London's best wines for £8

The news that the average price of a bottle of wine in Majestic has broken the £8 mark (at £8.02) is something of a landmark for the wine trade. The UK average is just £5.27, of which around half is tax. So trading up makes sense: lash out around £8 instead and the amount spent on the, er, actual wine more than doubles.

Andrew Neather

19 November 2014

1. Les Yeuses Vermentino 2013 IGP Pays d’Oc

Lea and Sandeman, £7.50 or £6.95 as part of any case of 12 Crisp, juicy southern French white.

2. Ottoventi Punto 8 2013 IGT Sicilia

Wine Society, mail order only, thewinesociety.com, £7.75 Lovely, flowery, full white from Sicily’s grillo grape.

3. Viñalba Parrilla Malbec 2013 Mendoza

Majestic, £11.99 reduced to £7.99 when you buy two bottles A parrilla is a barbecue, for the steak to accompany this big, meaty Argentine red.

4. Les Hauts de Pavières Crozes-Hermitage 2011

Waitrose, reduced to £8.49 until Dec 2 Good value on offer, this spicy syrah-based northern Rhône is from the ever-reliable Cave de Tain co-op.

5. Sanchez Romate Fino Perdido

Wine Society, £7.50 Sherry remains ridiculously underpriced: this delicious one is bone dry but quite complex.

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