Citra, Niro, Montepulciano, d’Abruzzo, Italy
This red wine is made with the Montepulciano grape which gives it a wonderfully rich red colour. It has a full bodied feeling that lasts a long time. There are aromas and flavours of sour cherry, pepper and spices and its very smooth with well integrated tannins.
Its a solid italian red wine that won’t let you down. Pair it with a steak or a beef roast diner and you won’t regret opening a bottle.
Oh its also Eur 6 a bottle, so great value.
Castello del Trebbio, Congiura, Bianco Toscana, Tuscany, Italy
Its unusual for a Tuscan white to be made with Riesling but this wine from Castello del Trebbio gains when adding it to the Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay grapes.
It has a wonderful straw colour with a fresh mineral aromas and flavours with apple and pears and notes of almonds and peach. There’s some complexity to this dry white and it would be well paired with seafood. A decent wine but not fantasic.
New Hall, Bacchus Fume Reserve, 2016, Essex, UK
New Hall in Essex has been making Bacchus for a long time and they are getting better and better. They make a lot of different wines which can be a little confusing, so its best to pop a long to an open day and sample!
This 4 year old Fume Reserve is light with aromas of elderflower and mellon, flavours of apple, lemon and hints of gooseberry. Its not what you may call sophisticated but it is what you would all wonderful.
At £12 a bottle it’s decent value given the quality you are getting.
Pazo Senorans, Albarino, 2016, Spain
£15 a bottle is a decent amount to pay for a wine, you want a good bottle but paying that for an Albarino is hard when there are so many good ones out their for less but this Albarino from Pazo Senorans is very good.
There’s loads going on, subtle but the package is well done. The colour is a wonderful lemon colour and there are aromas of pear, lemon, mellon, peaches and additional flavours of citrus, grapefruit and minerality. Its dry, light, decent wack of acidity, clean and quite elegant.
Its a bit pricey and I should have saved some for the next day but I loved it, its very good, excellent if the price was cheaper but then that’s my tightness 😉 shining through, price wise.
Lidl, Feinherb Klusserather, St Michael, Riesling, Model, Germany
I’ve said it before that supermarkets like Lidl sell decent wine at excellent prices and this Riesling from the Model, Germany shows it. At £5 a bottle it’s great value. A medium white wine with lots freshness, light aromas and flavours of apple, pear, lychee, melon, ripe pineapple and peach. Lots there, although quite subtle and great freshness.
It’s a great easy drinking wine on its own or with Asian food.
Little Odisseia, Tinto, 2016, Douro Valley, Portugal
Little Odisseia from the Douro Valley, Portugal is another solid red wine from a country that doesn’t seem to produce any bad stuff.
There are notes of tobacco, black fruit and leather with hints of mushrooms. This is a dry, bold wine with firm tannins that give structure. Its not fancy or complex but you get is a wine that is not going to embarrass you, just drink it or have it with a steak.
Well done to the wine maker, a wine to order by the case because at £7 a bottle its excellent value.
Domaine De La Desoucherie, Cheverny, 2013, Loire Valley, France
This white wine from the Domaine De La Desoucherie in the Loire Valley is typical of the whites from the region.
Its subtle and easy drinking, there are aromas and flavours of citrus and its about Eur8 a bottle. We picked this up when visiting the Loire Valley and its a shame in many ways that we can’t get this in the UK. Its a great white for the summer to just drink in the sun.
Granmonte, The Orient Syrah, 2012, Thailand
Anyone can make wine but not everyone can make good wine let alone excellent wine, so where does The Orient Syrah come? Its good, very good for an 8 year old Syrah. This was made by someone that clearly knew how to make good wine.
There are aromas of plum, oak, spice and hints of pepper. The flavours of plum, blackberry, blackcurrant are still there but is nice and smooth with mellowness and softness that is a delight.
Thailand is now on the list of countries that can make decent wine, I hope all Thailand wine makers can get to this standard.
Aldi, English Bacchus, Chapel Down, England
Aldi have some great wines at great prices, sure you can look down your nose at them but you will be missing out as this Bacchus made by Chapel Down shows. How do I know this is from Chapel Down, their post code is on the back!
Bacchus is the English/German Sauvignon Blanc. There are aromas of Melon and Gooseberry with additional flavours of citrus and tropical fruit. Its dry, light and refreshing, perfect with asia food, sea food or in the garden on a summers evening enjoying the sun.
At £7.99 per bottle its cheaper than the 6 case price (£60 for 6 bottles) of the branded Chapel Down Bacchus from the vineyard and much cheaper than the £13 per bottle price. Aldi have done it again with a great wine at a great price.
Cottas, Vinho Tinto, Portugal
Its hard to find a bad bottle of Portuguese red wine, they just keep delivering good value, drinkable red’s and this one from Cottas is no exception.
A deep red colour with aromas and flavours of black fruit, blackberries and blackcurrant. Its dry, reasonably smooth and got plenty of flavour. More important its very easy to drink and cheap. At £6 a bottle is great value.