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Own-labels top Which? white wine and gin polls

Published:  19 August, 2015

Own-label wines and spirits have beaten leading brands in blind taste tests conducted by consumer rights publication Which?

Asda's Extra Special Leyda Valley Chilean Sauvignon Blanc was the top-scoring white wine with a score of 79% while Morrisons London Dry gin was the best gin with 80%.

Lidl Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Albariño 2013 and Waitrose Gruner Veltliner Niederosterreich 2014 all scored highly in white wine, but two branded whites put the test - Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc 2014 and Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - finished at the bottom of the table.

Lidl's Castelgy London Dry and Waitrose London Dry came joint second in gin.

The own-label stanglehold was broken in whisky, where Glenfiddich came out on top, and red wine, where the winner was Trivento Reserve Malbec with a score of 83%.

Which? editor Richard Headland said: "Our taste tests have shown that supermarket own-labels are giving the big brands a real run for their money.

"Some inexpensive bottles received a much higher score from our experts, proving that you don't always have to splash out."

Wines were tasted by a panel comprising wine writers Tim Atkin MW, Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter, along with consultant Peter McCombie MW.

The spirits judges were writer and consultant Ian Wisniewski, gin writer David Smith, writer, consultant and author Ian Buxton, and writer and consultant Neil Ridley.

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