Tesco finest* range wines are now significantly cheaper - but it's one lacklustre bottle after another

Seemingly traumatised by the growth of the discounters Aldi and Lidl, Tesco has slashed its range and gone downmarket to staunch the ebbing tide

At first I thought the "Better Value" neck tags on the bottles at Tesco's autumn tasting were just meaningless marketing guff. Then I twigged. Some of the Tesco finest* range wines were significantly cheaper by between 50p and £2. Cause for celebration? As I struggled though one lacklustre bottle after another, I couldn't help feeling that wines like the finest* Douro and finest* Slovenian Sauvignon Furmint were far from fine. Pale shadows, more like.

Suspicions were aroused when it became clear that to achieve this welcome price cut, Tesco sliced the range on offer by 27 per cent and in some cases changed supplier. I was surprised, then, when Tesco's product development manager, Graham Nash, told me that Better Value meant "cheaper prices without compromising on quality".

The new strategy was "more about everyday value than promotions". Sounds a bit like "Everyday Low Prices" to me. Seemingly traumatised by the growth of the discounters Aldi and Lidl, Tesco has slashed its range and gone downmarket to staunch the ebbing tide. To his credit, Nash conceded that Tesco's finest* Douro was not as good as before.

A ray or two of sunshine did peek through the gloom, however. Wines such as the 2014 Côtes du Rhône Villages, Plan de Dieu, £6, maintained the quality with its juicy red fruit flavours. The 2013 finest* Marlborough Pinot Noir was as fragrant and full of appetising loganberry fruit as I remember. Rieslings were good, notably the refreshingly crisp and lime zesty 2013 Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling, £9.75. There was nothing wrong either with the caramel rich and nutty Amontillado, £5.50, half-litre.

If Tesco has reduced prices on wines from such stalwarts as Tim Adams and Catena, that's a bonus, as neither of them will compromise on quality. The 2012 Tim Adams Clare Valley Shiraz, £11, was mintily aromatic and rich in spicy blackberryish fruit, while Catena's 2013 finest* Argentina The Trilogy Malbec, £13, displayed the requisite subtle oak toast, black cherry richness and damson bite. The finest* Grand Cru Vintage Champagne Brut 2007, £24, remains its expansively creamy self.