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How to find a great wine in a Dutch supermarket

(10/07/2023 – reading time: 6 minutes)

Have you ever been to the supermarket thinking: — “I’m going to try a new wine today”, but there were so many options that you couldn’t make up your mind and you went home with your usual bottle? Well, we’ve all been there! This is why this post will give you smart tips on how to spot that amazing wine bottle standing on the supermarket shelf that best fits you!

Wine’s taste profile and its price

There are 2 factors to pay attention to, the wine’s taste profile and its price. The wine’s taste profile is how the wines do taste, is it dry, fruity, etc. Supermarkets do this to make your life easier, instead of having to worry about country of origin, vintage or grape variety, etc., you can just focus on finding a wine that fits your taste preference. Price will define the wine’s quality, in this case, the more expensive, the more intense, tasty and complex the wine will be, you’ll see that in the price range categories further down in this article.

But, first, let’s get something out of the way. Wines sold at the supermarket are well made. You won’t find a bad quality wine in a big supermarket chain. Each of these big chains have a wine department with qualified professionals that will choose wines with the best quality for the price they want to sell it for, and behind each of these wines there is a very big winery that produces millions of wine liters per year, using the latest techniques and technologies to make the best product they can under different price range categories.

Factor 1. Dutch Supermarket Wine Classification

In many Dutch supermarkets wines are classified according to their taste profile, how the wine does taste:

For whites, in general, they are classified as:

  1. “Vol en Droog”, full bodied and dry, with structure, wines that are more serious and more complex in flavours, that will need more time to drink as each sip will display a different character of the wine, like an oaked Chardonnay;
  2. “Lichtzoet”, lightly sweet, sometimes fizzy and refreshing wines where Moscato, Lambrusco, Riesling Spatlese and Asti are found;
  3. “Fris en Droog”, fresh and dry, easy to drink wines, a place for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio, etc.

Red wines are, in general, classified as follows:

  1. “Fruitig”, fruity, easy to drink wines like a Pinot Noir, Beaujolais AOC and Cote de Rhone AOC
  2. “Soepel”, smooth, with a bit more structure than the fruity ones, such as a merlot or Cote de Rhone Village AOC
  3. “Stevig”, firm, complex and serious, also these wines will need more time to drink as each sip will display a different character of the wine like a Rioja Reserva DOCa, an oaked Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux AOC.

For Rosé and sparkling wines, in general, there is only one category for each style, Rosé and sparkling wines, where the last is are referred as “Bubbles”.

Factor 2. Price Matters

In the case of supermarket wines, the quality of the wine is directly linked to the final price offered on the shelf. The more expensive the wine, the more the wine will give you in return, for real!

There are 2 variables that explains this, the cost of an empty bottle standing on the supermarket shelf and the wine per se, the liquid inside the bottle:

  1. The cost of an empty bottle

This cost includes the glass bottle, label, cork or screw cup, foil, transport, supermarket logistic etc. According to wine journalists Esmee Langereis and Karin Leeuwenhoek, an empty wine bottle placed in a Dutch supermarket costs on average 3 euro. This is a cost that will remain constant for any supermarket wine price range;

  1. The cost of the wine (the liquid inside the bottle)

The cost of the wine inside of a bottle will vary drastically depending on the quality of the wine. For example, if you buy a € 3,50 wine bottle, you will be paying only € 0,50 cents for the wine, the liquid, but remember that the 0,50 cents will include the winery and the supermarket profit too, so, the real cost of that wine (the liquid) may be around € 0,10 or €0,20 cents. What can you expect from it, right?

Still, even the €3.50 wines are well made wines. They are produced intentionally towards a value of €3.50, resulting in very simple wines, with few aromas and flavours. These wines are easy to drink but the flavours will disappear as soon as you’ve swallowed the wine. These wines are ok but, for just €1.50 extra, the next wine price range can provide much more enjoyment and pleasure.

Wine price ranges — What are the differences?

I divide supermarket wines in 4 price ranges:

  1. Less than € 5 euro
  2. € 5 to € 8
  3. € 8 to € 10
  4. More than € 10

As I mentioned before, the quality of the wine will be linked to the price range category of the wine. It is fascinating that for wines below €10, every euro extra makes a big difference in taste.

  1. Less than €5

In the first group of less than €5, we find, among others, the supermarket brands such as AH Sauvignon Blanc from France (€ 4,99). In this category, wines are very simple, with a low aroma and flavour intensity, as well as few aromas and flavours, in the case of the AH Sauvignon Blanc from France (generic Sauvignon Blanc), it mostly displays aromas of green apples and grapefruit; Also, wines are light to medium body but with a short finish (the finish is the duration of the pleasant flavours in your mouth after having swallowed the wine, the longer those flavours linger in the mouth, the better quality of the wine). In the Sauvignon Blanc example above, the flavours disappear immediately after swallowing the wine, leaving a bitter taste due to the wine’s high acidity.

  1. €5 to €8

In the second group of €5 to €8, wines begin to be more interesting, their aromas and flavours are more intense than the first group, more aromas and flavours are identifiable, and the finish will be longer than the first group. For example, the AH Excellent Selectie Touraine Appellation Touraine Contrólée Sauvignon Blanc (€ 7,99) displays notes of grass, asparagus, green apples, grapefruit and lime, with a longer fish of lime, grapefruit and grass, or a Jacob Creek Sauvignon Blanc (€ 7,49) will have notes of passion fruit, grass, asparagus, peach, displaying more aromas and flavours than the previous category.

  1. €8 to €10

In the third group of €8 to €10, wines are more serious, in the sense that they will have an even higher aroma and flavour intensity and even more aromas and flavours. These notes will linger longer in mouth and they will have a level of complexity higher than the previous levels, resulting in more balanced wines. Within this category, we find wines labeled “Reserve” or “Reserva”, therefore, more winemaking techniques will be implemented to produce the wine, like the use of wooden staves, wood chips or in some cases, the use of oak barrels to add oaky characters to the wines, like the Casillero del Diablo Reserva Especial Chardonnay (€ 9,29) that display aromas and flavours of green apples, pear, white peach, nectarine and pineapple. As well as, hazelnut, and vanilla from time spent ageing in barrels and complemented by a subtle minerality. In some cases, like the Antonin Rodet Bourgogne Chardonnay (€ 9,99), the wine undergoes an ageing period on its lees before they are filtered out, lees are a wine natural sediment that before it is removed, if it is left on purpose for some time in contact with the wine, it adds roundness and richness to the mouthfeel, reducing the wine’s acidity levels, while adding notes of biscuit and bread.

  1. More than €10

As for the last group of more than €10, if you are willing to spend more than 10 euro on a wine, I recommend you to go to your local wine store and buy your wine there. The personnel from the wine store will be able to recommend something that will be in line with your taste profile and that will surprise you. Wine shops generally manage smaller wine producers that don’t scale for supermarket chains. These producers can provide a higher quality in a limited production, making their wines more special and unique.

Recommendation

The next time that you go to the supermarket, check out in which taste profile and price range category your favorite wine stands. Then, start playing with these 2 variables!

  1. Same wine taste profile, different price ranges

If your “go to” wine stand in the “Fris en Droog” taste profile, like the Jacob Creek Sauvignon Blanc (€ 7,49) — 5 to 7 euro price range — then choose another “Fris en Droog” but from the next price range category — 7 to 10 euro price range — like Brancott Sauvignon Blanc (€ 8,99) and try to find that quality difference.

  1. Same price range, different wine taste profile.

If your “go to” wine is under the taste profile “Vol en Droog” like the Undurraga Chardonnay (€ 5,29), then you may choose another wine taste profile like “Fris en Droog” wine within the same price range like the Mesta Organic Verdejo (€ 5,29) and taste the difference.

  1. Same price range, same wine taste profile, different wine

If you “go to” wine is the “Soepel” Berberana Red Dragon Tempranillo” (€ 5,99), then you might choose another wine from the same price range and taste profile like the “Soepel” Welmoed Merlot (€ 5,99)

Before you know it, you will have tasted many different styles of wine and flavours. This is the fun part of the wine adventure!

I hope you liked the article. Please share it among your friends and if you have any questions or comments, send us an email at info@twec.nl
Many thanks and Happy Tasting!

NOTE: Always drink in moderation. Remember to drink water while enjoying your glass of wine, the “divine proportion” is, one glass of water per glass of wine

Best tips for choosing a Rosé wine in a Dutch supermarket

(10/07/2023 – Reading time: 4 minutes)

I’m going to make you sing a bit with these simple words by Playahitty: “the summer is magic, is magic…” yeah, you feel it now, the summer is around the corner and when the temperature starts rising and the days are nicer and sunnier, it is rosé wine time!

But, how can I choose a rosé that fits my tasting profile? To answer this question you need to know the two things that have the most impact on the taste profile of a rosé wine (I promise I will not bore you with technical matters):

1. The grape variety. It will determine the aromas and flavours of the wine
2. The way the wine is made: It will determine the aroma, flavour and colour intensity of the wine and therefore, the style of the wine.

1. The grape variety

You can make rosé wine from any kind of red grape variety. This mean that the grape variety or varieties (yes, there could be more than one grape variety) will provide their signature flavours to the wine, but not as intensely as when you are making a red wine. For example, in Spain, it is very common to find rosé wines made from Tempranillo grapes, the same grapes that are used to make red Rioja wines. These wines will have the same aromas and flavours of red cherries, raspberries and strawberries, as a young Tempranillo wine, such as a Rioja Vino Joven, but with the difference that the rosé will be fresher and . Another example are the grape varieties Grenache and Syrah, most commonly used in Rosé coming from Côtes de Provence and Pays d’Oc in Southern France. The Grenache provides red fruit flavours, a bit of spices and medium to high levels of alcohol, while the Syrah contributes with medium to high levels of acidity in order to enjoy a refreshing well-structured, easy to drink rosé wine.

2. The way the wine is made

The way the wine is made will determine the style, aromas, flavours and flavour intensity of the wine. The two most common methods to make a rosé supermarket wine are:

1. Direct pressing method: This is the most common way to make rosé. Once the grapes are taken from the vineyard to the winery, they are crushed and pressed. The grapes’ skins are quickly removed to prevent them from adding more colour intensity aromas and flavours which would not suit this style of wine. Then, the juice is fermented at a low temperature and once the fermentation is finished, voilà! You made your rosé wine! The lack of skin contact produces rosé wines that are paler in colour and lighter in body. Also, the aromas and flavours are more delicate as they come straight from the grapes’ juice and a tiny bit from the grapes’ skin when pressed. These wines are usually more citric and green fruit oriented, displaying notes of grapefruit, watermelon and red apple, sometimes floral and spiced depending on the grape variety. Most Côtes de Provence Rosé wines are made using this direct pressing method. For example, the AH Excellent Selectie Côtes de Provence rosé (€ 8,29) has a pale salmon colour, a medium to high acidity, and has floral notes, as well as citric notes such as grapefruit and orange peel, watermelon, and wet stones (minerality). Most Côtes de Provence rosés are a blend (a mix of grapes varieties), with Grenache usually the dominant one, followed by Syrah and Cinsault. Each producer plays with the proportion of each grape variety in the blend to create their signature wine. They can even choose to make the wine with only two grape varieties, like La Tulipe Rosé (€ 6,49), which is made with Grenache and Syrah grapes. These grapes give the wine more of a fruity character, displaying notes of grapefruit, watermelon, strawberries and red apples. Both wines above have a lovely fresh acidity, making them very pleasant and easy to drink.

2. Short maceration: This is the second most common way to make rosé wines. It is similar to the direct pressing, except that the juice spends hours in contact with the grapes’ skin, adding more colour intensity, flavours and aromas. This is called maceration. Then, the juice is drained off the skins and it is fermented at a low temperature. Once the fermentation is finished, voilà again! Wine has been made! These wines are deeper in colour and they have more of a red fruit flavour than the direct pressing method and they tend to have more of a medium to full body, as tannins are being added to the wine (a wine natural chemical compound that provides structure to it). Here, the winemaker should pay attention not to add too many tannins during the maceration time, or else, the wine will have a bitter taste. Sometimes, maceration keeps going during the beginning of the fermentation and this extracts even more colour, flavours and aromas. For example, Los Molinos Tempranillo Rosado (€ 3,49) has spent between 4 to 6 hours macerating to create a lovely medium pink wine with aromas and flavours typical of a Tempranillo grape, such as strawberries and red cherries, with the addition of red apples. It is medium bodied and with a refreshing acidity that makes it very easy to drink and enjoy on a summer day. The price-quality relationship of this wine is surprisingly good. Another example of short maceration is the Echo Falls White Zinfandel (€ 4,99), a rosé from California, which is great for those who enjoy the sweeter rosé wines. The Zinfandel grape produces so much sugar that it can’t all be turned into alcohol. Therefore, some sugar is left in the wine, making it an off-dry, medium sweet wine. This wine has notes of watermelon, pomegranate, red cherries and strawberries. Its low acidity is well balanced with its low alcohol level, making it a nice wine to drink as an aperitif or with a fresh green salad.

My rosé recommendation for this summer

If you like more delicate, floral, citric, green fruit, lighter-bodied, less intense wines, choose a pale style of rosé, like a Côtes de Provence Rosé such as the AH Excellent Selectie Côtes de Provence rosé (€ 8,29) or the La Tulipe Rosé (€ 6,49)

If you like more intense, fuller-bodied, red fruit oriented wines, go for a darker coloured rosé, like the Los Molinos Tempranillo Rosado (€ 3,49) or if you like them dark but a bit sweet, then try the Echo Falls White Zinfandel (€ 4,99)

If you want to try something different, then, start playing using the criteria I pointed out in my last article (How to find a great wine in a Dutch supermarket) and enjoy your wine adventure!

Rosé serving temperature

The serving temperature for a Rosé is between 10ºC to 13ºC, slightly chilled, so a bit warmer than your fridge temperature (5 ºC to 7 ºC). It is best to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you will drink it so it warms up and you can enjoy all its aromas and flavours. If it is too cold, the wine will be closed and it will not be able to show you all the joy that the wine can give you. You will have to wait until it warms up inside your glass.

Rosé food pairing

Following wine and food experts, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, in their 2006 book “What to drink with what you eat”, rosé wines are one of the most versatile wines regarding their food pairing abilities, they pair well with many different options, such as cold food, grilled fish, salmon, charcuterie, pâté, Indian food, Mexican food, paella, grilled or roasted pork, green salads, seafood, and grilled seafood, sushi, Thai food, barbecue and barbecue sauce, sausages, and the list goes on and on, but creamy sauces and oysters must be avoided (oysters go great with Champagne) as they don’t pair well with Rosé style of wines.

I hope you liked the article. Please share it among your friends and if you have any questions or comments, send us an email at info@twec.nl
Many thanks and Happy Tasting!

NOTE: Always drink in moderation. Remember to drink water while enjoying your glass of wine, the “divine proportion” is, one glass of water per glass of wine