Sign up to the newsletter here if you want to receive it straight to your email in-box
March 2023 WineUncorked Newsletter
Embossed wine labels are the thing to look out for on bottles priced under £5. Tesco's Vista Castelli Trebbiano D’Abbruzzo 2021 priced at £4.25 got us discussing label design here at WineUncorked HQ when the embossed feature of the castle logo on the lower half on the front label was spotted.
Why bother we wondered? With the bottle price at a low, low £4.25 and the profit margin small (about £1.20 a bottle even with the latest VAT announcements) why would the wine bottler even bother to add in an expensive extra like embossing the label when the consumer is more concerned with amounts of pence when comparing bottles rather than how nice the bottle feels when it is picked up?
So, what’s in it for the wine bottler? The only conclusion we reached was that the wine itself was at some point going to be selling at a higher price and so was worth spending the extra to make the label have ‘feel appeal’ but this got junked and the wine ended up at the bargain end of the price structure (here in the UK that is).
So is Tesco’s Vista Castelli Trebiano D’Abruzzo a great wine? Well it scores a maximum 5-star rating here at WineUncorked and that’s both down to the price and the flavour. This wine could add another £1 to the selling price and it would still score 5-stars. A bargain bottle indeed. It’s worth looking out for embossed labels on bargain bottles.
If labels aren’t your thing then take a read of this most read article Alcohol and the Menopause a guest post by Dr. Jo Sewell of the Newson Health Menopause Clinic. This subject is of particular interest to this 53-year-old female who has hit the menopause with a bang and is wondering whether even a sip of wine will bring on a hot flush (or hot flash as they call it in the USA). And I’m not alone in wondering this as the number of hits for this introductory article have hit the roof! A follow-on article on this subject is being planned. In the mean time if you want to get in touch to WineUncorked on this subject, or with your own experiences, then email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Latest wine reviews
£12 Tesco Rustenburg Wild Ferment Unwooded Chardonnay 2022
£6 Asda Extra Special South African Chenin Blanc 2021
£6 Many supermarkets Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2022
£13.99 Independent Wine Merchants El Esteco Malbec 2019 Fincas Nobles Fairtrade
£9.99 Aldi Specially Selected Chablis Premier Crus
£15 Many supermarkets Johnnie Walker Red Label Scotch Whisky
Latest articles
Lidl Spring Wine Tour starts March 16th
Wine Q&A: Is Aldi’s Castellore Pinot Grigio still available?
Alcohol and the Menopause: Guest post by Dr. Jo Sewell
Wine Q&A: Are there still any good German wines at £5 a bottle?
More wine reviews and educational articles follow in our next newsletter. In the meantime let us know what you think of the wines you've been quaffing recently or ask us your wine questions: Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest as @wineuncorkeduk and on Mastodon as @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cheers!
