Wine Appreciation – January 2026

One of the most useful books for any appreciator of wine who does not have a large budget, is Ned Halley’s ‘The Best Wines in the Supermarket’.  For the December WAG meeting, we decided it might be fun to have a selection of wines from the 2026 edition which were rated either  9/10 or 10/10.  This would give us a chance to see whether we agreed with Ned Halley’s opinion, and also give us the opportunity to get to local supermarkets before these wines sold out – as the top rated wines so often do.

Should members wish to try these wines for themselves, these are the seven we appreciated:

Arestel Cava Brut.  11% abv.  Lidl

Crémant de Loire Brut.  12% abv.  Lidl. 

Sicilia Grillo 2024, 13% abv.  Sainsbury Taste the Difference

Cotes du Rhone blanc, 2023.  12.5% abv.  Sainsbury Taste the Difference

Chinon 2024, 12% abv.  Morrison’s The Best

Garnacha Navarra 2023, 13.5% abv.  Morrison’s The Best

Cahors Malbec, Chateau les Bouysses, 13.5% abv.  Sainsbury Taste the Difference

The Garnacha Navarra was particularly appreciated, as the small amount in the glass indicates.

For those facing the challenge of Dry January, many apologies for putting temptation in your way!

John and Lynne