I went to two tastings the other day that couldn’t have been more different, namely the latest seasonal range from Lidl and the spring tasting at Mayfair wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd, which threw into stark relief what constitutes value in the wine world. Most of BBR’s bottles are at least twice and often three or four times as expensive as Lidl’s, but are they three or four times as good? Most of you, I suspect, would say not, but that’s not the only factor at play.
So long as you could afford it – and I appreciate that these days many can’t – most of you, I imagine, wouldn’t buy the cheapest chicken on the supermarket shelf because of concerns about the conditions under which it was reared. Similarly, you might not shop at Primark because you wonder what the working conditions are like for the garment workers who are making clothes at such low prices. Well, much the same goes for wine. If you cut margins to the bone, someone has to pay, and it’s unlikely to be the supermarket. I’m citing Berry Bros, but many local wine shops, much like butchers and bookshops, provide a real service to their community. If we like the idea of our town being populated with independent shops and want small winemakers to be able to make a living, we ought to patronise these independents. By and large, they stock more interesting wines than supermarkets, too, although the remarkably luscious Hungarian Haraszthy Sauvignon Blanc that Lidl is selling for £8.49 in its latest Wine Tour is certainly the exception to that rule.
You get the best out of a wine merchant such as Berry Bros if you play to their strengths. There’s frankly no point in buying wines you can find much cheaper elsewhere, such as their overly jammy Australian shiraz, which is simply not worth the £14.95 they’re charging for it (their own-label 14.5% Pulenta Malbec at £13.95, though a couple of pounds over the average supermarket price, is a much better buy). Nor would I go for big-name bordeaux or burgundy. The Wine Society is much better value for that. I’d say BBR’s sweet spot is around the £18-30 mark, which would get you its good-value English sparkling wine from Hambledon at £27.95 and the very pretty Langhe nebbiolo in today’s pick, which is better drinking than most supermarket barolos. If you reel at those prices, it’s worth asking yourself if you’d pay that amount for a bottle in a restaurant or, proportionately, for a glass in a wine bar? That English sparkling, for example, works out at £4.66 a glass, which isn’t bad for champagne-quality fizz.
Finally, it’s very much a question of your level of interest. If wine is just a drink you share with friends and your main concern is to get it at the best price you can, Lidl or Aldi are obviously the answer. If, however, you have a real interest and want to increase your knowledge of the wine world, shop at an indy at least part of the time.
Five bottles that span the world of wine
Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut £9.99 Lidl, 12%. Great value alternative to pink champagne for Mother’s Day (looks posher than prosecco, too).
Giulio Pasotti Lugana 2021 £7.49 Lidl, 13%. Smooth, elegant Italian white similar to a soave. Would be perfect with a creamy risotto.
Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Les Aumôniers 2020 £7.99 Lidl, 14%. Smart-looking, rich, generous Côtes du Rhône from a terrific vintage.
Langhe Nebbiolo Giovanni Rosso 2020 £19.95 Berry Bros & Rudd, 13.5%. Delicate, ethereal nebbiolo at a (just about) affordable price. Basically a baby barolo.
Berry Bros & Rudd English Sparkling Wine £27.95, 12%. Elegant, fresh English fizz made by Hambledon, whose own-label is quite a bit pricier, so this is a pretty good deal.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
