Grab Bargains on Own-Brand Wines Before the Christmas Rush | Fiona Beckett drinking
At a recent Booths tasting, a plainly dressed, middle-aged gentleman stood at the door to greet the incoming press. Not so unusual for a wine tasting, do you think, but I can assure you it's rare, especially when the gentleman in question is the CEO of the company. The fact that Edwin Booth was the supermarket chain's main wine buyer partly explains his presence, but it has more to do with the culture of the company: Booths is still an old-fashioned grocer in the soul and "Mr Edwin", as the staff apparently calls him, clearly sees this as simply the right thing to do.
Its own chief wine buyer, Victoria Anderson, is cut from the same mold. Courteous, conscientious, careful and not to make a quick buck. Its range of carefully selected own brands, of which there are not many - 48, compared to more than 80 at Waitrose, say - is hard to fault, and only ever added when it finds a classic example of a wine to which she is happy to put the name of the company. The latest is a generously bodied Douro red (£11, and made by port producer Booths; 13.5%). My other favourites, which make me wish I had a branch near me, are the EH Booth & Co Gran Norte Rioja Crianza 2018 (£10.50, 14.5%) and the gavi in the pick of the day.
>Not all own brands are sourced with such meticulous care. You sometimes feel like buyers, or their suppliers, have basically just gotten their hands on a batch of cheap juice; but, to be fair, and with the exception of high-end ranges such as Tesco's Finest and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, they are often half the price of Booths' offer.
The best are those where supermarkets regularly work with the same producers – Lustau in Jerez, Baron de Ley in Rioja, Errazuriz in Chile, and Catena and Zuccardi in Argentina, to name a few; Paul Mas in the Languedoc is an equally reliable source of wines from this region, including Sainsbury's and Tesco's Languedoc red and white.
Aldi, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, as to them, earn brownie points for more innovative offerings such as M&S's Lost & Found and Waitrose's similarly named Loved and Found ranges, both of which include varietals so obscure that even I've never heard of them speak before.
Furthermore, own brands do not have large advertising budgets built into their price, so they are almost always better value than corresponding brands and are more likely to be rebates, in particular in the event of multiple purchases. Supermarkets tend not to give advance warning of major promotional offers, but look for deals at 25% off six bottles or four for the price of three, and swoop them down. They may not be available in the run up to Christmas.
Five of the Best Own Label WinesEH Booth & Co Gavi 2021 £8.85 Stands, 13%. Absolutely classic Gavi: clean, smooth and slightly almondy.
Villiera Sauvignon Blanc 2021 £6 (on sale, was £8.50) Marks & Spencer, 13%. Almost all of M&S's wines are exclusive, and this well-made South African Sauvignon is similar in style to a Kiwi savvy white.
2020 Specially Selected Lebanese Red 8.99 £Aldi, 13.5% . It's not the cheapest bottle in this store's range, but definitely one of the most interesting and ideal for Middle Eastern style lamb and eggplant dishes.
Tesco Finest Puemo Carmenère 2019 £8, 14%. Always reliable and lush chilean red that works remarkably well with a rogan josh.
Waitrose Fino £7.69 (750ml), 15%. If you are a fan of fino, you...
At a recent Booths tasting, a plainly dressed, middle-aged gentleman stood at the door to greet the incoming press. Not so unusual for a wine tasting, do you think, but I can assure you it's rare, especially when the gentleman in question is the CEO of the company. The fact that Edwin Booth was the supermarket chain's main wine buyer partly explains his presence, but it has more to do with the culture of the company: Booths is still an old-fashioned grocer in the soul and "Mr Edwin", as the staff apparently calls him, clearly sees this as simply the right thing to do.
Its own chief wine buyer, Victoria Anderson, is cut from the same mold. Courteous, conscientious, careful and not to make a quick buck. Its range of carefully selected own brands, of which there are not many - 48, compared to more than 80 at Waitrose, say - is hard to fault, and only ever added when it finds a classic example of a wine to which she is happy to put the name of the company. The latest is a generously bodied Douro red (£11, and made by port producer Booths; 13.5%). My other favourites, which make me wish I had a branch near me, are the EH Booth & Co Gran Norte Rioja Crianza 2018 (£10.50, 14.5%) and the gavi in the pick of the day.
>Not all own brands are sourced with such meticulous care. You sometimes feel like buyers, or their suppliers, have basically just gotten their hands on a batch of cheap juice; but, to be fair, and with the exception of high-end ranges such as Tesco's Finest and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference, they are often half the price of Booths' offer.
The best are those where supermarkets regularly work with the same producers – Lustau in Jerez, Baron de Ley in Rioja, Errazuriz in Chile, and Catena and Zuccardi in Argentina, to name a few; Paul Mas in the Languedoc is an equally reliable source of wines from this region, including Sainsbury's and Tesco's Languedoc red and white.
Aldi, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, as to them, earn brownie points for more innovative offerings such as M&S's Lost & Found and Waitrose's similarly named Loved and Found ranges, both of which include varietals so obscure that even I've never heard of them speak before.
Furthermore, own brands do not have large advertising budgets built into their price, so they are almost always better value than corresponding brands and are more likely to be rebates, in particular in the event of multiple purchases. Supermarkets tend not to give advance warning of major promotional offers, but look for deals at 25% off six bottles or four for the price of three, and swoop them down. They may not be available in the run up to Christmas.
Five of the Best Own Label WinesEH Booth & Co Gavi 2021 £8.85 Stands, 13%. Absolutely classic Gavi: clean, smooth and slightly almondy.
Villiera Sauvignon Blanc 2021 £6 (on sale, was £8.50) Marks & Spencer, 13%. Almost all of M&S's wines are exclusive, and this well-made South African Sauvignon is similar in style to a Kiwi savvy white.
2020 Specially Selected Lebanese Red 8.99 £Aldi, 13.5% . It's not the cheapest bottle in this store's range, but definitely one of the most interesting and ideal for Middle Eastern style lamb and eggplant dishes.
Tesco Finest Puemo Carmenère 2019 £8, 14%. Always reliable and lush chilean red that works remarkably well with a rogan josh.
Waitrose Fino £7.69 (750ml), 15%. If you are a fan of fino, you...
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