London Cru, Chardonnay, 2020, California, USA
Made in the USA, Santa Barbara this is a clean, crisp and flavour full Chardonnay which is absolutely cracking. At £30 a bottle it should be but excellent. The wine has great length and the citrus is soft with a buttery under tone that is a great example of Chardonnay at its best. Pair with fish, zesty salad or just on its own, Stonking.
Fritz, 1635 Cuvee, 2019, Hungary
This Bordeaux blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Merlot is half decent. Dry, bold with robust tannins there are flavours of dark red and black fruits, tobacco, chocolate and oak that are all easily picked upon. The subtle flavours are missing, its a big red and one for food to accompany it.
Attila Pince, Birtokbor, 2015, Eger, Hungary
Hungarian red wine can be very good and pretty cheap and this red from Attila Pince is good. A blend of Syrah, Cab France, Merlot and Pinot Noir its dry, pretty bold with good red fruit flavours. Its a bit bland and is just better with red meat or tomato based pasta than on its own. A party wine.
Tesco, Finest, Sauvignon Blanc, 2022, Western Cape, South Africa
Super markets sell some great wine and for Tesco in the UK this can be via their Finest range. Its nice and round on the flavours, without the over powering Gooseberry that can be in the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc’s. Dry with a bit more citrus but in a lighter way. Its not quite French but its easy drinking and won’t offend anyone. At under £10 its reasonable value but it doesn’t shout Finest to me.
Mazza Vineyard, Cabernet Franc, 2020, Lake Erie, USA
This dry red wine from the Lake Erie region, USA is pretty good. Good length and depth of red and black fruits with a note of spice. Its USD20 a bottle which is good value and is what I call a first party wine, opened first with friends and just enjoy.
Gérald Besse, Les Serpentines, 2021, Syrah, Martigny, Switzerland
The swiss can make some really good wine and this dry red syrah from Gérald Besse from the Martigny area of Switzerland shows it. Good length and full of red fruit flavours. With a little bit of smoke, leather and slight earthy note just poking through it’s very enjoyable red to watch a sunset with.
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Dr Hermann, Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese, 2007, Germany
Wow, wow, wow. This Riesling from Dr Hermann was magnificent. Off dry with complexity and length the flavours of lemon, citrus, peach. honey and a little petroleum made this a truly excellent wine. We paid about £20 a bottle on a trip to Germany. I wish I could have brought a case back. Even at £40 or £50 a bottle it’s worth trying just for that brilliant wine making.
Prović, Livija, Zlatarica, 2022, Croatia
This white wine from the Provic Winery could be described as simple and easy drinking which is not bad. light, off dry with citrus mainly and stone fruit poking through its a summer wine to be just drunk and not thought about to much. Enjoy it for what its meant to be.
Aldi sells some great wines and although it’s not great when you consider the price of £4 a bottle it’s hard not to be impressed. It’s a cheap red wine for sure, dry, unbalanced on the tannins and flavours. There are positives. Reasonable red fruit and tannins don’t overwelm. It’s better to chill this a little and drink it in the garden on a summer’s day.
This is a classic Bordeaux white wine, its a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon and 15% Muscadelle. Dry, crisp, with ripe pineapple, citrus and very fruity it needs a second glass to get that refreshing hit which others have commented on. At £12 a bottle it’s not amazing value or gold medal winning but it’s worth trying. Think based spec Ford Focus.