Ventua, Mencia, 2022, Bierzo, Spain
I don’t believe that I have tasted wine made from the Mencia grape before but it’s rather good. Balanced, good length with plenty of red fruit, soft tannins and an easy drinking style, it’s an excellent wine. A Silver medal winning wine at the Decanter World Wine Awards it’s great value at Eur20 a bottle.
Casale del Giglio, Matidia, Cesanese, 2022, Lazio, ItalyI was intrigued by this wine made by Casale del Giglio, with the Cesanese grape, from Lazio, Italy.
A dry red wine with red cherry and redcurrant flavours it’s an easy drinking wine, quite light in body and flavours though. It’s not bad but at £22 a bottle I would expect much more.
Thorrington Mill, Bacchus, 2022, Essex, UK
Nestling in the Essex countryside is the Thorrington Mill Vineyard. While not a massive producer it does make some excellent wine. This 2022 Bacchus is a classy wine. A dry, refined Bacchus with subtle flavours of grapefruit, citrus with a little peach and hint of flint, it’s well worth trying. A well deserved gold received at the 2024 Essex wine awards, see www.essexwineawards.co.uk and at under £20 a bottle very reasonably priced.
Yalumba, Galway vintage, Shiraz, 2022, Barossa Valley, Australia
The Barossa valley in Australia is known as a fantastic wine region and produces superior red wine. This dry red has strong tannins with depth and flavours of plum, blackcurrant, oak and hints of chocolate. It’s a good wine but nothing to make it stand out. At £15 a bottle I would like more subtle flavours and texture. Think of it as a Ford Focus car.
Domaine des Brosses, Alain Girard et Fils, Sauvignon Blanc, 2022, Loire, France
Ah, french sauvignon Blanc is far more subtle than the usual New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. While this is not the greatest wine to come out of France it is a well made, on the drier side with flavours of citrus and softness that makes you happy to have another glass. At over £15 a bottle its a bit pricey but rather nice.
Grande Rivers Vineyard, 2022, Colorado, USAI think this is the first wine from Colorado that I’ve tasted and I’m pleased to say its pretty good. It’s a good solid Merlot. Dry, decent Plum and red fruit flavours with reasonable length and medium tannins, it’s a drinking wine. Bit like a Ford Escot was in the 90’s, solid and decent.
Rhonea, Notre Dames Des Vignes, 2022, Cotes Du Rhone, France
This dry white blend from Rhonea from the Cotes Du Rhone Villages has Grenache, Viognier and Clairette. It’s a dry white with lemon, grapefruit and peach notes. I really liked the freshness and clarity. Zesty salad or fish would lift this wine further.
It’s like a Fiat Panda 4×4, unexpectedly better when tried than you thought before.
This Muscat from Domaine Schlumberger in the Alsace, France is very good, very good indeed. Off dry but with flavours of pineapple, peach, mangoes it’s fresh and vibrant. Great on its own or with fish and curries it’s quite delightful. At £15 it’s cheap for the quality. Its like getting a 2nd hand electric car and realising it’s rather good and now pretty cheap.
Maison Fortant, Minervois, 2022, Languedoc, France
This blend of Syrah and Grenche is full of Blackcurrent and spice flavours with a note of chocolate and long length. Dry with tannins that are well integrated and you have a great wine. At £15 a bottle it show cases Languedoc’s excellent red wine perfectly, it’s like a Mercedes E class at Ford Puma prices.
Tikves Winery, Babuna White
Made from Albariño, Chardonnay and Viognier this white blend from North Macedonia is rather good. Medium bodied with flavours of apple and pears with a floral notes and an aromatic undertone which ties it all together. At about £15 a bottle it’s like a Ford Fiesta with alot of upgrades.