Now I've known this for some time now, and whilst I have on occasion divulged this low key secret to friends and family - when they're being extra nice of course - but Marks & Spencer has some amazing wines. Now don't be mistaken - I don't mean they're cheap, nor do I mean they're meh kind of good.

No, they're really spectacular in terms of quality, price and most underrated of all, in the breadth of selection. And here I'll prove it.

Now going back to the very origins of Marks and Spencer, the now household name UK retailer and grocer had started out life as a humble little stall in the Kirkgate Market in Leeds - the idea was to sell a range of household goods, all at a penny. With time it would expand to several locations all around various markets in the UK, eventually becoming one of the largest chains of penny stalls in the country. With scale came a wider range of goods that Marks and Spencer (or as everyone calls its M&S) began to stock - yet the biggest jump came when it shifted to selling goods under its very own name. This meant that M&S would take care of the quality control and sourcing and work with thousands of producers and manufacturers to produce a whole range of goods under the M&S name - yet what set them apart, beyond the classy and stylish packaging, was of course the quality of these products.

Quite the selection. That's over 500 labels!

What started out as a penny stall in 1884, had now become one of the world's leading retailers selling everything from clothes to food, and many more in between.

But at least for a wine lover, M&S really stands out for its impressive selection of wines. Walk through the shelves and you'll instantly be amazed at just how wide the selection is! If it were a wine retailer, it would easily be one of the most extensive around! And amidst the classically stylish M&S labels, what you'll quickly notice is that M&S has wines ranging from the standard bearers of French Bordeaux to Italian Chianti's, and of course a solid stock of sparkling wines from Champagne to Cremant, Prosecco to even English Sparkling, to even the exotic with the likes of Greece's Agiorgitiko to Romania's Feteasca Regala, and even Portuguese Vinho Verde. When you think about how many wineries, winemakers and acres of vineyards all around the world M&S' selection represents, it's quite monumental just how much coordination work that all entails for the British retailer to have developed this network of wine producers collaborating with them, considering that M&S doesn't own even one hectare of vineyard!

I know saying that there's something for everyone is such a cliche, but in a rare instance, this really do be the case. 

M&S broadly classifies its wine collection into three main ranges - the M&S Classics (which is a great way to taste the reference wines of key regions around the world), the M&S Collection (which is the more premium range, if you're looking to treat yourself), and then perhaps my favourite, the M&S Found (which offers something more exotic and lesser known, many of which can't easily be found at the local wine store). And then there are other smaller ranges that together forms an impressive selection of over 500+ wine labels that M&S readily stocks - now beat that!

And so what's always been incredibly fun for a wine lover like me is how there's something for every mood, every palate, every occasion, and always at a great price point (most of which ranges between £15-25; US$20-35; SGD25-80) - and having been a dedicated fan for years, I'll put it out there that the quality's always been great - or in wine terms, the Quality v. Price (QVP) is just unbeatable. If I'm having dinner at home, it'll usually be one of the M&S Classics (trust me on the Gewurztraminer, don't worry about pronouncing it, it's packed with lychees and roses), and if it's an occasion with friends or family then I go with the M&S Collection (it's a toss up between the Gavi and Chablis, and often the Chianti and Rioja). Now something I really look forward to doing is getting to treat myself to learning about a new one each month - and this is again where I really have to give full credit to M&S - I like to pick out a new M&S Found and give myself a surprise (last month was the Agiorgitiko from Greece).

For International Wine Day, M&S put on a showcase where they paired their wines with various cheese. 

Beyond the sheer range and great price point, another aspect about M&S' selection that I've always found wildly unnoticed is just how they've been able to work with some incredible producers to collaborate on these M&S' exclusive wines. With no exaggeration, I can't think of anyone else who'd be able to convince Bordeaux's legendary Christian Moueix (behind legendary estates such as Chateau Lafleur Petrus, Chateau Trotanoy and California's Dominus Estate) to produce wines for their own private label! This doesn't stop at M&S' wines by the way, if you're into beers, M&S has collaborated with everyone from cult favourite brewers like Vocation Brewing and Fourpure Brewing to Belgian legend Huyghe (better known by their brand Delirium).

So to go back to divulging this secret, I've always thought that M&S was the best wine store that's hiding under everyone's noses. If you're just starting out learning about wines, I truly have no better tip to you than to raid M&S wine shelves because you've got every reference wine you can imagine, readily available and without tormenting the wallet, and so you've got a good chance of finding what you really like. And for the seasoned wine lovers, whether it's the spot on Saint Emilion (without the price premium) or the daily drinking Chianti's and Rioja's, you know M&S is truly hard to beat. For everyone in between, I'm willing to bet you've not had Sicilian Lucido or Georgian Mtsvane. 

We'll give these a taste and see how it goes - some familiar, others will be a first!

Range, Quality, Price - it's all there, and if you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. I guarantee you'll be walking out with a basket full of drinks (and of course you aren't going to sleep on their awesome range of produce too).

But to put it all to rest, I'm going to try a range of M&S wines and tell you what I think.

M&S Classics No. 12 Cremant de Bourgogne Brut

SGD$40 / 750ml bottle

First up, we have the insider's secret to sparkling French wine! Now everyone knows of Champagne - it's the bubbly fizz that is produced only in the Champagne region of France, hence the name. But of course with a name like "Champagne" comes the price tag of Champagne. So where do wine insiders go for French sparkling wine that's incredibly tasty at a fraction of the price? They go to Cremant de Bourgogne!

Called the unsung hero of French Sparkling Wine, Cremant is made with the exact same methode traditional as Champagne, except that it's made from French regions outside of Champagne. And whilst Champagne sits towards the north of France, just below the region is Burgundy, and thus there's more than a couple of similarities with those famous chalky soils. And it's in Burgundy (which is traditionally called Bourgogne) that we find Cremant de Bourgogne, or Cremant from Burgundy!

We're headed just down south from Champagne to Burgundy!

Now pouring out a glass of the M&S Classics Cremant de Bourgogne, we get this beautiful deep straw tone to it, this one's made with Pinot Noir, Aligote (Burgundy's own local grape varietal) and Gamay. On the nose, it's fresh and lively, great richness, with all these yellow fruits of quince, pears, golden apples; it's buttery yet really fruit forward, almost like walking through a fruit orchard. There's a little bit of pith in there, with just the gentlest touch of acidity and tartness to balance it out. On the palate, it's rich and rounded, with smooth waves of zesty grapefruit, lemon pith, really citrusy and with a touch of honey. It's not all that sweet, yet it's got a great firm body. It's vibrant and lively as it was on the nose, without being high toned (too bright and thin), with all these lemon cream and lemon meringue. The acidity is gentle and well distributed, it's not sharp, and carries through the finish with all those sweet lemons, here with some minerality of wet stone, just gently crisp, with some honey and lemon cream that lingers.

Our Verdict: This was beautifully rich, with these fuller flavours, really rounded texture yet firm and gently crisp. It's fruit forward, nice but of complexity, with this gentle honeyed sweetness that keeps it real approachable, with also a good creaminess about it. It's like the fruit and cream is completely weaved into one another, and at the same time it's fresh and lively, and again really amazing firm and fuller texture. Super refreshing, approachable yet with a good richness and heft to the body.

M&S Collection Gavi del Comune di Gavi

SGD$42 / 750ml bottle

Coming from the famous Italian winemaking region of Piedmont up in the north of Italy, this is made from 100% Cortese (a local white grape) that's farmed in the Gavi commune that's to the southeast of the region. It's made by the Azienda Agricola La Battistina winery using fruit from 35 year old vines, and is made unoaked.

It pours out a light straw colour, and opens on the nose with immediate aromatic tones of vanilla cream and lots of fruity, estery red and green apples, pears, oranges and gooseberries. It's spectacularly vibrant and multichromatic, with this radiating of fruity aromas. With time more on apple compote and pear topped with cream, with florals beginning to emerge, of lavender and chamomile. It comes in this really plush plume of aromas, yet with great depth to it. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, bright and fresh, backed up by good richness of vanilla cream. It's giving all these citrusy notes of lemons, along with orchard fruits of green apples and pears, and with time, takes a more tropical turn with pineapples and oranges. It's got a touch of salinity too, with the acidity gentle yet present. It's really supple and creamy. The acidity carries through the finish, here in the form of lemon and gooseberry jams, more vanilla cream too. There's a distinct minerality that lays below, of chalk and wet stone, again little bit of salinity that takes us through a seamless finish that's as long as it is silky. Gooseberries and passionfruit, with a good scoop of vanilla cream lingers on.

The little commune of Gavi in Italy's legendary Piedmont.

Our Verdict: You think you've made up your mind about white wines? You've got to try the Gavi, this will make even the most hardened souls rethink whites - I should know! I've not been much a fan of Chardonnay, and certainly not Sauvignon Blanc, arguably the two most common dry whites out there (I'll count Rieslings separately because they can be made in so many styles that it's impossible to not find one you'll like), and so I don't typically pick up a bottle of white unless it's to cater to the folks I'm with. And so this Gavi had me rethinking everything! It's vibrantly fruity, with such breadth that spans orchard fruits to tropical fruits, all incredibly expressive and delivered with such richness and creaminess - the fullness of the body did it for me. It's just lightly sweet and even showcases that salinity and minerality that gives it this understated complexity that is just so impressive! The acidity here is gentle and evenly distributed, certainly not streaky or sharp, and it keeps this freshness balanced out with approachability with that slightly confectionary creaminess that integrates with the fruit perfectly. You don't see Cortese made whites around very much because it's a rather niche local Italian varietal, and yet M&S' has this available year round. This is a definite recommend.

M&S Classics No. 2 Riesling Pfalz

SGD$36 / 750ml bottle

And of course, no series of classics can be without a Riesling - they call it the Grape of a Thousand Faces, because Rieslings are so versatile and can be made in every style from sweet to off-dry (or semi-sweet) and then dry, which is achieved by harvesting at different levels of ripeness and / or fermenting it to different levels of residual sugar. It's why if you ask any sommelier what wine they'd pick if they could only have one for the rest of their life - it's going to be Riesling! 

The one M&S has in their Classics series is from Pfalz in Germany, and which cusps the French border and features a warmer climate. It's best known for producing richer, fuller-bodied wines that also tend to be presented in more of the dry style.

Pfalz is a historical Riesling producer in Germany.

Riesling is bar none the most versatile grape variety and can be made in every style you see above from green to raisin.

Light gold in appearance, this is on the nose quite chalky, with some hay and petroleum as well, which is very characteristic of really terroir driven mineral-forward Rieslings. It's got great purity, really fresh and with this nice rustic quality to it, and a more subtle fruitiness of pears, gooseberries and yellow raisins. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, nice roundedness that's almost alittle bit syrupy, yet at the same time it's giving this gentle tartness of grapefruit. More on pears, splashes of apple juice, with streaks of maltose candy too. It's gently honeyed yet mostly dry, with a rich body that has this almost candied quality to it. It's lightly crisp with more minerality coming through, and alittle bit of passionfruit zestiness too. Into the finish, we get more golden raisins, light honey, really seamless and plush, with a lingering bit of chalkiness too. 

Our Verdict: This was very mineral forward, really terroir driven, definitely something wine geeks and sommeliers would love, and with its rounded body and dryness, this is quite the gastronomic wine that would go best with food. When it comes to food pairing, most sommeliers would typically look for a wine that's not overbearing or too dominant, so that it can co-exist with the flavours of the food. This would go pretty well with a cheese board too, which would've been my choice! It's got a really good richer body yet not heavy, it's not particularly sweet, really plush, the flavours are concentrated yet not over the top. It's really drinkable and you wouldn't tire of it!

M&S Collection Saint Emilion Christian Moueix

SGD$48 / 750ml bottle

Now I've always known that M&S works with some really terrific producers - and again, lowkey it often goes unnoticed because it comes under M&S' own standard label, and not the iconic labels and prominent displays of their names that we've trained our eyes to look out for - but Christian Moueix? Call me surprised! 

Wine lovers revere Moueix for its stable of incredible Right Bank Bordeaux estates that are all highly respected (and so are the hefty price tags on them befitting their reputation and demand). And so it's quite a surprise to see that Christian Moueix has agreed to forgo his illustrious house's branding to produce a wine for M&S' own range! It's definitely not something you see everything - and most certainly not at $48 per bottle! Yet, the reality is that Christian Moueix has always been quite the visionary and forward thinker, someone who isn't quite so bound by tradition, and thus it wouldn't be unthinkable that his goal in working with M&S is to reach out to a wider pool of audience that doesn't yet know of his famed estates - something that he's personally stated as being important for wine makers of the 21st century to seriously consider!

The legendary Christian Moueix.

And so what we have here is a Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend that's from the prestigious Saint Emilion region in Bordeaux's Right Bank. Now unlike the Left Bank (so named for being on the left side of Bordeaux's Gironde River), the Right Bank (therefore on the right side of the Gironde River) features clay rich soils that support Merlot grapes, whilst the Left Bank has more gravelly soils that are good for Cabernet Sauvignon. Thus we have the Merlot-focused wine here as such! This comes from the 2020 vintage, and so it's got just over 5 years of age on this.

This poured an inky, deep ruby in the glass, with aromas on the nose of dark stewed fruits of plums, prunes and dark cherries, some raisins too, along with an earthiness of cocoa and of forest floor. It's rich and deep, with great concentration on the nose, along with a mustiness that hints at its age. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, still really rich and concentrated, with dark cherries, plum preserves, paired with an earthiness of dried tobacco leaves, cocoa, and that bit of forest floor. The tannins here are structured and fine, with the body not overly ripe, yet really concentrated with even a lightly raisinated quality. The finish brings with it a consistent showing of earthiness and stewed dark fruits, of tobacco leaves, cooked plums, prunes and dark cherries. It's seamless through the finish, with more of a dryness that comes through. The oaky grains shows itself yet without any bitterness, working to a clean finish.

Our Verdict: This is a big one! And quite honestly, it feels like this could easily age for another 5-10 years. It's bold yet sensual, dark and opulent, filled in with all these stewed dark fruits and a lovely side of earthiness that at times tends on confectionary. It's got great structure and holds itself really well, and immediately felt age-worthy. It's on the whole classically Merlot, with these dark fruits of plums and prunes, yet here executed with good finesse! This would go well with grilled meats, a steak or even a plum crumble. It's got the body to stand on its own, but holds sufficient space to co-exist with other flavours as well. Give it some time to open, there's more it has to give!

M&S Collection Chianti Classico Riserva Poggio Tosco

SGD$46 / 750ml bottle

And we're back to Italy with another Italian classic - Chianti Classico! They call this the soul of Italian wines, and for good reason! It's been enjoyed locally for hundreds of years! As is traditionally so, this focuses on the iconic Italian Sangiovese grape. And for this rendition, M&S has worked with famed local producer Uggiano. This red wine has been aged in Slavonian oak casks for 12 months, which is traditionally selected to emphasise the grape's character with less of an oak influence.

This pours a deep yet clear ruby as is signature of Sangiovese. On the nose, it's really juicy and plummy, with all these raisins and strawberry jellies, along with floral aromatics of violets and roses, and just a touch of tobacco. There's alittle bit of rancio here of dried plums, adding to this really great depth it has on the nose. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, really plush and smooth, still super juicy, with the tannins completely softened and pliant, offering just this slight tension that cups the supple body. It's filled in with all these strawberries and plums, garnished with some dried tobacco leaves. It's fruity and estery yet it's not sweet. Great richness here, almost cordial like, but with some much depth and richness, the lack of sweetness isn't even felt. These fruit jellies and preserves carry through the finish, still on those plums and strawberries, working towards a clean and fresh finish, supple throughout, with just a slight graininess of the tannins that lingers.

That iconic Italian meal's got Chianti in there 10/10 times.

Our Verdict: Absolutely stellar! Y'know that scene in movies and TV shows where the characters are having what looks like a stereotypically Italian meal with the bolognese pasta with meatballs and glasses of wine? This feels like that wine! And it is! Chianti Classico is iconic to the story of Italian wines, and the Sangiovese grape is one that Italians are incredibly proud of. Here it's rendered beautifully! It's got a great texture and depth, supple yet rich and well saturated, it's fruit forward yet clean and dry, the tannins are completely soft (which is not typically the case unless it's really well made!) yet shows great structure by cusping the body with a light tension. It's consistently expressive of plums and strawberry jellies, at times given additional aromatics in the form of violet and rose florals or a slight earthiness of dried tobacco leaves. I really loved how the tannins here weren't overbearing whilst the texture was so supple, with the flavours forward and complete with brighter and darker tones. It's just so nice and easy to drink, it's approachable, well-balanced, and you could easily pair this with food and believe me, you could finish several bottles of this!

M&S Collection Rioja Gran Reserve El Duque De Miralta

SGD$48 / 750ml bottle

And to our last wine of the day! Ah we're just having so much fun! But it has to end somewhere! And for that last sip, we've got the Spanish Rioja Gran Reserva from El Duque de Miralta. Since we're doing iconic wines of famous wine regions, well then what could be more emblematic of traditional Spanish wines than Rioja!

Located in the north of Spain, Rioja is the heart of Spanish wines where the flagship grape variety is Tempranillo! Rioja wines are deep in the lore of European wines because at one point when most of Europe's vineyards were destroyed by a pesky bug, it was Rioja that proved largely untouched. The winemakers here are traditional and there are special practices that govern what can be considered Rioja wines (as is the case for many prominent wine regions like Bordeaux and Chianti Classico, as we've seen) - one of which is the system of classification that's used. Here we see that M&S' Rioja is labelled Gran Reserva - this title carries quite some meaning! It tells us that this wine sits at the top of the Rioja tiers (with Crianza at the bottom, and then Reserva and finally Gran Reserva at the top), with each tier corresponding to how much the wine has been aged. For a Rioja wine to be labelled Gran Reserva, it has to be aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels and 3 full years in bottle before release, meaning every bottle of Gran Reserva is guaranteed to be at least 5 years old by the time you hold it!

Rioja's legendary wines are aged for a whole lot of time before a bottle even makes its way to your hands!

So we know we're in for something pretty cool here! Now this pours a deep ruby in the glass, and on the nose, there's a deep red fruit character, of strawberries, raspberries and dark cherry preserves. It's really fruit forward, fresh and with a good concentration of the fruity tones. It's really aromatic with quite some depth, a touch of vanilla cream comes through too, with alittle bit of desiccated coconut as well. It's rounded out by some gentle woodiness, dried tobacco leaves and rose petals. Wow! This is quite something! On the palate, it's medium-bodied, really creamy and silky, plush and satin-like, filled in with lots of raspberries and strawberry jams. It's not particularly sweet, with some gentle tannins and more on rose petals and dried tobacco leaves. Into the finish, it's super silky and plush throughout, with more on red cherries and strawberry jams, some plums in there too, with a light touch of earthiness in the form of tobacco leaves. The tannins remain gentle and soft, where the finish is seamless and supple, clean, with a lingering rosiness of red berry cordials, coconut flakes and rose potpourri.

Our Verdict: Really beautiful Rioja right here! Wow! I'm utterly impressed! Once again we see that this has all that richness, concentration, fruit forward flavours, with such a supple and plush body! The tannins are completed rounded out and softened, yet still giving the body great structure. It's a very generous expression that's almost romantic! Where the Chianti Classico was something of red fruit jams, the Rioja Gran Reserva is also of red fruits yet leans darker, with alittle more weight and concentration. This feels perfect for a dinner time wine that you could have over and over and still feel over the moon. It's got incredible expressiveness, it's vibrant and well-saturated, the flavours are deep, the texture is like silk, yet it's not heavy, it's still very much supple and rich, with little sweetness (although you'd hardly feel it with those big fruity tones!). It's so approachable and drinkable, without its flavours being overbearing or overly narrow - here you'll find something generous, easy going, yet utterly flavourful.

Happy International Wine Day Marks & Spencer!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot