Discovering the best wines at Asda at the supermarket’s recent tasting made for a fascinating afternoon. The Asda range demonstrates impressive consistency and value, with a marked improvement in some ranges compared with previous years. Of the 129 wines tasted, a surprisingly high proportion were good examples of their styles, with few showing obvious faults or poor winemaking. In particular, there were very few wines that didn’t display at least some varietal character – even those below the £5 mark. That price point is becoming increasingly rare, yet Asda has managed to retain several wines that still offer simple but effective, well-made expressions of their style, particularly in the red category.
The overarching impression was a sense of reliable buying and thoughtful sourcing. While there were certainly a few pedestrian wines, there was a notable absence of the clumsy, overly sweetened or diluted styles that have marred some ranges from other retailers. There is also less evidence of lowering ABV artificially or masking lightweight structure with residual sugar. Instead, many wines – particularly in the red and aromatic white categories – had an honest balance of fruit, acidity and structure, appropriate to their style and price point.
Asda delivers a wine selection that feels increasingly confident in its identity, offering choice, value and a surprisingly consistent hit-rate
Two ranges stood out for their quality and innovation. The ‘Wine Atlas’ range continues to push boundaries with interesting grape varieties and under-explored regions, offering genuine discovery moments at budget-friendly prices. Meanwhile, the ‘Extra Special’ label delivered impressive value in both classic and modern expressions, from the polished Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon to the textbook Mâcon-Villages. Particularly worth calling out were the Extra Special Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc, which offered both varietal clarity and excellent drinkability. The ‘Exceptional by Asda’ range also showed reliable and consistent quality at the more premium end of the range.
Personal favourites included the juicy and satisfying £10 Maremma – approachable yet serious enough to elevate a weeknight meal – and the polished Pinotage duo that demonstrated contrasting styles of the grape at two sensible price points. Even the tasting booklet deserves praise, as it clearly highlighted new wines, vintages and producers and blends, helping to communicate range changes in a transparent and clear way.
So overall, while the range may not be aiming for high-end showstoppers, the sense of balance, restraint and typicity across most wines reflects a thoughtful approach. Asda’s tasting delivered a wine selection that feels increasingly confident in its identity, offering choice, value, and a surprisingly consistent hit-rate for a value-driven supermarket range. Here are 10 of the best wines at Asda today.
What are the IWSC Drinks Supermarket of the Year Awards?
The IWSC Drinks Supermarket of the Year Awards were introduced to provide consumers with an in-depth evaluation of supermarkets’ alcoholic beverage offerings, inclusive of non-alcoholic alternatives. A panel of judges spend months evaluating the biggest UK retailers. Attending supermarket tastings forms part of this process, offering judges the chance to taste many of the wines available in-store and see how buyers are responding to trends and consumer demand.
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10 of the best wines at Asda in 2024
