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What sort of wine to buy in a bin end sale: 12 tips to help you bag a bargain
If friends and family have drunk you out of house and home over the holiday you may be looking to top up your stocks at this time of year, especially as many merchants have bin end or clearance sales. But is buying wine that way a good idea?
Supermarkets, of course, have cut price deals all the time but wine merchants generally have a promotion a couple of times a year to make way for new lines and vintages or clear Christmas stocks.
Sometimes they only have a few bottles left - not enough to put on display. Sometimes they want to shift rather more of a wine that’s simply not selling or that needs drinking up. It’s always a bit of a lottery but you stand a better chance of bagging a bargain if you follow these tips.
* With some merchants the best bargains go quickly so try and get an advance list of what’s on offer. Be ready to hit the phone as soon as the sale opens for the best bottles. If you miss them make sure to get on the merchant's mailing list for the next sale.
* Don’t take the store’s word for it that the price they're offering is the best one. Make a shortlist of the wines you fancy then compare the prices elsewhere either by Googling them or checking out a price comparison site like wine-searcher.com
* Check any ratings too. Third party endorsements are more reliable than what the merchant is saying about the wine. Of course they’re going to say it’s fabulous! Be wary of half price or greater than half price offers which smack of desperation or overpricing in the first place
* Check the vintages, bearing in mind that southern hemisphere harvests are six months ahead of northern hemisphere ones. Look for recent vintages (2015 at the time of writing) in the case of young, fresh, inexpensive wines like crisp whites and rosés. Older vintages e.g. 2010 Bordeaux should be fine with more expensive wines but it’s more of a lottery. if you’re planning to spend a fair amount check a vintage chart like Berry Bros & Rudd’s.
* If you’re in a shop look at the conditions under which the wines are kept - wine is not at its happiest stored under hot bright lights, for example. Examine older bottles for ullage - where the wine has fallen back down the neck of the bottle due to evaporation which might indicate a problem with the cork (see this rather fascinating technical explanation on the Sotheby’s website)
* Go for less familiar wine producing countries such as Bulgaria, Slovenia and Portugal or less well known regions of better known countries like Spain. Wine merchants love to take on obscure wines but can’t always shift them.
* Choose trusted producers in better known wine regions (which obviously doesn’t help if you don’t know who the trusted producers are. Which is why you need to get to know your wine merchant. Or do a quick Google search.)
* Look for deals on sweet and fortified wines like port and richer styles of sherry especially after Christmas when shops find it more difficult to sell this type of wine.
* Bear in mind that whites can age just as well if not better than reds. Old rieslings are a great buy in a wine sale. Chablis ages surprisingly well too.
* That said, bin ends tend to need drinking up - which is why they’re bin ends - so probably won't be suitable for medium to long term storage. Remember halves age faster than standard bottles and magnums more slowly
* Don’t buy your bin ends in the form of an unspecified mixed case where you don’t know the wines you’ll be getting. At least some of them will be duds. And don’t allow merchants to substitute for wines that have sold out without consulting you.
* Check the terms and conditions carefully: the delivery charge, whether there is a minimum order and whether you have to buy an unsplit case (and, if so, does that mean 6 or 12 bottles). Check whether the bottles are ‘in bond’ or inclusive of tax and duty
Finally even if you buy a wine in a sale it should be drinkable so if you get a corked bottle you have the right to return it. That said it’s easier to do so if you do it within weeks or months rather than years.
And if you have bin ends of your own at home that need drinking up how about forming a bin-end club? Here's an account of the inaugural dinner of ours!
Six good wine buys from Sainsbury’s
Two months to Christmas and the supermarkets are already into the swing of their 25%-off offers if you buy six bottles. I know a lot of people in the wine trade feel these sell themselves and it’s a disservice to independent wine merchants to flag them up.
I see it differently. First of all there are people who can’t afford to spend a lot on wine for whom this is a real opportunity to buy better wine than they can normally run to. Many people don’t have a good wine shop nearby. You could say they could buy online from an independent but for some a £70-80 layout is well beyond the weekly budget. I’m constantly urging people in my Guardian column to band together and share the cost of a case but that takes some organisation and it can be difficult to extract money from colleagues and friends.
It’s also an opportunity to experiment - for which reason I’ve avoided the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc offers in this selection which those of you who are addicted to will go for anyway ;-)
You need to be aware though that supermarket prices are pitched for across-the-board discounts of this kind - and the infamous ‘better than half price’ offer - which means that some of the original prices are higher than they should be.
That said, at these prices the wines below are well worth buying. Note a number are stocked in a limited number of branches and not all are available online.
My pick of the Sainsbury's offers
La Patrie Galllac Perlé 2011 (£7.99, down to £5.99. 425 stores)
A curiosity from south-west France - a light (12%) pretty, floral white with a slight spritz made from obscure grape varieties Loin de l’oeil and Mauzac. Should appeal if you enjoy Riesling or Torrontes. Drink as an apertif or with slightly spicy food.
Evans & Tate Split River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Western Australia (£9.99 down to £7.49. 237 branches)
I love the combination of Semillon and Sauvignon which smoothes out the sharper more aggressive edges of Sauvignon Blanc but still retains its citrussy freshness. This also contains a smidge of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay which fills it out still further. Light (12.5%), lush and delicious with Aussie-style (i.e. Asian-influenced) seafood. Think Donna Hay and Bill Granger.
D’Arenberg The Hermit Crab Marsanne Viognier 2011. South Australia (£9.99 down to £7.49. 116 branches)
One of my favourite sub-£10 Aussie whites. Deliciously rich and opulent - would be great with crab (obviously) but also with mildly spiced or creamily sauced chicken dishes.
Marques de Montino Rioja Joven 2011 (£6.99 down to £5.24. 484 stores)
Rioja is generally associated with mature reds but here’s a very young, vivid, fruity example, interestingly made by a Chilean winemaker. Great everyday drinking with gutsy pasta sauces, sausages or stews.
Kanonkop Kadette 2010 (£9.99 down to £7.49. 137 stores)
A South African classic - a blend of indigenous Pinotage with Cabernet Sauvignon and a little Merlot and Cabernet Franc creating a sort of ballsy Bordeaux. Very smooth and satisfying - just perfect for a roast leg of lamb.
Sainsbury’s Blanc de Blancs champagne (on offer at £14.99 - the six bottle discount brings that down to £11.24)
I seem to remember a time, not so long ago when this excellent own brand champagne from Duval-Leroy was about £16.99. Now it’s ‘normal’ price is £22.49 so this is a pretty good deal, better than the cheaper offers on bought-in champagnes. Elegant, classy fizz.
*This offer finishes on Sunday 28th October and does not apply in Scotland.
Good wine buys from Waitrose
Yesterday was a bit of a marathon on the wine-tasting circuit with a huge tasting at Waitrose and a slightly more manageable one at the Co-op but the Waitrose tasting produced this gem which I’d urge you to snap up before the current offer expires on May 29th.
It's the 2010* Catena Malbec, a purringly smooth, deep, rich, plummy Argentinian red which should have a good way to go but to my mind is already showing beautifully. It would, of course, be great with steak but also with roast beef or lamb. An ideal bottle to bring out for New World wine lovers and traditionalists alike. (In most Waitrose branches at £9.99 instead of £12.99 or £9.49 online if you're buying a case.)
While you’re in Waitrose there are also some decent whites you might want to pick up - if you can find the current vintages. The website doesn't seem to be totally up to date but I have checked with Waitrose that they're available.
* a classy Vincent de Vignaud Pouilly-Vinzelles from the excellent 2010 vintage - down from £13.99 to £10.99 which makes it a great buy. That would be a versatile all-rounder but especially good with posh fish with a creamy or buttery sauce. (The website lists the 2007 vintage - I wouldn't go for that)
* the LaVis Vigneti dei Montagna Pinot Grigio 2010/11 from Trentino-Alto Adige. Pinot Grigio gets a bad rap but this is a good one and a bargain at £5.99 (down from £8.99). Ideal for antipasti and pasta and risottos with seafood or spring vegetables. (The website shows the 2010.)
* and the delicate elderflower-scented Three Choirs Annum 2011 down from £8.99 to £7.19 (£6.83 online) which is a fair price for English wine. I’d drink that as an aperitif.
Oh, and two other good deals. If you’re a fan of Nyetimber and want to stock up on some for the Jubilee it’s on offer at £22.49 or £21.36 online instead of £29.99 and there’s a multibuy offer of 3 bottles for £5 on selected ciders (that last one runs till June 6th).
* Looks like some stores may still have the 2009 which should also be decent but buy one to try before you splash out on more.
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