Just in time for the long Easter weekend, Waitrose has launched its popular 25% off wines when you buy six or more bottles.* The promotion kicks off on 25 March and finishes on 7 April 2026, so you’ve got a fortnight to make the most of the offer. If you’re ordering online, buy your wines from Waitrose Cellar ➟ – you’ll be able to access the full range of wines here that you may not find in store. Here’s Ben’s top picks for making the most of the wine offer.
*T&Cs: Subject to availability. Selected lines only. This offer excludes wines and Champagne priced £6 and under and over £100.
This Waitrose special offer promotion is likely the best time of the year to buy their wines. The supermarket already has one of the best wine buying teams in the UK, so if you’re hunting for value for money wine buys, then there’s no better time to shop.
The question is, where do you start? There are hundreds of wine bottles to try and a discount like this might tempt you to buy something new. Since I started recommending wines from Waitrose every month (mainly for my mum’s shopping list, you can read that here), I’ve been tasting lots of the Waitrose selection to find you the best buys. If I had to pick a dozen while this offer’s on, here’s the 12 wines I’d choose:
Top tip: Buy from Waitrose Cellar if you’re shopping online – there’s more choice.
White wines
In Spring, I like to drink white wines with texture. Something that’s still vibrant, perhaps zesty, but with a full and satisfying palate. Something that doesn’t need food, but if I was going to baste scallops in butter or flip my usual mash for creamy sweet potato, the white wine could handle it. One of those is the Great Hart Chenin Blanc (£16.00, Waitrose Cellar), from Swartland in South Africa. It’s got a bite of acidity but its satisfying and big with soft, stone fruits character. Great Heart is an entry level wine from the highly acclaimed and premium Mullineux & Leeu Family winery (you can buy their top bottles from Berry Bros & Rudd), a stand out Swartland producer. The Great Heart brand is owned by the winery’s staff themselves, with profits from the wines invested into empowering their staff’s lives.
Now I know many of you love a Sauvignon Blanc, but how many of you have tried its Bordeaux partner, Semillion? This lower acidity, honey-like grape variety can make interesting wines if winemakers handle it well. A good value example to try is the 2023 Morandé Terrarum Semillon from Chile (£10.75, Waitrose Cellar). A melody of Sprite-like lime and lemon citrus, it is herby, floral and moreish on the palate. A fabulous everyday Spring choice.
If you do want Sauvignon Blanc, then take advantage of Waitrose’s 25% off deal and trade up. My all-time favourite Sauvignon Blanc they sell is the Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc (£15.00, Waitrose Cellar). Unlike some sappy Chilean and overworked Marlborough NZ Savvy Bs, Jackson Estate always seems to master the balance. The gooseberry notes are punchy, but they’re matched by electric acidity and it’s always a joy to drink. If you like white fish, then pair it with this.
While this deal’s on, you’ve got to treat yourself. The 2023 Vérité Viognier from Laurent Miquel (£21.25, Waitrose Cellar) is usually something for special occasions, but in an offer this good you can stretch to a couple of bottles or more! Laurent Miquel is one of the Viognier masters, and this white wine is packed full of ripe stone fruits like apricot and peach, before being rounded off with toasty French oak that imparts a hint of vanilla pod into the wine. It’s rich and satisfying, a great match with fish pie, creamy mushroom stroganoff or aubergine dishes. I’ve recommended this wine before and I am sure it won’t be the last time!
Finally, on the white wine front, it’s back to that old favourite: Chardonnay. I honestly think the variety and styles that Chardonnay can produce are unmatched. It is like a blank canvas for a terroir and a winemaker. One of the greats in Chablis is Maison Albert Bichot, which is today owned by sixth generation Bichot Albéric. The wines are vinified by Matthieu Mangenot and they consistently make exceptional wines. While many of my peers love Bichot’s reds, I have always preferred their white wines. The Premier Cru Chablis (£36.00, Waitrose Cellar) is the best Chablis on Waitrose Cellar and well worth stocking up while it’s on promo.
The 12 wines I’d pick:
Get 25% off this Waitrose dozen and you’ll have some very exciting wines to try.
Cost: £193.14 (including offers, usually £272.50).
Whites
Great Hart Chenin Blanc, Mullineux & Leeu Family – £16.00 (£12.00 in deal) / Flinty, zesty Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc. Perfect for a chilled sip on the patio.
Terrarum Semillon, Vina Morandé – £10.75 (£8.07 in deal) / A fabulous everyday white for Spring.
Stich Sauvignon Blanc, Jackson Estate – £15.00 (£11.25 in deal) / Vibrant and refreshing, exactly what the best Sauvignon should be.
Vérité Viognier, Lauren Miquel – £21.25 (£15.94 in deal) / Full bodied and bursting with apricot, this is from a Viognier master.
Chablis Premier Cru, Albert Bichot – £36.00 (£27.00 in deal) / The best Chablis on Waitrose Cellar. Consistently exceptional.
Reds
Barolo, Prunotto – £50.00 (£37.50 in deal) / Very intense and alluring; a rewarding premium red.
Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Reyneke – £12.00 (£9.00 in deal) / Full bodied, Bordeaux-inspired red that’s packed with fruit.
No.1 Douro Valley Reserva Quinta de la Rosa, Waitrose – £15.00 (£11.25 in deal) / Rich, juicy and moreish Portuguese red.
Pinot Noir, Karl H. Johner Enselberg – £26.25 (£19.69 in deal) / Packed with berries and spice, this is the ultimate food pairing red.
Les Rouillères Organic Cabernet Franc, Mabileau – £18.25 (£13.69 in deal) / Savoury, smoky and crunchy red wine that I would thoroughly recommend everyone enjoys.
Rosé
Pure Provence Rosé, Mirabeau – £18.00 (£13.50 in deal) / Not just dry and crisp, but also characterful, this is better than Whispering Angel.
Fizz
NV Cornwall Brut, Camel Valley – £34.00 (£25.50 in deal) / World class English fizz from the Lindo family, ideal for Easter celebrations.
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Prices correct as of March 2026.
Red wines
The dates for the 2026 Waitrose wine offer this Spring are generous, but you still only have a fortnight to take advantage of the offer. So, with that in mind, which red wines should you be adding to your Cellar basket? Here’s my five favourites:
While last month you could pick up the brilliant Villa Antinori Toscana Rosso for more than 25% off, during this promo why not go for another Antinori favourite with the utterly brilliant Prunotto winery in Piedmont. While the 2021 Prunotto Barolo isn’t cheap (£50.00, Waitrose Cellar – before your 25% off), it is one of the very few supermarket Barolos that actually delivers value for money. Despite only being a few years’ old, it’s full of dried fruit and aromatic florals that are genuinely enticing. If you have a chilly Spring evening, open it up and sip it with your best friend. You’ll save £12.50 a bottle buying it on promo, too.
Swooping back down to earth with wines that will put less of a hole in your wallet, I’ll continue to recommend the excellent Reyneke Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (£12.00, Waitrose Cellar) until the cows come home. Honestly, not only does South Africa consistently put out world class wines are great prices, I think Reyneke is up there as one of the best producers. This easy drinking red is inspired by Bordeaux but comes with packs of fruit and character, perfect for everyday drinking. If you’re going to save 25%, I’d stock up.
If, like me, you find the Gran Reserva wines of Rioja just too oaky today but you miss that soft, rich red wine character then Waitrose seem to have saved your bacon. Their No. 1 Douro Valley Reserva Quinta de la Rosa (£15.00, Waitrose Cellar) is a great alternative to try. It swaps strawberry fruit and sweet vanilla notes for juicy, moreish blackcurrant and plum over fine tannins and a warm, satisfying finish. Given it’s not quite summer yet, it’s always good to have a bottle of this in your wine rack.
Given summer is on the horizon (and I’m writing up this list with a glass of light bodied red wine and the sun shining in the garden), let’s not forget how good those medium and lighter bodied reds are today. Gone are the watery tones of the past, replaced by genuinely careful and loving winemaking with intensity in all the right places but fresh on the finish. The obvious grape for that is Pinot Noir.
While there’s so much good Pinot Noir at Waitrose, much of it French, I find you get your best value for money when shopping for Spatburgunder: the Pinot Noirs from Germany. A great value example is the 2021 Karl H. Johner Enselberg Pinot Noir (£26.25, Waitrose Cellar), which you’ll struggle to find in all of Waitrose’s stores but is available on their Cellar site. This red is fuller than the Pinots you might be used to, in fact most I’ve tried from Baden are, and it combines deep red fruits with gentle oak ageing for smooth and spicy experience. Folks often say that a good Pinot Noir will go with anything, its acidity and intensity cutting through salt and fat beautifully. For me, I like it with steak as I find Malbec with a proper cut of red meat will put me to sleep. A Pinot, in comparison, can make for a beautiful tasting experience.
My last red pick is Mabileau’s Les Rouillères Organic Cabernet Franc, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (£18.25, Waitrose Cellar). I think Cabernet Franc is an under-appreciated variety. Yes, it’s savoury and smoky, perhaps “crunchy” as some critics would call it. However, I seek out that savoury note. I like to drink Negronis and Manhattans. I like my beer bitter. For me, Cab Franc does this in the wine world. The Mabileau is one of Waitrose’s pricier Cab Francs from the Loire in northern France, but it does all the things I’m looking for. It’s a great partner for a moussaka or bangers and mash, too.
A rosé wine and a fizz to finish?
Springtime and Easter celebrations call for something pink and something fizzy. In this round-up I’ve kept it simple and I’ve got a bottle of each style you should seek out on your Waitrose shop while their special offer is on: Pure Provence Rosé by Mirabeau (£18.00, Waitrose Cellar) and none other than the Camel Valley Cornwall Brut NV English sparkling wine (£34.00, Waitrose Cellar).
I hadn’t had Mirabeau rosé for a while, let alone its premium ‘Pure’ version. To be honest, I have been disappointed by Provence rosé, which seems to have descended into a branding battleground rather than offering anything exciting. Nevertheless, I do like Mirabeau as a brand and thought I’d give it a punt when the sun was shining. I appreciate £18.00 is pricey, and I’m not sure I’d ordinarily pay it, but during this promo I think this is the best crisp, dry and summery rosé you can get your hands on at Cellar. If you’re less fussed about lightly coloured, fresh rosé and want a rosé with packs of character that will sing with paella, opt for the Muga Rioja Rosado instead (£12.75, Waitrose Cellar), which is one of my favourites.
On the fizz front, I think English fizz is the way to go and it’s hard to beat Camel Valley in the Waitrose line up. There’s some great bottles from Hambledon and Gusbourne too, the latter of which has an exclusive label for Waitrose, but for me the very dry, taut and racy Cornish Brut from the Lindo family in Camel Valley is the winner. Then again, if you’re a fizz fan, this 25% off deal is the best time to buy a few different bottles and go hunting for your next favourite bottle…
