Tesco Pick List

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9 October 2026

Welcome to my bi-annual summary, which is updated every May and October to highlight the very best bottles I have discovered at Tesco. I have tasted over 250 wines from the two latest press events: the Tesco Autumn/Winter 2026 tasting and the Spring/Summer 2026 tasting. Both of these events highlighted Tesco’s impressive commitment to developing its range, cementing its reputation for providing everything from outstanding value to premium bottles.

To help you navigate the wine aisles, I have organised all my picks from these tastings below. They are grouped by country, with their vintage and price.

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

Australia

Andrew Peace Masterpeace Chardonnay 2025 12% £7.00: An unbeatable value Chardonnay balancing ripe citrus and stone fruit with restrained oak.
Soft Press Cabernet Merlot 2025 13% £5.95: An easy-going red blend delivering a decent mix of leather and fresh red fruit at a very accessible price.
Tread Softly Pinot Noir 2025 10.5% £9.00: An elegant lighter-alcohol Pinot Noir made with minimal preservatives and packed with red cherry and savoury spice.
All Good Things Shiraz 2024 13.5% £10.00: A deep purple, full-bodied Shiraz delivering intense blackberry, plum, and dark spice flavours.
Folklore Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon 2025 12.5% £10.00: A softer alternative to intense New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, offering a long finish with low residual sugar.
Folklore Merlot 2024 13% £10.00: A cherry-led Merlot with a lighter aromatic character featuring distinctive notes of eucalyptus and bay leaf.
Tesco Finest Tingleup Riesling 2025 12.5% £11.50: A bone-dry Western Australian Riesling delivering intense lime, citrus, and floral notes with searing acidity.
Tesco Finest Wrattonbully Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 14% £12.00: A standout Cabernet dominated by cassis and dark fruit with a herbal lift and a long cedary finish.
Penfolds Bin 8 2024 14.5% £25.00: A well-balanced Australian blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon offering concentrated red fruit and eucalyptus notes.

Chile

Emiliana Elegant Sippers Gewürztraminer 2026 13% £9.00: An organic Chilean Gewürztraminer bursting with rose, lychee, and exotic spice notes in a fresh, highly perfumed style.
Tesco Finest Peumo Carménère 2023 14.5% £9.00: A soft and rounded Carménère with a lively smoky and oaky edge woven through dark berry and plum fruit.
Concha y Toro The Wine Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 14.5% £12.00: A deeply aromatic Chilean Cabernet blend with an earthy cedar lift, cassis flavours, and medium tannins.

France

Cave des Roches Méditerranée Rosé 2025 11.5% £7.00: A fresh and fruity French rosé packed with strawberry, redcurrant, and white peach at an unbeatable price.
Tesco Finest Viognier 2025 13% £9.00: A generous Rhône Viognier featuring a ripe aromatic mix of apricot, peach, honeysuckle, and ginger.
Chateau Hyot Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux 2022 13% £9.50: A plush Bordeaux offering expressive plum, black cherry, mocha, and chocolatey spice.
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Viognier 2024 13% £12.00: A remarkably fresh Viognier featuring lush apricot, peach, honeysuckle, and ginger notes with crisp acidity.
Studio by Miraval 2025 £12.00: A premium Provence rosé offering a sophisticated step up for those looking to impress.
Léon Launois Champagne Brut NV 12.5% £20.00: A dry Grand Cru village Champagne delivering crisp citrus and orchard fruit backed by biscuit complexity.
Tesco Finest Premier Cru Champagne Brut NV 12.5% £26.00: A crisp Premier Cru Brut offering green apple, lemon, and pear with complex brioche notes and a chalky finish.
Tesco Finest Chablis Premier Cru 2023 12.5% £25.00: A dry, concentrated Chablis with an apple and citrus core, enhanced by texture from partial oak ageing.
De Saint Gall So Dark Grand Cru Vintage Champagne 2016 12.5% £47.00: A rich Grand Cru Vintage Champagne with 60 months of lees ageing bringing pronounced autolytic and roasted nut complexity.
Lanson Le Rosé Création 67 Champagne NV 12.5% £47.00: A brilliantly balanced rosé Champagne mixing red fruit with rich brioche notes and an impressive mouthfeel.

Georgia

Georgian Valleys Rkatsiteli White Dry 2025 11.5% £9.50: A distinctive Georgian white offering dried apple, pear, and stone fruit flavours with a gentle mineral finish.

Greece

2 Banks Winery Assyrtiko & Malagouzia 2025 11.5% £8.50: A novel Greek white offering full pear flavours and subtle depth from lees ageing.

Italy

Aiosa Lucido 2025 12% £8.00: A crisp, unoaked Sicilian white with citrus, apple, and light herbal notes that serves as an affordable Pinot Grigio alternative.
Tesco Finest Pinot Grigio Blush 2025 12% £8.25: A delightfully fruity blush with floral aromas, clear strawberry flavours, and good length.
Tesco Finest Pinot Grigio Trentino DOC 2025 12% £8.25: An easy-drinking, clean Pinot Grigio with pear, apple, and lemon notes, given extra body by a touch of Chardonnay.
Le Preare Chiaretto di Bardolino 2025 £9.50: An excellent branded rosé alternative offering fresh red fruit and bright character.

New Zealand

Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024 13.5% £11.50: A cool-climate Pinot Noir centering on red fruit with cranberry, thyme, and savoury earthiness.
Tesco Finest Black Birch Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025 12% £15.50: An award-winning, explosive Sauvignon Blanc delivering crisp citrus, passionfruit, and a zesty, grassy finish.
Escarpment Pinot Noir 2022 13.5% £26.00: A premium New Zealand Pinot Noir boasting red cherry, cranberry, thyme, and savoury earth complexity.

South Africa

Kanonkop Kadette Cape Blend 2024 14% £13.75: A structured South African blend with plum, blackberry, spice, and cocoa aromas finishing with savoury warmth.

Spain

Segura Viudas Brut Vintage Cava 2023 12% £12.50: A complex Cava with pale lemon colour, persistent bubbles, citrus and apple aromas, and bready, hazelnut depth from ageing.
Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Blanco 2025 12.5% £9.00: An excellent value white Rioja with tropical fruit aromas, gentle oak, and soft bready richness.
Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2021 14% £10.75: A deep Rioja layered with blackberry, black plum, liquorice, cedar, and clove.
Maruxa Mencía Valdeorras 2024 13% £12.50: A dry, floral red with raspberry and light liquorice notes that is perfect served cool on a warm day.
Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Gran Reserva 2018 14% £15.25: A classic, elegant Rioja delivering rich dried red fruits, leather, sweet spice, and tertiary complexity.

United Kingdom (England)

Chapel Down Bacchus 2025 12% £15.00: An intense English white packed with punchy elderflower, gooseberry, hedgerow herbs, and lime.
Tesco Finest English Sparkling Rosé Brut NV 11.5% £22.00: A fresh sparkling rosé showcasing floral aromas, clear strawberry flavours, and light autolytic notes.
Nyetimber Classic Cuvée NV 12% £42.00: A crisp English sparkling wine with deep lemon and green apple aromas, pronounced acidity, and complex brioche notes.

United States

Tesco Finest Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2024 13.5% £15.50: A rich, creamy Chardonnay packed with ripe apple, pineapple, and vanilla spice.

Pick Lists

TipS – Infographics

Did You Know?

Supermarkets remain the dominant purchasing channel, used by 77.8% of respondents. More

Champagne remains the leading celebratory sparkling wine at 33.4%, followed by Prosecco at 27.4% and English Sparkling wine at 20%. More

34% of people identify high wine prices as a leading frustration. More

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