Last week I went to the Sainsbury’s spring tasting. Slightly less impressive than the recent Tesco one, I thought, though the Taste the Difference range is consistently reliable and there were some particularly good buys from the Loire. Here’s my pick of what I tasted:
Taste the Difference Sancerre 2007 £10.49
Produced by Florian Mollet in St Satur, this is absolutely textbook Sancerre - fine, elegant and minerally. Not showing any awkwardness despite its youth. Perfect for simply cooked seafood such as grilled seabass.
Sancerre La Moussière 2007 Alphonse Mollet (£13.99 from June in larger branches)
Richer, less mineral, more complex this wine comes from one of the best vineyards in the region - the Domaine de la Moussière. It has a fine, persistent finish that makes me think it would stand up well to Asian flavours. A good wine to drink with sashimi and other Japanese fish dishes.
Taste the Difference Pouilly Fumé 2007 (£9.99 from August)
Again exactly what you’d expect and hope for - the classic gunflint nose, intense minerality and steeliness. Already quite evolved. A similar register in terms of food to the Sancerre. So great with fish. And goats' cheese, of course.
Pouilly Fumé Antique 2007, Domaine Mollet-Maudry (£12.99 in selected branches)
Another wine from Florian Mollet, even better, if anything, than his Sancerre. Soft and rich but with a fabulously crisp finish. Perfect for fresh crab.
Taste the Difference Albarino 2007 £5.99
Recently bottled, I suspect, when I tasted it (early May 2008) with an uncharacteristic touch of spritz but if it follows the pattern of the previous vintages I’ve sampled it should turn out fine. Crisp and clean. A great shellfish wine - especially at this price.
Taste the Difference Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Vivid, intense lemon peel flavours - typically Chilean. This wine is made for Sainsbury’s by the highly competent Vina Errazuriz from grapes grown in the Casablanca Valley. Could handle some punchy Asian or Mexican flavours, especially coriander and lime.
Taste the Difference Western Australian Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007 £7.99
Not currently showing the intense herbaceousness that WA sem/sauvs can exhibit though the buyer, Julian Dyer, reckons it will develop that way. I like it how it is with a nice balance of ripe fresh pineapple fruit and sauvignon crispness. A good aperitif and accompaniment for early summer vegetables such as asparagus and peas
Stamford Brook Viognier 2007 £5.99
This generous, full-flavoured Australian Viognier is really cracking value - smooth and rich with lush tropical fruit flavours. It would be great with mildly spiced south-east Asian salads and stir fries. Or even with simply grilled chicken.
Capel Vale Cellar Exclusive Western Australia Verdelho Chardonnay Chenin 2007 (£7.99 from mid-June)
A blend that reminds me of the classic Houghton HWB (Houghton’s White Burgundy). Although it’s currently very crisp and fresh I suspect it would age well and make interesting drinking i3-5 years down the line. A good all-rounder that would make versatile summer drinking with salads and seafood. Very appealing
Tahbilk Marsanne 2006 £9.99
Utterly original from its rich grilled pineapple flavour to its utterly retro labelling this is an icon among Australian wines. Since 1992 It has apparently been awarded nine trophies and 51 gold, 65 silver and 199 bronze medals. Thai prawn salad is the suggested pairing on the Tahbilk website which sounds pretty good to me. Ten years on I think I’d be drinking it like a sweet wine with duck liver paté or blue cheese.
