4.50

You may also find this post useful:

How many calories are there in wine?

Tesco finest* Swartland Shiraz Bag-in-Box

Tesco finest* Swartland Shiraz Bag-in-Box

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve recommended Tesco’s juicy, vibrant ‘finest’ Swartland Shiraz but now it’s appeared in bag-in-box format which makes it even more versatile.

Actually it’s probably just as well as the alcohol has crept up to 15% so none of us should really be having more than a glass at a time. (Er hem.)

It’s made by one of South Africa’s most characterful winemakers Adi Badenhorst up in the Swartland region. His excellent smooth dry Chenin Blanc is also in the range as is Tesco’s popular Picpoul de Pinet at a rather more modest 12.5%, a Fiano (14%) and a gluggable Montepulciano (13%) which would make an excellent match for a takeaway pizza.

Bag-in-box technology has immensely improved since the early days - they now adjust the level of gas to the type of wine - and these are just as good quality as a bottle. And the new 1.5 litre size - equivalent to two bottles - makes them easy to fit in an overstuffed fridge.

They’re not especially cheap but they’re on 25% promotion until Tuesday* if you buy the equivalent of 4 bottles (two boxes) which brings the shiraz down from £13.99 to £10.49 or £5.25 a bottle, the Chenin from £12.99 to £9.74 (£4.87 a bottle) and the Picpoul which is normally £14.99 down to £11.24 (£5.62).

I'd drink the shiraz with anything meaty from some big fat garlicky sausages to a steak.

PS An extra recommendation for you this week: while you’re in Tesco pick their finest* sloe gin (£15), one of the most delicious I’ve tasted. Great with stilton!

* I was assured when I checked yesterday although the main website Tesco.com is not showing the discount. You can however buy the same wines by the bottle on the wine site where the discount is shown. Confusing.

For a more extensive list of my recent recommendations from Tesco see here.

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