12 wines you probably wouldn’t expect to find in Marks & Spencer

If you’re an adventurous drinker who likes to try new wines it’s well worth heading for your local branch of Marks & Spencer especially right now (August 2015) when they have 25% off if you buy six bottles.

Just as they’re pushing the boundaries when it comes to their food range they stock some really unusual wines - at a very good price. Here are 12 that took my fancy - but take note, some are only available in a limited number of branches and some seem to be out of stock (hopefully temporarily) online. You also need to buy two 6 bottle cases to get the 25% discount online

Lambrusco Secco Reggiano 11% 235 stores £9.00 down to £6.75
Forget the sweet, pissy lambrusco you drank as a student: this is dark, red and frothy, the real deal. There’s also a less common still version, the 2014 Reggiano Rosso (12% in 437 stores £6 down to £4.50) I recommend in the Guardian today. Both would be great with Italian salumi and cheeses.

Penedes Xarel.lo 2014 12.5% 145 stores £10 down to £7.50
Basically this is a still Cava - a light fresh summery Spanish white that would make great summer party drinking. (OK Cava is cheaper but it’s worth trying something new! You should also try the Fresquito dry Pedro Ximenez I made my wine of the week the other day)

Tikves Smederevka Rkaciteli, Macedonia 14/15 12% 173 stores £7 down to £5.25
One of the advantages of buying wines in a supermarket is that you can just pull them off the shelves rather than have ask for them. I certainly have no idea how to pronounce this but it's a lovely light fragrant white that would be great with mezze.

Atlantis Santorini 2013 13% 217 stores £10.50 down to £7.88
The Greek island of Santorini produces some show-stopping white wines from the local assyrtiko grape. This is a great example - perfect for grilled fish

Tbilvino Qvevris 2012 11.5% 191 stores £9 down to £6.75
If you’ve heard people talk about ‘orange’ wines here’s a chance to try one at an affordable price. They’re made like red wines so they’re quite strong-tasting and tannic - despite the low alcohol. Drink with middle eastern or Moroccan food such as a tagine or with alpine-style cheeses like Comté

Savoie Blanc ‘Coeur Terroir’ 2014 11% 216 stores £9 down to £6.75
Another unusual wine, this time from the Savoie region of France. Really light, really crisp, deliciously fragrant. M & S suggests cheese and herb tarts as a food match which would be a great pairing. Otherwise think shellfish and salads.

Dominio del Plata by Susana Balbo Terroir Series Torrontes 2014 14% 189 stores £9.50 down to £7.13
Torrontes is Argentina’s main white wine variety - a highly aromatic white that you’l love if you’re a gewurztraminer fan. Susana Balbo is one of the best producers and Salta the best region. Delicious with ceviche and other bright citrus-spiked salads.

Mesta Organic Old Vine Tempranillo 2014 14% 252 stores £8 down to £6
A bright modern juicy Spanish red I recommended for barbecues in the Guardian last weekend. Delicious.

Red on Black 2013, Nemea, Greece 13.5% 206 stores £9 down to £6.75 N/A online.
An exciting dark, spicy red from the local agiorgitiko grape. Perfect for grilled lamb and exotic middle-eastern stews.

Recanati Carignan Petite Sirah 2013, Israel 13.5% 158 stories £10 down to £7.50
In a similar vein to the above but a touch riper and juicier so it might appeal more if you’re more of a new world wine fan. Again perfect for grilled meats and bright Ottolenghi-ish salads.

Pisano Cisplatino Tannat 2014 13% 200 stores £9 down to £6.75
If you’re a Malbec aficionado you should definitely try this lush full-bodied red from Uruguay. Looks - and tastes - far more expensive than it is, especially at this price.

Hush Heath Manor Pinot Noir 2014 12% 20 stores and online £18 down to £13.50
I hesitated whether to include this as it’s more expensive and only available in 20 branches but it’s thrilling to find that England can produce such a fine, silky elegant pinot. A must-try if you can get hold of a bottle (it is fortunately also available online) Make your friends taste it blind and guess where it comes from!

Tesco’s Bordeaux bargains

You can tell we’re already in the run-up to Christmas with supermarkets making a pitch for those who like to do their shopping early.

Arguably Lidl were first off the blocks back in September but this week Tesco has announced the start of a 10 day 15% off promotion on fine wines including the range of 2010 Bordeaux they bought en primeur*. To qualify you have to buy 2 six bottle cases. The offer closes at midnight on Friday October 17th.

Much as I like to support the indies this is an irresistible opportunity to get your hands on some top Bordeaux* - for restaurants as well as consumers. I suspect some of these prices are better than you would get from a trade supplier.

Here are some examples:

Chateau Brown 2010 14% £112.20 a case, £18.70 a bottle if you buy 2 cases. Normally £132.00 a 6 bottle case or £22 a bottle. Drinking incredibly well now but will keep

Chateau Lilian Ladouys 2010 13.6% £84.15 a case, £14.02 a bottle if you buy 2 cases. Normally £99 a case or £16.50 a bottle, Brilliant value dinner party claret - as is, cheaper still, Chateau Malecasse 2010 Haut Médoc, recently picked out by Jancis Robinson as a bargain buy. £71.40, £11.90 a bottle if you buy 2 cases. Normally £84 a case or £14 a bottle.

Chateau Phélan-Segur 2010, St Estephe. £169.12 a case or £28.19 a bottle if you buy 2 cases. Normally £198.96 a case or £33.16 a bottle. Huge potential - one for laying down for 5 years at least.

Chateau Sociando Mallet 2010. 13.5% £127.50 a case or £21.25 if you buy 2 cases. Normally £150 a 6 bottle case or £25 a bottle. One of the wines I highlighted in the Guardian feature I wrote about the recent Lidl promotion - they’re selling the 2008 for £25.99 if you just want a single bottle.

There’s also a 'taster' case of 2010s which includes the Malecasse and the Chateau Brown. I’m not normally a fan of mixed cases but at £87 (£14.50 a bottle) it should be of interest to anyone who wants to explore the 2010 vintage.

A note of caution: Not all Tesco’s fine wines are cheaper than elsewhere so it’s always worth checking wine-searcher.com, Googling the wine + UK before you place your order or ringing up a traditonal wine merchant like D. Byrne of Clitheroe to see what they’re selling the wine in which you're interested for. The Chateau Talbot 2009 for example, normally £300 a case, is £255 a case or £42.50 a bottle if you buy 2 cases but that’s the regular price on slurp.co.uk.

*They even have Lafite and Mouton-Rothschild for the Russian oligarchs among their customers ...

More French wine bargains from Lidl

I’ve already made my selection of Bordeaux from Lidl’s heavily promoted new French wine offer on the Guardian website today. Here’s what else I’d pick up when the wines go on sale this Thursday September 4th. (Note they're NOT available before then.)

Domaine du Gourget Côtes du Rhône Villages, Rochegude 2013 13.5% £5.99

A bright, young fruity CdR from the lesser known appellation of Rochegude to the north of Orange. Easy everyday drinking

Gigondas 2013 £9.99

A great price for Gigondas, one of the most appealing appellations of the southern Rhone. Big ripe, powerful and juicy - could pass for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Lay some in for Christmas.

P. de Marcilly Haut-Côtes de Beaune 2011 12.5% £7.99

In general I was less impressed by the whites in this offer than I was the reds but this is an absolutely gorgeous elegant, mature creamy white burgundy at a crazy-good price

Bissinger champagne brut £6.99 a half bottle

Who wouldn’t like a stash of half bottles of champagne to dip into whenever you feel like celebrating? Or even if you don't?* Well at this price you can afford to. A really decent rich toasty fizz - amazing for the price.

Nuit de Provence Coteaux d’Aix en Provence 2013 £5.99

If you reckon there are still some summer days to come, a great chance to snap up a classic, pale, crisp, fruity Provençal rosé at about half the price they usually fetch.

Clairette de Die, Cuvée Elegance 7.5% £6.99

Ridiculously delicious honeysuckle-sweet sparkler from the Rhône that will definitely appeal if you’re a moscato fan. Drink with fresh fruit salads and light, airy cream cakes.

Chateau La Sabatière Monbazillac 2011 12.5% £7.99

Gorgeous sweet wine from the south-west of France in the Sauternes style but at a fraction of the cost. (This is the price for a full bottle). Honeyed and lush it would be gorgeous with a classic French apple or pear tart.

*As Lily Bollinger so memorably said of champagne:

"I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty."

9 good reds to buy from Marks & Spencer

Following on from my pick of the white wines from M & S's current 25% off six bottles promotion here are eight reds I’d recommend from my most recent tasting in May 2014

Note that some wines are available in a limited number of branches and that the online offer, where applicable, is slightly different - you have to buy two unsplit cases of six of the wines that are on promotion - i.e. 12 bottles in all. Both deals run to September 1st.

Loretto Sangiovese Rubicone 2013, 12% £6.49 reduced to £4.87 N/A online

A cheap, cheerful but surprisingly drinkable Italian red - ideal for a takeaway pizza

Chateau Triniac, Latour de France 2012 14.5% £8.99 reduced to £6.74

No, not THAT Latour at this price obviously. This comes from the Roussillon village of Latour de France and is a robust, unoaked blend of old vine carignan, grenache and syrah to line up for the autumn and winter nights ahead. Think beefy stews

Tapa Roja old vines Monastrell 2013, 14.5% £8.99 reduced to £6.74 N/A online

Another big chunky red, this time from Monastrell (aka mourvedre) from Spain’s Yecla region. Lots of juicy but not over-jammy fruit. Ideal for steak.

Domaine de Rosette Chinon 2013 12.5% £9.49 reduced to £7.12

If you’re a fan of Loire reds (which I am) you’ll love this fresh-tasting Chinon with its bright berry and redcurrant flavours. Chill lightly and serve with tuna.

Macon Rouge 2013 12.5% £9.99 reduced to £7.49

If you tasted this blindfold you’d say it was Beaujolais - it’s made from the same gamay grape. A really attractive light red you could drink with charcuterie or fish like salmon or tuna

Underwood Pinot Noir, Oregon 2012 13% £12.99 reduced to £9.74 N/A online

Oregon state to the north of California is noted for its pinots but they don’t normally come at this attractive price. A very pretty wine with delicate sweet fruit that should please any burgundy-lover. Gorgeous with duck.

Frares Priorat 2012 14.5% £12.99 reduced to £9.74. Only in 157 stores

A very good price for a cracking Priorat, one of Spain’s darkest, densest most intense reds. Would be great with an ox cheek or oxtail stew or some braised venison (see these Priorat pairings)

McHenry Hohnen Margaret River Grenache 2013, Western Australia 14.5% £14.99 down to £11.24. 157 stores

A grape variety more usually associated with south Australia but a really gorgeous expression of grenache made with natural yeasts from biodynamically farmed fruit. Warm, generous and spicy - would be good with turkey, guineafowl or flavourful roast pork

Canoe Ridge Vineyard Cherry Tree Red 2011 £15.99 down to £11.99. Only in 171 stores

A glorious ripe red from Washington state made from a crazy cocktail of grapes - about 50% syrah with merlot, grenache, cabernet franc, pinot noir and malbec. Think roast beef or lamb or steak.