Warehouse Wines: Specialists in Value

Warehouse Wines are quite the find for those in the know. In essence, they work directly with producers, ship directly from them and cut out the marketing tripe. No middleman and no extra fees! This means that the money spent on the juice itself is reflected far more at Warehouse Wines than your average retailer. Sure, you might look at a bottle elsewhere worth £3.50 and think “wow, what value”, but if it tastes like the plonk it is, then it isn’t value. It’s simply cheap plonk. This is where Warehouse Wines come in. You don’t even need to read my review of my first case below, you can simply check out their wine ratings across the site to see I’m not making up their superior quality – they get an average of 4.3/5!

But what else makes them so good?

Something well worth saying is that they don’t require any subscription for you to sign your card up to months of payments that you might forget about. They just let you pick your wine, pay for it, drink it and then order again when you next feel like it. And trust me, you probably will order again once you’ve seen how good their wine is, especially for the price. Find out how I felt about my first order below:

Puntino Pignoletto, Italy

This wine hails from Emilia-Romagna, which is more or less the central top part of Italy. Here, the white grape is called Pignoletto, but it might be more familiar to some as Grechetto Gentile which is the name of the variety in wines from Orvieto. This just gives you a small taste of how localised the Italian industry is!

I was very happy from the off with its mixture of fruits, floral tones and intensity. You’ll find peach, an undertone of almond, lemon peel, sherbet, minerality and a saline whiff on the nose.

The palate was much the same as flavours go although had the addition of blossom, lime, green apple and pear. However, the texture had an unexpected side, in a good way. It was very fresh and crisp as precluded by the saline and citrus elements, but it also had a surprisingly punchy body and weightiness. The high acidity interplayed very well with this rich texture making it one versatile wine that could please anybody. At a standard price of £6.99, I was more than impressed.

Cape Roller Reserve White, South Africa

I have a bit of a thing for South African wines and this kept that trend going. A blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Rousanne and Viognier, I was expecting something rich and textured, and indeed it was just that.

The nose gave off aromas of pear, apple, lemon zest and a little herbaceousness. There was something nutty about it too.

On the palate, the Chenin is dominant and that showed with its typical oily nature lending some real body to the wine. Tropical tangerine, lemon and that herbaceous note are all there too whilst it culminates into a nice spicy finish. Overall, the weight was really well balanced by high acidity and the perfect blend of distinctive, punchy flavours. This one is just £7.49, that’s too good.

De Meyran Blanc de Blancs, France

This is traditional method fizz (AKA made like Champagne) with Chardonnay as the dominant grape. Whilst perhaps not living up to Champagne, which you wouldn’t expect for only £9.99, it certainly wipes the floor with Prosecco.

On the fruit side, you’ll find all the classic flavours of apple, pear and lemon working together nicely, whilst the more complex notes of cream and toast begin to emerge as it develops in your mouth. Delve a little deeper still and some florality comes out in the form of elderflower making it a delicate sparkling. It is light yet flavoursome enough to make a great aperitif or party wine.

Bedford's Special Selection Shiraz, Australia

What is Australian wine without Shiraz? A lot to be fair, but Shiraz is the surefire way to test if a winemaker in Australia is up to scratch. Usually at the price point of £7.59, I would turn my nose up at Shiraz as you get into the jammy, sweetened-to-disguise-unpleasant-flavour territory, but the Warehouse Wines value for money mantra convinced me that this would be worthwhile.

And it was. Aromas of black fruits and a strong scent of white pepper pervaded the air upon opening and that is always a sign of good Shiraz. The taste exemplified these further with blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and bramble once again being lifted by the pepper giving a persistent finish. The wine is fairly full bodied but manages to maintain a sense of poise thanks to the fine tannin.

Terre del Sole Appassimento, Sicily

The Appassimento method is very popular these days thanks to the way it concentrates flavour, sugar and alcohol, resulting in heady, luscious wines. In short, the grapes are not crushed immediately as with most wines, but are instead left to dry for a period which concentrates these 3 key things by removing the water content.

The grape here is a Sicilian local, Nero d’Avola which is known for its black fruited, cherry flavoured wines. The nose certainly provides this image with ripe plum, glacier cherry, sweet baking spices, tobacco and a general port-esque character.

On the palate it is a really ripe, silky wine with the fine-grained tannin really contributing to this effect. It has a generally luxurious mouthfeel with intense jammy fruit flavour followed again by that sweet spice. The wine does of course have a sweetness to it, as expected of the style, but it is nothing like dessert wine sweet and is supremely well balanced by the acidity and herbal undertones. This is the kind of wine you’ll finish and not even think twice about opening a second bottle, especially when it’s only £8.99!

Baya Morada Special Selection Malbec, Argentina

You’ve always got to get a Malbec in your wine shop, especially during BBQ season. This one is from the esteemed Uco Valley in Mendoza which is home to some of the region’s highest vineyards. An oak-spicy nose with clove and charred wood greets you at first, followed by dark fruits such as plum and blackberry. Then, a nice finish of vanilla to round it out.

The fruits develop further once you taste it with the addition of blueberry and raspberry coming into the fold. The fruits are actually much more intense and juicy than I found on the nose which does a good job of mellowing the heftier oak influences. Again, it is rich and full with almost unnoticeable tannin levels such is their integration with the wine. The finish is long and smooth with a gentle fade to vanilla. For £8.79, it’s a no brainer.

With all the wines here, bar the sparkling, below £9 I think it’s fair to say that these are genuinely the best value wines I’ve had in a long, long time, possibly ever. They specialize in wines of this price and under and don’t muddy the waters with anything else allowing the focus to remain here at this quality level.

No doubt you’ll be itching for your first taste by now, so to kick things off, make sure you treat yourself to our special welcome case of 12 with each bottle for only £4.99 each. Your new way of wine shopping will only get better from here.