Best supermarket red wines

Looking for the best supermarket red wine? Want to know which red wine to buy? Read on for the best bottles, from malbec to pinot noir…

Best light-bodied supermarket red wine under £8

Gold: Waitrose & Partners Loved & Found Pais 2018, £7.99

Fresh and savoury with lively raspberry fruit, soft spices and bright acidity, this is lovely served slightly chilled.

Perfect pairing: Try our lamb chops with fruity couscous and mint recipe.

Silver: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Beaujolais Superieur, £8

Crunchy red berries and lifted notes of violets – a classic beaujolais with a fresh, punchy finish.

Perfect pairing: Try our warm aubergine, pomegranate and onion salad recipe.

Bronze: M&S Classics Beaujolais Villages, £8

Jewel-bright, juicy and refreshing, with a gentle softness on the palate.

Perfect pairing: Charcuterie.

Best light-bodied supermarket red wine over £8

Gold: Aldi Roversi Barolo, £12.99

Cherries, cranberries and raspberries with smoky earthiness and a silky-smooth texture.

Perfect pairing: Try our roast duck with cranberry and sour cherry sauce recipe.

Silver: Co-op Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir, £8

Clear, bright fruit with a savoury, herbaceous finish and just a hint of minty freshness.

Perfect pairing: Try our spicy lamb filo pie recipe.

Bronze: Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir, £9

Fresh and juicy red fruit – think plums and cherries – perfumed with a little soft spice.

Perfect pairing: Try our chickpeas with dates, turmeric, cinnamon and almonds recipe.

Best medium-bodied supermarket red wine under £8

Gold: Lidl Chianti Riserva, £5.99

Invitingly layered and fragrant, with bright acidity and autumnal hints of leather, cloves and sandalwood.

Perfect pairing: Try our poacher’s pie recipe.

Silver: Co-op Fairtrade Irresistible Malbec, £7.50

A sultry, warming red with stewed plummy fruit, notes of nutmeg and a touch of sweetness on the finish.

Perfect pairing: Try our Sri Lankan beetroot curry recipe.

Bronze: Aldi Chilean Pinot Noir Gran Reserva, £6.99

Elegantly silky, bursting with bright red berries, and softened with a little clove-like spice.

Perfect pairing: Try our veggie moussaka recipe.

Best medium-bodied supermarket red wine over £8

Gold: Co-op Famille Perrin Les Cardinaux, £10

From a famous Rhône producer, this lively, great-value wine has a backbone of blackcurrant and black cherries lifted by snappy herbs and parma violets.

Perfect pairing: Try our chargrilled chicken chimichurri salad recipe.

Silver: M&S Moueix Saint Emilion 2016, £15

A cracking, very smart bordeaux, plush with ripe forest fruits and hints of pencil shavings, vanilla and spice.

Perfect pairing: Try our posh venison burgers recipe.

Bronze: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rioja Reserva, £9

Old-school, oak-aged rioja, muscly and comforting with concentrated, dried-fruit richness, vanilla and a little bit of liquorice.

Perfect pairing: Try our slow and low goat ragu with orecchiette recipe.

Best full-bodied supermarket red wine under £8

Gold: Asda Extra Special Pinotage, £6.25

A well-balanced, rounded pinotage with juicy blackcurrants and cherries. Add in clove-like spice, liquorice layers and soft tannins, and it’s a winner.

Perfect pairing: Try our peking duck pancake recipe.

Silver: Lidl Winemaker’s Selection Barossa Valley Shiraz, £5.79

Robust and crunchy with good balance and length, this has a silky-soft mouthfeel, warm spices and pepper with sweet, ripe fruit – think warm plums and cherries.

Perfect pairing: Try our vegan mushroom bolognese recipe.

Bronze: Aldi Portuguese Dao, £5.99

A blend of native Portuguese grapes, bright and lively but with warming, earthy notes that makes it a great match with comforting meaty dishes.

Perfect pairing: Try our ‘perfect steak’ recipe with some béarnaise sauce.

Best full-bodied supermarket red wine over £8

Gold: Lidl Barolo DOCG, £11.99

One to savour, this has mellow autumn fruit and evocative notes of leather, smoky bonfires, cigar boxes and tobacco.

Perfect pairing: Try our Ischian rabbit stew recipe.

Silver: Co-op Novare Valpolicella Ripasso, £11

Perky and fresh on the palate, with layers of plummy fruit, liquorice and a subtle vanilla finish in this silky wine.

Perfect pairing: Try our oxtail with orange, szechuan peppercorns and star anise recipe.

Bronze: M&S Lirac Les Closiers, £10

A classic Rhône blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre and cinsault, herbaceous aromatics with juicy berry fruits and a pleasingly rustic freshness.

Perfect pairing: Try our aubergine dhansak recipe.

Best new discovery supermarket red wine

Gold: Co-op Extreme Bobal, £10

Bobal is usually used in blends, but here it shines alone – a perfumed, herbaceous nose with bold, muscly fruit and a nice leathery snap on the finish.

Perfect pairing: Try our chorizo cassoulet recipe.

Silver: M&S Palataia Pinot Noir, £9

Light and fresh with bright acidity, bursting with red fruits and warm, savoury spice.

Perfect pairing: Try our mushroom and lemon risotto recipe.

Silver: Waitrose & Partners Loved & Found Mencia, £9.99

Lovely juicy dark fruit with wintry notes of tobacco and smoke, and supple, silky tannins.

Perfect pairing: Try our roast leg of lamb with anchovy, garlic and rosemary recipe.

Bronze: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Zweigelt, £9

A light and very easy-drinking Austrian wine that made us think of mountain berries and fresh, astringent herbs.

Perfect pairing: Try our stuffed cabbage parcels in tomato sauce recipe.