Last of the summer wine: The best supermarket bottles for August bank holiday – including this £5 gem

It’s that time of the year when it feels like we’re definitely saying goodbye to summer, and it’s vital we embrace all moments of pleasure. It’s like there’s some sort of “winter’s coming” foreboding in the air. Maybe it’s enjoying a BBQ with friends, ideally cooked by someone else (my BBQing prowess is limited to say the least); or clinging on to the halcyon days of picnicking as the leaves fall around you in the park.

I wonder if you’re feeling like me, though? That this summer’s been one long haemorrhage of cash. It certainly feels more than ever that it pays to be savvier with your spending – most of the major supermarkets “reward” customers with loyalty cards, and wine’s no different.

So this bank holiday weekend, I’ve selected some wines that are super purse-friendly, whether they’re in the numerous “25 per cent off any mixed six” offers that are currently running, or are just outstanding value for money.

I’ve focused on four major retailers, including Asda. Yes, you read that right – its wine range seems to go from strength to strength, especially for lower-priced bottles.

In fact, it had the biggest medal haul from the supermarkets in this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, a highly respected international competition.

I hope this gives you some inspiration when you’re shopping in the coming days to snap up a bank holiday bargain. All of the retailers mentioned are running their deals until the end of the weekend.

I urge you to embrace the softening light of the late summer sun with a beautiful (good value) glass of wine.

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Waitrose, £13.50 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 26/08/25) or £13 from 27/08/25 (RRP £18), 12.5 per cent ABV

A superbly classy albarino from the homeland of the Rias Baixas region of northwestern Spain. Le Val, made by the highly respected La Val winery, is a prime example of its house style. It’s appealingly crisp and racy with lean minerality alongside notes of soft lemon curd and yellow apple. It’s generous with wonderful length.

Waitrose, £11.25 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 26/08/25; RRP £15), 13 per cent ABV

A lovely ripe, textured and satisfying South African chenin blanc from old bush vines grown in and around Stellenbosch. It’s brimming with pineapple and fruit bowls full of ripe stone fruit and a subtle saline lick on the finish.

Waitrose, £7.50 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 26/08/25; RRP £10), 12 per cent ABV

Have you ever tried a wine from Georgia, one of the longest continuing wine-producing countries in the world? If not, this is a super place to start. Made from the native white grape rkatsiteli, it’s a great example of the quality of modern Georgian wine at an affordable price point. I love its uplifting freshness, with a lovely lemon kick alongside appealing aromas of orchard blossom and a sprinkling of white pepper.

Waitrose, £9.56 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 26/08/25; RRP £12.75), 11 per cent ABV

This supremely affable and chillable red should be a house staple in every fridge door. An enticing blend of grenache, syrah and cinsault, it’s like a posy of pretty scented flowers, bright red cherries and a revitalising freshness. Not only is it easy on the palate, it’s easy on the wallet over the bank holiday weekend too.

Waitrose, £5.44 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 26/08/25; RRP £7.25), 13.5 per cent ABV

If you’re looking for an everyday, inexpensive claret from Bordeaux, then this will tick the boxes. It’s a medium-bodied red with aromas of red plums and hedgerow fruits. A simple, well-balanced wine with gentle, smooth tannins.

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Sainsbury’s, £12.38 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £16.50 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £20), 13.5 per cent ABV

I have a list of wines that I recommend to friends and family when they’re looking for top-flight wines at affordable prices, and this always features. Made by the Italian wine dynasty Marchesi Antinori, which produces the world’s most expensive wines, Tignanello, this is its offering for us mere mortals, and it’s available when you’re picking up your milk! Expect aromas of ripe plums, blackberries, blackcurrants and a hint of sweet ginger and vanilla spice, all brought together with rich, melting tannins.

Sainsbury’s, £4.50 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £6 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £8), 11 per cent ABV

Hot on the heels of the OG of Italian fizz, prosecco, are a number of its Italian cousins, including this pignoletto from Emilia Romagna, which is good value for money at full price, but on offer, it’s a steal. Is pignoletto the new prosecco? Unlikely, but it’s certainly a lovely and refreshing alternative if you’re looking for a soft, super-friendly sparkling wine full of ripe pears, acacia honey and lemon sherbet joy.

Sainsbury’s, £5.81 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £7.75 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £9.25),12.5 per cent ABV

You can be spoilt for choice with super value wines from the Languedoc region of southern France. It grows a gorgeous array of varieties, producing a fantastic range of styles, and is a real safe pair of wine hands. I was seriously impressed with this white made from a blend of vermentino, marsanne and grenache – it delivers glassfuls of ripe peaches, lemon cream and golden apples tied up with a subtle mineral finish.

Sainsbury’s, £5.44 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £7.25 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £8.25);12.5 per cent ABV

If you love easy-going sauvignon blanc, then why not switch it up with this white from the Bergerac region, located just to the east of its famous neighbour, Bordeaux. A simple “house wine” with the sauvignon blanc delivering notes of citrus and fresh grass, with semillon adding a soft, creamy edge.

Sainsbury’s £9.75 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £13 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £15),12.5 per cent ABV

Chablis is so expensive these days, even petit chablis, which refers to the first level of wine classification in the French region of Chablis. This good-value example, made from 100 per cent chardonnay (as is all chablis), has a beautiful, racy lemon-zest burst alongside crisp green apples and gentle, supple roundness on the finish.

Sainsbury’s, £5.44 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar or £7.25 with Nectar until 02/09/25; RRP £7.75),13.5 per cent ABV

This may not be from a “premium” Portuguese wine region, but it’s certainly from one of the best for quality and pleasurable drinkability. A blend of indigenous varietals full of ripe black cherries, blueberries and juicy plums with an appealing smooth vanilla lick. Simple, yet effortlessly satisfying.

Sainsbury’s, £6.94 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 24/08/25 with Nectar; RRP £9.25), 13 per cent ABV

A vigorously delicious red that consistently delivers an excellent quality-to-price ratio, making it a steal in the Nectar offer. Beautifully concentrated with notes of sweet red cherries, ripe, oozing figs and sun-drenched raisins all kept in line with a little tannic grip. If you love an amarone but, like me, rarely feel you can afford one, or you enjoy your reds fuller-bodied with a deep richness, then this won’t disappoint.

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Tesco, £18.75 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard or £25 until 08/09/25; RRP £34), 12.5 per cent ABV

A staple grand marque champagne, and a good one to look out for when it’s on offer. It’s a bright, energetic, well-made champagne with warm buttery notes and a lifted lemon freshness.

Tesco, £6.19 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard; RRP £8.25), 12 per cent ABV

Hailing from the region of Abruzzo, where they seem to enjoy naming their grapes after the animals that like eating them (such as pecorino, which refers to the sheep in the region), passerina, in this case, refers to a sparrow. Fauna aside, it’s a delicate white wine with fresh ripe pears, juicy honeydew melon and soft white blossom.

Tesco, £12 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard or £16 until 08/09/25; RRP £18), 12.5 per cent ABV

Trimbach is easily one of Alsace’s most respected wine producers, with a history dating back hundreds of years. This is a solid example of a full-bodied, Alsatian riesling that’s full of tangy lime and with a generous, waxy, floral finish.

Tesco, £11.44 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard; RRP £15.25), 10.5 per cent ABV

Some orange wines can be a little “extreme” to the uninitiated, but this sits in exactly the right place if you’re looking for an easy orange wine or have never experimented with the style before. From a highly respected Californian producer, this blend of grenache blanc and noir, pinot gris, orange muscat and chenin blanc has had 15 days maceration on the skins – that’s where the colour extraction comes from. It’s a mouthful of apricots and peaches, with slices of orange zest, with an appealing touch of tannic grip. It’s a supremely versatile wine that would work well with a multitude of foods.

Tesco, £7.88 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard or £10.50 until 08/09/25; RRP £13), 14 per cent ABV

A wonderful example of Aussie cabernet sauvignon that delivers just the right amount of rich, full-bodied depth, but doesn’t feel like you’ve done 10 rounds in the ring. It’s been aged in French oak for 18 months before release and displays appealing notes of sweet blackcurrant, wild rosemary, concentrated blackberries and cherries.

Tesco, £8.25 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25 with Clubcard; RRP £11); 13.5 per cent ABV

The Symington family (the producers of this wine) not only has an exceptional wine pedigree, but it’s also driving the global agenda for regenerative and sustainable viticulture. Made in the most easterly reaches of the Douro Valley, it’s an appealing, fruit-forward red with great elegance and freshness, expect flavours of ripe plums, plump raspberries, blackberries and a hint of liquorice.

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Asda, £5.23 on offer until 25/08/25 (RRP £6.97), 11 per cent ABV

I thought I’d offer you not one but two alternatives to prosecco. This joyous frothy wine is from grapes grown around Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, with a beautiful backdrop of the Alps in the distance. Made in the same method as prosecco from the garganega grape, famous for making soave, it happily reminds me of a bellini – it’s bursting with white peaches alongside a little lemon twist and soft yellow plums.

Asda, £5.60 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25; RRP £7.47), 12 per cent ABV

Simple and easy. This uncomplicated alvarinho (Portugal’s spelling of albarino, and not as complex as its Spanish neighbour’s expression) was a 2025 gold winner at the hugely respected Decanter World Wine Awards. A light and breezy glass full of juice-laden green apples and squeezes of fresh lemon.

Asda, £7.70 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25; RRP £10.27), 12.5 per cent ABV

I was super-excited when I tasted this gavi, made from the Cortese grape, the staple white wine of the Piedmont region in northwest Italy. It really overdelivers for the money. A beautifully vibrant wine with an array of lemon-lime and mandarin citrus flavours wrapped up with a gentle honeyed-almond edge and a long, lingering finish.

Asda, £6.09 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25; RRP £8.12), 11.5 per cent ABV

This is absolutely textbook grüner veltliner, Austria’s white-wunder-grape, and I love it. It’s light and crisp with twirls of lime peel, delicate white flowers and a slightly spicy candied ginger finish. It really is outstanding value for money, full price, or otherwise.

Asda, £5.23 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25; RRP £6.97), 13.5 per cent ABV

An easy, and highly quaffable South African red wine that could be served a little chilled to see out the last days of summer. It’s brimming with ripe red plums, sweet cherries and a lick of cinnamon spice.

Asda, £4.63 (25 per cent off any mixed six until 25/08/25; RRP £6.17), 14.5 per cent ABV

This is another super value-for-money red wine from the Cariñena region of northeastern Spain, an area famed for producing good quality garnacha (aka grenache). It’s abundant in bright red fruits – think juicy, plump, ripe strawberries and sweet red cherries, a total crowd pleaser, even if the crowd’s just you and your best mate.