Buy Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chard…its the most widely available Estate Grown Chardonnay on earth. It’s good and a step up from Yellow Tail.
For fruity cultivars, there’s plenty of Gewurtztraminer & Furmint in your price range [and generally speaking, the closer you get to £12, the better the quality will be]:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/gewurtztraminer/1/uk
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/furmint/1/uk
Vivino is crazy about the Tramin Selida Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige, and Cellar Tracker thinks it’s a solid value.
For Furmint, Cellar Tracker likes the Royal Tokaji “Oddity” and Vivino likes the Kardos.
In a drier style, there are a bajillion different Muscadets Sevre et Maine sur Lie:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/muscadet+sevre+maine+lie/1/uk
And there are oceans of sparkling Prosecco:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/prosecco/1/uk
From Germany, there are some very basic Von Winning Rieslings & Weissburgunders in your price range:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/von+winning/1/uk
And on the sweet side of things, Paolo Saracco’s Moscato d’Asti is advertised in London at just less than £10:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/paolo+saracco+muscato+d+asti/1/uk
Year in & year out, the Paolo Saracco Moscato d’Asti is hands down the greatest wine value on the face of the Earth.
WOW you guys are amazing, thank you so much. I am going to look into all your suggestions
![[winner.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/07ec25c9fd71159fe15d7f1ba5fad64e91238d0e.gif "winner"){kind=small}
This sounds like it will match your described taste preferences. It should be available and as Kris says a step up from Yellow Tail. But it looks like it’s above your price range at £15-23 in the U.K. per Wine Searcher. More than double the price here in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/kendall+jackson+vintner+rsrv+chard+california+usa/1/uk?Xsavecurrency=Y&Xcurrencycode=GBP
For the Americans posting, two things to bear in mind:
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There are few American wines on the shelves in the UK at any price point, and the US doesn’t really compete there on the low end. I don’t see any Woodbridge chardonnay in the UK on Wine Searcher, only one place is offering Columbia Crest, and the couple of places that offer Kendall-Jackson’s Vintners Reserve are charging $27/£22.
The economy wine market there is dominated by offerings from other countries, including Australia and South Africa. -
The UK’s flat excise tax of £2.23 per bottle ($2.77) and 20% VAT (sales tax) put a floor under the price of the cheapest wines.
Today i went and bought the Woodbridge Chardonnay and after trying it, sadly it is not what i am looking for. The flavour has too much mineral in it and it too dry. So that one is out
With all the suggestions, given your description of your taste, I would really suggest, as someone else has, Lindemann’s Bin 65 Chardonnay. It has the vanilla from oak you like and the forward fruit. And it is Aussie and so likely available in the UK. And it is not that expensive.
Where did you find it and what did it cost?
Sarah, this is the best advice you’ll get here (even if some of the other advice might be useful). If anyone looks down on you for what you enjoy or prefer, only they are at fault, not you in the least.
Based on your currency I’m guessing Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is not in your price range. Otherwise that would have been my suggestion. There’s a lot more oak there than on the [yellowtail], but it also has that hint of sweetness. Keep in mind that any suggestions for US wines based on low US pricing will be significantly more expensive where you are.
Then I would ignore all of the suggestions here for Macon, Aligote, or any other white Burgundy. Avoid them. Many other suggestions will be far off the mark too. A local merchant might be able to best guide you if you tell them that you like the yellowtail Chardonnay because it has a hint of sweetness. It could all be done by email or over the phone. There’s a strong tendency for people on this board to make suggestions based on their own preferences rather than those of the intended consumer.
Pine Ridge Vineyards Chenin Blanc - Viognier, Napa Valley, USA - this will likely be too dry for you, but it does have a touch of sweetness.
Likely when you are wanting to splurge, I have a feeling you may like Rombauer Chardonnay. It has a oakiness that you may like.
Perhaps just try asking the store for yellowtail like alternatives from South Africa, Chile or Australia. This way it will likely hit the budget sweet spot. (Or try Large wine online sites near you, when you select Yellowtail, they will recommend similar wines at the bottom of the page, from others that purchased Yellowtail.)
I found it in a local off licence here in Brighton. It was £14.99
I would NOT be throwing £15 at Chardonnay.
It’s a complete waste of your money.
For £15 you could get a [sparkling] Prosecco or a Muscadet [Melon] or a Pinot Grigio [Italian Pinot Gris] or a Furmint which would absolutely blow away any of the industrial tank-farm Chardonnays you would be seeing at that price point.
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McManis Chardonnay $9 and good stuff for the money…
Looking over winesearcher in UK my suggestion would be 2018 Indaba Chardonnay from South Africa. Looks like $10-12 US in the UK.
La Vieille Ferme Blanc. My mom and sister like this. Has some richness like a Chardonnay, but is not overly oaky or acidic.
I agree about branching out to Chenin Blanc, and white Rhone wines.
I don’t know whether it’s available closer to you [surely it must be sold somewhere in London], but on Free Wine-Searcher, there’s a shop up Cambridgeshire which is showing the 2018 Nals Margreid “Punggl” Pinot Grigio for £19.
That is a WORLD CLASS wine, and it will doubtless smoke every Chardonnay in your market this side of £75.
Do not listen to any of these profligate drunkards. I have more posts than any of them except for John Morris, and we all know that he’s just a New York lawyer who doesn’t know shit. Instead, take this advice and you will thank me later. Get off the slippery slope to hell and switch to cheap beer. In two decades, thank me for the tens, probably hundreds of thousands of Pounds, Euros or Dollars I saved you.
This is well said. Wine pricing in the UK (where I grew up and first started drinking inexpensive wine) is very different. U.S. wines are very expensive and the genuinely cheap U.S.offerings are real bottom of the barrel stuff, much of which you can’t even find in the US!
Conversely, the pricing of wines from former Commonwealth countries can be very competitive. Australia and South Africa are your friends.
From Australia, try Jacob’s Creek and Wolf Blass for Chardonnays. Should be in the £7-9 range and a step up from Yellow Tail. Another good option is the own-brand wines at Sainsburys and Waitrose (not so much Tesco in my experience).
From South Africa, try The Wolftrap White for something a little different - fruity, dry, not too acidic. If you can find it, Rustenberg have a Chardonnay that should be in your price range and is quite excellent.
Whereabouts in the UK are you? Once the shops open back up your best bet for really good finds is a good wine merchant, preferably with tastings. There are good ones to be found everywhere and I’m happy to help direct you to one if I know the area.
It’s been a few years since I was in the UK, but last time I was there was a bit of South American stuff there too, so that might be worth a look.
I’d add the Yalumba Y series here too. I think it would be pretty available in the UK, well in the price range and often punches well above its weight.