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Best red wines: supermarket reds that impressed
The average supermarket can stock over 400 bottles of red wine on their shelves, it’s no wonder choosing one can feel overwhelming – even our experts admit they sometimes struggle.
With rows of pretty labels and tempting buy-one-get-one-free offers, knowing which bottle to pick isn’t always easy.
That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you. Our panel of wine experts blind-tasted and rated 17 supermarket reds from Aldi, Tesco, Waitrose and more – all priced between £8 and £17 – and uncovered four brilliant Best Buys. One even earned our Great Value pick, perfect for enjoying this Christmas and beyond.
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How our tests find you the best
Expert panel
Our seasoned wine tasters blind-sampled 17 supermarket red wines from Argentina, Italy, France, Australia and more.
Independent
We bought every bottle ourselves, always paying the full price. We also had a spare on hand to double-check any questionable samples.
No labels
Wines were anonymised and tasted in a random order, so only flavour and quality counted.
Final verdict
After tasting and comparing notes, the panel agreed on scores. Only then did we reveal the wines that were Best Buys and Great Value picks.
Best red wines
Only logged in Which? members can view our full independent test results and tasting notes from the expert panel for every red wine we tested below.
If you’re not yet a member, you’ll see an alphabetically ordered list of the red wine we’ve tested. To get instant access to these and all our reviews, join Which? today.
Aldi Les Trois Manoirs Medoc 2021
£8.49 for 75cl | France | 13% ABV
Tasting notes: Elegant and juicy with crushed berry fruit and hints of toasty oak.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi (in-store).
Aldi Specially Selected Baron Amarillo Rioja Gran Reserva 2018
£9.99 for 75cl | Spain | Vegetarian and vegan | 13.5% ABV
Tasting notes: A complex red wine with toast and coconut notes, berry aromas and hints of spice.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi (in-store).
Asda Exceptional Cóte De Beaune Villages 2022
£14.48 for 75cl | France | 13% ABV
Tasting notes: A red Burgundy with floral, red cherry and raspberry aromas with a hint of truffle.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.
Asda Extra Special Marques Del Norte Rioja 2020
£8.07 for 75cl | Spain | 14% ABV
Tasting notes: Rich, velvety red and black bramble fruit flavours, with elegant vanilla oak and sweet spice.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.
Co-op Fairtrade Organic Malbec 2023
£8.65 for 75cl | Argentina | Vegetarian and vegan | 12.5% ABV
Tasting notes: A full-bodied wine bursting with plum, cherry and jam aromas.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op.
Co-op Irresistible Shiraz Cabernet 2023
£9.50 for 75cl | Australia | Vegetarian and vegan | 14.5% ABV
Tasting notes: Bold and full-flavoured with ripe, dark fruit flavours.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op.
Lidl Barolo 2020
£16.99 for 75cl | Italy | 14% ABV
Tasting notes: A bone-dry red with herby notes and a slight floral finish.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl (in-store only).
Lidl Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2023
£13.99 for 75cl | France | 13.5% ABV
Tasting notes: Full and firm with plenty of black fruits and spice.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl (in-store only).
M&S Collection Susana Balbo Malbec 2024
£14 for 75cl | Argentina | Vegetarian and vegan | 14% ABV
Tasting notes: Made with grapes from Uco Valley where they grow at high altitude and ripen with excellent balance and mineral freshness.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from M&S (in-store) and Ocado.
M&S Etna Rosso DOC 2022
£14 for 75cl | Italy | Vegetarian and vegan | 13% ABV
Tasting notes: A delicate wine perfumed with blackberries, cherries and mocha with a silky finish.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from M&S (in-store) and Ocado.
Morrisons The Best Chinon 2024
£9.25 for 75cl | France | 12% ABV
Tasting notes: Raspberry, cassis and bell pepper taste.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.
Morrisons The Best Douro Reserva 2023
£11.50 for 75cl | Portugal | Vegetarian and vegan | 13.5% ABV
Tasting notes: Intense black fruits and plum with a hint of spice and vanilla.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.
Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Gamay 2024
£9 for 75cl | France | Vegetarian and vegan | 12% ABV
Tasting notes: A soft cherry-scented red that's bursting with notes of raspberry and blackberry.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury’s.
Tesco Finest Barossa Shiraz 2023
£11 for 75cl | Australia | 14.5% ABV
Tasting notes: Full bodied and rich, displaying vibrant plum, cherry and blackcurrant aromas and flavours.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.
Tesco Finest Valpolicella Ripasso 2022
£12.50 for 75cl | Italy | Vegetarian and vegan | 13.5% ABV
Tasting notes: A bold wine full of dark fruit flavours with a complex and smooth mocha finish.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.
Waitrose Blueprint Chianti 2024
£8.50 for 75cl | Italy | Vegetarian and vegan | 12.5% ABV
Tasting notes: The characteristics of the Sangiovese grape variety shine through in this wine, with notes of ripe berry fruit.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.
Waitrose No.1 Langmeil Winery Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021
£14 for 75cl | Australia | Vegetarian and vegan | 14.5% ABV
Tasting notes: With its long, powerful finish, this red offers a true taste of the Barossa.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.
Stocking up? See our picks of the best sparkling wines and best champagne
All prices and availability information correct as of November 2025.
How we test red wine
Our panel of four independent wine experts blind-tasted 17 red wines for our taste test in September 2025.
We asked supermarkets to nominate own-label or exclusive, widely available red wines that are particularly good for drinking at Christmas and throughout the winter. They all had to cost between £5 and £17 (excluding special offers).
We buy all the products we test. In some cases where they aren't in the shops yet we will buy them direct from the supermarket, but we always pay for test products.
Our expert tasting panel included:
- Sam Caporn MW Master of Wine, consultant, speaker, writer and co-chair of the International Wine Challenge (IWC)
- Peter McCombie MW Master of Wine, speaker, consultant and co-chair of the IWC
- Ray O'Connor MW Master of Wine, speaker, wine producer and consultant
- Helen McGinn Author, drinks writer, TV presenter and co-chair of the International Wine Challenge (IWC).
The taste test was blind, meaning we anonymised the bottles so the panellists didn’t know which wine they were trying.
Each expert tried the red wines in a different order to avoid any bias, and after all of them had been tasted, the panel agreed on a score for each bottle and which ones deserved to be Best Buys and we checked if any qualified as Great Value (at least 20% cheaper than the average price of the test selection).
Only then did we reveal the products.
Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent
How to choose the best red wine
Use our guide to the most common varieties to get you started:
- Cabernet sauvignon is blackcurranty, sometimes grassy, usually full-bodied and often tannic (which has a drying effect in your mouth). It’s good with lamb and goose.
- Malbec goes well with meat, especially beef. Taste varies depending on where the grapes are grown, but plums, berries and spices are common flavours. It’s sometimes blended with other varieties, but Argentine versions are typically single-varietal.
- Merlot is versatile and soft, making it a good entry point for those new to wine.
- Pinot noir varies enormously depending on where the grapes are grown. It goes well with lamb, duck, guinea fowl, burgers, haggis and many cheeses.
- Primitivo from Italy is a medium-bodied red with a balanced, juicy taste. The quality is fairly consistent, so it's usually a safe bet if you're unsure what to buy.
Heavier reds, such as malbec or shiraz pair well with red meat such as beef or venison. Lighter reds, such as a pinot noir, work well with duck and turkey, and can lift a heavy meal.
As a rule of thumb, if something ‘grows’ together, it probably goes together. This means Italian wines work well with Italian dishes, and so on. Any wine heavy in tannins will pair well with fatty foods, but for items such as oily fish, a low-tannin option, like a Pinot Noir, is preferable.
Our experts advise considering wine pairings as you would a sauce – think of the key flavours in your dish and try to match the ingredients and intensity as closely as possible.
Best red wine on a budget
When it comes to finding the best red wine on a budget, there are some good-value supermarket reds available. However, our experts say it's usually worth upgrading from basic, inexpensive wines.
Spending just one or two pounds more for a premium-range red means you'll go home with a significantly higher quality wine. Why? Supermarket buying teams spend a great deal of time and effort visiting wineries – they are heavily invested in producing the best wine there is.
A truly skilled wine buyer will seek out lesser-known grapes and visit various regions to discover more affordable yet exceptional bottles. Our experts advised us that classic red wines for Christmas are generally more expensive, so it's worth branching out and trying something new.
And, as always, if you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it probably is. Always try a red wine to see if you really like it before stocking up for a party or gathering.
Red wine glasses
For the best tasting experience, serve your red wine in a red wine glass. Sounds obvious, but as red wine glasses are larger and taller than white wine glasses, with a larger bowl to hold the wine, it allows for more oxygen exposure. This brings out the fruit flavours and the wine will taste smoother.
How not to waste corked wine
Corked wine refers to wine that has a damp, cardboard taste, due to contamination from fungi in the cork that can create a compound known as TCA. It's harmless but doesn't taste very nice.
Using a vacuum pump to remove air can help – you can buy one for less than £10. Just remember to bring the bottle back to room temperature before serving.
Even if a wine is corked, vinegary, oxidised or sulphury, you can almost always cook with it. As long as you cook it through to alcohol evaporation, the faults disappear with the alcohol.
Watch our video guide for more expert tips, including when to serve wines that are high in tannins (more bitter tasting) and how to revive a bottle of wine you’ve just opened that tastes a bit off.
How to store and serve red wine
You might be used to stashing leftover white wine in the fridge, but our experts recommended it for reds, too.
Cooler temperatures slow down oxidation, which otherwise gives wine an unpleasant, vinegary taste.
What you really want to avoid is keeping your wine anywhere near a heat source. Our experts advise against storing reds where they're likely to be brought above room temperature – this can lead to them being unpleasantly jammy.
They also warn that the advice about serving red wine at room temperature is slightly dated, as homes are typically much warmer these days. So you may want to pop it briefly in the fridge before serving.
Check out our full best wine clubs guide – we quizzed 1,389 Which? members and reveal the most popular brands
Should you decant red wine?
Decanting wine means pouring it into a decanter or jug to expose it to oxygen just before drinking. This can soften the tannins and help ‘open up’ the fruity flavours and other aromatic compounds previously masked by the tannin. It can also improve ‘reduced’ wines that have a rubbery flavour, reminiscent of hot-water bottles.
Double decanting, a traditional method of wine aeration, involves pouring the wine splashily into a jug and then back (through a funnel) into the bottle. According to our experts, this improves the wine slightly, but for a better result (and a faster one), you can purchase a wine aerator.
Wine aerators come in a variety of formats. Some can be expensive, though you don’t need to spend a lot. In 2020, our wine experts tested several types of aerators and found good options for as little as £15. You can buy wine aerators from retailers such as Amazon and John Lewis, as well as other specialist retailers.
Recycling wine bottles: what you need to know
Glass bottles can usually go in your household recycling bin. If your council doesn’t accept them, you can take them to a local bottle bank.
The recycling process can vary depending on where you live, so make sure to check with your local area if bottles require rinsing first and whether metal screw caps should be replaced or recycled separately.
Natural corks can’t go in your recycling bin. You can recycle natural corks through Recorked UK, either by posting them or dropping them off at your nearest collection point.
Synthetic corks, which are made of plastic, can’t be recycled. They should be disposed of in your general waste bin.
Please drink responsibly – see Drinkaware for information and advice