One Steal, One Curiosity, One Deadline

Three wines to grab you attention today but one of them is a “dawdle and you’ll miss it” offering.

The Value Pick

2025 Specially Selected Chilean Pinot Noir Reserva (£6.59 at Aldi):

Chile’s Casablanca Valley has long benefited from the icy Humboldt current, which pushes Pacific fog inland each morning before afternoons turn warm and bright.

However, it has taken winemakers two decades of chasing the coolest, foggiest sites, refining clones and trimming yields to exploit it properly with a notoriously fussy grape that – in the event – turns out to love that climatic rhythm.

As a result, Casablanca pinot has become increasingly impressive while often scoring points for value too. Indeed, some supermarket entry point pinots now seem to have switched to Chile instead of Romania.

This one is a delicate pinot noir offering violet and rose aromas with raspberry and red cherry flavours. Bold acidity and soft tannin keep it balanced and are supplemented by gentle hints of orange and baking spice.

Then, an Age-old Tradition

2025 Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz (£9 – down from £11 until 27 September – at Waitrose):

Although they appear elsewhere (notably Portugal’s Douro Valley), “field blends” like the one featured here are a distinctly Austrian tradition.

In essence, they involve several grape varieties being planted – sometimes randomly – side by side, then picked and fermented together rather than blended afterwards. Most date back centuries to times when vineyards simply grew whatever ripened well alongside one another.

Vineyards with a mixture of early and late budding varieties will produce very different wines in years with late frosts compared to years with more benign weather conditions. Quality engineers demanding consistency would be horrified, but there is something quite romantic about being driven by Mother Nature and all her vagaries.

Here, the mixture is led by grüner veltliner but there are at least three other varieties at the party to add lift and complexity – including what is probably a splash of typically perfumed muscat.

The outcome is a lovely aromatic wine, lightly citrusy on the nose, offering crisp green apple, peach and apricot flavours. Bright, refreshing acidity keeps it lively, but the finish is gently honeyed, although never unduly sweet – producing an easy, approachable style.

BONUS ITEM (BUT MOVE FAST)

Forget what you think you know about Soave — this isn’t the thin, forgettable stuff that gave the region a bad name decades ago.

Just to be clear, it’s named after a place, not a grape, and the grape doing the work is garganega – Italy’s sixth most-planted white and, possibly the most underrated when done well.

This bottle shows exactly why I think so. Soft peach, apple and melon fruit is up front with a citrus snap of grapefruit and tangerine peel through the middle, then herbs and a savoury, saline finish arrive to stop it ever being considered mundane.

Textured, aromatic, genuinely food-friendly with proper Italian white character – at £7.75, it is a steal, but that price goes up a pound on Wednesday.

• 2025 Taste the Difference Soave Classico (£7.75 – down from £8.75 until 22 September as Sainsbury’s Nectar price and 12% abv):

BUSY SHOPPER SUMMARY OF HEADLINE WINES

For readers short on time, here’s the verdict at a glance:

Which wine should I buy? 2025 Specially Selected Chilean Pinot Noir Reserva

Where, how much and what abv? £6.59 at Aldi and 13.5% abv

Why should I buy it? Great value pinot noir from an area where everything is coming together nicely.

What does it taste like? Delicate pinot noir with raspberry and red cherry flavours balanced by bold acidity and gentle hints of orange and baking spice.

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Which wine should I buy? 2025 Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz

Where, how much and what abv? £9 – down from £11 until 27 September – at Waitrose and 11.5% abv

Why should I buy it? Field blends are not that common these days but here is an excellent one – and enjoying a £2 discount just at the moment.

What does it taste like? Crisp green apple, peach and apricot flavours with a lightly citrusy background and gently honeyed finish.

If these three wines are your sort of thing, then report back here next Monday morning when more of the same will be waiting for you!