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Morrisons Pick List

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Welcome to my latest Morrisons wine round-up. I have tasted over 250 wines from the two tastings at the recent Morrisons Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer press events to find the best bottles. This is a bi-annual summary updated every May and October, designed to help you navigate the aisles and discover the best value and quality available.

Here are my top recommendations, grouped by country, complete with vintage, price and a brief tasting note for each.

Keep in mind that availability varies by store, and these prices can drop significantly during 25% off promotions.

France

  • Etienne Leclair Signature Collection Champagne 2016: £30, 12%. A fine and elegant Champagne offering fresh citrus and green apple flavours with deep brioche and roasted nut complexity.
  • The Best Côtes de Gascogne Rosé 2025: £7.75, 11.5%. A bright and refreshing rosé bursting with intense tutti frutti aromas and lively raspberry and citrus flavours.
  • The Best Wine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2025: £10, 12.5%. A dry, taut white delivering concentrated citrus fruit alongside crisp gooseberry and elderflower aromas.
  • The Best Montagne St. Emilion 2022: £14, 14%. A plush, medium to full bodied red featuring dark fruit, plum, and mocha notes complemented by subtle spice.
  • The Best Viognier 2025: £10, 13.5%. A soft and generous white filled with ripe stone fruit flavours of apricot and peach alongside fragrant honeysuckle and ginger.
  • Block Series 017 Chardonnay Limoux NV: £14, 13%. A rich and creamy Chardonnay combining generous orchard fruit and baked apple flavours with a nutty, oaky finish.

Spain

  • Marqués de los Ríos Cava Brut NV: £9.50, 11%. A crisp and vibrant sparkling wine packed with citrus, apple, and deep biscuity notes from extended lees ageing.
  • López de Haro Rioja Reserva 2019: £11.50, 13.5%. An expressive red boasting aromas of red cherry, strawberry, and vanilla accompanied by gentle oak spice.
  • The Best Toro Roble 2022: £12.25, 13.5%. A bold, full bodied red delivering intense blackberry fruit layered with rich dark chocolate notes.
  • Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo 2025: £10, 12%. A crisp and refreshing white bursting with zesty citrus, fennel, cut grass, and a light almond twist.
  • The Best Albarino Calamata 2024: £12, 13%. A bright, mouth watering white balancing intense lemon, lime, and peach flavours with high acidity.

Italy

  • Prestige Chianti Riserva DOCG 2022: £12, 14%. A distinctive, developed red offering bright sour cherry flavours alongside herbal notes and subtle spice.
  • The Best Chianti Superiore DOCG 2024: £10.50, 12.5%. A generous, medium bodied red leading with lovely aromas of cherry, plum, and sweet oak.

England

  • The Best English Sparkling Grand Reserve Brut NV: £22 to £24, 11.5%. A complex, layered sparkler featuring crisp citrus, green apple, and baked pastry notes with fine bubbles.

Germany

  • Kylie Petit Rosé NV: £8.25, 7%. A slightly fizzy, easy drinking rosé offering pronounced raspberry and floral aromas with peachy flavours and a subtle almond note.

Argentina

  • Zonda Malbec 2025: £12. A generous, dark fruited red filled with rich black plum, blackberry, and floral violet flavours with a spicy finish.

Chile

  • The Best Gran Reserva Chilean Pinot Noir 2024: £12, 13%. A refined, fruit forward red delivering bright red cherry, soft cranberry, and violet flavours.
  • Casa Sofía Sauvignon Blanc 2024: £10, 13%. An expressive white showing crisp citrus and tropical fruit character with a zesty, pungent finish.

South Africa

  • The Best South African Sauvignon Blanc 2025: £9, 12%. A zesty, clean white featuring fresh gooseberry, lime, and green pepper flavours.

New Zealand

  • The Best Sauvignon Blanc 2025: £10.25 to £12, 13%. A classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with grassy and tropical depth, subtle musky edge, and added structure from a touch of Riesling.
  • Whistling Track Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025: £12, 12.5%. An intensely aromatic white packed with concentrated gooseberry, passionfruit, and citrus flavours with high acidity.

Australia

  • Wattleford Chardonnay 2025: £7.50, 12.5%. A full on fruit forward Chardonnay filled with ripe tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit, and light oak toast.
  • The Best Barossa Valley Shiraz 2024: £11, 14.5%. A rich and full bodied Shiraz packed with plush dark fruit flavours, liquorice, black pepper, and dark chocolate depth.

United States

  • The Best Californian Chardonnay 2024: £12.75, 13%. An appealingly rich Chardonnay balancing creamy texture and gentle oak sweetness with ripe apple, pineapple, and vanilla notes.
  • Cabana Rosé NV: £8.50, 9%. A bold and distinctly sweet Californian rosé bursting with strong raspberry aromas and fruit flavours.

Did You Know?

Australian wine exports to China have collapsed from around $1.2 billion to less than $10 million. More

Wine’s aroma is not determined solely by which flavour compounds it contains. More

Low-to-moderate wine consumption is associated with lower mortality. More

Moderate water stress can be part of what creates flavour and terroir expression. More

Wine appears less frequently online than other alcoholic drinks. More

Independent retailers had 9% fewer customers in March 2026 than two years earlier. More

Average spend per bottle in independents has risen by 23% since 2019, compared with 21% in supermarkets. More.

Nearly a third (32%) of UK consumers say they have already used AI for alcoholic drinks advice. More

Among socially active wine buyers, 37% have bought a wine recommended online. More

In 2026, 72% of consumers now think wine knowledge is essential to appreciation, up 20 percentage points on 2025. More

Rías Baixas wines reached more than 107 countries in 2025 and exports represented 31 per cent of the denomination’s total sales. More

Light Strike Can Cause Wine Degradation in Just One Day. More

People actively adjust their wine choices depending on who might see them. More

In the UK, 73% of Alcohol is Bought From Retail Rather Than Hospitality. More

UK wine production reached 124,377 hectolitres that year, meaning the UK accounted for roughly 0.05 per cent of world output. More

For Crémant, grapes must be harvested by hand and the wines must undergo at least nine months’ ageing before release. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More

Local UK bottling of wine represents about 40% of imported wine. More

Around 1% of people, typically severe asthmatics, have a sulphite sensitivity. More

A large 80% of Australian wine arrives in the UK in bulk. More

Only about 0.02% of Australia’s landmass is dedicated to vineyards. More

In 2024, New Zealand produced only 1% of the World’s wine. More

In 2024, the US imported 37% of World production of Pinot Grigio and the UK was is in second place at 27%. More

In 2024, the UK was South Africa’s largest export market, with 40% of total exports. More

In 2024, the United Kingdom imported 22.3 million bottles of Champagne, a decline of 12.7% compared to the previous year. More

Larger Champagne producers source grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards throughout Champagne. More

Champagne houses and growers collectively produce around 300 million bottles annually. More

In 2025, the Champagne region was home to about 2,124 Champagne houses and approximately 19,000 growers. More

Provence is one of the leaders in the conversion to organic viticulture, with 61% of vineyards certified. More

8% of the South Africa’s grape production is Fairtrade-certified. More

Up to 80% of wine aroma compounds come from grape skins. More

Glycerol is the third-largest component of most dry wines after water and alcohol which is why they so often feel ‘smooth’ or ‘silky’ in the mouth. More

Humans are more than 400 times more sensitive to bitter than sweet. More

Humans can detect the earthy molecule geosmin at about 100 parts per trillion and camels are so sensitive to it they can locate damp ground from roughly 50 miles away. More

During the phylloxera crisis of the nineteenth century, 90% of Europe’s vineyards were destroyed. More

In 2025, for La Vieille Ferme, also known as “The Chicken Wine”, sales surged by 49.4% to £110.8 million. More

In 2025, in the UK, Yellow Tail held the top position with sales, marking a 9.8% increase over the previous year. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest wine importer in volume and value. More

In 2024, the UK was the fifth-largest wine-consuming country globally. More

In 2025, global wine consumption continued its downward trend, estimated at 214.2 million hectolitres, the lowest since 1961. More

In 2025, online alcohol sales had a 20% increase in value over five years. More

In 2025, the number of UK vineyards rose to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. More

Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the Champagne market, with the top three producers together holding about 61%, and the top five controlling over 72%. More

In 2024, the Champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. More

In the marketing year 2023/24, white wine accounted for roughly 55% of Spain’s output, whereas red and rosé together made up about 45%. More

In the UK, 92% of wine is consumed within 48hrs of purchase. More

The majority of wines, 95%, use commercial rather than wild yeast. More

Between 0.5 and 10 litres of water, per litre of wine, are needed for cleaning during winemaking. More

Machine harvesting can achieve up to 100 tons of fruit per day vs 1 ton for a human. More

In Germany, 2025 was the smallest wine vintage since 2010. More

The majority of vineyards, 90% in 2019, are farmed with heavy chemical interventions. Only 6% are organic. More

90% of low and coastal areas in south Europe and California will no longer be able to produce good wine by the end of the century. More

IMAGE WALL