Sarah Knowles MW, buyer for Italy
Italy is an excellent place for value, especially for white wines. People can feel put off by pinot grigio, but it’s a wine to go to for fantastic value. This goes for other northern whites as well – for example, grillo, greco and vermentino. My top tip is look for those from the freshest vintages. The winemaking doesn’t need to be as overt: the grapes are picked quickly, can be made with no oak and don’t need big winemaking techniques that can cost extra money.
‘With red wines, don’t go with things you know are deeply popular. Finding something more obscure from a classic winemaking region is where you’re more likely to have success. Look for things like Montepulciano, for example. Despite Abruzzo having many historic wineries, they often fly under the radar.’
Matthew Horsley, buyer for South Africa, England and Hungary
‘In South Africa, the big producers who make some of the country’s most famous wines also sometimes create entry-level wine under a different label. These tend to be of an unbelievable quality because they have access to such great fruit. For instance, it’s no secret that The Wolftrap Red is made by the legendary Boekenhoutskloof – so you're getting all their quality and experience, but at a ridiculous price.
‘When it comes to English wines, which can often be rather expensive, I believe our Society’s English White is the best-value English wine in the UK. We’ve been able to keep this great price as the result of the long relationship we have with Three Choirs. Our decades-old connection has meant they let us hold our prices for our members.
‘Finally, it always pays to look at the lesser-known regions that don’t get much representation in the UK. Szekszárdi’s 'Sebestyen’ is a great example of this. Historically, these Hungarian blends have been big, rich powerful oaky wines that needed two years in the cellar to be drinkable. But there’s now a new way of winemaking that looks towards picking earlier, using neutral vessels and make for fresher wines.’
Freddy Bulmer, buyer for Austria
‘Austria is a great example of a country you can go to find quality at a great price. For a long time, Austrians were drinking the best stuff themselves, but now some of that has made its way over to the UK. Grüner veltliner and zweigelt offer such lovely, crisp flavours without being too difficult for winemakers to work with. This means you can get some really characterful wines off the beaten track.’
Marcel Orford-Williams, buyer for the South of France
‘The Languedoc offers great-value wines, simply because it is so huge. To put it in context, Bordeaux produces around 6 billion hectolitres and the Languedoc produces 12bn. Another reason why Languedoc wines are priced so keenly is because much of the region is run by co-operatives, who make a lot of inexpensive wine. There are a few négociant businesses we buy from who deal almost exclusively with these co-ops – and produce labels like Laborie for us. Because they’re in the area, they can ensure the quality themselves.’
We hope this article has inspired a new journey of discovery in our range below £10. If you’d like to see our complete offer of wines under £10, you can check it out below.
