Solomonar Reserve Red 2019/20, Romania
Romanian wine doesn’t always get a good press and this is a shame because it can be actually rather good, in fact it could be said to be excellent and this red from Majestic Wine proves it. Rich and bold this is smooth and has good length. Plenty of red fruit flavours and aromas this is an easy drinking wine. At £10 a bottle it’s good value.
Reva Rakvice, Frankovka, 2018, Czech Republic
Never underestimate Czech Republic wine because they can make good wine and this red from Reva Rakvice proves it. It’s a lovely purple colour with strong aromas of red fruit slightly sweet tannins and a little bit too much sour cherry for my liking if I was drinking it’s on its own but with food, excellent. We had this with a full roast turkey dinner and it complemented the food very well.
Zagreus, St Dimitar, Organic Shiraz, Bulgaria
Bulgaria can make some really good wine, it’s got a good climate for makings big reds and this Shiraz is is a good example of a good drinking red.
A smooth red wine medium bodied with notes of spice and raspberry, cherry, black fruit, a little bit of oak and hints of coffee.
At £8 from Waitrose this is a really good red wine, a fiesta on the car world.
Incanta, Pinot Noir, 2019, Romania
Buy it, you can read the below if you want but this Incanta Pinot Noir from Romania is amazing value and pretty good to boot.
Its a fresh, light and easy drinking red with fruit driven flavours of raspberry, cherry, hints of strawberries and a slight eathiness that makes you think of French Pinot Noir but at £6.50 a bottle from Majestic on a mix 6 bottles its a bargain.
Bulgaria makes some very wines, lets get that straight and this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc is not bad at all, not outstanding though. There are aromas of black fruit and smokeyness with spice as you would expect. Its a reasonable purple colour, very dry and flavours of black fruit, spice and pretty smooth. there are tannins but they don’t suck your mouth dry. The problem I have with it is it should have been drunk a few years ago, everything finishes too early or its too light in the smell or flavour. My fault in reality.
At Eur15 a bottle its not cheap either, better 7 year old reds out there for that money.
Minkov Brothers, Oak Tree, 2013, Bulgaria
Bulgaria makes some excellent wine and this organic one from Orbelus is a very good wine. Its a full bodied rich red with an underlying sweetness and fine but firm tannins.
Made with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Melnik (a local grape), there’s an earthy aroma with cherry, violets and oak notes that are joined with black fruits and spice with a hint of chocolate in there.
I really liked this for its well balanced fruit and smoothness.
Orbelus Prima, Organic blended red wine, Thrace, Bulgaria
This dry red wine is made with Saperavi grapes, from vineyards around the Alaverdi monastery in Georgia. Now Georgian wine is decent stuff, more so than you may think. They have been making wine long enough.
This got a Bronze medal from the Decanter International Wine Awards and that’s a good solid score. There’s aromas of black and red fruit on the nose, Blackberry, cherry, tobacco on the nose and the flavours. Its medium body and has a good wack of tannins. I guzzled most of this on its own so not complaints. At about £30 a bottle in the UK its one of the more expensive wines from the area but its pretty decent. I do have an issue with the price though. NZ Pinot Noir or Burgundy red while a little light would be far better at this price point. South American reds are better still at this price.
Badagoni, Alaverdi Tradition, Saperavi grape from Georgia
Made with Saperavi grapes the first thing notice is the smell, quite distinctive, huge amounts of blackcurrant and yet this deeply dark red wine has initial flavours of red fruit. Theres the redcurrant but some herb , raspberry and strawberry in there as well. It’s dry and the tannins are not too heavy, although I would like them to be smoother. I understand that the Saperavi wines can be aged and I would like to taste when it’s over 6 years old to see if those tannins softened.
I’ve had a few bottles of Georgian wine now and I think I can safely say that the quality is very good, it may not be to cru standards of France but I did have this over three nights and enjoyed this very much.
At about £10 it’s reasonable value.
Teliani Valley, Saperavi 2016, Georgia.
This is a limited edition of 2000 bottles. Bulgarian wine does not have the greatest reputation. It’s a shame because it can produce great wine. This has aromas of spice, black plum and cherry that flows into the taste where there are firm tannins and a pretty dry finish. This is fairly standard Cab Sav from Bulgaria, at £13 a bottle it’s over priced. There are better Cab Sav’s at under £10 out there. It’s Commended award from the Decanter World Wine Awards is spot on, drinkable but that’s it.
Megalit, Thracian Treasure Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Bulgaria
Shilda Mukuzani 2016 dry red wine from Georgia