Here’s the second part of my Tesco tasting notes with food pairings to match. On the credit side there are some delicious, inexpensive pinot noirs. On the debit side, some very dull riojas (which I won’t be recommending!)
Canaletto Pinot Noir Provincia di Pavia 2006 £4.99
£4.99 for a Pinot Noir - now that’s really something. A surprise too as you don’t associate Italy too often with the variety and I’m not a big fan of Casa Girelli who produce the Canaletto brand. But this is simply delicious, with lovely sweet raspberry fruit. Chill lightly and serve with seared tuna or salmon or serve at a summer buffet.
Maven Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006 £8.99
The Marlborough region of New Zealand is getting quite a reputation for its Pinot Noirs and this is a cracking example. At this price it’s obviously a more powerful wine than the one above and in my view could benefit from a bit more ageing to fully integrate its tannins but it’s well worth snapping up. Lovely pure sweet fruit. Very good with seared duck or venison I’d say.
Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir £9.99
A European-style Pinot with a touch of Burgundian funk. Finely textured and sweet - complex and satisfying on the palate. Would be very good with butterflied lamb cooked on the barbecue, fillet steak or, again, with duck.
Stockmans Station Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 £12.99 (selected branches)
Tesco really has invested heavily in Kiwi Pinot Noir. Here’s a stonker from Central Otago - a real heavyweight - dense, powerful and spicy. One for robustly marinated red meat, steak, lamb and cervena (the New Zealand name for venison). Could take flavourful accompaniments in the way of veggies like Portobello mushrooms and roast butternut squash. (If any of you have Kiwi chef Peter Gordon’s books, dip into those)
Tesco Finest Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2006 £12.99
It’s a sign of how sophisticated the Tesco Finest range has become that there are real differences between this Australian Pinot and the Marlborough one, above. This is more elegant and silky-textured with a refreshing acidity. Back to seafood, I think, especially tuna. And very nice indeed with grilled chicken.
Chateau Corbières, Lionel Faivre 2000 (Online only. Normally on sale for £60 for 6. On offer till the end of April (2008) for £30 for 6)
I’m not normally that keen on Carignan, or the producer negociant Louis Max but this deep-flavoured mature organic Corbieres is a real bargain. One for the last of the winter stews or a steak and kidney pie.
Tesco Vina Mara Rioja Tempranillo 2005 £6.99
The best of a disappointing bunch of riojas offering the typically soft strawberry jam fruit laced with vanilla and a touch of spice that’s so characteristic of this wine. The producer is the very capable Baron de Ley. Perfect for a traditional roast lamb Sunday lunch with the in-laws. Or with a good shepherd’s pie.
Tesco Finest Valpolicella Ripasso 2005 £5.98
Ripasso is Valpolicella that is left in contact with the grape skins used for making Amarone (see below) so has more ‘oomph’ than a standard Valpol. One of those wines that needs food to shine, some roast pork with fennel maybe, a pasta with meat sauce or maybe a mushroom risotto. Well priced
Rocca Alata Amarone della Valpolicella 2005 £9.99
Great value for this rich typically porty Amarone that’s worth laying in for next autumn when I’d drink it with dishes such as oxtail or a lamb tagine with prunes. If you can’t wait till then it would make a good wine for a cheeseboard or for serving with blue cheese and a fig compote.
Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Syrah 2005 £6.99
Laurent Miquel is a forward looking Languedoc producer who specialises in two varieties, Syrah and Viognier. If you’re a fan of Crozes Hermitage you’ll love this satisfyingly rich Rhoneish syrah - a great match for roast or grilled beef or for really good garlicky sausages and beans. My kind of wine.
Domaine de la Grande Bellane Cotes du Rhone Villages 2006 £5.99
A reliable and attractive unoaked, organic Cotes du Rhone which delivers year after year. Very flexible with food. You could drink it with all kinds of modern British dishes such as lamb shanks or sausage and mash but I like this style of wine with Mediterranean vegetables such as aubergines, peppers and courgettes. (A veggie lasagne or veggie bake, for example)
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Gonnet Freres 2005 £16.99 (selected branches)
Not cheap, no, but compared to other top wines Chateauneuf has become a bargain. A well-balanced, deeply savoury, vinous wine that I’d want to drink with some roast ribs of beef, slow-cooked shoulder of mature hill-farm or salt-marsh lamb or a daube. Should also survive a carefully chosen cheeseboard (so no 'stinky' cheeses or strong blues)
Tesco Finest Napa Merlot 2005 £7.99
Good to see Merlot, especially Californian Merlot, staging a bit of a comeback though the very keen price (which compares very favourably to a similar quality Bordeaux) reflects its relative unfashionability. As is typical of Napa wines, the oak is much in evidence but well integrated. A perfect wine for a steak.
Kanonkop Paul Sauer Red 2004 £17.99
South African Cabernet Sauvignon can age unattractively, aquiring brownish vegetal notes but there’s no sign of this in this classic Bordeaux blend which I think is my favourite red of this tasting. Still very concentrated with sweet, ripe blackberry fruit. Still plenty of ageing potential. A wine to partner good quality meat (lamb or beef) served simply (roast or grilled)
Ring Bolt Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 £7.99
If I’d tasted this cabernet blind I’d probably placed it in Coonawarra - it’s got such a marked eucalyptus flavour. Very dense blackcurrant fruit - great for the price. Good barbecue wine - it would go brilliantly well with home-made beefburgers
Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2006 £6.99
Not quite sure what Tesco is doing to its suppliers to get their wines at this price - hopefully not putting them out of business. This is a cracking shiraz in the classic Northern Rhone mode but with unmistakeable lush, ripe (but mercifully not over-jammy) Aussie fruit. Another barbie wine - this time I’m thinking barbecued pork . . .
