In mid-May 2026, I was in London for the Morrisons Spring/Summer press tasting.
As usual with Morrisons, the event had a quietly polished feel. A pianist played gentle background music, lending a touch of elegance as we tasted our way through the selection.
There were 106 wines on show, 20 of which were rosés. That is a sizeable showing, and a clear sign that rosé remains very much in demand at the moment.
Here are the wines I found most interesting:
Etienne Leclair Signature Collection Champagne 2016 12% £30
Made by Champagne Gruet from 60% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 7% Pinot Meunier. Pale lemon in colour with a fine, elegant style. Lemon, green apple and pear aromas sit alongside brioche, biscuit and roasted nuts from extended lees ageing. The citrus and orchard fruit flavours are fresh and precise, while the ageing brings a nutty edge and deep brioche complexity. High acidity keeps everything focused and lively. The finish is long, toasty and refined.
The Best English Sparkling Grand Reserve Brut NV 11.5% £24
Produced by the anonymous ‘Rolling Green Hills’, widely rumoured to be Nyetimber, using 54% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir and 9% Pinot Meunier. A past pick of mine. Pale lemon with a fine bead, offering lemon, green apple and toasty biscuit aromas from over six years of ageing. Crisp citrus and apple flavours are backed by pronounced acidity and layers of baked pastry, butter and subtle citrus richness. Tasted back-to-back with the previous Champagne, this came across more appley in style and better value for money.
The Best Viognier 2025 13.5% £10
Produced by Badet Clément. Medium lemon-gold in colour with inviting aromas of apricot, peach, honeysuckle and ginger. The wine is generous with ripe stone fruit flavours and a slightly oily texture. Acidity is low, which gives a softer feel. It comes across sweeter than it technically is, despite being dry to off-dry in style.
Block Series 017 Chardonnay Limoux 13% £14
Part of the premium Block Series range. Medium lemon-gold in colour with aromas of ripe apple, pear, nectarine and hazelnut. The flavour is generous and rich, combining orchard fruit and baked apple with a creamy texture and nutty and oak complexity. Dry with very low residual sugar, medium acidity and a long, oaky finish. Full of richness without losing balance.
Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo 2025 12% £10
Pale lemon in colour with intense aromas of lemon, lime, fennel, cut grass and white flowers. Dry and light to medium-bodied, yet packed with flavour. Zesty citrus notes dominate, alongside a lightly almond-like twist. Medium to high acidity keeps it crisp and refreshing, although it tastes slightly sweeter than it really is.
The Best Albarino Calamata 2024 13% £12
Pale lemon in colour with deep citrus aromas, stone fruit and subtle floral hints. The flavour is bright and fresh, combining lemon and lime with peach. High acidity gives it a crisp, mouth-watering finish. I often prefer fuller Albariño styles, but this one won me over with its freshness and deep citrus finish.
The Best South African Sauvignon Blanc 2025 12% £9
Made from 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon. Pale lemon in colour with very clean aromas of gooseberry, lime and green pepper. The flavour is zesty and fresh with citrus and green fruit. Less tropical than many South African Sauvignon Blancs and sitting somewhere between South African and New Zealand styles, although with softer acidity than most New Zealand examples. Good value and not overly sweet.
Casa Sofía Sauvignon Blanc 2024 13% £10
Made from 91% Sauvignon Blanc with 9% other varieties. Pale lemon in colour with classic aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit, red pepper, cut grass and citrus. The taste is expressive with crisp citrus and tropical fruit character. High acidity keeps it lively, while the finish is zesty and pungent. Slightly sweeter in style than some examples, though still very enjoyable.
The Best Sauvignon Blanc 2025 13% £10.25
A past pick of mine. Made from 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% other permitted varieties which, when I last asked, included Riesling, which adds extra texture and body. It delivers the classic grassy and tropical Marlborough character, though with more depth and a subtle musky edge. A clever twist on the familiar New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc style that gives it more personality and structure.
The Best Californian Chardonnay 2024 13% £12.75
Produced by RM Wineries. Medium lemon-gold in colour with aromas of ripe apple, vanilla, butter and pineapple. The flavour combines ripe fruit with a creamy texture and gentle oak sweetness. Dry with medium to full body, medium acidity and a vanilla finish. Ideal if you want an oaky Chardonnay that still keeps some restraint and balance.
Cabana Rosé NV 9% £8.50
From California and made from 60% Pinot Grigio, 21.3% Muscat of Alexandria and 11.8% Grenache. This stood out immediately from the usual Provence-style rosés. Strong raspberry aromas and bold flavours are likely boosted by the inclusion of Muscat of Alexandria. Definitely sweeter than stated in the tasting booklet, which may well have been a typo. There is an almost engineered feel to the wine, probably unsurprising given it is made by E. & J. Gallo. Still, the low 9% alcohol, strong flavour and affordable price mean plenty of people will love it.
Kylie Petit Rosé NV 7% £8.25
New to Morrisons and another rosé that stood out from the crowd. Produced in Germany by Vindavinci, with no grape varieties listed. Slightly fizzy in style with pronounced raspberry and floral aromas, followed by peachy flavours and a subtle almond note. The anonymity of the grapes and non-vintage label suggest it has also been ‘designed’ very deliberately for easy appeal. The Kylie name, fizz and low 7% alcohol will undoubtedly also help it sell.
The Best Chianti Superiore DOCG 2024 12.5% £10.50
Lovely aromas of cherry and sweet oak lead into rich flavours of ripe cherry and plum. Medium-bodied with medium tannins and a generous feel. Excellent value for a DOCG Chianti with this much fruit and character. I hope to re-visit this one.
The Best Toro Roble 2022 13.5% £12.25
Produced by Bodegas Farina in Spain from 100% Tempranillo. Deeply coloured and full-bodied, with rich flavours of blackberry and dark chocolate. Dry in style with plenty of power and depth, making it a bold and warming red.
The Best Gran Reserva Chilean Pinot Noir 2024 13% £12
A past pick of mine produced by Viña Ventisquero in the Casablanca Valley, named New World Winery of the Year 2024 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Made from 100% Pinot Noir and partly matured in French oak for added depth. Bright red cherry aromas lead into soft cranberry and violet flavours, giving a refined and fruit-forward style with subtle complexity.
The Best Barossa Valley Shiraz 2024 14.5% £11
Intense aromas of blackberry, plum, liquorice, black pepper and chocolate leap from the glass. Full-bodied and rich, with plush dark fruit flavours backed by spice and chocolate depth. Medium tannins and a long warming finish complete this classic Barossa style. Another one for me to re-visit in a future review.
The 017 Chardonnay forms part of the Block Series, a range I have previously mentioned alongside the Vacqueyras, Manzanos Graciano Rioja and Viñedo en Badarán Rioja Blanco. The Block Series sits within the “The Best” portfolio and represents a more premium own-label sub-range. These are numbered, limited-edition wines sourced from different regions around the world, selected for offering greater character and interest than a standard supermarket own-label bottle.
If you look online, or even at the prices in my recommendations, you will see that the pricing of the Block Series is firmly in premium territory. However, that is rarely what you actually end up paying. I was told that Morrisons frequently runs promotions on the Block Series, often alongside mix-six 25% discount offers. One limitation of the Morrisons website is that it cannot display stacked discounts on wine, so the online price can appear much higher than what is actually available in store. It is therefore worth checking in person, as the real shelf price can be much more reasonable.
Prices are, of course, subject to change and can drop quite significantly during the 25% off promotions.
