Here are the best and worst supermarket mulled wines - from M&S to Lidl

If you plan on having a boozy tipple to celebrate the start of the festive season, here are our reviews of some of the best and worst supermarket mulled wines on offer for Christmas 2020.

ASDA mulled wine – £3

Picture: Asda

This mulled wine is as fruity as its label would suggest with a rich nose of orange, nutmeg and bay.

While not as robust and complex as others, it’s a perfectly enjoyable warming drink with a nice citrus hit that marries well with the traditional cinnamon and festive spices. 3.5/5

Marks and Spencer red mulled wine – £5

Picture: M&S

On the nose there isn’t as much spice and you’d expect, though still enough festive aromas to get you in the Christmas spirit.

This mulled wine has placed itself firmly in the overly sweet camp, which is common for many. Not unpleasant but it’s lacking robust flavours and is a bit sickly for my taste. 2/5

Waitrose mulled wine – £5.49

This premium Spanish grape varieties mulled wine has a nose of plums, cherries and dark fruits alongside the old familiar, cinnamon.

Once again Waitrose manages to avoid the trap many fall into by going down the dry, rather than overly-sweet route – something which I prefer in mulled wine.

With a blend of citrus fruits, orange peel and a tart complex taste – it’s an easy to drink, non-sickly winter warmer, which would be further enhanced by a shot of whisky (I’d recommend the Balvenie) 4.5/5

Aldi Specially Selected mulled wine – £4.99

Picture: Aldi

Made with Spanish Tempranillo wine, you’d expect this to be much richer than it is.

On the nose, this mulled wine is not too heavy on the spice and the taste is sweet and warming. A nice addition to festivities. 3/5

Lidl Christkindl Gluhwein – £4.99

The name and the bottle of Lidl’s mulled wine looks like something straight from your local German market, and it appears like it’ll be the most traditional of all the mulled wines.

On the nose there are hints of red berries and dark fruits as well as a hint of warming spices.

Rich tasting, Lidl’s mulled wine is not too sweet, spicy or sickly making it a winner. 5/5

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference mulled wine – £5

Picture: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference mulled wine is reminiscent of hot Ribena on the nose with subtle festive spices.

The taste is well-balanced if overly sweet, with juicy berries. A fine addition to any Christmas celebration, if you like your mulled wine subtle and sweet. 2.5/5

Iceland Harvest Fruits – £2.75

Much like its mince pies, Iceland’s mulled wine is a surprise high scorer. On the nose, this wine is heavy on the cloves, so it’s hard not to feel festive when drinking it.

While not as robust as the Spanish reds from other supermarkets, this wine is not too sweet. It’s a bit of a lightweight but very pleasant. 4/5

A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, The Scotsman.

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