Back in 1962 Avis (then second behind Hertz in the US car rental business) ran a counter-intuitive, but hugely successful, advertising campaign.
Self-deprecatingly, they acknowledged “We’re number two” …. So, as a consequence, … We try harder”.
Something similar can apply to the world of wine.
If you are not in one of the fashionable or prestigious wine regions, securing shelf space in wine aisles is much more difficult.
Your product not only has to be especially attractive in quality terms to the customer, but it must also be exceptional value for money too.
There are a number of areas with unfamiliar names that do, indeed, try harder and create impressive wines as a result.
MidWeeker Keith keeps a keen eye on what they are and, here, reports back accordingly …..
So, let’s make a start
“Imagine you live in London and decide to drive to Scotland for a holiday. Would you take the M1 and M6 up the west coast or the A1 up the east coast?
Would you aim to get across the border as quickly as possible, or do you like to plan a few overnight stops en route?
Perhaps you’re someone totally committed to slow travel and would be dropping in on friends and family and “places we’ve always wanted to visit” on the way?
I’ve been thinking a lot about such choices recently in relation to preferences in terms of wine buying.
The scenarios above are essentially
- a person who knows what they like and pursues it at all costs (“I only drink red wine, or I only drink Bordeaux / Burgundy,)”
- a person who is, say, passionate about Bordeaux wines but is gradually expanding their interests by exploring the wines of the Loire, Alsace and SW France, and
- a person with eclectic tastes, simply fascinated by the diverse styles in wine and keen to widen their appreciation of the whole gamut of wine produced across Europe and beyond.
I would hazard a guess that a good proportion of MWW subscribers tend towards my category 3 wine enthusiasts; I certainly do.
I take great pleasure from getting to know wines from off the beaten track and touring the metaphorical byways and country lanes of the wine producing world.
Happily, I don’t need to travel far in this voyage of discovery because UK retailers realise there’s profit to be made from seeking out decent wines made from less familiar grape varieties.
They frequently offer them as ‘hidden gems’ for the type of ‘slow traveller’ I describe.
The key to the branding here is the idea of discovery and novelty as demonstrated by Sainsburys Discovery Collection, M&S Found and Waitrose Loved & Found ranges as well as the Aldi Unearthed label.
Here are some suggestions
No doubt readers will have their own favourites amongst these ‘discovered’ wines but here are three of my favourites.
A couple may not be available at the moment (although there could be some in physical stores) but all are worth going on your “must buy” list
M&S Found Pignolo (£11.00) An obscure red grape from NE Italy (Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Medium bodied, smooth, with plenty of fruit extraction.
Waitrose Loved & Found Sousão (£9.25) A grape traditionally used in port but now performing solo. Deep red, dark fruit, and lightly oaked.
Aldi Unearthed Frappato Rosé Spumante Brut (£8.49)
I’ve a bit of thing for Sicily’s Frappato grape but usually as a still red wine. This attractively dry sparkling rosé (pictured) has the grape’s distinctive strawberry bouquet, decent bubbles and a crisp, clean finish.
Absent friends
Here are a few I miss, all from Sainsburys Taste the Difference Discovery Collection:
Sainsburys TtD DC Teroldego. A rich blend of Teroldego and Rotaliano from Trento-Alto Adige in the NE of Italy. Full-bodied and lots of dark fruit aromas.
Sainsburys TtD DC Fronton. A characterful red blend of the local grape Négrette and Malbec from SW France.
Sainsburys TtD DC Verdeca. A crisp, light, aromatic wine from the heel of Italy. 100% Verdeca, indigenous grape in Puglia. The ideal seafood wine.
And some “yet to arrive”
But I finish with a few wines I’ve encountered ‘on my travels’ that I believe would make excellent additions to the Discovery wine concept.
Susumaniello – Although there are Susumaniello rosés at both M&S and Waitrose this black grape is primarily used to make full-bodied red wine in its native Puglia. It is, however, a great alternative to Primitivo and Negroamaro.
Palava – A cross between Müller Thurgau and Gewürztraminer from Moravia in the east of Czechia creating a floral, aromatic white wine.
Schioppettino – Another grape from Friuli-Venezia Giulia (NE Italy) also known as Ribolla Nera, but surely worth it for the wonderful name alone! (ski-ohp-pet-teen-oh). The deep red, medium bodied wines have been compared for their peppery and herbaceous qualities with Syrah and Cabernet Franc.
It would be good to know which ‘discoveries’ others have enjoyed, which wines are missed, and any suggestions for new ‘discoveries’ in the future.”
Editor’s Conclusions
Thank you, Keith, some great suggestions there.
One downside of this trend is that some featured wines are one-vintage only lines and are delisted after only a few months.
That is not all bad though – it does mean that retailer’s wine buyers are constantly on the look-out for new options that can refresh their shelves.
In turn, that discourages complacency and encourages producers not yet featured to feel that, with effort, their day will come.
Consequently, providing those “discovery” wines is a continuous business.
And, as Keith will undoubtedly confirm, so is looking for them!
Tune in again on Monday when value at budget price points is, once more, the theme of my latest Top Tips post.
15 responses
Thanks Keith for the interesting article.I am definitely in your Category 3 of wine enthusiasts.
Brian’s picture reminds me of the famous Robert Frost poem- The road less travelled.The famous line,has some relevance:
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
Applies I think to wine exploration, and here is my suggestion:
Specially Selected Moldovan Rară Neagră £7.99 Aldi
Rather exotic red wine and a little wild,but deeply inviting and somehow autumnal.
That Aldi red is earmarked for an upcoming piece on that retailers’ Winter range. And, yes, it is an excellent option.
And the new Specially Selected Terret Blanc? To be fair, I swerved that one as well as the new Moldovan Rară Neagră on my last visit to Aldi having noticed the reappearance of the Animus Reserva red from Portugal and the Chilean Carmémère Appassimento
The Wine Society has Susumaniello, and very nice it is
Thanks for that Martin. That sort of insight was exactly what Keith was looking for. Do keep adding thoughts to the comments section; they are appreciated.
Hi Keith, great stuff. In answer to your first question – last time it was up the A1 and back M6 and M1, calling in at New Lanark and Saltaire! More seriously, my experience is if it’s Portuguese and red in the Loved & Found range at Waitrose, buy it. They have an excellent new Touriga Franca 2024 from Alentejo. Check out their sparkling Feteasca Alba Brut 2024 from Moldova if you like soft and creamy fizz. I’ve also found Asda Wine Atlas wines great, too. They’ve got a medal-winning Feteasca Regala at £6.08 and an Île-de-Beauté red from Corsica made from (and I won’t try and pronounce this) 85% Neillucciu and 15% Sciaccarellu. Agree with Martin on WS Susumaniello – I gave the previous vintage 4 stars (out of 5).
Of course you’re right about TWS red Susumaniello David and Martin, and I too have enjoyed that one. My experience of drinking Susumaniello in Puglia was typically a more full-bodied wine than the TWS bottle although I now see TWS Vallone Sus. is described as medium-bodied on the website. I guess I was including red Susumaniello on my Discovery wishlist in the hope that one of the high street retailers would give it a go sometime.
It is moving into the mainstream now but those Xinomavros from Greece have really excited me recently. A great young vines version from the Wine Society, and a good one in Sainsburys, both from Master of the grape, Apostolo Thymiopoulous. The scribes call it Pinot Noir meets Nebbiolo. They fit my growing taste for less heavy wines.
Walked to my local Aldi this morning (Thursday) and they have the Unearthed for £6.49 atm. Bought a couple to try.
Welcome aboard the Comments section Andrew and thanks for the price update. Keep us posted on your thoughts on that wine.
Enjoyed reading your article, Keith, thanks.
I’m a sucker for buying anything in the Discovery, Found, Atlas etc. supermarket ranges. And my general rule of thumb is that the harder a wine is to pronounce, and the more obscure the location, the better value it will be.
But as always have come across a few exceptions, e.g. …
Sungurlu ‘Ayağıbüyük’, Yaban Kolektif 2023. A Turkish wine, Sungurlu is the grape variety. This is £33, from The Wine Society, and my notes were “Unique nose, unique taste – interesting!”. To continue Keith’s travelling analogy, this is probably taking an off-road route!
Incidentally, agree with David E on – Asda’s The Wine Atlas Île-de-Beauté . This Corsican red at 12.5% is a great value lighter style red for only £6.97. The beauty of the, in this case “Wine Atlas”, branding, is that one has the confidence to pick up an unusual wine and give it a go.
You’re a man of my own heart Richard. My suggestion of Schioppettino surely fits your pronunciation criteria, if not your taste?
‘Unique’ and ‘Interesting’ are the ultimate descriptors for damining with faint praise!
There seems to be a notable increase in interest in Austrian wines this year and I’ve certainly enjoyed more Austrian GV, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch recently. I was a bit slow in discovering that Kékfrankos is the Hungarian name for Blaufränkisch so Tanyamacska Szekszárdi Kékfrankos, Eszterbauer 2024 (£9.95) is now on my TWS wishlist. Surely here’s a wine that fits your rule of thumb? Hopefully it will be neither unique or interesting!!
Yes alternative grape names, particularly in Italy , can be most confusing.
One may wonder why Pinotage is so called when its parents were Pinot Noir & Cinsault? (Topical as it was recently the 100th Anniversary of its first planting)
It was because Hermitage was the local name for Cinsault!
I avoided Pinotage for many years as I had quite often experienced the burnt rubber smell which was, to me, really off-putting. But they have got much better. In fact recently tasted a 2023 Exceptional by Asda Pinotage, 14.5% 2.4g/L Residual Sugar, at only £5.98.. It was a touch floral and quite elegant, despite its ABV. I thought it a bit like a toned down Primitivo – a grape that is not a go-to for me.
The most bizarre experience regarding “difficult” grape names happened some years back at a Member’s Wine Society walk-around tasting. I was tasting an Alsace Pinot Gris wine – the grower was actually present, and poured it for me. But looking at the details in the tasting booklet, noticed that Auxerrois was named as the grape, and no Pinot Gris at all! I rather boldly asked the grower why it was labelled Pinot Gris when it isn’t! Oh he replied, if it were labelled Auxerrois no one buy it – and few would know how to pronounce it anyway! Somewhat confused, I let it drop. But afterwards investigated further. And yes the rules for Alsace clearly state that a wine labelled Pinot Gris, can contain any amount of Auxerrois. In this case it was 100%!
To use the modern vernacular “go figure”.
A friendly sommelier once told me that if faced with a bewildering wine list, always go for the wine with the longest, most unpronounceable name as the mark up will be much less.