Should you buy these Asda wine ‘bargains’?

I was recently sent six festive bottles that Asda has on promotion at the moment - well known classics at substantial reductions with some medal-winners among them (though it’s not clear whether these awards apply to the current vintage).

They arrived after I wrote my column for the Guardian about how some wines are habitually overrated. You can’t complain about these prices but will they live up to your expectations?

Chateauneuf du Pape 2019 14.5% £9.97 instead of £18

Slightly dubious original pricing - I’d have said it was worth more like £15-16 - and young for a Chateauneuf but undeniably attractive with a big wallop of rich spicy fruit.

Verdict: a good bottle for the Christmas table at a very fair price. Buy

Borsari Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 15% £9.97 was £13

Big and rich, but slightly coarse and clumsily oaked. Would disappoint if you’re an amarone fan

Verdict: Pass

Chablis 2018 12.5% £6.97 was £12

Not the best supermarket Chablis I’ve tasted - a bit softer, fruitier and less mineral than Chablis at its best though at under £7 you really can't quibble. Hard to see how it won a gold medal though

Verdict: Worth buying at this price as a crisp fresh white to drink over Christmas

Louis Dailly Pouilly-Fumé 2019 14% £7.97 was £12

There are a couple of weird things about this wine. One is that it’s labelled Grand vin de Bourgogne and bottled at Saint-Jean-d’Ardières in the Rhône. The other is that despite being 14% - high for a sauvignon blanc especially from the Loire - it tastes quite thin. There’s a lot of sauvignon blanc about at this price - most Touraine sauvignons would have more flavour - so don’t rush to buy it just because the offer looks good.

Verdict: Not impressed.

Louis Bernard Vintage Brut Extra Special 2008 12% £22

Rich, toasty and complex as you’d expect from a champagne of this age but is that necessarily what you want? if you’re looking for an aperitif you’d probably enjoy a fresher non-vintage style more. It would be cheaper too.

Verdict: Not a bad buy but there’s plenty of champagne on offer at the moment. I’d go for Lidl’s Comte de Senneval at £12.99 rather than this.

Filippo Sansovino Valdobbiadene Prosecco 11.5% £9 was £10

Really not exceptional either in quality or price. Even with £1 reduction they’re making a good margin on this.

Verdict: Pass. There are better buys out there if you’re a prosecco fan. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco which is currently £8, for one.

Overall: If you generally shop in Asda I’d buy a bottle or two of the Chateauneuf and Chablis but not the others. And I wouldn’t make a special trip to go there for these wines.

Valpolicella Ripasso 2013 Cantina Valpantena

If you’re on holiday in the wilds of nowhere chances are your only shop - in the UK at least - is a Spar. I would at one point have said that spelled death to the chance of a decent bottle of wine but was recently sent a selection which really wasn’t half bad.

And the good news is that all are on promotion at one point or another in the next couple of weeks

The best - and the most expensive - is a 2013 Valpolicella Ripasso from Cantina Valpantena (13.5%) which is normally £10 but on promotion at £8 until August 20th. Ripassos are more intense and sweeter than basic valpolicellas - they chuck in the skins that are used for making amarone - so it’s more of a wine to drink with a steak or a stew or, better still, a cheeseboard than a plate of pasta but it would be just the thing for the sort of wet windy evening that is a regular feature of an English summer holiday.

Another good Italian buy, and the best white I tasted, was the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2014 from the reliable Monte Shiavo (12.5%) which is currently £8 but goes down to £6.50 from August 21st. Ignore the naff curvy bottle - this is one of those immensely useful Italian whites that doesn’t taste of much but goes with practically everything, especially fishy pasta dishes. And is much, much nicer than your average pinot grigio.

I also thought the crisp, citrussy Castillo de la Mota Verdejo 2014 Rueda (12.5%) £7.50 reduced to £5.50 until 20/8 was decent. Another good one for seafood like fresh crab or, better still, fish and chips. You’ll like it if you’re a sauvignon blanc fan

And if you like Malbec - and who doesn’t these days? - try the M Malbec Pays d’Oc 2014 (13%) £7.50 but reduced to £6 from 21/8 which is a little soft for my taste but would still be a good drop with anything meaty. (I like their Argentinian one, the Rios de los Andes 2014 Argentinian Malbec less - it’s soupier still - but it’s only £6 at the moment and if it were the only one of the five available I would fall on it gratefully.)

These wines won’t, of course, be available in all Spar outlets - which may cause frustration but hopefully you’ll find at least one. With any luck the Valpolicella.