WHEN YOU NEED A DRINKABLE BUDGET RED WINE IN GERMANY ....

Germany is awash with outstanding white wine at all price points. On the red side it produces some fine Pinot Noirs at understandable premiums. But supermarkets have to look overseas to stock their shelves with reds at more daily affordable prices.

This is a very well made red from Argentina's most popular variety. It's medium weight with a pleasant balance of flavour, acid and tannin. It's way too young and would benefit from a few more years in the bottle. So let it breathe. 

VILLA BONAGA 2017 MALBEC
GRAPE VARIETY: Malbec
REGION: Mendoza, Argentina
A/V: 13%  a/v
PRICE: 3.49 euro 
FROM: Lidl, Germany
RATING: 4.5/5 from me 

DON'T MISS SAINSBURY'S 25% OFF WINE SALE

When I was retailing I never ever had a 25% off wine sale - my margins were much lower than that so I would have been losing money. A couple of my supermarket competitors in Australia regularly held 30% off sales. Their prices were so high to begin with they could afford to. To Sainsbury's credit they offer the 25% off their regular prices AS WELL AS their weekly specials.

We grabbed a few samples to test as well as stocking up on our old favourites like this

Sainsbury's Winemakers' Selection 2015 Malbec is just as impressive as their 2014 release. 

Spicy, savoury and beautifully balanced.
But there is a serious problem with this wine - it's so quaffable that the bottle will be knocked off before you get a chance to appreciate how outstanding it really is. Which is why I disagree with their back label recommendation to "consume this bottle within a year of purchase". Let it breathe for a few hours or drink it over three days [challenging, I know]
At £5 it's an outstanding bargain. With a further 25% off on a straight or mixed six you won't buy better at a mere £3.75
At this price an indisputable 5/5 rating from me