There’s something rather noble about pursuing great wine at a modest price. After all, while it’s thrilling to sip on Grand Cru Burgundy or a perfectly aged Pauillac, the reality is that most of us are more likely to be reaching for a bottle that doesn’t require a second mortgage.

With this in mind, The Global Wine Masters is launching its first-ever competition dedicated solely to price –
The Global Under £10 Masters.
While wine aficionados may delight in debating the nuances of First Growth Bordeaux, the fact remains that the vast majority of wine sold worldwide is priced below £10. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the question wine professionals are asked most often is: What’s the best bottle I can buy for around a tenner?
To help answer that all-important query – and to champion those winemakers who prove that affordability need not mean mediocrity – db has devised a rigorous blind-tasting competition with one clear objective: to unearth the finest wines available at £10 or under.
The criteria
The competition is open to any wine, provided it retails for approximately £10 in the UK (or $15 in the US). It need not be available in these markets, but it must have an ex-cellar price that allows for a reasonable retail margin to meet this price point. To accommodate varying mark-ups, we’ll accept entries priced up to £15, though the aim is, of course, to find those true gems that shine at the £10 mark.
The panel
As with all
Global Masters competitions, the wines will be judged blind by some of the trade’s most discerning palates – professional tasters, seasoned buyers and those with a knack for spotting quality at any price. The wines will be grouped loosely by style, with the ultimate goal of identifying the best whites, reds, rosés and sparklers – without a hint of regional bias.
Once the results are in, we’ll finally be able to answer, with authority, that age-old question: What are the best wines for around £10? And in doing so, we may just create the most commercially relevant wine competition in the world.
For those eager to enter The Global Under £10 Wine Masters, please contact sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com.
- Deadline for entries: 2 April 2025.
Because let’s be honest, there’s a certain thrill in finding a wine that punches well above its weight – and we’re determined to celebrate those that do.