Marks & Spencer held a sparkling spring press tasting recently, with the fizz proving a real highlight.
Of 133 wines on show – 23 of them brand new launches for the retailer – the real quality was in the 22 bubblies, more than a quarter of them new.
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of the best Marks & Spencer wine buys for spring and summer
Sparkling quality
New faces grace the Marks & Spencer wine team, too, with Caroline Thompson-Hill taking over from Andrew Shaw as Head of Beers, Wines & Spirits. Giota Polizoudi the new buyer for rosé, Italy, South Africa and fortified wines, and Harriet Coates joins as trainee buyer looking after the Found range.
There’s still a continued focus on value at M&S, with more than half of the 106 still wines priced at £8 and under and more than 80% at £10 and under.
M&S has also dropped the prices of 100 wines across the range, meaning fewer monthly promotions but consistent lower prices, such as the 2021 Pontenari Toscana Rosso, now down from £12 to £10.
But it’s the new wines, in particular the sparklings, that are worth checking out.
The fizz introduced with the biggest fanfare is M&S’s new own-label 2023 English Pét Nat Rosé – the first on the high street.
Short for Pétillant Naturel, this historic wine style (more often seen in natural wine bars, not supermarkets) gets its gentle sparkle due to the juice being bottled while still fermenting. In traditional-method fizz, the base wine undergoes a second fermentation in bottle.
M&S’s Pét Nat, a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier from Heppington Vineyard in Kent, is on the tame side. It certainly has the style’s characteristic haze from the yeast that remains in bottle and low (11.5%) alcohol, but for £15 I was hoping for more substance and fruity flavour than just frothy minerality.
Of far more interest (but also two to three times the price) are the three new non-vintage Champagnes. Two are great finds from small growers: Charles Orban’s Carte Noire (£30) and Romain Thibaut’s Grand Cru Chardonnay (£40); while the long lees-aged Brut Reserve from Palmer & Co (£45) is rich and complex.
Value discoveries
In the still wines, five new bottles join the Found range which showcases ‘unexpected and undiscovered varieties’. The best are two 2023 whites: the orange-style Organic Verdil from Spain (£9) and the Lucido – aka Catarratto – from Sicily (£7.50). Meanwhile the 2021 Found Agiorgitiko from Greece (£9) remains a great buy.
Last autumn M&S introduced the new Expressions range: single-varietal wines from well-known regions but made from less-familiar grapes. While it is a good line-up in the main, starting from just £7, the premise seems very similar to that of the Found range.
Indeed, many popular Found wines are now repackaged under an Expressions label, including the solidly reliable 2022 Ribolla Gialla, Vermentino, Pecorino and Refosco from Italy (£8-£9), all still on shelves.
Other new Marks & Spencer wine recommendations include the 2023 Abertura Vinho Verde Rosé from Portugal (£8), the 2022 Maison Riveraine Morgon from Beaujolais (£14) and, under the premium Collection range, the 2023 Babich Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (£14).
New 2023 vintages in the Collection range that are still just as good as the 2022s are the Côtes de Provence Ste-Victoire Rosé (£13) and Susana Balbo Mendoza Malbec (£12) while the 2021 Ebenezer & Seppeltsfield Barossa Shiraz (£14) and 2018 Hattingley Valley English Sparkling (£30) are still on shelves.
Finally, not new but remaining excellent buys, are the Extra Dry Manzanilla Sherry (£10), 2022 Balfour Pinot Noir from Kent (£22), the 2022 Creation Pinot Noir from South Africa (£14), 2016 El Duque de Miralta Rioja Gran Reserva (£16), 2023 Bramble Hill English Rosé (£12) and Classics no12 Crémant de Bourgogne NV (£12).
Marks & Spencer wine picks to snap up this summer
Of the following 30 recommendations, 22 are wines tasted at the 2024 Spring tasting in May. Others are from older tastings but still available. Wines are available from one or both of M&S (in store and on online) or Ocado (online only). Note that some Ocado prices differ to those at M&S.
