I’ve turned over a new leaf. I won’t be promoting bottles of wine that cost £6 or less… unless they shake the foundations of my world in some way.
Why the change of heart? Well, get a load of these stats using a £6.31 bottle of wine as an example; the excise duty is £2.67 (across the board), then there’s VAT (£1.05), the retailer and importer profit margin (£1.37), logistics (30p), packaging costs (64p).
All this before we’ve even got to the money spent on the actual wine in the bottle, which is 29p (4.5%) until you move up to the £10 price point, where it suddenly becomes £2.10 (21%). I know, shocking right?
You can access all of these numbers in the annual Bibendum Vinonomics report, which is the go-to infographic for the wine industry. They update it whenever there’s a new budget, so it’s worth checking out. For a £20 bottle you’re getting £6.33 worth of wine, so it’s the opposite of the law of diminishing returns, would that be the law of increasing returns?
But then, who’s shelling out £20 on a mid-week bottle at home? Not me, that’s for sure, I’m more an £8 -£12 man for the everyday stuff (sometimes less, see my recommendations below).
But, and it’s a big but, when you find a tasty wine for well under a tenner, it can be a revelation. Like you’ve gamed the system in some way. But how do you know if a wine is good value for money or not? That’s a question you could write a book on, and people have. Long story short, it’s all down to personal preference and how much you enjoy that particular drinking experience versus what you’ve forked out for it.
When you know, you know. You know?
And not meaning to be all Debbie Downer about it, but what I can assure you is that at £5.45 it won’t be a sustainable or ethically minded bottle, as there’s no margin to be. So, I’ll leave that moral conundrum in your capable hands. Don’t worry, I’ve included a more expensive wine for those who want to sleep at night…
Pierre Jaurant Bordeaux AOC, £4.99, Aldi
Here’s the bottle people were comparing to the £3,000 bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild that David Beckham is partial to. Cute idea, but they can’t be compared.
Aldi’s is a juicy and ‘drink-me-now’ bottle with tons of plums, damsons and hedgerow fruit, the other is a ‘leave-me-the-heck-alone’ bottle, made by a legendary winemaking house from exceptional fruit.
£3k is excessive though, even by Beckham’s standards, hence it’s not recommended in my column.
Chassaux et Fils Côtes du Rhône, £5.19, Aldi
This is made by the same producer behind the viral Chassaux et Fils Atlantique Rosé. You know, the squat bottle with the blue and white label and stripey neck?
In spring, there was a cap on how many bottles customers could buy, it went that viral. This is their red Côtes du Rhône, which is silky, black-fruity, herbaceous and even a touch spicy. Let’s make this just as viral, shall we?
Côtes du Rhône Palais St Vigni, £5.45, Tesco
Simple but very effective, I have ‘best value’ that I scrawled above this wine in my tasting booklet.
Produced by Masion Jahanes Boubée, one of the largest wholesalers in France. They operate in all major French regions, hence the economies of scale bringing down the price. This red is 50% Grenache, for a ripe and ready sipping experience.
Bordeaux AOP Superieur, £5.99, Lidl
Go on, I dare you to deny that this is outrageous value for money at under £6. In fact, this should be the actual definition of a weekday wine.
It’s got some oak ageing and delivers typical Claret flavour cues, like blackberries, cassis and mint with some mild tannins.
Interestingly, Lidl also does a Saint Emilion Grand Cru for £15.99 which, although good, I didn’t feel was complex enough to be worth the price.
Chassaux et Fils Costières de Nîmes, £6.69, Aldi
This is a Syrah-heavy wine, to the tune of 70% of the blend, which is 20% more than the previous vintage. This makes it spicier, richer and deeper than its Côtes du Rhône counterpart. I’ve put in my tasting notes, ‘coffee, mocha and caramel characters’, and then I’ve scribbled two stars beside it, which means it’s a good one.
Costières de Nimes is the most southerly appellation in the Rhône Valley, any further south and you’d be in the Mediterranean. Hence, they have a marine influence there which brings freshness into the wines.
Château Troupian Haut-Médoc, £16, Ocado
Non-spend thrifts, here’s one for you. Unusually, a Merlot-dominated wine from the Haut-Médoc on the Left-Bank of Bordeaux, an area where the wines are usually higher in Cabernet Sauvignon. Thus, it’s informal, lacks austerity, is fresh and full of crunchy red apples and frangipane flavours.
Troupian’s wines have been described as feminine in flavour, which I’m not on board with. There are no masculine and feminine flavours in my book. This one is delicate (for Bordeaux), powerful and intense with a Celyon tea finish.
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