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Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC identify good value bottles across the price spectrum – from festive fizz to reliable reds
Over the last year wine prices across the board have risen significantly. So many bottles in mainstream shops start at around £10. Pity the plutocrats who saw the cost of a bottle of 2013 Crystal Champagne move from £200 to £294 overnight. Fortnum and Mason’s superb Meursault which was £37 in 2020 is £90 today. Restaurants looking to maximise their income now have few bargains. The ubiquitous Ivy chain charges £32 for the cheapest bottle of white, red and rosé with Prosecco at £52.
Our aim this year is to identify good value across the spectrum.
Timing is everything. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will certainly be running ‘buy 6, get 25%’ off deals before Christmas Day. Note that Waitrose deals only apply to bottles costing up to £100 so the days of hefty savings on grand Bordeaux and Champagne are over.
The Wine Society is an honourable exception, with few price rises and a current promise to hold prices until next year. They even offer free delivery on every purchase, no matter how modest, which is astounding when a first-class stamp is £1.65.
Looking at the Society list, Biferno Rosso Riserva 2019 is a smashing red for £9.50, matched by its 2023 Primitivo for the same price. Both are lovely to drink by themselves. Barbera at £8 is one of those versatile wines made for pizza and pasta. For something exceptional, splash £35 on The Society’s 150th Anniversary Stellenbosch Cabernet 2015. A brilliant vintage and cheap for wine of this quality.
The Society White Burgundy is £11.95 and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is £11.50. If you are serious about this type of wine, then Dog Point at £19 is unbeatable. The Society’s Exhibition Chardonnay made by Kumeu River is a snip at £18.50, so Burgundian. Some wine merchants have top-end Kumeu – Hunting Hill Chardonnay is the smart buy rather than the flagship Maté’s Vineyard.
The Tesco offering is much improved. They are strong across the board on Côtes du Rhône starting with one for £5.45! This is so versatile and reliable a red. Bonny Doon from California at £16 is a joy while the 2019 Rioja Marqués De Riscal for £15 was the best Rioja enjoyed by Regan since COVID days. It has that elusive but delicate vanilla essence flavour.
On the fizz front, some branches of Tesco have got Delauney Champagne back at a silly £16.50. At the time of writing it offers Feuillatte Champagne, a massive seller in France, for £22. A penny less at Aldi gets one Monsigny Premier Cru, selected by Good Housekeeping as a best buy.
A tasting of some big names disappointed this summer. Yet again Piper Heidsieck, which we have recommended for years, is excellent. Sainsbury’s regularly reduces it from £39 and when that coincides with a 25% off promotion it comes in at £22 as was the case in mid October. Pounce if you get the opportunity.
For cheaper fizz look to Lidl Prosecco at £7.49 but a better buy is its vintage Spanish Cava for a few pounds more. Aldi has a clever wine buyer. A late October visit saw Greek Chardonnay for £9.99 and a Fleurie Beaujolais for 50 pence less. Their rosé wines are fairly priced.
South African Graham Beck sparkling is dependable and widely available. Sparkling Shiraz from Jacob’s Creek sounds like an abomination but isn’t! It works well with spicy food. (Inexpensive Champagne and curry is brilliant too.)
What to drink with your Christmas meal? Honestly, there are so many viable options. A cru Beaujolais such as a Brouilly is tasty and gentle. It can be served lightly chilled if you like as can a Pinot Noir. We continue to recommend a bottle of red from Waitrose which has not gone up in price. It is the £10.99 organic Primitivo Terre Di Faiano from Puglia. It is elegant and velvety, splendid and appealing. Rioja continues to be underpriced, is widely available and doesn’t overwhelm the palate.
If you prefer a white then, as well as those suggested above, look to a Mâcon Village or Waitrose 2023 White Burgundy at £14.99 which some stores sell in half bottles too. The same shop has Louis Latour White Burgundy 2023 for £18 – made for white meat or salmon.
If you own a trophy bottle of wine that you would like to consume in a restaurant, head to Hawksmoor in London, Manchester, Liverpool or Edinburgh. The generous £5 corkage on a Monday, regardless of how large the bottle, explains why we remain devotees. Steak, fish and staff are all superb. A London restaurant we refuse to name charges £50 corkage but half of the market price if it is a premium wine!
On a positive note, the fashionable River Café in London sells the amazing Charles Heidsieck Champagne with a negligible mark-up. Bob Bob Ricard in Soho has some of the lowest wine prices to be found anywhere and the list at nearby Andrew Edmunds contains absurdly cheap treasures. Happy holidays from us both.
Professor Dominic Regan @Krug79 is Head of the Knowledge Hub at Frenkel Topping. He is a visiting Professor at City Law School London and a columnist for New Law Journal. Dominic is widely regarded as an authority on wine, witness statements, Part 36 and the Jackson reforms.
Seán Jones KC, 11 KBW, @seanjonesqc, specialises in employment law and is General Editor of Tolley’s Employment Handbook. He also works in the sports law field. Seán launched the lawyers Billable Hour Campaign in 2015 which continues to raise funds for Save the Children to support its work trying to alleviate the refugee crisis. Find out how to donate and be a billable hero including the Legal500 humblebrag at: billablehour.org
Over the last year wine prices across the board have risen significantly. So many bottles in mainstream shops start at around £10. Pity the plutocrats who saw the cost of a bottle of 2013 Crystal Champagne move from £200 to £294 overnight. Fortnum and Mason’s superb Meursault which was £37 in 2020 is £90 today. Restaurants looking to maximise their income now have few bargains. The ubiquitous Ivy chain charges £32 for the cheapest bottle of white, red and rosé with Prosecco at £52.
Our aim this year is to identify good value across the spectrum.
Timing is everything. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will certainly be running ‘buy 6, get 25%’ off deals before Christmas Day. Note that Waitrose deals only apply to bottles costing up to £100 so the days of hefty savings on grand Bordeaux and Champagne are over.
The Wine Society is an honourable exception, with few price rises and a current promise to hold prices until next year. They even offer free delivery on every purchase, no matter how modest, which is astounding when a first-class stamp is £1.65.
Looking at the Society list, Biferno Rosso Riserva 2019 is a smashing red for £9.50, matched by its 2023 Primitivo for the same price. Both are lovely to drink by themselves. Barbera at £8 is one of those versatile wines made for pizza and pasta. For something exceptional, splash £35 on The Society’s 150th Anniversary Stellenbosch Cabernet 2015. A brilliant vintage and cheap for wine of this quality.
The Society White Burgundy is £11.95 and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is £11.50. If you are serious about this type of wine, then Dog Point at £19 is unbeatable. The Society’s Exhibition Chardonnay made by Kumeu River is a snip at £18.50, so Burgundian. Some wine merchants have top-end Kumeu – Hunting Hill Chardonnay is the smart buy rather than the flagship Maté’s Vineyard.
The Tesco offering is much improved. They are strong across the board on Côtes du Rhône starting with one for £5.45! This is so versatile and reliable a red. Bonny Doon from California at £16 is a joy while the 2019 Rioja Marqués De Riscal for £15 was the best Rioja enjoyed by Regan since COVID days. It has that elusive but delicate vanilla essence flavour.
On the fizz front, some branches of Tesco have got Delauney Champagne back at a silly £16.50. At the time of writing it offers Feuillatte Champagne, a massive seller in France, for £22. A penny less at Aldi gets one Monsigny Premier Cru, selected by Good Housekeeping as a best buy.
A tasting of some big names disappointed this summer. Yet again Piper Heidsieck, which we have recommended for years, is excellent. Sainsbury’s regularly reduces it from £39 and when that coincides with a 25% off promotion it comes in at £22 as was the case in mid October. Pounce if you get the opportunity.
For cheaper fizz look to Lidl Prosecco at £7.49 but a better buy is its vintage Spanish Cava for a few pounds more. Aldi has a clever wine buyer. A late October visit saw Greek Chardonnay for £9.99 and a Fleurie Beaujolais for 50 pence less. Their rosé wines are fairly priced.
South African Graham Beck sparkling is dependable and widely available. Sparkling Shiraz from Jacob’s Creek sounds like an abomination but isn’t! It works well with spicy food. (Inexpensive Champagne and curry is brilliant too.)
What to drink with your Christmas meal? Honestly, there are so many viable options. A cru Beaujolais such as a Brouilly is tasty and gentle. It can be served lightly chilled if you like as can a Pinot Noir. We continue to recommend a bottle of red from Waitrose which has not gone up in price. It is the £10.99 organic Primitivo Terre Di Faiano from Puglia. It is elegant and velvety, splendid and appealing. Rioja continues to be underpriced, is widely available and doesn’t overwhelm the palate.
If you prefer a white then, as well as those suggested above, look to a Mâcon Village or Waitrose 2023 White Burgundy at £14.99 which some stores sell in half bottles too. The same shop has Louis Latour White Burgundy 2023 for £18 – made for white meat or salmon.
If you own a trophy bottle of wine that you would like to consume in a restaurant, head to Hawksmoor in London, Manchester, Liverpool or Edinburgh. The generous £5 corkage on a Monday, regardless of how large the bottle, explains why we remain devotees. Steak, fish and staff are all superb. A London restaurant we refuse to name charges £50 corkage but half of the market price if it is a premium wine!
On a positive note, the fashionable River Café in London sells the amazing Charles Heidsieck Champagne with a negligible mark-up. Bob Bob Ricard in Soho has some of the lowest wine prices to be found anywhere and the list at nearby Andrew Edmunds contains absurdly cheap treasures. Happy holidays from us both.
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC identify good value bottles across the price spectrum – from festive fizz to reliable reds
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