Black Label Red Wine, 75cl, (ABV % may vary)

Wine taste will always be a very subjective topic, however, my personal preference is towards Shiraz red wines and this one for the price it has, is a really good wine although, it is a mix of red grape varieties. It is medium-to-light bodied, not sweet, not too much alcohol (12.5%), has some nice fruity notes and is just right to pair with some red meats or just drink it on its own. Also, as opposed to other similarly priced wines, this one doesn’t have that much sediment at the bottom as others. All in all, a good wine and better than some more expensive, established brands.

Nice taste and exceptionaly good value for the money, ideal for meals or for having a relaxing drink after a hard day best served at room temperature.

My staple wine of choice, when I can't afford a Laithwaites order, almost too drinkable for its own or my own good.

My introduction to the McGuigan Wine range was consequential to the Coronavirus pandemic. Like many people we rushed to the Supermarket and panic bought food and supplies in March 2020, once the Government announced a lockdown of unknown duration. Having unloaded beans, spaghetti, rice, and other sundries we realised that we risked running out of wine, should the lockdown extend beyond a month, and confinement within our small flat suddenly seemed more frightening than ever. Now as regular partakers of the fermented grape we were in somewhat of a quandary. Did we risk returning to the Supermarket to replenish our diminishing stock, or was there an alternative? The home computer was switched on, and I browsed the Net whilst considered our options. We wanted some good wine, but not overly expensive. With a plethora of wine merchants to choose from we were spoilt for choice, and settled on Amazon. A few days later a courier arrived with three boxes of wine and amusingly for the first time in 50 years I was asked for proof of age. Presenting my driving licence to a young man at least 30 years my junior amused me, and my sense of humour improved as I unpacked my boxes, and a sense of serenity descended. Even before the first bottle was opened, I experienced a feeling of tranquillity, and contentment knowing that we had a good supply of good wine to enjoy during our incarceration. Like a child at Christmas overwhelmed by toys, and not sure which one to play with, I was in a quandary as to which wine to try first. Such was my enthusiasm to establish which of the ‘Reds’ was the better we committed ourselves to trying them all in quick succession. I have never taken to the idea of swirling wine around my mouth and spitting it out, and so I didn’t, and neither did my wife. McGuigan Black Label Red was our first experience of the McGuigan range of Reds, and since then we have also tried the McGuigan Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Reserve’ and the McGuigan Shiraz ‘Reserve’. I quite like the McGuigan Chardonnay which is lighter than the Reds and more suited to summer BBQs McGuigan Black Label Red is not the best wine I have ever tasted, although in my mind it comes close, but in the £6 to £10 price range of wines it most certainly good value, and is currently my favourite wine at the moment. If I were ever limited to just one wine label it would be the Black Label Red. I have overheard so called ‘Wine Experts’ decry ‘Blends’ arguing that the wine is neither one thing, nor another, well in regard to Black Label Red I totally disagree. To me it tastes like a fine Shiraz, which has been fine turned to present the very best of fruit flavours. The label will tell you that it has the great fruit flavours of spicy plum, cherry, and blackberry. Perhaps a wine connoisseur can distinguish the plum, from the cherry, or blackberry, but for me it’s the combination of all three, that gives it the taste I enjoy so much. There is a lovely piece of advice within the advertising blur for this wine which reads, ‘Recommended Storage - This wine can be drunk now but will further improve if carefully stored for up to 2 years’ That’s never going to happen, it’s too nice to leave lying around. So, what can I tell you about the McGuigan Black Label Red? It’s from Southeastern Australia. McGuigan Wines were named international winemaker of the year four times in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2016. It contains Sulphites. That pesky preservative used to maintain the flavour and freshness of wine, and lots of other products, so there’s no escaping them. Apparently, sulphites are associated with wine-induced headaches. Personally, this wine hasn’t given me any headaches, but I do feel quite groggy in the morning after a bottle, although they might have something to do with the hard cheeses I love to nibble when partaking of a glass or two. It’s a screw top, which is great because it means I can replace the top on the second bottle opened, if the mood takes me. (Very rarely). Alcohol Volume Percentage 12.5 Alcohol Content Units 9.4 Storage Type Ambient Bottom Line – I maintain a regular store of this wine and although I try other wines this remains my favourite.

Very nice smooth red wine good price azwell

Arrived quickly and really good value

This is the best red wine....ever!! I have been drinking this wine for over 10 years now, and it is consistently excellent-impossible to taste any difference in the different years batches. I am not a big fan of most red wines because of that slight "bitter" taste most of them have, but this one is so smooth, no bitter taste at all. When I first started buying this wine, it was £8-£9 a bottle, but now, thanks to Amazon, it is under £6 a bottle! You honestly could not buy a better red wine for that price!!

After reading the reviews I was expecting to really love this wine as I like my wines a tad sweeter than the sharp or overly tannic ones but this was had a bit of a tang and a very tiny fruity hit, wasn’t as rich or tasty as expecting so wouldn’t order it again also was sent a cheaper looking bottle, nothing like the one in the pic so slightly annoyed by that too

Bought it many times cos the wine is cheaper than many other brands and taste like expensive wine. Nice!

Smooth and easy to drink red wine Hint of cherry and no body after taste Good value