How to choose a wine that punches above its price point

Pick a muscadet over a picpoul, or punt for a Pouilly-Fumé over a comparable sancerre, and you may be in for a very pleasant surprise. — Pick a picpoul over a muscadet, and punt for a Pouilly-Fumé over a comparable sancerre. Photograph: ipopba/Getty Images/iStockphoto

There was one of those opinionated Twitter exchanges recently about the world’s most over-rated wines. It naturally prompted vigorous disagreement depending on the standpoint and loyalties of those involved, but Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Napa Valley and, surprisingly to me, New Zealand were the most commonly mentioned suspects.

As with most things on Twitter, it was also wildly oversimplified. Of course there are good wines from all those regions, though I struggle to find much to write about in the Napa Valley. The problem is that there is often a disconnect between value for money and reputation. Big names, both producers and region, generally command high prices that are not always warranted, or that you’d be willing to pay. For example, you’d be better off buying Benjamin Leroux’s very delicious Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir 2018 (13%) at £23.30 from Berry Bros & Rudd than his Nuits St Georges 2017 at £37.50, unless you were going to tuck it away for several years. There is a lot of decent basic bordeaux around that won’t cost an arm and a leg, but St Emilion rarely justifies its high cost.

Things move on, too. At one time, chablis was hugely over-rated, but own-label chablis is, I think, both reliable and fairly priced, and a downright bargain if you get it on promotion or on a supermarket discount. By contrast, albariño, which is rather more fashionable these days, often disappoints this drinker, at any rate, despite steadily creeping up in price.

Consistency is definitely a factor in whether something is over- or under-rated. That’s partly due to vintage, true, but it is more a question of style and price point. Brands and blends tend to be consistent, while wines from producers that essentially just buy in juice on price are less so. It’s also a question of taste: if you like a traditional, oak-dominated crianza or reserva rioja, say, you may find some more modern examples too forward and fruity; and if you love New Zealand sauvignon blanc, you may not appreciate more restrained versions that don’t have that pungent, gooseberry and passionfruit character. And Italian wines, with a few notable exceptions such as Gavi, are more than usually hard to pin down in style.

There are also wines (mainly French, it has to be said) that just fall under the radar. Muscadet has been eclipsed by picpoul. Pouilly-Fumé is almost always cheaper – and better – than a comparable sancerre. Riesling is almost always reasonable. Sherry ditto. Take advantage, people!