I got a little box of samples from Lidl. Will tackle the others this weekend, but so far, not surprisingly, you get what you pay for.

St Emilion Grand Cru 2010 £9.99
We tried this on a Friday evening (my best time of the week) with a pleasant weekend stretching ahead, and so I was feeling fairly positive. However, I re-tried and it was still very good. Rich, deep blackcurrant aroma and some savoury oak - very inviting. A delicious palate. Lovely balance - despite 14% alcohol. If you're into food matching, this is strangely nice with Bombay Mix, but also managed very well with lamby chops. Good one, and a fair price.

Pouilly Fuisse, Cellier St Jean 2011 £7.99
Well, £7.99 Pouilly Fuisse was never going to be wonderful, was it? It had little aroma. Some initial texture on the palate but it wasn't oaky, per se. The palate was a little bitter. I wouldn't buy it, but if you wanted something inoffensive, that's from Burgundy - actually, no. I'd go to Majestic and get a Macon.

Saxa Loquuntur Uno Rioja 2010 £6.99
If you like Rioja, but find that they're all £8+ now and you'd like something cheaper, then drink water for half the meal, and buy the more expensive Rioja. This is Rioja lite and just doesn't do the trick. I'm happy to buy and drink cheap wines (Aldi's Toro Loco red and rose), but this one is quite dull. Wet Labrador on the nose. Little fruit or oak on the palate. There's a touch of texture, but it lacks flavour.

More to follow...

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