Who doesn’t love a nice, relaxing glass of wine after a hard day at work? There are stacks of bottles at the supermarket that cost less than £20 – but there’s also a huge variation in quality.
Many of us become overwhelmed with the seemingly endless options and head straight for the most attractively labelled bottle.
There’s no shame in that. But, unfortunately, it’s no guarantee for the contents of the bottle. But we’re here to help! We’ve compiled a list of the top 20 wines available in the UK for under £20. So next time you’re perusing the wine aisle, your pick will be full of taste, an ideal accompaniment to your dinner and the perfect price for your budget.
We’ve also included some handy tips for what you should look for when choosing a wine and how to pair your wine with your food. Check out our tips and top choices below, we are certain you won’t be disappointed.
This amazing offer is for 12 bottles of the award-winning Cal Y Castilla red wine, with powerful red fruit aromas and an ABV of 13%.
Pair this wine with meat and cheese and score a bargain by paying just £39.99 for 12 bottles!
This wine oozes complex aromas of rich red and black fruits fused with vanilla and enticing, exotic spices. It has been created to sip and savour slowly allowing you to enjoy a scrumptious, lingering aftertaste. Pick it up for £11.99.
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This international award winning full-bodied red is rich in both flavour and aroma. Smooth and fruity on the palette, this is a go-to for lovers of Australian wine. And, at just £9.99, this is an extremely affordable tipple.
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This Sauvignon Blanc delivers a delicious, ripe, fruity flavour, and is packed with the right amount of zing tingle your taste buds. It’s the top-rated SB available at Naked Wines and is awesomely affordable at £13.49
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The hand-picked grapes from Graham Beck's estate vineyards in South Africa are the staple ingredient in the sparkling rose wine. The aromas of raspberry and cherry will transport you to a beautiful summer’s day. Buy now for £14.99 a bottle.
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A gold medal award winner that is perfect for those looking for a white, light and refreshing wine. With its fragrant aroma and zingy flavour, this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc comes from the wine region of Marlborough. Yours for £15.99.
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A versatile wine that is wonderfully simple, light and extremely drinkable. Its soft and subtle flavours hint at fresh raspberries, crisp apple with a delicate dash of cream. Whatever you’re dining on, this would pair perfectly, and costs just £10.99.
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This smooth and powerful French wine features big flavours of blackcurrant, liquorice and sweet spices. At just £12.99 per bottle, you’ll be guaranteed a warming and flavoursome evening tipple that won’t stretch your budget.
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Whilst we’re not famed for wine, us British do know a thing or two about creating fresh flavour. This is an award winning rich, floral and refreshing English fizz that offers a subtle spice finish. Enjoy the crisp citrus tones for £18.99 a bottle.
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This prosecco is an extremely popular choice with Naked Wines’ customers. Crisp apples, fresh pear and zingy citrus fruits fuse together to become a deliciously tasty treat. It’s an IWC winner and can be cooling in your fridge for £17.49.
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Another award winner from Laithwaite’s. This rosé originated in France in the Côtes de Provence AOP and is a tasty Grenache-based blend that is packed with a fragrant and fruity aroma. This wine boasts an impressive 60 awards and costs £12.99.
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This wine originates in Domaine Begude, close to Limoux. The region is well-known for its cool climate, enabling the creation of a crisp and aromatic Chardonnay. This wine achieved a Gold Award from Decanter in 2017, and costs £13.99.
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This bottle is a well textured, full-flavoured, aromatic refreshment. It’s packed with fruity red berry flavours and is rounded off with light, subtle spices. Another Decanter award winner you can pick it up for £10.99
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Looking to add a little sparkle to your evening? This prosecco has won numerous awards over the past 8 years, and offers a refreshing fragrance and mouth-watering citrusy flavour. Perfect for fans of fizz at only £10.99 a bottle.
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This popular red is packed with the aroma and flavour you’d expect from a great red wine. It's a complex concoction of dense flavours including hints of Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon help to create dark, delicious fruity and peppery flavour. £11.99.
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This Italian bottle offers a delicate and fragrant indulgence, with its light body and fine bubbles. It combines subtle flavourings of fresh peach, pear, apricot and apple with a refreshing finish and the price is unbeatable at £7.49.
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This is a tasty treat with an army of followers. This Spanish medium-bodied red offers all the flavour with just the right infusion of spice complexity to tantalise your palate, and pair perfectly with red meat. Enjoy this for £9.99.
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A good Rioja is a perfect pairing for earthy meals. This wine is made by layering juicy black cherries over more earthy tones of leather and coconut. Its smooth and sumptuous texture and flavours has ensured its place as a consumer’s favourite. £14.49.
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A popular choice, this New Zealand wine originates in Nelson, just west of Marlborough where the winemaking fuses Old World techniques with New World pioneering methods. What results is aromas of pear, honey, apple, spice and just a dash of cream. £13.99.
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Malbec is a favourite for red wine enthusiasts, and this tasty treat is a Decanter award winner. It offers a rich, soft plum and blackcurrant flavour infusions paired with a satisfying finish and smooth tannins. This one comes in under budget at £13.49.
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When shopping for the perfect bottle of wine to pair with your evening meal you’ll need to take the below into consideration first:
This can be extremely difficult when you’re catering to a group of friends with varying tastes and preferences. If you want to know exactly how to pair the perfect wine with the food you’re serving, then this table should prove handy.
| Food | Wine |
|---|---|
| Hors d’oeuvres, or appetisers | Dry Rose – look for something light in body and fruity in flavour. |
| Citrus infused meals, typically fish | Unoaked White – helps to intensify the flavours of the meal. |
| Spicy foods | Low-alcohol Wine – the sweetness will reduce the intensity of spice. |
| Rich red meat | Tannic Reds like Cabernet Sauvignon – the rich flavouring will compliment the meal. |
| Earthy foods, like mushrooms or game | Earthy Reds like Pinot Noir – earthy ingredients in a meal call for an earthy accompaniment |
| Desserts | Lighter Wine – desserts are often sweet, so you’ll want to pair this course with a flavour that’s much more subtle, so as to not bombard the taste buds. |
This point system scores wine based on expert opinions. In the UK, the 20-point system is widely used to determine the quality of the wine by a panel of professionals.
| Rating | Quality |
|---|---|
| 19-20 | Genuinely outstanding |
| 18 | Exceptional |
| 17 | Impressive |
| 16 | Good |
| 15 | Average |
| 14 | Dull, unrecommended |
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