Wine with Leslie: €10 wine never tasted so good: The best supermarket wines for just a tenner
Buying on a budget doesn't mean you need to settle for sub-par wine. Picture: iStock
There is something doleful about September, but don’t fret: I bring good cheer, and wines for a tenner. Yes, the schools are back, the evenings are shorter and you are not imagining that nip in the air, it’s there. Well, the good news is that this is one of the best times of the year to buy wine: sales and offers are everywhere.
SuperValu’s French Wine Sale runs until September 26, so your task this weekend is to pick up some bargains to see you through to the October Bank Holiday. Similarly, O’Briens’ autumn sale runs until September 27 with reductions on around 100 wines and particularly good value in fine wines. Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl all have new wines on their shelves.
The SuperValu French wine sale has a long history dating back to early Superquinn days, an attempt to replicate the French ‘foires aux vins’ held in every French supermarket. I pick out two of the best wines below costing a tenner. There are also some wines at €8 and €9, including Ch. Manon des Brumes Bordeaux white and red (usually €13) and La Petite Perrière Rosé and Sauvignon. Goichot Fleurie is just €10, their Chablis is €15 and you can also pick up the Bonnamy Crémant de Loire white or rosé for just €15.
My picks from the O’Briens annual sale include Monte Real Gran Reserva at €18, Château Fuissé Saint Veran at €28, Ayala Champagne for just €55 and Piper Heidsieck for €45. O’Briens is always strong on Bordeaux (see Ch. Bentejac below) and even has some 1st and 2nd growths on offer (e.g. Ch. Margaux 2010 for €1,100, a reduction of €150). Meanwhile, the Eat Drink Spain campaign is in its second week and my wine dinner at The Mustard Seed is now taking place on Sunday, September 27, (rather than September 24).
From grapes grown around the town of Gien between Orléans and Sancerre, a region that deserves to be better known for its crisp whites that cost half the price of pouilly fumé and sancerre.
Lemony fresh with baked pear notes on the nose, grapefruit and lime on the palate with texture and a lemon-cream finish. At €15, watch for Foucher pouilly fumé.
- SuperValu
Vacqueyras has been a Cru village since 1990 and is just a short drive from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Normally €20 (itself a good price), this is young and vibrant with dark berry fruits, lively blackcurrant and black cherry fruits on the palate with spice notes and nice concentration.
This will age nicely if you have the patience.
- SuperValu
A big, juicy merlot dominated Bordeaux, normally sold for twice this price. Supple and ripe with chocolate and dark berry aromas, a full palate, good concentration and big flavours. A beneficiary of the warm 2023 vintage, proof Bordeaux can do fruit.
Other Bordeaux in the sale I like include La Claymore (€19), Lynch-Moussas (€55), Villa Bel-Air blanc (€22) and Frank Phélan (€38).
- O’Briens
This fascinating (and eminently collectable) whiskey was made with barley grown on the Tipperary distillery’s own farm, aged initially in first-fill Rioja casks and then finished for six months in Mezcal casks.
Liquorice and sweet fruit aromas with higher notes from the mezcal influence, baked soft fruits on the palate followed by spice, caramel and lingering anise notes. Quite brilliant.
- Celtic Whiskey, celticwhiskeyshop.com, tipperarydistillery.ie, No.21
