Maison Gutowski, M–G Rosé Grande Cuvée, 2019, Provence, France
Provence normally screems rosé and this is typical of Provence, albeit this one from Maison Gutowski is a good rosé.
There’s not much on the nose but there are sublime flavours of redcurrants, citrus, watermelon and grapefruit. It’s dry, high in acidity and refreshing. It’s over £15 a bottle so not cheap, that’s the only fault in it.
Pago De Orazu , 2016, Spain.
Made with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo this red from Spain got a commended at the Decanter international wine awards in 2020, I think they’re missing something.
Aromas of red fruit and oak with a hint of smokiness. It’s a dry wine with tannings easy drinking the favours maybe a little lacking but it’s very easy drinking and for a drinker on a summer’s day this is pretty good.
It’s €18 which is the biggest problem I have with it, it’s too much money for what it is. It’s good, it’s just not €18 good.
Italian prosecco is pretty popular in the UK and there are some good sparkling examples and some bad, this one from La Marca is a good one.
Its light, fizzy with high acidity but with a sweet under note. Theres not much aroma but you get flavours of apple, pear, citrus with a creaminess that elevates this prosecco above many others.
At £14 a bottle its a bit pricey but its rather good.
Spain produces and also lots of wine and not all of it particularly good however this one from Vina Arnaiz is pretty good, I’ll go as far as say is excellent.
Dry, fresh and full of flavour. There’s a real freshness on the nose with delicate notes of citrus and stone fruit. There’s flavours of lemon and lime with a little bit of grapefruit. The acidity thats there, you know it’s there but so well integrated, it would be fantastic with seafood. Downside is that you can easily drink a bottle of this in one go.
Vina Arnaiz, Verdejo, 2019, Rueba, Spain
Maipo valley produces a lot of Chilean wine and most of it is actually really good, it’s consistent. I think this is a really good example Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon although not sure the Gran Reserva label adds to the taste.
It’s a dry red thats pretty bold with firm tannings. The aromas of red fruit, leather and a slight smokiness on the nose which is joined by plum and oak on the taste which has good length and under £10 a bottle this is really good value definitely ones are having especially with a lump of meat, game bird or tomato pasta dish.
Indomita, Gran Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017, Maipol, Chile
Beyra, Superior Tinto, 2017, Portugal
Portuguese wine has got an excellent reputation for quality because even the so-called bad wines are cut above other countries wines of similar type. This one from Beyra is different.
It’s a bold and dry why red but at the same time really rather smooth with reasonable nose of red fruit hints of liquorice a well integrated tannins that are apparent when you taste it. You get hints of chocolate and liquorice, oak and spice. It’s not that there’s a lot necessary going on, but what you get is well integrated.
I really liked this wine, it only got a bronze at the 2019 the Decanter World Wine Awards but I think it was worth a lot more, maybe not gold but crumbs a silver surely.
Château de Bellevue, Fleurie, 2016, France
Buy a good Beaujolais is my advice and this one from Fleurie from Château de Bellevue is one of them better examples and certainly one that you should start drinking so you know what to least benchmark against.
It’s dry, light with good acidity you get aromas of red fruit but when you taste it it there there flavours of raspberry strawberry but with hints of chocolate, liquorice and hints of caramel and oak but all nice to balanced.M
My biggest regret is only having one bottle of this as it’s a really good example and at around £10 Super value.
Saint Péray, Grain de Silex, 2015, Rhone, France
I do like a Rhône valley white but this one from Saint Peray has passed its best though, which is a shame because you can still taste what was.
You get hints of ripe citrus, grapefruit with honey on the nose and with flavours that follow on with peach, almond, melon with buttery notes and a grown up feel. It’s a very acidic wine dry but with good body and I suspect if I had drank this after 2 or 3 years from bottling it would have been a really excellent wine. So lesson learnt, don’t save what you think is great wine to long.
Saint Péray, Grain de Silex, 2015, Rhone, France
I do like a Rhône valley white but this one from Saint Peray has passed its best though, which is a shame because you can still taste what was.
You get hints of ripe citrus, grapefruit with honey on the nose and with flavours that follow on with peach, almond, melon with buttery notes and a grown up feel. It’s a very acidic wine dry but with good body and I suspect if I had drank this after 2 or 3 years from bottling it would have been a really excellent wine. So lesson learnt, don’t save what you think is great wine too long.
Anthony Joseph Vidal can make wine, good wine but at £30 a bottle it needs to be really good.
This Legacy, Syrah from the Hawks Bay area has some fine qualities. There are aromas of plum and raspberry with notes of spice, for the flavours get more darker fruits Oak and some very fine tannings which are slightly out of balance with the fruit flavour. On the plus side I got no hangover after having an entire bottle of this wine one evening, which shows this is pretty good, it’s just not £10 good.
Anthony Joseph Vidal, Legacy, Syrah, 2014, New Zealand