Quinta Do Crasto, LBV Port, 2005, Portugal
Buy is my recommendation on this Quinta Do Crasto, LBV Port, 2005 from Portugal.
Yes its 15 years old and should have been open much earlier but it still had a fresh flavour drive smell and taste, lots black fruit, tobacco, oak, raisins, very smooth and pretty rich but with structure and longitivity.
At £20 its not expensive and it does deliver all round.
La Méridionale, Merlot, Syrah, Languedoc, France
The South of France produces lots of Merlot and Syrah red wines and this one from La Méridionale is typical.
Blackberry, plum and cherry and you primary flavours for this pretty simple but drinkable red. Its very Dry, has decent enough body and depth of flavour with tannins that are a little rough and pronounced. Its not bad but its a food wine. pair it with steak or a burger and it will go down very well. At £7 a bottle its decent value too.
O:TU, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, love it or hate it, its a Marmite wine. This one from O:TU is very good, not outstanding but theres lots to like about it.
Its a dry, acidic white with decent body and length of flavour. There are aromas and flavours of lemon, lime, grapefruit and gooseberry with a little green apple and hints of ripe melon.
Its no Greywacke but its a decent wine.
Piccini, Collezione Oro, Chianti Superiore, 2018, Italy
It was a while before I got Chianti, over price and over here was my view and luckily I tried others before this Collezione Oro from Piccini.
OK so its a dry, medium bodied and reasonably well balanced red wine. It has aromas of cherry, raspberry with flavours of blackberry and redcurrant and earthy notes in there. Its not bad but its not exciting, its note shouting at me to buy a case. Sure at about £10 its decent value but what if you spent a little more on something else?
Brand’s Laira, Blockers, Shiraz, 2013, Coonawarra, Australia
Coonawarra produce great, bold, flavourful red wines and this is good, not outstanding but it wont embarrass you if you served this with a chunk of red meat. With aromas and flavours of red and black fruits, pepper and oak. Its bold and pretty dry but 7 years on its smoothed out and is easy drinking. Have it with red meat or game bird and I’m sure you will enjoy drinking it, its worth taking your time and at £12 a bottle its OK value.
Supermarkets do sell excellent wine and this Extra Special, Chardonnay from the Barossa in Australia from Asda is pretty good, it may not be a gold medalist at Decanter but what I liked about it is how easy it was to drink.
Its light, medium bodied white with light aromas of peach and pineapple that come though in the flavour, there’s creaminess and hints of oak which are very welcomed. Day 2 and the pineapple came through more but still easy drinking. It lacks in many ways but as I’ve mentioned before with other wines, its a wine for a moment. In this case its in front of the TV or in the garden on a summers day. At £7 a bottle its great value, pick up a box of 6 and just enjoy.
Asda, Extra Special, Chardonnay, 2017, Barossa, Australia
The red blend of Syrah, Merlot and Xinomavro from Alpha Estate in Greece is a rather decent red wine.
A dry, reasonable light red it has aromas of red and black fruit with earthy and spice hints. The flavours are defined, plum, blackcurrant and cherry with oak notes, strong but not overpowering.
People rubbish wine thats not from the traditional wine areas but this shows that many non main stream wine countries can produce very good wine. The only downside is the price, EUR20 a bottle is a bit pricey.
Alpha Estate, SMX Red, 2017, Greece
As the weather gets colder I find I’m drinking lots more red wine, so I thought I’d try a white and this one from Spain is different to what I would normally have. It’s a deep straw colour, dry but with fruit. There are aromas of grapefruit and oak and these follow through with a flavours. it’s a heavier white wine than I would normally drink and I think on its own it’s not my taste but I can see this with a creamy pasta dish or a game bird dish, something with a little bit more flavour than just chicken.
At £7 a bottle and a decanter bronze medal it’s ok but have with food.
Bodegas Eylo, 2018, Rueba, Spain
From North East Italy this Pinot Noir shows that italy isn’t just about Prosecco.
Its not go a lot of flavour, there are hints of lemon, peach, brioche and dryness that makes it easy drinking but it feels more grown up. Good structure but not Champagne quality.
Its subtle in many ways and it went well with a starter of smoked salmon and with a cheese board. Well worth trying out although may be not worth a case of it.
Jako Wine, Brut, Pinot Noir, Sparkling, Italy
Rieslings from Australia has come a long way in the last decade and this one from Rawsons Retreat shows another example of why Riesling is such a great grape. Dry with a decent level of acidity and aromas of ripe pineapple and kerosene that are followed with additional flavours of honey, lime and green apple.
At £7 a bottle its a wine that grows on you, not outstanding but great for curling in front of the TV.
Rawsons Retreat, Riesling, 2015, Australia