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.
