When it comes to choosing top quality wine, supermarket shelves are nowadays one of the best places to look. Varied and expertly chosen, Waitrose Cellar stands among the best supermarket options, with bottles sourced from all over the world.
With such a vast selection, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. From soft rosé for sunny days, to robust reds and even the canned type, Waitrose Cellar’s wine selections are chock full of crowd pleasers and distinctive vinos for every occasion. To help you narrow down your choices, I spoke to wine expert and founder of the School of Booze Jane Peyton.
Waitrose cellar is also a great place to snap up deals on your favourite plonks, for example, right now you can get 25 per cent off when you buy six or more bottles on selected lines and save up to a quarter on sauvignon blancs from around the world.
Read more: 9 best supermarket wines, according to sommeliers and experts
White wine
Waitrose Loved & Found viorica
“When I host tasting classes, I like to include this wine so I can ask the group to guess the grape,” says Jane Peyton. “They smell and taste the floral, herbaceous notes of elderflower, jasmine, and thyme, note the high acidity and suggest a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or English bacchus. They are invariably surprised when I reveal that the wine is made in Moldova from viorica, a white grape that originated in that country.”
Peyton adds: “At £9.50 this is a budget friendly introduction to the ancient wine making culture of Moldova.”
Trius vidal icewine
“One word – nectar! ,” says Peyton. “No other term can so accurately describe a dessert wine.”
“What makes Trius vidal even more special is that it’s an ice-wine, which means the sweetness comes from concentrated sugars that froze inside grapes on the vine in Ontario’s Niagara peninsula,” she explains. Expect apricot, peach, honey, and tropical fruit notes from the vidal blanc grape which is “sweet but it is also acidic so it’s not sickly”.
“It’s sublime with charcuterie and pungent cheese as a foil against saltiness,” Peyton adds.
Read more: Best supermarket canned wine, chosen by an expert
Red wine
Orovela saperavi
“Fans of big chewy, full-bodied reds – here’s your wine,” Peyton says. “It is from Georgia, the world’s oldest wine making culture, and made of saperavi, the country’s most widely planted red grape. Hefty tannins and fresh acidity make it a match for barbecued food, hearty meat or mushroom dishes, and blue cheese.”
Strofilia Mountain Fish agiorgitiko
“Agiorgitiko, which translates as Saint George’s grape, is the most widely planted red grape in Greece.” Peyton says that this is a great wine for those who like beaujolais and merlot, and are looking to try something new without spending too much.
“Expect cherries and other red berries, a medium body, fresh acidity and soft tannins,” she notes, while adding that it would work well with tomato-based pasta dishes, pizza, and moussaka.
Rosé wine
Recato vinho verde rosé
“I’m partial to Portuguese wine and am diligently working my way through the 250+ indigenous grape varieties,” Peyton says as she recommends a rosé from the country. “This rosé is made from a blend of touriga nacional, espadeiro, and vinhão and its tasting notes suggest a bowl of summer red fruits including raspberry and pomegranate. Its crisp acidity and gentle spritz will enliven the palate ready to eat oysters, grilled white fish, and feta salad.”
Sparkling
Plumpton Estate brut rosé NV
The wine expert’s sparkling wine of choice from Waitrose cellar is “a small batch English sparkler made by the wine industry’s future superstars at Plumpton College, the UK’s Wine Centre of Excellence”. It’s made in the same way as champagne from a blend of East Sussex grown pinot meunier, chardonnay, pinot noir.
“This is just what I long for in a pink sparkling wine – ripe red fruit, rose petals, honey, and toasty brioche enlivened by fine bubbles,” Peyton says. “Start a meal with this as an aperitif and finish by matching it with dessert – Eton Mess or dark chocolate mousse. Heaven.”
Read more: Experts reveal best supermarket rosés perfect for sunny days