I guess the title of the book gives it away - but what do you mean by a supermarket wine guide?
It’s basically my love letter to supermarket wines. Think top wine picks from all the major UK supermarkets, all in one place, from £5-£20 (mostly) across all wine styles: red, white, rosé, sparkling, orange, sweet and Fortified, and non-alcoholic.
Each recommendation comes with notes on provenance and flavour and tips to help you use what you like to discover new wines.
There are a number of recommendation type books out there - how do you hope your book is different?
As a former Tesco wine buyer turned wine broadcaster this is the book that Helen McGinn always wanted to write
There are lots of brilliant wine books but when it comes to recommending actual bottles in our supermarkets, there really aren’t that many. I understand why – it’s not easy to future-proof a guide like this when the ranges are constantly changing – but I’ve picked wines from the retailers’ core ranges.
The +180 recommendations make up most of the book but there’s loads of other tips including how to read wine labels, understanding different grape varieties, food pairings and best options for special occasions.
Why did you want to write it now?
The one thing my first book The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide – written more than a decade ago – didn’t have was individual wine recommendations. That’s what I’m most asked for, every single day. When the idea of this book came along, I knew I had to do it.
A key difference is you used to be a wine buyer yourself - how have you looked to use your wine buying experience to get across what a supermarket is looking to do with their wine offer?
As a professional wine buyer, you’re not picking wines for yourself; you’re trying to find the best examples of wines from a particular place for the customer. Obviously, it’s been a while since I was in a buying role myself but once a supermarket buyer, always a supermarket buyer.
I find myself rearranging bottles on shelves, adjusting POS… I think this is why this book is so important to me. I know from first-hand experience the time and effort that goes into sourcing the right wines for the right price to make the range interesting, wherever you are on your wine journey.
You have picked out a number of recommendations - how have you done that? What criteria did you use and how have you broken the recommendations down?
Helen McGinn knows which supermarket wines to put in your glass
As part of my job, I taste thousands of wines a year from all the major supermarkets so I collated a list of around 20-25 wines from each retailer (fewer where core ranges were more limited) across different styles.
In the book, I take you on a virtual shopping trip so we start in the right section of the wine aisle depending on what colour you’re after, then we break it down by country. Within each country I recommend wines at different price points (where possible) and tell you more about why they might fit the bill.
Won't the specific recommendations go out of date when ranges change?
The wines fall into price brackets rather than specific prices and I’ve added a symbol to each one that tells you, at a glance, whether the wine is light, medium or full-bodied so you can pick ones to suit your style preference. Of course, there will be some changes throughout the year but I’ve picked wines that will be around for a while.
You have priced your recommendations at £5 to £20 - why did you pick that price range?
Over half of the wines picked are £10 or less and there are a handful of wines above £20 (all sparkling, unsurprisingly). I wanted to make sure we had a good spread of price points in the book so that whatever your budget, there’s something here for you. There’s so much good stuff to be found in this price range, especially with own-label ranges.
Where do you think the sweet spot should be pricing wise for a wine buyer when looking at a supermarket's range and where the best value and opportunities are?
As book recommendations go...
Good question – and one that I answer in the book of course! Based on my experience you really do get what you pay for when it comes to wine but you don’t have to spend a fortune to find great quality.
As a former supermarket buyer what would you say are the key skills needed to be a good wine buyer?
It’s not about you. Putting yourself in the shoppers’ shoes is just as important as being able to sniff out a cracking wine.
Do you think those skills have changed since you have moved on to a different career - and if so how?
Times have changed and it’s tougher for obvious reasons but we’re so lucky to have so many talented wine buyers working in the UK right now. They are dedicated obsessives – and I mean that in the nicest possible way. I was a wine buyer back when the first ‘Finest’ wines launched and the smarter-than-your-average own label wine ranges have gone from strength to strength. They’re a real treasure trove when it comes to finding properly interesting, great value wines.
Now as a wine critic and recommending wines on BBC’’s Saturday Kitchen are you still applying those same skills - or do you look at wine differently now?
Helen McGinn is now a regular on BBC's highly popular Saturday Kitchen
I guess there are some similarities in that I’m trying to highlight wines that I hope people will love, especially ones that might take them out of their comfort zone if that’s what they’re after. The big difference is I don’t have to travel or do the buying work now!
Some critics openly dismiss supermarket wine, but I think we’re lucky to have so much choice on our shelves.
Who are you aiming the book at in terms of wine knowledge and experience?
Everyone and anyone who loves their wine and buys it in the supermarket. I’ve used my own experience to share lots of hints and tips on how to navigate the wine aisle and get the most out of whatever’s in your glass but just skip to the recommendations if you like!
Is this part one in what could be a series of future guides?
Hold that thought…
Anything else to say?
I must thank the brilliant team at Ebury Publishing (the non-fiction arm of Penguin Books UK) for bringing this book to life. It’s been a dream to work on and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. I really hope people find it useful and discover their next favourite wine(s) with it.
* The Supermarket Wine Guide by Helen McGinn is published by Ebury Publishing and will be available to buy from May 21. You can pre-order a copy here.
