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France
Sauvignon BlancClassic, aromatic Sancerre with intense, flinty, citrus elegance from this small family domaine£18.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£21.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
Chardonnay-based blendClassic Champagne-style fizz from Burgundy’s Mâcon region – a rich, brioche-scented delight£20.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORSouth Africa
Chenin BlancSuperb, old-vine Chenin Blanc from Trophy-winning Gerhard Swarts. Rich, creamy peach, gentle spice£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORPortugal
Touriga Nacional-based blendIntense, rich Grande Reserva from the Douro and a 15th-generation family. Packed with flavour£27.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£30.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
ChardonnayClassic, estate-grown Petit Chablis with old-vine, honeyed lemon intensity and mineral freshnessExpected back in stock 01 August 2024Add to Basket if you're happy to wait£14.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:France
Cabernet-based blendHush-hush, very well-priced, insider-deal Margaux from a very famous château we’re forbidden to name£31.50 per bottle when you mix 6+£38.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
Grenache-based blendOne of the world's finest rosés from an iconic estate and winemaker. Always utterly ravishing£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£22.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORArgentina
Red blendRich 93pt Malbec Cabernet from a joint project of Château Lafite and Argentina’s Nicolás Catena£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORSpain
GarnachaTop-flight, 93pt rosado, so fresh and pure, from a renowned Rioja estate and very old Garnacha vines£19.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORNew Zealand
Sauvignon BlancFrom 2021s 'World's Best Sauvignon' winner and 'Winery of the Year', this is a standout Kiwi white£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
MerlotExceptional 94-pt second wine from Saint-Émilion's Premier Grand Cru Classé Château Canon£31.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£38.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR£372.00 £456.001 case (12 bottles) - £31.00 per bottleSave £84.00Qty cases:Spain
Tempranillo-based blendStunning, 95-point, 12-year-old Reserva masterpiece from a proudly traditional Rioja icon£38.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£41.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR£228.00 £246.001 case (6 bottles) - £38.00 per bottleSave £18.00Qty cases:United States
ChardonnayLuscious Chardonnay from the renowned Russian River Valley, made by a hush-hush premium producer£19.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORUnited Kingdom
Chardonnay-based blendFirst cheese, then cider, now fine English fizz – a great bubbly from Blur bassist Alex James£25.00 per bottleQty bottles:Italy
Red blendDense, cherry-rich Amarone from Italy’s ‘Winery of the Year’ in 2016. Deep velvety smooth£23.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£26.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORNew Zealand
AlbariñoSpain's much-loved Albariño exported to New Zealand's Marlborough in this citrusy, ripe pear white£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORItaly
SangioveseMagnificent, 95-point Brunello from one of the top producers in this region. A standout of 2019£34.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£38.00 per bottleQty bottles:OR£204.00 £228.001 case (6 bottles) - £34.00 per bottleSave £24.00Qty cases:Spain
Tempranillo-based blendFrom one of Rioja’s greatest bodegas, this is a magnificent, barrique-matured icon red£27.00 per bottle when you mix 6+£30.00 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
Cabernet-based blendWith 95 points, this is "a terrific Siran". "Very classy and polished" Margaux from a great vintage£32.00 per bottleQty bottles:£333.60 £384.001 case (12 bottles) - £27.80 per bottleSave £50.40Qty cases:Chile
SyrahWith its rich, glossy palate of smoky black fruit, this is gorgeous Chilean Syrah at its silky best£18.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£21.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORNew Zealand
Pinot NoirVoluptuous black cherry Pinot Noir from New Zealand’s hallowed area for this grape, Central Otago£15.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£23.50 per bottleQty bottles:ORItaly
Pinot GrigioFabulous quality Pinot Grigio from the superb Friuli and 100-point winemaker Steffano Chioccioli£17.99 per bottle when you mix 6+£19.99 per bottleQty bottles:ORFrance
MerlotFine, elegant and precise 92-point Bordeaux from forgotten Fronsac and a top estate of the region£21.00 per bottleQty bottles:France
Pinot Noir-based blendMagnificent, 92-point Grande Marque Champagne – gorgeously concentrated fruit and fine bubbles£54.99 per bottleQty bottles:
While there’s no official definition, fine wines are broadly speaking those that come from the best vineyards and are made with the highest degree of care and attention. As a result, these wines will have greater balance and more complex, nuanced flavours – and will often have the potential to age gracefully. They are usually made in limited quantities, and often have rarity value, too.
Learn more about the basics of fine wine.
Mention fine wine and most
people probably think of well-established classics like and Bordeaux and
Burgundy in France, Rioja and Priorat in Spain, or Piedmont in Italy. These
have (for the most part) well-established classification systems – which makes
it easier to tell when they fall into the fine wine category.
In Bordeaux for example, a
wine classified simply as Bordeaux AOC would be unlikely to be classed as fine
wine. A Médoc AOC on the other hand (from a more limited region on Bordeaux’s
Left Bank) is certainly approaching fine wine territory.
Step up to Pauillac or Margaux
(the top regions in the Médoc) and few would argue that we’re talking fine
wine. And then you have the top wines of those regions – culminating in First
Growths, or Premier Cru. These are among the finest wines in the world.
You’ll find similar
classification systems in many of the well-established classic wine regions
throughout Europe – and in general, the finer wines, like Chianti Classico,
come from the heart of the more generic wine regions. Other regions, like
Rioja, classify their wines according to how long they are aged.
Cult and iconic fine wine
regions
However, many fine wines come
from regions that don’t have a clearly defined quality structure – especially those
from the southern Hemisphere. Examples include the Barossa Valley in Australia,
Stellenbosch in South Africa, and Napa Valley in the United States.
Wines from these regions have to
establish their own fine wine credentials. They are often known as iconic, or
cult wines. Examples include Penfolds Grange, from Barossa, Australia, Cloudy
Bay from Marlborough, New Zealand, and Stags’ Leap from Napa, USA.
Discover a world of fine
wine
This is just a tiny snapshot
of the amazing world of fine wine that is out there for you to discover. For red
wine lovers there are hidden treasures like Priorat in northern Spain, or the
graceful Pinot Noirs of New Zealand’s Central Otago region. White wine fans can
look beyond Burgundy to Russian River Chardonnays (from the US) or the
ultra-fine Rieslings of the Rheinhessen. And for dessert wines, look beyond
Sauternes to the exquisite sweet wines of Tokaji in Hungary. There’s so much to
explore.
The great news is that fine wines don’t have to cost the earth. Sure, a First Growth Bordeaux is beyond the budget of most – excepting rock stars and hedge-fund managers. But a well-cellared Cru Bourgeois from one of the Médoc’s sub regions – Saint-Estèphe say – will give you a very similar experience – and change from £50. And the same is true for most iconic fine wines. The RedHeads cellar, for example, produces Trophy-winning wines from South Australia’s top vineyard sites for a fraction of the cost of the big names like Penfolds and Henschke. Take a look at our fine wine selection above and you’ll be sure to find something that will seriously impress – without breaking the bank.
Wine certainly can be a good investment financially – but you need to be careful how you go about it. We’d certainly advise speaking to a specialist.
We prefer to see fine wine as an investment in taste. Lay down the right bottles for a few years and you’ll have a collection that will more than repay your patience – and a drinking experience like no other.
Ever wondered what is the most expensive wine ever sold? And was it worth it?
There’s no question that if you spend a little more on a bottle of wine, you’ll enjoy better quality. It makes sense when you think about it. You see, the cost of packaging, transport and duty stay the same whatever the price. So, when you spend a few more pounds on a bottle, more of your money goes into the wine – rather than on things you can’t taste.
But is there an upper limit to how much the quality improves? We can’t say for sure.
Here are some of the most expensive bottles ever sold:
Hallowed Burgundy
As far as we’re aware, the most expensive single bottle ever sold was a bottle of Domaine Romanée Conti 1945 – a top-flight Burgundy from a standout vintage that went for £486,642. Only 600 bottles were made – making this an extremely rare as well as sought-after wine.
Legendary Bordeaux
The 1947 Château Cheval Blanc is often cited as the most expensive wine ever sold. Confusingly, given the name (meaning Château of the White Horse) this a red Bordeaux, from Saint Emilion. In 2010, a single bottle was sold for £192,000.
Shipwrecked!
During WW1, a German submarine sank a ship containing 2,000 bottles of Heidsieck 1907 Vintage Champagne. The bottles were recovered in 1998 – and one of these later sold for an eye-watering £225,000. Still, it would have made a great talking point at the dinner table!
Were they worth it?
While it’s true that the more you spend on a bottle the more goes on the liquid, there are limits. We’ve no doubt these wines were sublime. But their price is partly due to collectors’ value as well as quality. Or in the case of the Heidsieck Champagne – an extraordinary story.
Our view? We certainly advocate spending a little more to get the best value. But in the words of one of our favourite Aussie winemakers, Andrew McPherson, “the best wine is the wine you like!”