Sainsbury’s Pick List

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12 October 2026

Welcome to my latest bi-annual summary, updated every May and October, where I bring you the my Sainsbury’s wine selections. I have tasted over 250 wines from the Spring and Autumn press tastings hosted by Sainsbury’s over the past year, narrowing down the offerings to highlight the most exciting discoveries, reliable classics and absolute bargains. Here are my recommendations, grouped by country, for ease of finding in the aisles.

Prices are subject to change, sometimes even downwards by as much as 25% during the buy-six promotions. Not all wines are in all stores.

Argentina

Zurriago Argentinian Malbec 2024 13% £9.00 – A deep purple, full-bodied Malbec offering plush dark fruit, violet, and cocoa aromas with soft, ripe tannins and a smooth finish.

Australia

Little Giant Barossa Shiraz 2023 14% £13.00 – A rich and full-bodied Shiraz bursting with dark fruit, liquorice, and a satisfying chocolatey depth.
Stamford Brook Merlot 2025 11% £4.95 – A remarkably budget-friendly, lighter-bodied red delivering juicy berry flavours alongside smooth mocha notes.

Austria

Taste the Difference Discovery Gemischter Satz 2025 12.5% £10.00 – An easy-drinking Austrian field blend combining citrus, peach, and tropical fruit flavours with a wonderfully textured mouthfeel.

Chile

Taste the Difference Bío Bío Pinot Noir 2025 13% £9.50 – An expressive, fruit-forward Pinot Noir offering a fuller flavour profile than previous vintages and a brilliant long finish.

England

Domaine Evremond Classic Cuvée NV 12% £55.00 – A beautifully balanced premium Kent sparkling wine brimming with vibrant citrus, apple, chalky minerality, and elegant brioche notes.

France

Croix Saint-Paul Pomerol 2023 13.5% £25.00 – An impressive, velvety Merlot-based Bordeaux filled with lush black cherry, plum, truffle, and cedar notes.
Queen Côtes de Provence 2025 13% £18.00 – A vibrant rose-gold rosé bursting with highly aromatic strawberry, pink grapefruit, and white flower notes.
Taste the Difference Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV 12% £26.00 – A fresh Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier Champagne featuring deep ripe apple aromas and a long, satisfying pastry finish.
Taste the Difference Champagne Brut NV 12% £24.24 – A crisp and refreshing Champagne with inviting citrus and orchard fruit flavours complemented by lovely bready lees complexity.
Taste the Difference Champagne Brut Rosé NV 12% £24.24 – An elegant salmon-pink rosé Champagne offering fresh red berry and wild strawberry flavours alongside classic pastry complexity.
Taste the Difference Discovery Beaujolais Villages Blanc 2024 12.5% £14.00 – A lively 100% Chardonnay white Beaujolais displaying delicate floral aromas, crisp green apple, and a clean, long finish.
Taste the Difference Languedoc Rouge 2025 13.5% £9.50 – A satisfying and warming red blend boasting rich ripe berry, cocoa, and Mediterranean herbal spice notes.

Greece

Taste the Difference Discovery Xinomavro 2025 13.5% £12.00 – A characterful Greek red delivering sour cherry, tomato leaf, and olive aromas with a long, savoury finish.

Italy

Taste the Difference Pinot Grigio Dolomiti Rosé 2025 12% £8.75 – An appealing dry rosé featuring delicate floral aromas, soft strawberry flavours, and a gentle finish.

New Zealand

Coolwater Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 12.5% £10.00 – An extremely aromatic white offering punchy gooseberry, passionfruit, and citrus flavours with crisp acidity.
Leap Point Sauvignon Blanc 2025 11% £5.95 – A zesty, great-value Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc filled with classic gooseberry, passionfruit, and red capsicum aromas.
Saint Clair Family Estate Reverend Sloane Pinot Noir NV 13% £15.50 – An elegant Pinot Noir delivering delicate red cherry and cranberry fruit with a herbal, savoury edge.
Yealands Reserve Albariño 2025 12.5% £14.00 – An expressive and fruit-forward Albariño packed with intense ripe apricot, peach, and bright citrus acidity.

Portugal

Taste the Difference Portuguese Lisboa 2024 12.5% £8.00 – A characterful red blend displaying vanilla oak aromas, deep raspberry flavours, and a lovely oaky finish.
Tripero Vinhos Verdes NV 10% £9.00 – A light-bodied, gently spritzed white wine with bright citrus, green apple flavours, and a refreshing off-dry character.

Pick Lists

TipS – Infographics

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