£20 for a red, a white and an orange wine

I passed a Morrisons supermarket today and, not being a regular customer, decided to go and have a look to see if there were any interesting wines that might be worth a try.  As expected, there were a fair amount of branded wines that failed to appeal but the current offer of 'Buy 3 for £20' until 7 February on a varied selection of about 50 bottles seemed to offer a challenge worth accepting.  But when on closer inspection this selection still included Jam Shed, Yellow Tail and Barefoot products I was starting to have my doubts.  My strategy quickly focused on the Morrisons own-label 'The Best...' series which constituted about a fifth of the wines included in the offer. I came away with three bottles; a 'Best' red, a 'Best' white, and a bit of a wildcard.  Although I have yet to taste any of them, a little online research after arriving home suggests my instincts have led to wines that both wine writers/reviewers and Morrisons customers appreciate.  Personally I don't have much faith in Vivino as a review site (in my experience almost all wines average out at about 3.5 to 3.7) but I find Decanter and newspaper reviews from trade tastings and customer feeding on supermarket websites, when taken together, offer a reasonable indication of what to expect.   With this in mind here are the three wines I selected and a summary of what I am expecting.  If you have tasted any of them do let me know how you found them in the Comments below.

Morrisons The Best Marques De Los Rios Garnacha - £8.00

Not to be confused with Morrisons 'The Best Marques De Los Rios Rioja Crianza' this red wine comes from the neighbouring region Navarra to the northeast of Rioja and centred around the town of Pamplona.  Garnacha is the Spanish name for the Grenache grape widely planted in the south of France.  In Spain it produces good red wines which, given the high alcohol taxes in the UK, are recognised as great value for money.  Olly Smith writing in the Daily Mail in 2022 actively encouraged readers "instead of Rioja try a Spanish Garnacha" and went on to describe this particular wine as "glossy as a black cherry polished with silk and spice.  Divinely elegant as well as indulgent".  As part of the 3 for £20 offer I imagine it will make an excellent wine for weekday pasta.

Morrisons The Best Verdeca - £9.00

I associate Verdeca with holidays in Puglia at the heel of Italy, sat in the sun with a refreshing cold glass of white wine. Fond memories of time and place result in affinities with grapes that are barely recognisable at home.  (For what it's worth, Susumaniello is a red grape variety from Puglia that has similar associations for me).  A Decamter review indicates that this particular bottle is 90% Verdeca with the remaining 10% made up of Malvasia and Sauvignon Blanc.  I also note it is aged in oak for 3 months but whether this will be discernible beyond a slight vanilla-y creaminess is doubtful.  What I really expect from a wine like this is some crisp acidity.  But who knows?  Perhaps it gets a different reaction in Northern Europe in winter compared with the blazing sun in the Med.

Rigal Vin Orange - £9.00

The increasingly popularity of orange wine is a fairly recent phenomenon, not least in UK supermarkets. Waitrose had a persuasive offer at £7.49 on the Luis Felipe Edwards' Macro Naranjo from Chile for most of January highlighted and celebrated in Joanna Simon's Wine of the Week at the beginning of the year.  My own experience of these distinctly coloured wines made from white grapes fermented on their skins is not that extensive but what I do know is that they are quite different one to the other.  As it happens Joanna Simon also wrote about this particular orange wine when Morrisons first introduced it in 2021.  Her description provides more about the wine and its method of production than all of the text on the Morrisons website.  This is an entry-level orange wine and customers have quite polarised opinions in their feedback.  A marmite wine and something an acquired taste perhaps?  In 2021 Morrisons were selling it for £10.  Currently it is £9 or just £6.67 on the 3 for £20 deal until 7 February.  At this price who could refuse in order to make their own mind up?