Being an ardent Francophile I was surprised to find how many of my top picks from Sainsbury’s this summer were from the New World - 5 from Australia compared to 3 from France, 2 from Italy and 1 each from Spain, California, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand. I was also surprised how much I was expected to pay for some of them (see below and more tomorrow) but suffice it to say for the moment don’t go impulse buying in the fine wine section . . .
Against that there are some good wines available at the very attractive price point of £5.99, some attractive £7.99s and the Taste the Difference range offers excellent value for money.
Rocca Guicciarda Chianti Classico 2005 £14.99 selected stores
It’s salutary that this is what you have to pay for a good Chianti these days but at least this delivers all round with a great intensity of flavour that shows it still has some way to go. Handsome bottle too. I’d be wanted to drink this with an Italian style roast of lamb or a bistecca alla Fiorentina
Taste the Difference Primitivo 2007 £5.99
A bargain buy. Made for Sainsbury’s by the award-winning Cantine due Palme it’s simply bursting with ripe brambly fruit but also achieves a supple elegance you rarely find at this price. A natural for southern Italian flavours (tomato, aubergine, cheese and a touch of chilli) but would also go well with spicy Italian-style sausages. Good for a barbie too
Mayor de Castilla Ribera del Duero 2006 £5.99
Unusually well priced for Ribera but has all its classic animal, funky, slightly leathery appeal. One to buy in the autumn and drink with beefy casseroles and braises and with game.
Taste the Difference Cotes du Rhone Villages 2006 £5.99
Absolutely sound, straight-down-the-line unoaked Côtes du Rhône made for Sainsbury’s by Chapoutier. 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault. Great everyday drinking that would pair well with British staples such as shepherd’s pie and sausage and mash.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blason des Papes 2007 £10.49
I viewed this wine with some suspicion given the producer name which sounds like Blason de Bourgogne moving into the Rhone but can find no evidence of that on their website. Fact is that Chateauneuf is one of those wines guaranteed to impress less knowledgeable guests than you and at this price it’s a snip. Good with a robustly spiced roast of pork - or lamb or beef, come to that.
Crozes Hermitage L’Esprit de Fief* 2003 £12.99 in selected branches from mid May
Just gorgeous - sweet and generous and rich and spicy. My favourite red of the tasting. Your friends won’t be as impressed as by the Chateauneuf above but this is a better wine. Heaven with steak or a slap up Sunday roast.
Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel 2005 £8.69
A better vintage of this regular Sainsbury’s line than I’ve tasted recently - nice and smooth with nice sweet brambly hedgerow fruit. I always think Zin is a good cheese wine but this would be good with rustic Italian dishes like spaghetti with meatballs too. Possibly a pound too expensive though.
Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 £9.99
Classic Chilean Cab. Beautifully lush, ripe fruit from the Aconcagua Valley aged in 80% French new oak. “A classy pour” I’ve written in my notes. It is but it could also take on some robustly spiced food. Butterflied leg of lamb cooked on the barbecue for example
Taste the Difference South African Shiraz 2006 £7.15
The price may have crept over the £7 mark but this South African Shiraz made for Sainsbury’s by the ultra-reliable Graham Beck is terrific value. Sure it has the huge sweet jammy fruit you’d expect but there’s some nice balancing acidity too. Sounds dismissive but it’s another great barbecue wine
Taste the Difference New Zealand Pinot Noir 2007 £8.99
£8.99 seems to be the standard entry level price for New Zealand Pinot Noir but this example, made for Sainsbury’s by Grovemill, doesn’t disappoint. Despite its very pale colour it’s packed with raspberry fruit but already has that sensuous silky texture you look for as a pinot noir lover. Seared salmon or tuna, I’d say.
De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2007 £9.99
Less immediately appealing than the wine above (the nose was a little muted on the day I tasted it) but with a complexity and depth the other wine lacks. Quite Burgundian in style. Would be lovely with roast duck and peas
Oxford Landing Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre 2006 £5.99
Another great £5.99 bargain, all the more impressive for coming from one of Australia’s big brands. Won a bronze medal in the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards. Tastes of the Rhone - as it should with these varietals - with quite a spicy kick. I found myself thinking of a vegetarian bake (something I don’t often find myself doing!) or maybe a roast vegetable lasagne. But then you could drink it with duck confit . . .
Taste the Difference Coonawarra Cabernet 2006 £7.99
A wine that illustrates the virtues of the TTD range by exhibiting true regional typicity. This is Coonawarra Cabernet through and through, dark, liquoricey, damsony with a touch of eucalyptus - I’d love to drink it with venison - or wild boar, come to that. Beef too, obviously. Excellent at this price but look out for promotions.
Capel Vale Cellar Exclusive Western Australia Shiraz 2005 £7.99
I’ve never been a huge fan of Capel Vale but this wine - and the Verdelho blend I mentioned yesterday - are very sound buys. Despite the big tannins this is a classy shiraz with more peppery notes than the South African shiraz above. Steak, steak and more steak!
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2004 £18.99
All you want from Australia - apart from the price. I’ll be writing more about this tomorrow but I found this wine online for between £13.18 and £14.81 a bottle so what is Sainsbury’s doing selling it for up to £5.81 more? (Lining up a ‘special offer’, I suspect) If you don’t mind effectively burning a fiver this is a glorious wine in its prime, sweet and perfumed but still with great ageing potential. Lovely with a classic leg of lamb.
