When is a wine promotion really worth it?
Q : When is a wine promotion really worth it?
A : When it’s a 25% off everything promotion.
Why?
One of the challenges with the price of wine is the massive amount of cost that goes in before you even pay for a drop of wine, just duty alone is £1.90 per bottle and you have to add VAT, packaging, logistics and the retailer mark up before you even get to spend a penny on the wine. Bibendum have just written a fantastic post that shows this really well, read more here. 11p of wine in a £5 bottle of wine sounds pretty ludicrous doesn’t it?
Even this doesn’t take into account the cost of a promotional price which also has to get factored in somewhere.
A 25% off deal supercedes all of those other promotions and creates a level playing field. Which is why when a supermarket launches a 25% off everything deal I get out the plastic!
What should you do?
- Buy some special wines. Some wines are very rarely discounted – which means the wine in the bottle is actually likely to be worth the price of the wine on shelf. The 25% off price is getting you the biggest discount (25% off of £16 is £4, 25% off of £4 is only £1)! I indulge in a few fine wines that are never normally promoted so that I’ve got some special bottles at a brilliant price.
- Try out some wines at in your usual price bracket. If you spend your normal wine budget but get a wine with 25% off you’ll get wine in the bottle that is worth somewhere between 10 and 25 times more than your normal tipple. A risk free way to test whether spending more gets you more.
- Stock up on your favourites. Wines that you would normally buy are 25% cheaper – buy some! I top up on a few favourites safe in the knowledge that I like them and that they’ll get used over the summer.
And lo, Waitrose are offering 25% off all wines including sparkling until the 6th June. Here’s what I’ll be buying!
Bargains to stock up on
White
La Marmorelle Frascati Superiore 2010 £4.71 – not what most people expect from Frascati. A soft wine with an appley character and just a hint of nut!
Torres Viña Sol 2011 £4.59 – lively, summery and fresh. A fridge staple.
Excelsior Paddock Sauvignon Blanc 2010 £5.46 – I’ve known this wine for a long time and love its fresh aromatic character. A summer picnic favourite.
Cave de Lugny, Macon Chardonnay £5.61 – a great food wine, creamy and rich with a clean citrus finish.
Red
Santa Julia Bonarda Sangiovese £4.49 – another old friend. It has a soft, juicy nature perfect to crack open with ham sandwiches or roast chicken (hot or cold).
Salduba Garnacha 2008 £4.86 – this wine is all about the summer party. Versatile, easy drinking and a crowd-pleaser. It has a fruity, robust nature that makes it pair well with the outdoors and friends.
Brown Brothers Tarrango 2010 £5.99 – this grape is virtually unheard of but the wine is an icebox gem. Light enough to be slightly chilled and fruity enough to pair with anything in your picnic.
Under £10 wines to try
Whites
Cave de Beblenheim Pinot Gris 2009 £7.11 – I am a Pinot Gris bore. It’s the same grape as Pinot Grigio but fuller, richer and classier. Silky and packed with a hint of melon sweetness this wine will wash down smoked salmon or just a good natter.
O’Leary Walker Polish Hill Riesling 2008 £7.49 – this wine is a real livewire. If you like citrusy Sauvignon Blanc you’ll love this. It’s full of lime zestiness and has such a refreshing zip you’ll be gasping for more. Oh, and if you’re the kind of person who can be patient, it will just improve with time.
Red
L’Hospitalet La Reserve 2008 £8.99 – ok, so this is another old favourite of mine. It’s such a classy red with elegant berries and a great structure. I would definitely serve with a posh dinner, probably with lamb.
Rustenberg John X Merriman 2009 £9.74 – the first time I tried this I was blown away. It’s a Bordeaux blend made up of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it’s like Bordeaux that’s been sunning itself on the beach in Cape Town. Gorgeous.
Spoil yourself
White
Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 2011 £14.24 – Top sancerre from a leading producer. A sentimentally significant wine for me, the kind of wine that is so good you need to serve it with simple market fresh ingredients. I’ll be eating it with new season asparagus or a fresh goats cheese.
Clos Saint Michel Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2010 £14.99 – You don’t find much white Chateauneuf du Pape around so this is a great wine to show off with. It’s a great food wine, the blend of grapes gives it layers of subtle flavours and textures rather than a big whack of one flavour.
Red
Chateau Musar 2004 £14.99 – This wine has books written about it and an air of legend about it. It’s Lebanese and one of the most notorious and unusual wines around. It is a bit of an acquired taste, very savoury flavours with hints of umami. I like it on it’s own or with mushroom and truffle dishes
Jim Barry the McCrae Wood Shiraz £20.24 – Expensive, yes; iconic, yes; seriously good, yes! This is a powerful wine to show off with. Layers and layers of fruit and spice and a finish that just keeps going. The archetypal Australian Aussie Shiraz with bags of everything. Perfect with roast rib of beef, full stop.
Grape Vine
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