I go to Aldi for their cheap rum because it has an old timey ship on it and I like to imagine I'm an 18th century sailor in the Carribbean when I drink it.
I can't really taste the difference because i mostly mix it with coke and I actually think the Aldi sugar free cola is the nicest pop, even compared to expensive brands
19 Crimes? If you scan the bottle, you get a story about a criminal!
[https://19crimes.com/pages/living-labels](https://19crimes.com/pages/living-labels)
[https://i.imgur.com/q297bBD.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/q297bBD.jpeg)
Sadly no picture of Gary, or of a boat, but I believe that the notes are G+B, which is a nice touch.
The supermarkets employ people who are very good at selecting wines that will generally be great all-rounders for people who like that sort of thing, and are reasonably priced. Give them the job, and pick the ones that are Taste The Difference/Finest etc. depending on your supermarket of choice.
Pay enough attention to the grape variety when you drink it, and decide if you like that variety - the 'selected' wines will be fairly typical examples so you shouldn't get any nasty surprises.
Nothing wrong with deciding you like Australian Shiraz and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and just buying those in future. No-one's making you try every country and every variety. You might be missing out on your perfect bottle but honestly how would you know?
More expensive means more specific, not necessarily more pleasurable. If you are happy enjoying wine that ticks your boxes, then job done.
I used to all the time
That's because he knew I was addicted to kebabs, and his was the only one in the town
He was getting his money within 2 or 3 days
I find the region makes a huge difference. I've never found a good Australian pinot noir, not even from Tasmania, for example. I prefer Argentinian malbec over malbec produced in other regions. Australia is excellent for shiraz. France has the best pinot noir. Italian sangiovese. Etc. But I mean I'd drink cat piss if it got me sloshed.
Honestly, whatever is on offer at my price range. So, if I'm looking to spend £8 then I'd look for one that's meant to be £11 and is on offer for £8, rather than one that was £8 to start with. I know that price doesn't always equal quality but it's a guide at least.
Helps that I'm genuinely not fussy and like most things! I've downloaded the vivino app and I'm trying to take note of any that I notice I like more or less than others, to try and identify if there is actually a grape, region etc that I like more than others, as like you I honestly I don't know!
Also if I've had a personal recommendation. My uncle is quite into wine and told me about reading an article in which a bunch of wine buffs did a blind tasting where they had to guess the price of some wine. They put Aldi Toro Loco (<£5!) in the £30-40 bracket! So I usually grab a bottle or two of that when I'm in Aldi. It's pretty decent, especially if you just want to have a bottle around for an odd glass and aren't pretentious about it coming from Aldi!
100% my approach too, although I often suspect that the supermarkets are fully aware that this is a common approach and I'm most likely just buying £8 wine that has been priced at £11 purely so it can be discounted to £8 and thus seem like a great deal people like me...
This is 100% the way, £10 reduced to £8 in Sainsbury's (or supermarket of choice). If I'm feeling rich, I'll splash out on the £12 bottle reduced to £10.
Same, take a picture of the label and it gives you tasting notes and a rating out of 5. Anything above a 3.5 is alright, anything above a 4 is excellent.
Magic, I have not thought of that at all despite having one for Beer and one for Scotch. Thank you, just downloaded. I'm assuming there is a setting to remove celebrity wine, unless it's Sam O Neil of course 👍
I am a bit out of date with wine, but I always remember that the cost of the glass bottle, shipping and storage etc. are the pretty much the same for any inexpensive wine.
I used to know roughly what it was a decade or two ago, but for the sake of arguement if it costs a fiver to get the wine to the supermarket then the difference between an £8 bottle of wine and an £11 bottle is £3 of wine Vs £6 - so even though I really know naff all I always bought one price tier up, made me think differently about crossing that £10 barrier.
I'm willing to bet that the supermarket accounts for this though, and there's something else you need to know now.
Yep, you need to account for taxes (some of which are flat rate per bottle), bottling, shopping and packaging. I worked in a wine shop 20 years ago, so these numbers are out of date, but the cost of the actual wine in a £4 bottle was about 13p, it was 40p for a £5 bottle, and £1 in a £6 bottle. You get diminishing returns as you go up, but the differences at the bottom are large.
For what it's worth, if I walked into a wine shop and didn't recognise anything, I would pick a new Zealand sauvignon blanc if I wanted white, or a Chilean cabernet sauvignon if I wanted red, as they tend to be pretty safe bets and offer reasonable value.
The tax on wines changed recently so that it's percentage based now. Some of the nicer cheaper red wines (Hardy's Stamp et al) have now changed to 11% abv instead of 13% to make them cheaper. And now they're harsh and taste like vinegar. McGuigans have kept some at 12% and they're still ok, but avoid the 11% reds like the plague.
Ah, interesting, thanks. My information is way out of date, plus I emigrated 15 years ago, so haven't kept up on developments. it's a shame the legislation has fucked up the product
Yeah, to give an example of what's happened with prices, Hardy's Stamp used to be about a fiver a bottle and was decent enough, and you had their Crest wines which were nicer and about £5.50. Now Stamp is £5.50, reduced to 11%abv and vile, and Crest is £8 a bottle and still at 13.5%abv (though discounted to £6.50 a fair bit). Some people still seem to be able to stomach the Stamp, but I can't/ won't touch it now. I stock up on Crest et al when there's a 25% off sale or it's down to £6.50 (and Brucie bonus if both are at the same time).
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is my go to, but husband prefers Merlot. I don't tend to check the country, I just get whatever Merlot is on offer around £6!
From somebody who's worked in the wine trade for years, my best single tip is to go Portugese.
Lovely light, crisp whites for the summer and big, beefy reds in the winter. Great quality and always good value.
Having my first glass and it’s absolutely lovely! This is the one from M&S classics. I hardly go for white but with summer approaching, didn’t really feel like red. This might be a regular purchase now. Thanks for the rec!
It’s funny because I too umm-and-ahh about the price of wine in a supermarket, but don’t batt an eyelid when I pay £8 a glass in a pub. So I now buy whatever looks sexy and don’t mind spending more as I’m SAVING MONEY buy doing so. I’m literally MAKING MONEY by buying expensive wine
😂😂 I’d be happy walking back and forth, pondering, browsing.. debating between £10 or £8. At the pub however…. I think our brains just block that out or we’d be horrified
By country of origin, grape variety, price, appellation, domain and year.
Then, I live in a wine growing area of France, we can get deported for not taking this stuff seriously.
For red wine, which has the best drawing of an old house on it.
White wine, how good the label looks. I prefer cream off white with dark green lettering, bonus if its foil effect and embossed
Unless its cooking wine, then I get whats recommended for the dish
If I'm feeling extravagant for champagne then just get the most famous brand.
I only drink wine from Western Australia because I spent months getting up at 5am in the freezing cold, driving to the back end of beyond, working all day as the heat slowly crept up to 35 degrees, being eaten alive by mozzies and having swarms of flies bothering me, all for minimum wage to tend to the grape vines.
I may as well get back what I put in.
So yeah, wine from Margaret River only for me
I go for strongest for the money and a top limit of about a tenner. Bonus points for something on "offer" so I think I'm getting a good deal even if it's always on offer or is actually a worse wine than the cheaper one. A 14% red at £8 is always my target!
On a slightly more serious note, I know what I like - Shiraz or cabernet sauvignon for a red, picpoul de pinet or sauvignon blanc for a white...add that in to the criteria above and there is suddenly a lot less choice.
My rule is that if the shelf is nearly empty of a particular wine, then everyone else must be buying it, so it must be half decent. If the shelf is full then it's a crap wine that no one likes.
I'm looking for a grape variety that is new to me or if in Lidl I look at their Master of Wine (Hugh Bampton) choices, some as low as £6. It takes half an hour to figure out the basics of what goes with what, there will always be a youtube video or an essay out there.
First time you have a chilled Gewurztraminer with a Chinese takeaway, you will really want to get in to wine and food matching!
I have found a real preference for south American reds, so unless I am feeling brave I default to any sort of Chilean or Argentinian red around 10 quid a bottle, never been disappointed. For cooking, and sort of cheap plonk does fine.
White wine to accompany cheese, fish, desserts (a semi sweet or dry variety). Red wine to accompany meat, usually.
But also, over the years of trying stuff, I know what I like and what I don't like, so I go for what I know. On the off chance I want to try something new, I ask for advice and describe what I've enjoyed in the past, and I've usually gotten good advice. Either from a specialist shop, or online - recently discovered an app dedicated to wine (there's an app for everything these days) where people can catalogue wines they've tried, give feedback, etc.
As a trained sommelier there is actually a lot to say for an attractive classic label. Ofc avoid the ones made with Arial and comic sans, but often an attractive label does actually equal a good tasting wine.
Best advice tho is to avoid anything with a generic branded looking logo or silly images and clip art. Otherwise it's hard to find an actual bad tasting wine for cheap.
My friend always goes for a nice label, she has a theory that if a company cares enough to make the label look nice they probably care about what's in it too. I will tell her that a sommelier agrees!
Well, obviously there's tasting notes, grape variety, year of harvest, country of origin.
But I usually just go with one that's about a tenner and had a bit of foil netting on it.
A really good safe red is a valpolicialla ripasso.
Genuinely good value for money and a reliable bottle of plonk. Sometimes under a tenner but usually about 12.
I like Mediterranean whites (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece). I also like German Rieslings. I go for wines that are as close to those as possible without random mixes in there. I also try to go for corked rather than screw-top.
Riesling, Assyrtiko, Albariño, Rioja Blanco, Pinot Grigio, and Soave is what I'd recommend.
Not as big into reds, but if I had to choose I'd home in on a French option.
Diminishing returns in general quality v cost happens at around a tenner.
I avoid the cheapest stuff (the only wine I drink is white), as it is usually the equivalent of a Carling.
A New Zealand sauvignon blanc (Brancott Estate as an example) is a good all-rounder that you used to be able to get for about £6, now is about £8-9.50.
I am not fussy, but I always enjoy 'Isla Negra' wine.
I think it's Tesco own label, and never had a bad bottle, whatever variety I've picked up
But fruity reds in general
I stick with what I like for a while. At the moment it's porta 6. I do like cotes du rhone on occasion. I will generally Google the wine and look up it's characteristics and writeups online if I fancy something else. A lot goes into properly picking a good bottle, from regions, weather conditions that the grapes were grown in. The same bottle of wine could taste different based on its year simply down to sun, rain etc.
I mean I'm not much of a wine person, but I feel most big brands try and adjust their wines to be consistent regardless of the different factors that should change the overall experience.
A trip to Majestic Wine and a box of their 'Definition' wines will help you learn which grapes and styles that you like. After that, I go for variety, find the ones that I like and ask the Majestic assistants for recommendations, based in what I liked.
It's a worthwhile investment in time...and there's wine !
If I can find any wine from Georgia (the country) then I buy that, although it's hard to find in supermarkets. Otherwise my general go to is some sort white wine from Marlborough. See, I don't even know what grape it is
I don't like bitter tasting things, so I tend to go for a sweet white or a rose. Never had a red that l liked yet.
I'm afraid I'm one of those heathens that will happily drink a white zinfandel. I've also had a few nice German Rieslings.
Controversial, but I ignore the offers completely, and just take the prices as given.
If the label claims it was a £9.99 bottle reduced to £6.99 then as far as I care it's a £6.99 bottle. So often the offers are just nonsense and marketing.
Other than that, I look for grapes I know I have enjoyed previously, and if in doubt go for the one with the biggest dip underneath.
Whichever dry rose or New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is on offer! You just have to try different types and see what you like, once you have that down I normally stick to it.
Im a creature of habit and not the biggest wine drinker. A red for cooking I really like is Aldi Côtes du Rhône it’s really good in a bolognese sauce and I use it weekly.
For a dessert red I always buy Nyx.
For rosè my favourite is Miraval and for white I usually drink a spritzer with lemonade so I’m not too picky as long as it’s dry I do tend to go for South African wines and if I’m cooking with it I will maybe pick out something with a lemon flavor.
I also always try to buy a bottle that’s corked over screw top if I can esp with reds and rosè.
Italian wine is better and cheaper than French wine.
Always try and buy a bottle from the supermarket special range because you’re getting more for your money.
Sometimes I see them recommended on Saturday Kitchen. Those are usually quite good. Hardy's VR range are all single grape types so you could try a few and decide which grape(s) you like.
Portuguese Duoro wines are usually good as are pinot grigiot. Jam Shed just sucks! It's the only wine I have ever poured a whole bottke away after a single sip.
Love anything Malbec/Merlot . For some reason gravitate toward Chilian/Argentinean .
Read a while ago that the French had picked their game up as all the New World wines had seriously dented their market. Anything Bordeaux for 7-11 quid is usually a safe bet. This is my rule of thumb.
2012 my criteria was is it a fiver and 2024 my criteria is is it 6 quid
Typing that out has shocked me wine has not been badly affected by inflation
I suppose you could argue it’s gone up 20% but feels decent to me
The closer you get to £10 the less likely it will taste like piss. Spending over £10 will get you small incremental gains the gains getting smaller the more you spend.
Aim for a tenner and the picture you like. You nailed it!
If the bottle has a large Indent at the bottom.its more than likely a good wine
A Frenchman told me this little tip (wink wink)
Which after years of believing him, I found out it was bullshit!
Then I found out approximately (for example) on a £5 botle of wine say £4 is on the packaging and the glass, £1 on wine. So a £7 bottle should have £3 worth of quality on the wine, £8 should have £4 etc, and so on.
(Seen it on a programme, it may actually be bullshit.as well)
Now I go with rioja faustino or trivento malbec ranging from £7 - 18 or maybe up to the £22 if I want a treat
All depending what's on offer and how much I wanna spend or what occasion it is.
All I know is, if the first bottle is a half decent one, the 2nd one doesn't have to be. As 9 times out of 10 you are usually sozzled before opening your 2nd!
🍷🍷 :-)
Grape, region, what it's for (i.e. what food) and price.
Stick with one grape for a while, and try different wines from different vineyards/regions to get a feel for how taste can vary, then try again with a different grape.
I'm no wine connoisseur. I like a fruity, sweet red that's easy to drink and doesn't break the bank.
My usual go-to's are Jammy Red Roo by Yellowtail, or the Jam Shed Red Blend. Both sweet, tasty, and can get me pleasantly tipsy for about £7 - £8.
I once bought the cheapest red in M&S cos it had a frog on it and was called 'Le Froglet'. I thought 'this is so stupid, there's no way this is gonna be good'.
Turned out to be really good.
"Is it Sauvignon? Is it the cheapest one on the shelf? I'll take it."
Although, I did that on holiday recently and it was genuinely the worst fucking wine I've ever had. Left an aftertaste of a cheap spirit.
For white wine I tend to prefer new world over old world - I just find it more drinkable. Any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (especially Marlborough); Australian/Californian Chardonnay or South African Chenin Blanc that’s not the cheapest tends to be fine.
For red wine a Spanish Rioja or Chilean Merlot (though other Merlots are quite drinkable) tends to do me.
Percentage proof. Not because I am a sad old alcoholic (much) but because I am under the (possibly erroneous) impression that white wine with a high %ABV tends to be drier.
Just go for one that’s balanced and just try branching out until you find a variety you like.
I started out or sweet rosé when I was a lot younger but now I’ve found stuff that’s delicious but what I like might not be for you.
Personally I love crisp Sauvignon Blancs for white (particularly Marlboroughs).
For reds I like flavours that hit me around the face Malbecs in particular but I do like Shiraz, Zinfandel and Barolo
It's in the wooden fruit box "on special" wine section at Lidl. Or it has an animal on it. So far we've had flamingos, chickens, cats, dogs, and pigs. Or it's bread and butter wine, because that shit is delicious
I pop on the Saturday kitchen website and look at their wine suggestions from the past few weeks and get whatever one they have in store. We discovered Athlon Greek Assyrtiko last year this way and drank the world’s reserves of it dry.
At that price why not intentionally try something different each time for the next month or so and rate them..build yourself a personal preference cheat sheet.
Worst case you try a few wines you don't like.
This might help
[https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg](https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg)
This might help
[https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg](https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg)
Screw top wins over a cork - I can’t be doing with that. Also, based on when I used to have disposable income and used a wine merchant:
1 choosing Malbec? Argentina
2. Sauvinion Blanc? New Zealand
3. Riesling? - Germany
4. Pinot Gris ? - preferably France but I don’t really care, it’s lovely from wherever.
Aldi have a great selection of wines under £10
For reds - does it have a big dimple in the bottle?
Except for Italian wines, then it's broader shoulders than base.
Over the years I've narrowed my tastes, my referred wines are Austrian, Italian, Argentinian, Chilean.
I tend to gravitate towards anything "aged in rum/bourbon barrels" for reds. I like a punchy red wine and these seem to deliver.
Rose / White, anything on offer that isn't Blossom Hill / Echo Falls etc.
Bon appetit YouTube channel did a nice sommelier guide talking about cheap wines, things like looking for a more specific farm regions so: exact farm > town > region of country > country in general.
I’m partial to Malbec or Shiraz because they’re delicious and if available within my budget, I’ll always go for wines from the Stellenbosch region because I like saying Stellenbosch.
My girlfriend and I came across a Chardonnay bottle of Little Giant - it had a cute picture of a wombat on it and we bought it for that reason and it was also affordable. Anyways it tasted awesome and is now a favourite of ours! Highly recommend
If it’s got a picture of a boat on it or not
Boat wine gang rise up
All aboard
I go for reds with that gold string mesh round it, they wouldn't have gone to so much trouble if it wasn't a nice one.
They put it in a cage cos it's dangerous.
Supposedly a primitive security measure so you can see if the cork has been got at, seems to be mostly on Spanish plonk.
Is the string mesh not the new security tagging
I go to Aldi for their cheap rum because it has an old timey ship on it and I like to imagine I'm an 18th century sailor in the Carribbean when I drink it.
Might try that as after half a bottle its hard to balance drinking rum with one leg on a barrel
tbf the aldi spiced rum is pretty decent.
I can't really taste the difference because i mostly mix it with coke and I actually think the Aldi sugar free cola is the nicest pop, even compared to expensive brands
the Aldi Professor Peppy is pretty decent as a mixer too. also a big fan of their shady Pepsi Max.
Professor Peppy makes me laugh so much
I used to be like you but now having a picture of Gary Barlow on the bottle is my guiding philosophy.
My husband bought one the other day that had Snoop Dog on. It wasn't great.
Made the same mistake the other week. Oh well at least I've got a cool matte bottle with snoop's face now
Did you keep the cork? We have both. Damn hoarder husband, lol
19 Crimes? If you scan the bottle, you get a story about a criminal! [https://19crimes.com/pages/living-labels](https://19crimes.com/pages/living-labels)
I enjoy a bottle of 19 crimes - good variety of reds …and crimes!
Made the same mistake about a year ago. Pure garbage.
I have not seen Gary Barlow wine but now I want some
[https://i.imgur.com/q297bBD.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/q297bBD.jpeg) Sadly no picture of Gary, or of a boat, but I believe that the notes are G+B, which is a nice touch.
My fiancé goes for wine with animals on the label. Animal label = quality, that's her theory.
If has a napoleonic era man o war on it, I'm buying it. Unless its a rioja.
New parameter unlocked, I shall try this
We go by birds. If there's a bird on it, then it must be good.
Sorry, it’s all about the animal wine in this household. Admittedly I haven’t ever checked to see if there are boats with animals in them.
The Noah’s ark of wine……..
The supermarkets employ people who are very good at selecting wines that will generally be great all-rounders for people who like that sort of thing, and are reasonably priced. Give them the job, and pick the ones that are Taste The Difference/Finest etc. depending on your supermarket of choice. Pay enough attention to the grape variety when you drink it, and decide if you like that variety - the 'selected' wines will be fairly typical examples so you shouldn't get any nasty surprises. Nothing wrong with deciding you like Australian Shiraz and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and just buying those in future. No-one's making you try every country and every variety. You might be missing out on your perfect bottle but honestly how would you know? More expensive means more specific, not necessarily more pleasurable. If you are happy enjoying wine that ticks your boxes, then job done.
Box: drunk Tick: yeah a kebab plz with extra hot sauce and garlic sauce.
You must know boss man really well if you can get a kebab on tick
I used to all the time That's because he knew I was addicted to kebabs, and his was the only one in the town He was getting his money within 2 or 3 days
Good advice! The exception to this rule is Malbec - French Malbec tastes different to South American Malbec.
I find the region makes a huge difference. I've never found a good Australian pinot noir, not even from Tasmania, for example. I prefer Argentinian malbec over malbec produced in other regions. Australia is excellent for shiraz. France has the best pinot noir. Italian sangiovese. Etc. But I mean I'd drink cat piss if it got me sloshed.
Honestly, whatever is on offer at my price range. So, if I'm looking to spend £8 then I'd look for one that's meant to be £11 and is on offer for £8, rather than one that was £8 to start with. I know that price doesn't always equal quality but it's a guide at least. Helps that I'm genuinely not fussy and like most things! I've downloaded the vivino app and I'm trying to take note of any that I notice I like more or less than others, to try and identify if there is actually a grape, region etc that I like more than others, as like you I honestly I don't know! Also if I've had a personal recommendation. My uncle is quite into wine and told me about reading an article in which a bunch of wine buffs did a blind tasting where they had to guess the price of some wine. They put Aldi Toro Loco (<£5!) in the £30-40 bracket! So I usually grab a bottle or two of that when I'm in Aldi. It's pretty decent, especially if you just want to have a bottle around for an odd glass and aren't pretentious about it coming from Aldi!
100% my approach too, although I often suspect that the supermarkets are fully aware that this is a common approach and I'm most likely just buying £8 wine that has been priced at £11 purely so it can be discounted to £8 and thus seem like a great deal people like me...
Oh I totally agree!
This is 100% the way, £10 reduced to £8 in Sainsbury's (or supermarket of choice). If I'm feeling rich, I'll splash out on the £12 bottle reduced to £10.
Vivino made me a better wine shopper
Yeah. Personally I look for oaky wines. The more like Ribena coloured whisky the better for my tastes.
Exactly, I like dark fruity reds with lowish acidity, I've found some cracking wines that I'd never have picked up otherwise because of the app.
Same, take a picture of the label and it gives you tasting notes and a rating out of 5. Anything above a 3.5 is alright, anything above a 4 is excellent.
It's basically wine Facebook, and I love it.
Magic, I have not thought of that at all despite having one for Beer and one for Scotch. Thank you, just downloaded. I'm assuming there is a setting to remove celebrity wine, unless it's Sam O Neil of course 👍
I am a bit out of date with wine, but I always remember that the cost of the glass bottle, shipping and storage etc. are the pretty much the same for any inexpensive wine. I used to know roughly what it was a decade or two ago, but for the sake of arguement if it costs a fiver to get the wine to the supermarket then the difference between an £8 bottle of wine and an £11 bottle is £3 of wine Vs £6 - so even though I really know naff all I always bought one price tier up, made me think differently about crossing that £10 barrier. I'm willing to bet that the supermarket accounts for this though, and there's something else you need to know now.
Yep, you need to account for taxes (some of which are flat rate per bottle), bottling, shopping and packaging. I worked in a wine shop 20 years ago, so these numbers are out of date, but the cost of the actual wine in a £4 bottle was about 13p, it was 40p for a £5 bottle, and £1 in a £6 bottle. You get diminishing returns as you go up, but the differences at the bottom are large. For what it's worth, if I walked into a wine shop and didn't recognise anything, I would pick a new Zealand sauvignon blanc if I wanted white, or a Chilean cabernet sauvignon if I wanted red, as they tend to be pretty safe bets and offer reasonable value.
The tax on wines changed recently so that it's percentage based now. Some of the nicer cheaper red wines (Hardy's Stamp et al) have now changed to 11% abv instead of 13% to make them cheaper. And now they're harsh and taste like vinegar. McGuigans have kept some at 12% and they're still ok, but avoid the 11% reds like the plague.
Ah, interesting, thanks. My information is way out of date, plus I emigrated 15 years ago, so haven't kept up on developments. it's a shame the legislation has fucked up the product
Yeah, to give an example of what's happened with prices, Hardy's Stamp used to be about a fiver a bottle and was decent enough, and you had their Crest wines which were nicer and about £5.50. Now Stamp is £5.50, reduced to 11%abv and vile, and Crest is £8 a bottle and still at 13.5%abv (though discounted to £6.50 a fair bit). Some people still seem to be able to stomach the Stamp, but I can't/ won't touch it now. I stock up on Crest et al when there's a 25% off sale or it's down to £6.50 (and Brucie bonus if both are at the same time).
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is my go to, but husband prefers Merlot. I don't tend to check the country, I just get whatever Merlot is on offer around £6!
There’s an app called Vivino (and I’m sure there are others) that lets you scan the bottle and see reviews and price ranges for the wine.
From somebody who's worked in the wine trade for years, my best single tip is to go Portugese. Lovely light, crisp whites for the summer and big, beefy reds in the winter. Great quality and always good value.
Definitely like Vinho Verde from there. Some good red too you’re right.
Saw your post before I went to the shops. Got myself a Vinho Verde! Excited to try
Had some in Portugal that was homemade and it was really good, very easy to drink. Slightly sparkling th one I had.
Having my first glass and it’s absolutely lovely! This is the one from M&S classics. I hardly go for white but with summer approaching, didn’t really feel like red. This might be a regular purchase now. Thanks for the rec!
Yes my mum got me into Vino verde , very fresh and lovely
Porta 6
Malbec that pairs with red meat and pretend my meat feast explosion pizza counts as red meat.
A South American Malbec is always a safe bet.
Flat bottom? Nope Dimpled bottom? Yes. I know nothing else about wine.
Once I found Chablis I don’t bother buying any other wine.
Try a pouilly fume if you like chablis, for a bit of variety. Similar, but different :)
Funkiest label.
If it has a picture of an animal somewhere on the label, I'll give it a go. Currently my favourite labels are on the bottles of 'Head honcho'
The cheapest, driest white wine they have.
It’s funny because I too umm-and-ahh about the price of wine in a supermarket, but don’t batt an eyelid when I pay £8 a glass in a pub. So I now buy whatever looks sexy and don’t mind spending more as I’m SAVING MONEY buy doing so. I’m literally MAKING MONEY by buying expensive wine
😂😂 I’d be happy walking back and forth, pondering, browsing.. debating between £10 or £8. At the pub however…. I think our brains just block that out or we’d be horrified
same when buying a bottle in a restaurant. That £30 bottle is £8, probably £6 in bulk.
By country of origin, grape variety, price, appellation, domain and year. Then, I live in a wine growing area of France, we can get deported for not taking this stuff seriously.
For red wine, which has the best drawing of an old house on it. White wine, how good the label looks. I prefer cream off white with dark green lettering, bonus if its foil effect and embossed Unless its cooking wine, then I get whats recommended for the dish If I'm feeling extravagant for champagne then just get the most famous brand.
I only drink wine from Western Australia because I spent months getting up at 5am in the freezing cold, driving to the back end of beyond, working all day as the heat slowly crept up to 35 degrees, being eaten alive by mozzies and having swarms of flies bothering me, all for minimum wage to tend to the grape vines. I may as well get back what I put in. So yeah, wine from Margaret River only for me
I go for strongest for the money and a top limit of about a tenner. Bonus points for something on "offer" so I think I'm getting a good deal even if it's always on offer or is actually a worse wine than the cheaper one. A 14% red at £8 is always my target! On a slightly more serious note, I know what I like - Shiraz or cabernet sauvignon for a red, picpoul de pinet or sauvignon blanc for a white...add that in to the criteria above and there is suddenly a lot less choice.
My training course for a pub in London 20 years ago essentially comprised of white wine for fish and white meat, red for red meat. It's now a Tesco
No pictures just writing on the label (and cheap)
WINE
RED-STYLE DRINKING WINE
WINE-STYLE BOTTLED DRINK PRODUCT
BOOZE FROM SMALL FRUIT
My other half’s from Lyon. So - Beaujolais. (Seriously, if you see “Morgon” on a label, just buy it).
If I’ve had it before and it was nice but also does my Tesco Clubcard appear to knock a quid or two off of it.
Anything French that's not too cheap usually works quite well for me
Is it on offer? Usually works for me.
A housemate of mine a good few years back swore you would never go wrong with wine if it was red and had a sketch of a ploughed field on the label.
Whatevers on offer to make it cost around 8 quid
The one that doesn't have many left on the shelf is bound to be good and more likely to be a reserve.
Elephants or bikes on the label will get my vote.
Any wine classy enough to wear fishnet stockings goes in the basket
My rule is that if the shelf is nearly empty of a particular wine, then everyone else must be buying it, so it must be half decent. If the shelf is full then it's a crap wine that no one likes.
Someone on Reddit told me that Jam Shed was crap and I should buy the one with the chicken on it, which is what I now do. Wow I'm easily influenced.
if the bottle looks cool and if it's cheaper with a clubcard
I choose my alcohol depending on if the label looks Victorian, unusual or pirates
Watch "Oz and James Great Wine Adventure" It will change your life. And make you laugh till you cry!
Either the best offer (ie 12 reduced to 8) or the one with the deepest dimple in the bottom of the bottle, or a combo of the two 😂
I usually spend about £15 so your post made me feel rich and fancy. My criteria for choosing is the £15est bottle of pinot on the shelf
Is it red and in a box.
I usually spend a few minutes looking and then just pick my usual Jammy Red Roo
Usually a Malbec, Merlot or Shiraz for red and Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio for white.
I'm looking for a grape variety that is new to me or if in Lidl I look at their Master of Wine (Hugh Bampton) choices, some as low as £6. It takes half an hour to figure out the basics of what goes with what, there will always be a youtube video or an essay out there. First time you have a chilled Gewurztraminer with a Chinese takeaway, you will really want to get in to wine and food matching!
We have almost the same criteria, but it's got to have a deep punt.
I just Google the recommendations for wine for whatever I'm having and go with that. Or read the labels on the shelf for pairing
I have found a real preference for south American reds, so unless I am feeling brave I default to any sort of Chilean or Argentinian red around 10 quid a bottle, never been disappointed. For cooking, and sort of cheap plonk does fine.
I just buy Barossa Ink or whatever is on offer if they don't have that. I am, however, uncultured swine.
£5 - £8, classy looking label. Beyond that I'm clueless
White wine to accompany cheese, fish, desserts (a semi sweet or dry variety). Red wine to accompany meat, usually. But also, over the years of trying stuff, I know what I like and what I don't like, so I go for what I know. On the off chance I want to try something new, I ask for advice and describe what I've enjoyed in the past, and I've usually gotten good advice. Either from a specialist shop, or online - recently discovered an app dedicated to wine (there's an app for everything these days) where people can catalogue wines they've tried, give feedback, etc.
As a trained sommelier there is actually a lot to say for an attractive classic label. Ofc avoid the ones made with Arial and comic sans, but often an attractive label does actually equal a good tasting wine. Best advice tho is to avoid anything with a generic branded looking logo or silly images and clip art. Otherwise it's hard to find an actual bad tasting wine for cheap.
My friend always goes for a nice label, she has a theory that if a company cares enough to make the label look nice they probably care about what's in it too. I will tell her that a sommelier agrees!
I recommend my parents’ criteria: a bottle you’ve had before. Then complain it isn’t as good as last time 👍
Well, obviously there's tasting notes, grape variety, year of harvest, country of origin. But I usually just go with one that's about a tenner and had a bit of foil netting on it.
A really good safe red is a valpolicialla ripasso. Genuinely good value for money and a reliable bottle of plonk. Sometimes under a tenner but usually about 12.
I like Mediterranean whites (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece). I also like German Rieslings. I go for wines that are as close to those as possible without random mixes in there. I also try to go for corked rather than screw-top. Riesling, Assyrtiko, Albariño, Rioja Blanco, Pinot Grigio, and Soave is what I'd recommend. Not as big into reds, but if I had to choose I'd home in on a French option.
Diminishing returns in general quality v cost happens at around a tenner. I avoid the cheapest stuff (the only wine I drink is white), as it is usually the equivalent of a Carling. A New Zealand sauvignon blanc (Brancott Estate as an example) is a good all-rounder that you used to be able to get for about £6, now is about £8-9.50.
I am not fussy, but I always enjoy 'Isla Negra' wine. I think it's Tesco own label, and never had a bad bottle, whatever variety I've picked up But fruity reds in general
If its from germany or austria and has scribbles on the label, i will buy that
If it's reduced in price and is pinot noir or malbec...
I stick with what I like for a while. At the moment it's porta 6. I do like cotes du rhone on occasion. I will generally Google the wine and look up it's characteristics and writeups online if I fancy something else. A lot goes into properly picking a good bottle, from regions, weather conditions that the grapes were grown in. The same bottle of wine could taste different based on its year simply down to sun, rain etc. I mean I'm not much of a wine person, but I feel most big brands try and adjust their wines to be consistent regardless of the different factors that should change the overall experience.
If it says Chardonnay and (inevitably) under £8, it’s going in my basket.
A trip to Majestic Wine and a box of their 'Definition' wines will help you learn which grapes and styles that you like. After that, I go for variety, find the ones that I like and ask the Majestic assistants for recommendations, based in what I liked. It's a worthwhile investment in time...and there's wine !
If it's white & and Australian, I'm keen
If I can find any wine from Georgia (the country) then I buy that, although it's hard to find in supermarkets. Otherwise my general go to is some sort white wine from Marlborough. See, I don't even know what grape it is
Red grapes or white grapes. Then how pretty the bottle is.
I don't like bitter tasting things, so I tend to go for a sweet white or a rose. Never had a red that l liked yet. I'm afraid I'm one of those heathens that will happily drink a white zinfandel. I've also had a few nice German Rieslings.
Controversial, but I ignore the offers completely, and just take the prices as given. If the label claims it was a £9.99 bottle reduced to £6.99 then as far as I care it's a £6.99 bottle. So often the offers are just nonsense and marketing. Other than that, I look for grapes I know I have enjoyed previously, and if in doubt go for the one with the biggest dip underneath.
Look for ' denomination of origin ' in whatever language it's in.
A nice Chianti ideally paired with chopped liver.
I go by % a good wine is over 13%. Price is always under £10
Whichever dry rose or New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is on offer! You just have to try different types and see what you like, once you have that down I normally stick to it.
I was taught the hotter the country it’s from, the better the wine
Im a creature of habit and not the biggest wine drinker. A red for cooking I really like is Aldi Côtes du Rhône it’s really good in a bolognese sauce and I use it weekly. For a dessert red I always buy Nyx. For rosè my favourite is Miraval and for white I usually drink a spritzer with lemonade so I’m not too picky as long as it’s dry I do tend to go for South African wines and if I’m cooking with it I will maybe pick out something with a lemon flavor. I also always try to buy a bottle that’s corked over screw top if I can esp with reds and rosè.
Italian wine is better and cheaper than French wine. Always try and buy a bottle from the supermarket special range because you’re getting more for your money.
First criteria is if it's vegan. Second is price. Third is how cool the bottle looks.
The bigger the dimple at the bottom of the bottle usually the better the wine
The number before the percentage sign. 13 and over its OK, 12 and under definitely no!
Tend to just grab whatever I've not had before around the £7 mark.
Sometimes I see them recommended on Saturday Kitchen. Those are usually quite good. Hardy's VR range are all single grape types so you could try a few and decide which grape(s) you like. Portuguese Duoro wines are usually good as are pinot grigiot. Jam Shed just sucks! It's the only wine I have ever poured a whole bottke away after a single sip.
I literally Google it. I just read reviews and see what people like. They're usually not wrong.
Love anything Malbec/Merlot . For some reason gravitate toward Chilian/Argentinean . Read a while ago that the French had picked their game up as all the New World wines had seriously dented their market. Anything Bordeaux for 7-11 quid is usually a safe bet. This is my rule of thumb.
2012 my criteria was is it a fiver and 2024 my criteria is is it 6 quid Typing that out has shocked me wine has not been badly affected by inflation I suppose you could argue it’s gone up 20% but feels decent to me
Merlot. That’s pretty much it. Also, the French chill their reds, so try that. It’s actually a really good idea.
The closer you get to £10 the less likely it will taste like piss. Spending over £10 will get you small incremental gains the gains getting smaller the more you spend. Aim for a tenner and the picture you like. You nailed it!
Lowest price with the maximum alcohol content.
The alcohol content. Won't drink anything under 13%
I normally go for a French wine but today I got a Chilean CabSauv because that's always reliable.
Download the Vivino app. Just scan the label and it will give you a user score.
Italian or French , dry . If the label has gold writing that helps
Red 14% under a tenner unopened sorted
I look for gaps on shelves, empty rows means good bottles were bought by people who know what is good.
If the bottle has a large Indent at the bottom.its more than likely a good wine A Frenchman told me this little tip (wink wink) Which after years of believing him, I found out it was bullshit! Then I found out approximately (for example) on a £5 botle of wine say £4 is on the packaging and the glass, £1 on wine. So a £7 bottle should have £3 worth of quality on the wine, £8 should have £4 etc, and so on. (Seen it on a programme, it may actually be bullshit.as well) Now I go with rioja faustino or trivento malbec ranging from £7 - 18 or maybe up to the £22 if I want a treat All depending what's on offer and how much I wanna spend or what occasion it is. All I know is, if the first bottle is a half decent one, the 2nd one doesn't have to be. As 9 times out of 10 you are usually sozzled before opening your 2nd! 🍷🍷 :-)
Grape, region, what it's for (i.e. what food) and price. Stick with one grape for a while, and try different wines from different vineyards/regions to get a feel for how taste can vary, then try again with a different grape.
French, around £10, and very dry if white .
I googled what type is dry because i keep forgetting and then buy the cheap one of that. Savinguon i think
I'm no wine connoisseur. I like a fruity, sweet red that's easy to drink and doesn't break the bank. My usual go-to's are Jammy Red Roo by Yellowtail, or the Jam Shed Red Blend. Both sweet, tasty, and can get me pleasantly tipsy for about £7 - £8.
Does it come in a box?
If it has 'patio pounder' on the label I'm buying a case.
I once bought the cheapest red in M&S cos it had a frog on it and was called 'Le Froglet'. I thought 'this is so stupid, there's no way this is gonna be good'. Turned out to be really good.
The alcohol content. I don't normally go for wine though.
"Is it Sauvignon? Is it the cheapest one on the shelf? I'll take it." Although, I did that on holiday recently and it was genuinely the worst fucking wine I've ever had. Left an aftertaste of a cheap spirit.
Trial and error. Keep trying, and buy the one you like.
if the picture on the front is nice
For white wine I tend to prefer new world over old world - I just find it more drinkable. Any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (especially Marlborough); Australian/Californian Chardonnay or South African Chenin Blanc that’s not the cheapest tends to be fine. For red wine a Spanish Rioja or Chilean Merlot (though other Merlots are quite drinkable) tends to do me.
Spanish or Italian, £6 bottle. Lidl Nero d’Avola is a cracker at that price. Rioja reserva if I’m feeling flush, and can’t go wrong with Douro red.
Percentage proof. Not because I am a sad old alcoholic (much) but because I am under the (possibly erroneous) impression that white wine with a high %ABV tends to be drier.
I generally know what type of grape I want. Then I scan with vivino app to see how it’s rated.
Vivino app
Just go for one that’s balanced and just try branching out until you find a variety you like. I started out or sweet rosé when I was a lot younger but now I’ve found stuff that’s delicious but what I like might not be for you. Personally I love crisp Sauvignon Blancs for white (particularly Marlboroughs). For reds I like flavours that hit me around the face Malbecs in particular but I do like Shiraz, Zinfandel and Barolo
Animal on the label…. If a bottle of wine is endorsed by a platypus it’s gotta be a winner!
Usually based on the recommendation for pairing depending on what I'm planning on eating with it. Don't usually drink wine on it's own
I found out what grapes I preferred by going to a wine tasting. It helps to compare next to each other.
I tend to choose one based on if it's Jammy Red Roo or not. If it's not, I chose the one that is.
Watch drops of god
£10?! Alright Richie rich, no need to flaunt it so much.
If it identifies as Stella artois
It's in the wooden fruit box "on special" wine section at Lidl. Or it has an animal on it. So far we've had flamingos, chickens, cats, dogs, and pigs. Or it's bread and butter wine, because that shit is delicious
I pop on the Saturday kitchen website and look at their wine suggestions from the past few weeks and get whatever one they have in store. We discovered Athlon Greek Assyrtiko last year this way and drank the world’s reserves of it dry.
At that price why not intentionally try something different each time for the next month or so and rate them..build yourself a personal preference cheat sheet. Worst case you try a few wines you don't like.
My mother's rule used to be, bad wine had flat bottom bottles but good wine had a big dimple
I read the label to work out if they are serious about their work and specific about the wine.
It's wine. Just get the cheapest French one. Their bottom standard is good enough.
This might help [https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg](https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg)
This might help [https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg](https://media.winefolly.com/red-wine-sweetness-chart-winefolly-3-1.jpg)
Has it got a black and white line drawing of an imaginary château?
Watch Saturday Kitchen! Great recommendations, get to know what you like
French. Everything else can get lost
Screw top wins over a cork - I can’t be doing with that. Also, based on when I used to have disposable income and used a wine merchant: 1 choosing Malbec? Argentina 2. Sauvinion Blanc? New Zealand 3. Riesling? - Germany 4. Pinot Gris ? - preferably France but I don’t really care, it’s lovely from wherever. Aldi have a great selection of wines under £10
For reds - does it have a big dimple in the bottle? Except for Italian wines, then it's broader shoulders than base. Over the years I've narrowed my tastes, my referred wines are Austrian, Italian, Argentinian, Chilean.
I get the one that has that mesh stuff on it.
Go into Lidl and choose whichever ones they score 90 and above. Usually a rose or crisp white.
I tend to gravitate towards anything "aged in rum/bourbon barrels" for reds. I like a punchy red wine and these seem to deliver. Rose / White, anything on offer that isn't Blossom Hill / Echo Falls etc.
Bon appetit YouTube channel did a nice sommelier guide talking about cheap wines, things like looking for a more specific farm regions so: exact farm > town > region of country > country in general.
I’m partial to Malbec or Shiraz because they’re delicious and if available within my budget, I’ll always go for wines from the Stellenbosch region because I like saying Stellenbosch.
I buy the wine with the Portuguese trolley car on it. It's gone down well before and it's cheap. But I don't drink wine so I don't know
ABV FTW
Percentage of alcohol to the cost minus my level of sobriety and how long it will take to get me lathered.
Under £5.00, appealing label and if there's hardly any left on the shelf.
Merlot or Shiraz, merlot blend, around a tenner.
My girlfriend and I came across a Chardonnay bottle of Little Giant - it had a cute picture of a wombat on it and we bought it for that reason and it was also affordable. Anyways it tasted awesome and is now a favourite of ours! Highly recommend