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The ‘flashy’ wine you should always avoid at the supermarket
Guess how long the average British person spends in the wine aisle?
You might be surprised to learn that a quarter of Brits spend more than 10 minutes in the booze section at the supermarket deliberating over which bottle to buy.
According to 2023 research from M&S, that’s more than 50 million hours wasted each year on a national scale.
I think we can all agree that’s a long time to be standing in one place, looking like a bit of a lemon. Particularly compared to the breezy 20 seconds we spend looking for milk or a loaf of bread, or 13 seconds for a chocolate bar.
It appears that choosing wine gives us anxiety, with some going as far as saying it worries them more than flying.
It doesn’t help that only one in five of us has a decent grasp of wine terminology, with 35% of Brits under 45 admitting to faking knowledge about wine to make themselves look better.
Over half of those interviewed for the study said they would find it useful to have more expert guidance when it comes to choosing a bottle. As currently six in 10 of us buy wine purely based on the look of the wine’s packaging, even the colour of the bottle has an impact.
Now, I’ve worked in practically every part of the drinks industry; heck, I was even a Tesco wine advisor early on in my career, so I can tell you, the layout of the wine aisle doesn’t come about by accident. It’s a highly engineered labyrinth, designed to keep you there for longer.
But if you know how to game the system, what to look for, you can come out on top.
As such, I’m sharing some of my top tips, as well as those from supermarket experts, to help you avoid getting caught in the 10-minute wine aisle ‘trance’.
Hacking the wine aisle
In the wine trade, there used to be an adage that went, ‘eye-level is buy-level’. This is premium real estate in a supermarket, featuring the bottles that sit where your eyes naturally land.
There was a time when supermarkets charged brands massive fees to be here, or they’d use the space to push high-margin, mass-produced wines, but I’m reliably informed by Morrisons’ Wine Buyer, Emma Jenkins that this no longer goes on.
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‘We’re not allowed, it’s actually illegal to take money for better shelf positioning these days. Unless it’s at the end of the aisle, aka gondola ends, which is a designated promotional area,’ she tells Metro.
According to Emma, you’ll find banging deals either towards the top or bottom shelves. The bottom ‘squat-zone’ is where the mass-market bottles are kept, alongside bona fide gems from lesser-known regions that offer great value for money – think juicy Portuguese reds, Greek whites, Hungarian whites, Georgian orange wines or reds from Slovenia and Macedonia.
Similarly, the top ‘reach zone’ is where people have to stretch to get hold of smaller-scale wines beloved by the buyer that they couldn’t justify placing at eye level.
And if the shelves are labelled by country, it’ll be in ‘other countries’ where the buyers have got adventurous because there’s less commercial pressure there.
Senior Wine Buyer at M&S, Joseph Arthur, explains: ‘A key hack in my opinion when looking for great value is lesser known regions or varietals. Our Found range is a great example of this, especially Ansonica, Kratosija and Saperavi.’
And Asda’s Wine Sourcing Specialist, Alex Kennedy, echoes Joseph, saying: ‘Explore lesser-known regions for the best value. Sicily, Greece and Austria are making some of the best wines right now, which can sometimes go under the radar.’
Similarly, Austrian Grüner Veltliner and Assyrtiko from Greece if dry whites are your bag.
The advice all three buyers give is to ditch brands and focus on the supermarket’s own-label brands. Cynically speaking, they would say that, but I would tend to agree with them.
‘When buying big-brand wines, customers often pay a premium for the name, yet there are many wines in Asda’s own label or exclusive ranges that offer even better quality for a fraction of the price,’ says Alex.
Screaming Devil Rosé is down from £13 to £9, and is a great example. Just saying…
Clues on the label
Another insider trick is to look closely at the labels, which most shoppers won’t even notice.
Turn the bottle around and look on the back label for the name of the importer. It’ll usually be in tiny print. Many will only work with high-quality wine producers, so it’ll give you an early indication of what you’ll be buying.
Then there’s the wine’s description on the ‘self-talker’.
If you see an unusually detailed description mentioning the region, the vineyards, altitude or importer, that’s a good thing. The buying team will only devote that kind of copy to wines they like. Conversely, if it just says, ‘smooth and easy-drinking’, you’ll know it’s a mass-produced blend.
Competitions like the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Challenge) rate wines, and Gold or Silver-medal-winners will often be labelled. These are always top quality and well worth buying. I know, as I judge for them.
Look for wines that look slightly unfashionable, where the labels aren’t flashy. That means the money has been spent on the wine itself, not on the branding.
A dusty-looking bottle of Rioja, with a traditional label, will be far more interesting than a glossy bottle covered in buzzwords.
On that, Joseph agrees. He adds: ‘The economics of aged Rioja still baffle me. How can a 2018 Rioja Gran Reserva be £5 cheaper than a 2025 Chateauneuf du Pape for £20 on a supermarket shelf?
‘Rioja Gran Reserva is still one of the best value wines in stores if you like wines with a bit more age and complexity.’
I know what I’m buying for the bank holiday then…
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