These are the 5 tastiest litre bottles of supermarket wine under €5 (!)
Almost 90 percent of all the wine we drink at home, we buy at the supermarket or from one of the liquor-store chains. Some branches have as many as 800 (!) different wines to choose from. And because you can’t taste them all yourself, wine journalists Harold Hamersma and Esmee Langereis do it for you. From pricier bottles to damn tasty litres for very little money. We asked Esmee which supermarket bargains you can confidently bring home. They cost you less than 5 euros and, as an added bonus, they’re litre bottles, so do the math.
Top quality for (almost) nothing
You’re really, really fond of wine. Or you’re a little short on cash. Or both. In that case, you may suddenly find yourself crouching by the bottom shelf in the supermarket—the domain of bargain bottles and litre bargains. Nothing to be ashamed of! Because after Esmee and Harold once again tasted their way through all the supermarket shelves for DGH’s Super Supermarktwijnen, it turned out once again this year: more expensive really isn’t necessarily better. There are good bulk wines and less impressive mis-en-bouteille-au-chateau wines. There’s plonk for ten euros and top quality for two quid. These are the gems among the litre bottles.
Country Wine Chile / ‘1 De Beste’ LITRE Chile Red
Dekamarkt € 3.99, Dirk van den Broek € 3.99, Boni Supermarkt € 3.99, Jan Linders € 3.99, MCD € 3.99, Poiesz Supermarkten € 3.99, Deen € 4, Boon’s Markt € 3.99
Full-bodied and fruity. With good Chilean cabernet sauvignons, there’s no escaping those blackcurrants. This is one of them. A peppermint freshness on the finish. Get the litre flowing. NB: the same bottle is sold in various supermarkets, but with a different appearance, see here:
score: 8
AH House Wine Fresh & Dry 1 LITRE France Rosé
Albert Heijn € 3.99
A no-fuss rosé that, when you drink it on sunny terraces in France, prompts you to say: ‘Gosh, how wonderfully we’re sitting here. And look, those plane trees. And Café des Sports farther down. And look at those old men playing pétanque so charmingly. And lovely, isn’t it, a glass of rosé like this? That can only happen in France.’ Anyway, that kind of rosé, which once back in the Netherlands turns out to be a very simple, red-berry-flavoured but extremely effective rosé. (NB: don’t confuse it with the semi-sweet house rosé, which prompts very different reactions.)
score: 7.5
Hoogvliet Organic House Wine LITRE Spain Red
Hoogvliet € 3.79
Merlot and syrah account for at least half a litre and make their presence strongly felt. The extra effort pays off: the organic litre is better than previous editions despite its slightly lower alcohol percentage. At least that means we can have another sip with a clear conscience. Dark fruit, bay leaf, putting on a tough act, roughness and work overalls. That last one is no unnecessary luxury when farming organically.
score: 7.5
Organic House Wine White Dry LITRE Spain White
Boni Supermarkt € 3.79, Jan Linders € 3.99, MCD € 3.99, Poiesz Supermarkten € 3.99, Spar € 4.19, Vomar € 3.79, Boon’s Markt € 3.99
Once again remarkably cheerful this year. Treating you left and right to pears, Galia melon, green apples and citrus. It still has a bit of a spritz. But whereas you’d give a whining toddler a thump on the head for that, in this case you ask whether the glass could be topped up once more. Shouldn’t be a problem. There’s a litre in it and it costs next to nothing.
score: 7.5
AH House Wine Smooth 1 LITRE South Africa Red
Albert Heijn € 3.99
The smooth South African is a little less smooth this year, but it suits him. The fruit mix contains a little more redcurrant than usual. Not sweet & sultry, but berry-like & cool. Fans may need a moment to adjust, while impulse buyers won’t worry about a thing and will happily pour this alongside a plate of ready-made lasagne.
score 7.5
Spend a little more
And if you have a little more to spend again, or are curious about wines from the top shelf, you’ll find the best wines from Dutch shops at degrotehamersma.nl and in the brand-new De Grote Hamersma SUPER SUPERMARKTWIJNEN 2020. This independent wine guide is available everywhere from today (€19.99).
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