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journalism → support → readers
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As a wine writer who taste-tests dozens of bottles a week, I can attest to some absolute bargains available at supermarkets in London and beyond.
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Whether you’re after a crisp glass of rosé, dry white or celebratory Champagne, you needn’t go without.
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Sainsbury’s has outdone itself with another seasonal selection of easy-drinking wines suited to long, lazy weekends, relaxed get-togethers and vino-fuelled dinner parties.
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If you often find yourself staring bewildered down the supermarket wine aisle, only to eventually reach for your tried-and-tested favourite, then read on, because I’ve tasted the best wines to drink this autumn, so you can too.
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Best Champagne – Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV: £26, Sainsburys.co.uk
Best Provence rosé – Queen Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025: £18, Sainsburys.co.uk
Best Sauvignon Blanc – Sainsbury's Coolwater Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025: £10, Sainsburys.co.uk
Best chilled red – Sainsbury's Frappato Terre Siciliane 2025: £6.75, Sainsburys.co.uk
Whether you’re having an evening in front of the TV, hosting friends, or rustling up a Sunday roast
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How I taste-tested
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All wines were chilled before tasting, with only one bottle removed from the fridge at a time to ensure they remained cool.
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I nosed and tasted from an elegant white wine glass that’s also designed for sparkling wines and chilled reds, to maximise the aromatics on the nose.
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The glass was rinsed between samples with only water to cleanse my palate as well.
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After nosing and tasting, all samples were spat to avoid intoxication affecting my judgement – this is the standard for all wine and spirit tasting competitions.
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What we love: Intense aroma of strawberries and raspberries, and a bargain price.
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Take note: Despite the intense fruit, it’s still a dry rosé.
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If you like your rosés light, dry but dripping with red fruit, run to Sainsbury’s for this Négrette rosé from its Taste the Difference range.
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On first nose, you might think you’ve plunged your face into a bowl of overripe strawberries and raspberries – that’s the secret power of Négrette, a highly aromatic and fruity red grape that’s low in tannin and acid, making it perfect for producing rosés.
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Those berries, combined with citrus, liquorice and a mineral earthiness, make this an impressive rosé.
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It’s an absolute bargain, too.
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- Style: Négrette Rosé
- Produced in: Fronton, France
- ABV: 12.5%
- Size: 75cl
★★★☆☆
Best: Supermarket NZ Sauvignon Blanc
What we love: Full-flavoured Sauvignon Blanc, and its female winemaker, Natalie Christensen.
Take note:
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It’s produced by the popular Yealand Estate.
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There’s nothing more soothing than a crisp glass of Savvy B to stave off the heat, and this Taste the Difference Coolwater Bay 2025 vintage is just the tonic.
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Vibrant and tropical with notes of fresh pineapple, ripe peaches and limes, with a minerality reflective of its maritime climate, this is a fresh, clean and mouthwatering wine you’ll want to stock up on.
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- Style: Sauvignon Blanc
- Product of: Marlborough, New Zealand
- ABV: 12%
- Size: 75cl
★★★★★
Best: For celebrations
What we love: Excellent value for money and beautiful, balanced flavours.
Take note: There are eight Crémant appellations to choose from.
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If you’re after a Champagne dupe that offers fantastic value, seek out Crémant, which is made using the same ‘méthode traditionelle’ but outside the region of Champagne and with different grape varieties.
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This stunner in Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range is from the Loire and produced from a blend of 85 per cent Chenin and 15 per cent Chardonnay, with the wine aged on lees for twice the appellation minimum for additional complexity and elegance.
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Expect to find Crémant de Loire’s signature lemon and quince flavours mingling with rounded biscuity notes and a beautiful creaminess.
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It’s a bottle worthy of a celebration.
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- Style: Crémant de Loire
- Produced in: Loire, France
- ABV: 12%
- Size: 75cl
★★★★★
Best: Budget Champagne
What we love: Delicious range of ripe fruit flavours, and zesty and bright palate
Take note: Not a cheap sparkling wine
Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs uses the two black grapes used to make Champagne – Pinot Noir and Meunier, for its classic non-vintage expression, which is aged in bottle for at least 18 months.
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This is a lively, fruity number with a gorgeous nose full of strawberries and cream, and lime zest, which gives way to peach melba, stewed apples and a hint of digestive biscuit on the palate.
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Best suited to those who aren’t keen on the more bready styles of Champagne, and would make an impressive pour at a special party or New Year’s celebration.
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- Style: Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne
- Produced in: Champagne, France
- ABV: 12%
- Size: 75cl
★★★☆☆
Best: For sparkling or natural wine fans
What we love:
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Sainsbury’s first Pet Nat is approachable and easy-drinking for a natural wine, while being great value for a sparkling wine with depth.
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Take note: It’s on the slightly sweeter side.
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Sainsbury’s is having a trendy moment with the introduction of its first Pet Nat, a gently sparkling natural wine made from a blend of Chardonnay, Muscat and Ugni Blanc grapes.
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It sits on the sweet side of dry and vibrant, with aromatic florals, peach stone fruit, and citrus giving way to undertones of baked goods.
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It’s a wonderful introduction to this unique style that has hipsters in a chokehold.
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- Style: Pet Nat
- Produced in: Bourgogne, France
- ABV: 11%
- Size: 75cl
★★★★☆
Best: For pairing with seafood and pasta
What we love: Fresh, mineralic and bright, it’s weighty without being overbearing.
Take note: Gavi de Gavi is considered the best of Gavi wine.
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This 2024 vintage, a blend of 100 per cent Cortese grapes, is produced by Araldica, a cooperative founded in 1954 by the village priest.
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That’s probably not relevant nowadays, but if you like Sauvignon Blanc with a bit more structure, you’re going to love this: it’s fresh, bright and ripe with rounded notes of stone fruit, apricot and grapefruit, with a crisp, lemony and tart green apple finish.
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- Style: Gavi de Gavi
- Produced in: Piedmont, Italy
- ABV: 12%
- Size: 75cl
★★★★☆
Best: For rock ‘n’ roll fans
What we love: Full flavours of bright wild strawberries, encased in a beautiful bottle with a glass stopper.
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…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
