Private label gins and white wines from Waitrose, Lidl UK and Morrisons comprehensively outshone their branded counterparts in a blind taste test organised by consumer group Which?, the guardian.com reports.
Morrisons’ London Dry Gin (£10.49) was the highest-scoring gin of all, achieving a mark of 80 per cent, while the joint-least-expensive gin, Lidl’s Castelgy London Dry Gin, was second-best with a score of 78 per cent. The best-rated branded gin, Greenalls’ London Dry Gin (£15), was awarded a 77-per-cent mark, though it was only regarded as fourth-best overall.
Asda’s Extra Special Leyda Valley Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, at 79 per cent, was the best-scoring white wine (£5.75); Lidl Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (£5.89), Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Albarino 2013 (£8), and Waitrose Grüner Veltliner Niederösterreich 2014 (£7.99) all scored well in this category.
Red wine was divided into two categories: full-bodied and medium-bodied.
In the former, Waitrose Côtes du Rhône Villages 2013 (£7.39) was judged the best private label wine, closely followed by Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Chilean Pinot Noir 2013 (£8); in the latter, Waitrose Reserva Carménère 2014 (£7.49) was the highest-scoring private label entry, followed by Lidl Cepa Lebrel Rioja Reserva Premium 2010, £5.49.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
