I’ve tasted a lot of wine this summer – including plenty of supermarket bottles – but if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that Waitrose’s wine buyers know what they’re doing.
They’ve a knack for selecting the very best wines, from affordable favourites to indulgent treats, while also shining a light on lesser-known grape varieties and regions. But if you’re stuck for what to choose as your summer go-to, you’re in luck.
I’ve tasted every single new wine in Waitrose’s range, from crisp Sauvignon Blancs and flavoursome Chenin Blancs to sparkling rosés and chillable reds, and selected the 10 best bottles you need to seek out this summer.
One thing I’ve noticed is there’s a real swing toward full-flavoured mid-strength wines (7-10 per cent ABV), which also offer incredible value. The number of chillable reds is also expanding, with several bottle labels actually requesting you pop them in the fridge, while the quality and variety of Portuguese wines continues to impress.
Whatever you’re looking for in a summer wine, you’re sure to find it below.
Best Waitrose wines at a glance
Best overall – Waitrose Loved & Found Vermentinu Rosé Brut NV: £9.50, Waitrosecellar.com
Best budget bottle – Waitrose Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc: £7.90, Waitrosecellar.com
Best for gifting – Quinta da Fonte Souto Florão 2024: £15, Waitrosecellar.com
Best for food pairings – Tread Softly Pinot Noir: £10, Waitrosecellar.com
Best for cheese and charcuterie – Darling Cellars Old Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2023: £18.50, Waitrosecellar.com
How I chose the best Waitrose wines
All wines were chilled before tasting, with only one bottle removed from the fridge at a time to ensure they remained cool. I nosed and tasted from an elegant white wine glass that’s also designed for sparkling wines and chilled reds, to maximise the aromatics on the nose. The glass was rinsed between samples with only water to cleanse my palate as well. After nosing and tasting, all samples were spat to avoid intoxication affecting my judgement – this is the standard for all wine and spirit tasting competitions.
Waitrose Loved & Found Vermentinu Rosé Brut NV
★★★★★
Best: For a sun-drenched summer BBQ
What we love: Fruity, fragrant and delicious, it’s an absolute bargain price.
Take note: Limited edition, so it will sell out quickly.
Waitrose’s Loved & Found range celebrates exceptional wines that are approachable, affordable and easy-drinking. Its sparkling Vermentinu Rosé Brut NV delivers on all three promises with gusto – tantalisingly fragrant with notes of honeysuckle, lychee, recurrants and jasmine, with juicy peaches, strawberries, morello cherries and a hint of salinity on the palate. It’s the funnest fizz you could buy for under a tenner, a guaranteed crowd pleaser and at 10 per cent ABV, dangerously quaffable. Sadly limited edition, though, so grab one while you can!
Buy now £9.50, Waitrosecellar.com
Waitrose Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc
★★★☆☆
Best: Crowd-pleasing summer sipping
What we love: Great value for money, and a classic example of a NZ Savvy B.
Take note: If you can stretch your pennies, Waitrose’s No.1 SB at £12 delivers much more complexity.
As far as New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs go, you can’t get much better for the price than this number from Waitrose’s Blueprint range. It’s beautifully aromatic, with rounded scents of ripe stone fruits like peach and gooseberry, with a citrus-saline palate that delivers further flavours of passionfruit with a crisp finish. Waitrose’s Blueprint range is known for its great value examples of classic wine styles, so if you enjoy this, make sure to explore its other editions.
Buy now £7.90, Waitrosecellar.com
Royal Palmeira Loureiro 2020 Vinho Verde
★★★★★
Best: For sipping and snacking
What we love: Expressive and characterful aroma, but not as ‘fizzy’ as some Vinho Verdes.
Take note: It’s on the expensive side.
This incredibly expressive and characterful Vinho Verde is probably one of the best examples of this style you can find in supermarkets. Every step of the winemaking process is designed to enhance the bright, zippy freshness of the Loureiro grape – often called the ‘Riesling of Portugal’. Expect heavenly aromas of blood orange, melon, lime and white blossom with an earthy, saline nuttiness on the palate and a vibrancy so indicative of this style. Absolutely divine with a bowl of Nocellara olives.
Buy now £20.00, Waitrosecellar.com
Waitrose Loved and Found Grolleau Gris 2025
★★★★☆
Best: For lovers of Sauvignon Blanc seeking to moderate their alcohol
What we love: Expressive mid-strength wine, which has a lower ABV than usual.
Take note: You’ll need to be quick to nab a bottle.
This rare, delicate grape variety is native to the Loire Valley, and specially cultivated to preserve its delicate flavours while achieving a naturally lower wine alcohol level of 8.5 per cent. Long ageing on the lees makes this an elegantly expressive, light-bodied wine with bright aromas of fresh melon, green apple and gooseberries, leaving a citrus, mineralic finish. It’s a fantastic alternative for those looking to expand their wine selection beyond Sauvignon Blanc, and an excellent pairing for delicate fish or Middle Eastern tapas.
Buy now £9.50, Waitrosecellar.com
Quinta da Fonte Souto Florão 2024
★★★★★
Best: For an impressive dinner party gift
What we love: The flavour-to-value ratio is off the charts, and the winery holds a B-Corp certification.
Take note: Likely to develop further in the bottle over 2-3 years.
This incredibly expressive, structured blend of 80 per cent Arinto and 20 per cent Verdelho grapes from Portugal’s Alto Alentejo region is just divine. If you like your whites to have a more rounded, developed flavour profile, while still being fresh and aromatic, this one’s for you. Think fragrant chamomile and bergamot on the nose, with ripe tropical fruits, citrusy grapefruit, and an earthy, savoury nuttiness delivering a creamy mouthfeel with an enduring salinity on the finish. Stunning paired with Manchego and salted almonds!
Buy now £15.00, Waitrosecellar.com
Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2023
★★★☆☆
Best: For sessionable sipping
What we love: Light, fresh and bright, this makes for easy drinking.
Take note: Less expressive than other mid-strength wines.
Kabinett Riesling is a dry white wine made from young, almost-ripe grapes. As such, its flavour is delicate, youthful and also low in alcohol, making this style perfect for sessionable summer sipping and enjoying alongside food. Dr. Loosen’s Kabinett Riesling from the precipitously steep Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard in Germany’s Mosel region is fresh, citrusy and bright, with notes of lemon, kumquat and stone fruit with an elegant, mineral finish.
Buy now £12.37, Waitrosecellar.com
Darling Cellars Old Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2023
★★★★★
Best: For serving with cheese and charcuterie
What we love: Full-bodied and complex, with juicy, tropical fruit aromas.
Take note: It’s not the cheapest.
The vines producing this eco-friendly wine’s 100 per cent Chenin Blanc grapes are over 40 years old and known for producing high-quality, flavoursome fruit. It’s a beautiful, full-bodied wine with delicately honeyed aromas of tropical fruits, white peach and pear blanketed in a subtle toasted vanilla breeze. On the palate, it’s just mouth-watering, with rich tropical pineapple and toasted oak balanced with a lovely, bright acidity and lingering, creamy finish.
Buy now £18.50, Waitrosecellar.com
Muja Rioja Rosado 2025
★★★★★
Best: For pairing with creamy summer puds like trifle or strawberries and cream.
What we love: Intriguing, gentle creaminess; it’s made from sustainably farmed vineyards.
Take note: Slightly more expressive than your classic Provence rosés.
Rioja is widely known for its bright reds and rich whites, but have you ever tried a Rioja Rosado? A dry rosé made from a blend of Garnacha, Viura and Tempranillo grapes – all sourced from sustainably farmed, non-irrigated vineyards, Muja’s Rioja Rosado is both intense and complex while being elegantly delicate. Think bright red fruits like strawberries and raspberries with an enchanting aromatic hint of rose and pink grapefruit with a silky-smooth texture. It’s the kind of wine that takes your breath away.
Buy now £13.25, Waitrosecellar.com
Tread Softly Pinot Noir
★★★★☆
Best: For pairing with food, anything from salmon to duck
What we love: Low environmental impact, beautiful label design, and vibrant fruit flavours without being too tannic.
Take note: Don’t chill it in the fridge too long.
This is the summer of the chilled red, a trend that naturally lends itself to lighter grape varieties like Gamay, Grenache, Cinsault and Pinot Noir. This light-bodied 100 per cent Pinot Noir from South Australia has been sustainably made with minimal environmental impact and to capture the grapes’ delicate flavours at their fullest. Lightly chill (30 minutes in the fridge ought to do it) for vibrant, juicy notes of cherries and redcurrants, sweet rose and soft tannins that make for a fun, fresh and summery take on a classic red.
Buy now £10.00, Waitrosecellar.com
Gérard Bertrand Le Chouchou 2025
★★★☆☆
Best: For pairing with leafy salads and citrus fruits.
What we love: An intensely fruity, low-tannin red, produced using organically grown grapes.
Take note: Chilled reds are approachable, but take some getting used to.
Gérard Bertrand’s adorably named Le Chouchou is the chilled red on everyone’s lips and social feeds this summer, and rightly so. This light blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault (the grapes are grown organically at high altitude) is designed to be served chilled – it even directs us to do so on the label. Get it good and cold for invitingly fruity aromas of wild strawberry, cherries and blackberries, with additional notes of balsamic and mandarin on the palate.
Buy now £12.50, Waitrosecellar.com
What are the best wines to buy at Waitrose?
If you’re looking for affordable, quality wines this summer, you can’t go wrong with Waitrose’s range. Unbeaten for variety and for shining a light on lesser-known grape varieties and regions, Waitrose has all you need in a summer wine, regardless of whether you’re after an expressive white, a celebratory sparkler or a chilled red.
My advice would be to grab a bottle of Waitrose’s Loved & Found Vermentinu Rosé Brut NV. You won’t find much better value in a sparkling wine, particularly a rosé, possibly because this beautiful, fun expression hails from the lesser-known wine region of Corsica. Serve this fruity little number to family and friends at a summer BBQ and watch their faces light up – but you need to hurry, because stocks are limited.
Why trust me
Becky Paskin is an award-winning drinks writer and presenter, with 20 years of experience tasting, judging and speaking about all things booze. The only journalist in the world with a distilling qualification, she’s a regular lead judge for spirit competitions.
You can find her writing about everything from whisky and cocktails to wine and travel in major magazines and newspapers, and regularly speaking about all the above on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh. She also has a weekly newsletter, Drink This, pouring drinks, bar and travel recommendations and insight.
Best rosé wine under £20, expert-chosen for summer sipping
