Vagabond, Ortega, 2018, Oxfordshire, UK
There are some absolutely fantastic English wines but I’m not entirely sure this one made of Ortega grapes can be classed as one.
It’s clear and crisp but it’s very acidic and a little one-dimensional on flavour. There’s lots of lemon with bits of lime coming through but that’s it. This would be really good with seafood as the acidity is very high but we have tried better wines from the UK recently that are worth trying though.
I have a soft spot for Rustenberg as the wines are generally good quality I could prices and this pretty much follows through in this Chenin Blanc. Deep lemon in color and although it’s not meant to have been aged in any Oak you do get much more richness that you might expect, I think this is partly because it’s been left on its lees for maturing. It’s dry and crisp and lots of flavor of pear and citrus possibly a little strong for my liking that said it would go very well with white meat fish and Chinese food so from that aspect a thumbs up. At about £6 a bottle it is good value.
Rustenberg Estate, Chenin Blanc, 2018, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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?
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
What is wrong with wine from Mexico? nothing or that should be the case as there are areas in the country that suited to making wine. This Syrah is red wine! its dry and fruity, lots of plum, cherry and thats for the first 3 seconds before – nothing. Its like half a polo mint, decent hit of flavour, then you get to the hole where it disappears and then still nothing. Its not like there’s another chance.
its not bad its just not around long enough, I’ve never had a wine like this before, so for me its interesting.
Guaname, Syrah, 2018, Guanajuato, Mexico
South Africa does some really good Merlot and Shiraz and this blend brings some good qualities. That’s not a huge amount of aromas on this blend but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You do get flavours of raspberry and plum with more red fruit in there.
It’s a decent red just for drinking ?.
Crows Fountain, Shiraz, Merlot, 2018, South Africa
New Zealand does great Pinot Noir and pretty good Sauvignon Blanc. It can do Chardonnay but this one from Stoneleigh, Repaura Series, Chardonnay is not one to drink. The aromas are oak followed by oak followed by oak. There are notes of condensed lemon in the nose but not a great initial feeling. It doesn’t get any better when you taste it, far too much oak. The wife thinks it should have been laid down for a few more years and that should allow the flavours to come out.
At £10 a bottle is not expensive for NZ wine but for a drink now wine it doesn’t work.
Stoneleigh, Repaura Series, Chardonnay, 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand
There are 2 types of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, cheap and expensive and this one from Framingham is the later. At £15 a bottle its not Greywacke Wild Sauvignon price but a lot of people will see this at twice the price of what they would expect when they taste it. At £15 you are into the standard Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc which is far superior.
There are aromas of grapefruit and gooseberry which are joined by flavours of lemon and hints of green apple. Its all a bit harsh and acid based rather than elegant. Its more like a £6.99 bottle from Tesco. Its not terrible but get a bottle of Greywacke and see the light.
Framingham, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, New Zealand
If all Hungarian Sauvignon Blanc was as great as this Aranymetszés Friss from Varga Pincészet I may never drink any other wine. Well not quite but this is AMAZING. Its a great easy drinking, medium style white wine with a lot of fresh peach, melon, lime, lemon and elderflower aromas and tastes with a bit of a sparkle in there. When its hot outside this is perfect. A bronze medal winner at the IWSC (a little stingy) the issue is getting it in the UK. There are better Sauvignon Blancs out there but this is a wine of a moment, a warm summers day, doing nothing.
Varga Pincészet, Aranymetszés Friss, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, Hungary