Top Value Wines for 2022
1st October 2022
To us buying is simple - we pay no attention to reputations, fancy bottles or social media profiles: instead, we ask whether we, as wine drinkers, would enjoy this wine for £xx?
However certain buying strategies can help – so here is our insider guide to some of the best value wines in our stock.
Here’s our hand-picked list of the
Top Value Wines for 2022
Here’s our hand-picked list of theABSOLUTE VALUE
There are a handful of wines in our stock, often a little off-beat, which stand out as offering extra-ordinary value. They over-deliver, usually vintage after vintage.
Whites
- Château Barrejat, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec, 2021
- Las Colinas del Ebro, Garnatxa Blanca, Terra Alta, 2021
Reds
- Lagneau, Regnie, Vieilles Vignes, Cuvee Gerard, 2020
- Apaltagua, Envero, Gran Reserva Carmenère, Apalta Vineyard Selection, Colchagua, 2019
THE “JUST OFF” SITES
If you can’t afford x wine... then look nearby for substitutes from the same grapes.
Whites
- Le Colombier, Touraine Sauvignon, 2021
- Domaine des Crets, Macon-Chardonnay, L'Echenault de Serre 2020
Reds
OUT OF FASHION
A wine’s reputation can be trashed by a number of factors: for example poor winemaking a generation ago; or, all too often, over-production to meet the demands of supermarket price points rather than any quality standard. Being out of fashion depresses prices and enables canny drinking.
Whites
- Domaine de la Chauvinière, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, 2020
- Corte Mainente, Pigno, Soave Classico, 2021
Reds
Château Barrejat, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec, 2021
Absolute Value
Gros Manseng from the south-west of France. Such concentration and interest for the price.
A little-known - and hard to pronounce - but delicious Gros Manseng from the same area as Madiran, north of Pau. Pale gold. Pretty perfume of fresh pineapple; and a wholly consistent juicy mouthful of ripe pineapple, with plenty of volume and a mildly spicy finish. An exuberant wine at a modest price, this makes a lovely aperitif or an accompaniment to chicken. Now-2024
Las Colinas del Ebro, Garnatxa Blanca, Terra Alta, 2021
Absolute Value
Deliciously fruity organic white Grenache from high-altitude vineyards. Critic Matthew Jukes recently called its price tag “insanely competitive”.
100% organically farmed (and certified) white Grenache from clay/limestone vineyards about 500 metres up (Terra Alta = highlands) in Catalonia. Here the altitude brings cool nights; and a dry wind known as El Cierzo keeps the vines healthy. This has become one of our best-regarded sub £12 wines. It’s such a useful all-rounder, light enough to enjoy on its own but also not so fruity that one can’t enjoy it with a wide range of fish and white meat dishes. Grapefruit scented with herbs - rosemary and bay leaf - with attractive texture and a distinct, lightly almondy finish. Now-2023
“..in 2021 it is, again, in piercingly pure form. With crunchy, green apple skin notes and a bitingly fresh, chalky and raspy finish, this is a thrilling ‘Grenache Blanc’ from the wilds of Terra Alta. Look no further if you fancy a dramatic, dry, invigorating wine with the same shape and size as a crisp Chablis but with a wilder and more untamed attitude. One final thought – the price tag here is insanely competitive for this skill level”,
Matthew Jukes, 27th July 2022.
Lagneau, Regnie, Vieilles Vignes, Cuvee Gerard, 2020
Absolute Value
Could equally well be in the out of fashion section below – life-enhancing Beaujolais from the least known of the Crus.
"I cannot remember the last time I wrote up a Régnié, given it is the least starry of the ten Beaujolais Cru Villages, so it was nice that this wine stood up on my tasting bench and summoned me over with welcoming, generous, textbook Gamay generosity and openness. Fruit bomb? Yes, but controlled and with none of the puppy-dog enthusiasm, one finds in lesser creations. This old vine cuvée knows better than that, and this is why there is a lovely depth of plum, cherry and mulberry fruit under the surface that keeps it honest and centred. Once again, the value is amazing here, and it goes without saying that this wine will be a useful wine for all occasions and all palates, such is its seamless texture and crowd-pleasing flavour."
Matthew Jukes, 27th July 2022
Gérard is the father chez Lagneau. As ever, this is terrific, with a depth of colour and intensity of bramble and black cherry flavours rarely seen in Beaujolais at this price. Juicy and stimulating. Now-2025
Apaltagua, Envero, Gran Reserva Carmenère, Apalta Vineyard Selection, Colchagua, 2019
Absolute Value
Chile isn’t taken seriously enough as a source of fine wine. This old vine Carmenère is splendid.
From 60+ year old vineyards - rare in Chile - in the famed Apalta valley, this lightly oaked (60% in French and US barrels) Carmenère, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, delivers spectacular value for its concentration, quality and smart presentation. Bittersweet red and blackcurrant fruit with liquorice and tobacco hints over subtle tannins. Now-2024
Le Colombier, Touraine Sauvignon, 2021
The "Just Off" Sites
The Loire vineyards were badly hit by frost last year. If you don’t wish to pay increased prices for Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé then a crisp Touraine Sauvignon is your best bet.
Gooseberry scent - and gooseberry on the palate too, along with notes of crisp pineapple and kiwi fruit. With a lemony finish, this is correctly zippy. Now-2023.
Domaine des Crets, Macon-Chardonnay, L'Echenault de Serre 2020
The "Just Off" Sites
Côte de Beaune prices have soared – so instead look south. Here’s a barrel- fermented, organic Mâcon which tastes like a much grander white Burgundy.
From a tiny, organically farmed estate with vineyards over the hills (Crêts being crests) near Ozenay and the fruit is given comparable treatment to a decent Côte de Beaune, vinified with natural yeasts and all into demi-muids, about 20% new. Really pure and vibrant green fruit. Great breadth. The barrel ageing just lends a pleasant creaminess to the fruit. Dynamic and delicious. Now-2025
Château Beauregard Ducasse, Graves, 2019
The "Just Off" Sites
Next to Pessac-Léognan, home to Haut-Brion amongst others, is Graves, named after the ancient river gravels, the distinguishing terroir of the left bank of Bordeaux. This may be the best vintage we have ever shipped.
From the far south of the Graves near Langon, a splendidly suave and traditional Bordeaux, now being run by son Albert with help from his father and uncle. 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; and about 20% in barrels. Open and generous red berried fruit, with all the sucrosité of a hot summer, but this wine remains classic in style. Excellent aromatics, very smooth tannins and restrained Graves character. Now-2025
Taliano, Blagheur, Nebbiolo d'Alba, 2019
The "Just Off" Sites
You would like to drink Barolo and Barbaresco but feel daunted by the prices? Langhe Nebbiolo is the answer!
A delicious, authentic Nebbiolo, just rounded by a year of ageing in a mix of old oak vessels. Pretty strawberry scent; and the same juicy and bright red-berried fruit dominates the palate, touched by spicy and savoury hints. Gentle tannins make this a brilliant introduction to this great grape. Now-2025
Domaine de la Chauvinière, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, 2020
Out Of Fashion
Are you old enough to remember battery acid supermarket Muscadet? By contrast here is a precise and vibrant example.
Muscadet, grown at the mouth of the Loire (where the climate isn't that dissimilar to Cornwall) is the traditional French accompaniment to Atlantic oysters and other seafood. From low yielding vines on the estate's classic granitic soils - with a little clay. Open, generous mouthful with lemon and pear fruit, crisp and mouthwatering with textbook zest and balance, and a dry, gently saline finish. Now-2023
It is hard to believe when meeting Jérémie Huchet that he has been in charge of the family domaine for more than fifteen years; he really does not look old enough. The Muscadet region has struggled to adapt to changing tastes in wine and has been hit by a run of poor harvests leaving many growers unable to continue in business and reducing the size of the appellation by 40%. Against this trend Jérémie is expanding with purchases of the organically farmed Château de la Templerie amogst other land.
Corte Mainente, Pigno, Soave Classico, 2021
Out Of Fashion
The pergola-trained vines of Soave - unusually in Europe - may be irrigated, which might explain why so many Soaves taste watery. This is the real deal from the region’s volcanic heartland.
100% Garganega grown on red and black volcanic soils in a single vineyard in Pigno, known as one of the best terroirs in the hilly Classico zone. Following a scent of white flowers, it shows hints of almonds and white pepper. Splendid texture and intensity; and finishes vivid and fresh. Now-2024
In 2019 we found a winner to work with in Soave in the shape of young Davide Mainente. His family own 12 hectares of vines, both near the town (the Cengelle vineyard) and in the Classico hillside sites such as Pigno and Tenda. His wines are winning rave reviews in Italy and here from the UK press and our customers alike. Thanks to his wish to build his sales in this country with us, they remain extremely good value.
Soave, based on the Garganega grape grown in vineyards east of Verona, is hugely under-rated here. It's one of those wines (like Muscadet) that the supermarket buyers murdered twenty years ago, pushing the co-ops to produce so much volume from the pergola-trained (and irrigated) vines that the end result became mean and watery, albeit cheap. But true Soave, from top growers such Pieropan and Inama is such a delight - and Davide at Corte Mainente is challenging these luminaries.
Domaine du Grand Arc, Corbieres Rouge, Reserve Grand Arc, 2019
Out Of Fashion
The large Corbières appellation is dominated by a handful of giant co- operatives, and their production is often disappointing. Here is an impressive, barrel-aged example from the Schenks’ mountain vineyards.
This is the latest vintage of one of our staples at SVS: about 50% Carignan, with 35% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre, aged in two- to four-year-old barrels. It’s a robust wine: vivid, inky purple; dark-fruited, with hints of Christmas spice and that characteristic Mourvèdre meatiness. With freshness and bite, it’s as gutsy as a more expensive southern Rhône and as elegant and concentrated as a much more expensive Bordeaux. Now-2025
We have been buying from Grand Arc since 2002: here Nicolas Schenk is now running the family estate created by his father Bruno. The vines lie on classic argilo-calcaire soils, with some sandstone, around Cucugnan, in a valley of the Massif des Corbières in the south of the appellation, overlooked by the amazing hill-top Cathar castles of Quéribus and Peyrepertuse. The family have been following organic principles for 20 years but Nicolas was behind the final push to certification for the 2016 vintage. He has a keen interest in biodynamics and is also continuing his father’s pursuit of minimal intervention, in particular using natural yeasts and only a tiny amount of sulphur at bottling.
Piekenierskloof, Pinotage, 2020
Out Of Fashion
There used to be so many terrible Pinotages, dirty and redolent of burnt rubber. Here’s the new model, clean-fruited, lively and assured.
A clean and vibrant example, showing bittersweet bright raspberry and plum flavours with a figgy note. Chocolate hints from the barrel ageing. Impressive – pair with venison. Now-2024
Exclusive to Stone, Vine & Sun
We source our amazing wines from small independent winemakers and as such you’re unlikely to find them anywhere else in the UK.
Due to their exclusivity and incredible value, these beautiful whites may sell out. If any of our Top Value Wines are out of stock, you can view our full range of wine offers on the website or you can get in touch with us & we’d be delighted to suggest some incredible alternatives for you to discover.
