Telavi wine cellar, Satrapezo, 10 Qvevri, 2020, Georgia
Lidl, Carinena, Monte Plogar, Gran Reserva, 2016, Valencia, Spain
It’s been a whole since I tried a good cheap red from a supermarket, but this one from Lidl is worth buying. At £6 a bottle, it was a pleasant surprise. Dry with soft tannins and decent flavours of plum, blackberry, cherry with hints of chocolate and a little oak in the background. It’s been left longer than the producer would have recommended before drinking but I think that’s helped soften it up. We had ot with a slow cooked beef joint and it was a perfect fit.
Berton vineyard, Chardonnay, 2022, Eden Valley, Australia
Another typical cheap Australian Chardonnay? Not quite. This one from Berton vineyard is ok, not outstanding but decent if you like a slightly heavier white wine. Lots of ripe citrus, pineapple and hints of grapefruit. As such it holds its length well, although thats more by brute force of flavour.
Personally, at £15 a bottle it’s over priced. For me it’s like Ford Fiesta car, nothing wrong in many ways but I’m not paying VW golf prices for it.
Aldi, Grapevine, Shiraz, Australia
Aldi do sell some excellent wine but this isn’t one of them. Sure at £4 is cheap but not much flavour or aroma, some length, mild tannins which isn’t necessarily bad. Another late at the party opening wine.
Aldi, Kooliburra, Shiraz Cabernet, 2022, South East Australia
At £4 from Aldi you can’t expect much and therefore you won’t be disappointed with this red wine. The main problem is the thinness of it. Sure there’s some blackcurrant and plum flavours but these are quite non-discript. It’s a party wine, to be opened at the end of the party. Sorry but to be avoided.
Berton vineyard, Coonawarra Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, Australia
There’s a lot of cheap Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia that is pretty poor and it show that it pays to go up a notch or 2 in price. At £15 a bootle it’s reasonable value. Dry, firm but well integrated tannins and decent flavours of blackcurrant, black plum, chocolate and tobacco hints and a pinch of eucalyptus coupled with decent length make this and enjoyable red.
Domaine Les Ondines, Vacqueyras, Passion Blanc, 2020, Rhone, France
This Rhone white wine from Domaine Les Ondines is rather good. With medium body and long length you taste the components that the 4 grape varieties add – Grenache blanc at 35%, Clairette at 35%, Roussanne at 20% and Bourboulenc at 10%. Theres citrus and melon with a hint of eucalyptus. It’s a grown up wine to be tasted rather than guzzled.
At £15 a bootle it’s pretty decent value too. Pair with a fish dish or roast chicken.
Santa Rita, Triple C, 2020, Maipo Valley, Chile
If you like red wine then I suggest you just buy it, because this Triple C from Santa Rita is one of the best reds I have ever tasted.
A Bordeaux blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Carmenere its a bold, dry red, with firm tannins and long black plum and blackberry flavour’s. There chunks of chocolate and a smokey, earthiness sitting in the background, oak and vanilla round this off beautifully.
At £15 a bottle from Majestic its a steal. Fantastic.
Aldi, Marlborough Sounds, Sauvignon Blanc, 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand
Another New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from Aldi, although at £9.99 a bottle a bit more pricey than the usual offerings. It’s dry, reasonably light with subtler flavours. More citrus than gooseberry, more French than New Zealand. Can this be thd wine to change the minds of people buying Sauvignon Blanc from Aldi that it’s worth trading up? Probably, great wine especially with pizza, zesty salad or fish.
Potash Field, Bacchus, 2023, Essex, UK
Potash Field vineyard is not a big player, a local place with a lot of passion and an experienced wine maker. This is an off dry bacchus with a soft feel, good acidity and chunk of gooseberry with hints of lime and lemon. Its a very easy drinking wine that would go well with a zesty salad or fish dish.