Luisa has some tales to tell after discovering some unexpected wines in the new Tesco range. 

There is always a great selection of wines to choose from when you shop at a Tesco store, and with summer coming up, I look for great value wines to enjoy in these warmer months. 

With some 25 brand new wines, including an up-weighted selection of rosé, from vibrant fruity blends to crisp and refreshing, they are worth seeking out, and I was pleasantly surprised to find so many unexpected gems. 

Tavel is a cru in Southern Rhône which produces only rosé wines, known for their complexity and finesse. These can be appreciated in their youth and unlike many rosé they can also age. Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2023  is dry and full, with grapefruit, raspberry and spice and great complexity and at £12.50, it’s one I want to keep in my fridge. 

Beyond rosé, I found Tesco Finest Albariño 2023 – the grape is typical of Spain and Portugal (where it’s known as Alvarinho) but I wasn’t expecting to find this one from Uruguay. This up and coming country has entered the market with some exciting and distinctive wines, and this one from the coastal region, is beautifully made. The vineyards benefit from the constant Atlantic breeze and cooling night-time temperatures, which allow the wine to retain its bright acidity and pronounced fruit. This wine is a ‘must’ for summer. 

Another unexpected grape is the Argentinian Torrontés, bottled under the Tesco Finest Torrontés 2023 label, at just £8.50. Torrontés is Argentina’s unique, aromatic white grape, gaining a host of new admirers across the world as vinification techniques are being refined and reach new heights. This very individual wine comes from grapes grown in one of the highest wine regions on the planet. The resulting wine is deliciously unique, crisp and zingy with flavours of lychee, orange peel and citrus. Buy it once, and you will be buying a second bottle very soon. 

With over 500 documented grape varieties in Italy (although it is claimed that the total is closer to 2,000), I knew I was bound to find something unexpected from the country. And these two, white Passerina and the red Lacrima di Morro D’Alba really got my attention. 

Tesco Finest Passerina Terre di Chieti 2023 is one of my favourite whites from Southern Italy, this one from the lesser-known Abruzzo region. Produced for Tesco by Citra, one of the most important winemakers on the Abruzzo wine scene, this is an award-winning wine with grapes fully hand-harvested, allowing for first selection in the vineyard. The rare Passerina grape is named after the bird who enjoys eating them! This wine is refreshing and crisp, with bright fruit and citrus flavours, and a touch of herbs, with a pleasant and smooth finish. At 13% abv, it is best enjoyed with food, and it’s an incredible £7.75 per bottle. 

Fonte del Re Lacrima di Morro D’Alba 2022 was arguably my favourite wine and the most unexpected find of the day. I have known this wine for a long time, but I have rarely seen in the UK, let alone in a supermarket, therefore Bravo! Tesco for daring to bring it in and putting it on your shelves. An indigenous grape from Le Marche region, Lacrima di Morro D’Alba is named after the ‘tear’ or drop of juice that comes out of the grape bunch when it’s fully mature, and it tells you it’s time to pick. The locals have followed this rule for centuries.

Made by the most respected wine maker Umani Ronchi, this wine is reminiscent of Turkish delight on the nose, but on the palate, it combines plum and black cherry with fresh acidity. Perfect with pasta, this is one of Tesco’s hidden gems and at £15.50 – £17, if you splash out on a wine this summer, make it this one.

And when you thought there was nothing else to explore, out comes the most unexpected Bonny Doon Le Cigare Orange 2023, £15, from California.  Just in time for the USA’s Independence day celebrations in July, orange wines are certainly ‘marching in’. 

A Rhône-based blend of Grenache Blanc, Pinot Fris, Grenache, Orange Muscat and Chenin Blanc, this orange wine is made by the Bonny Doon Winery founder, Randall Grahm. Here, he beautifully showcases the indigenous Rhône grape varieties in California and skin contact is used to obtain the beautiful dark orange colour.  The haunting fragrance is reminiscent of an elegant white wine, the unmistakable scent of peach, but  coupled with the textured richness of a red wine.  

And here you have it – the most unexpected wines are available at a Tesco near you. @tescofood