Drinks of the Month
Wine of the Week: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Faugères
I must admit I’ve always had a soft spot for Faugères which was one of the wine regions closes to our house in the Languedoc. The reds tendsto have a higher percentage of syrah compared to neighbouring appellations which makes the wines more elegant.
This one, which is part of Sainsbury’s new ‘Discovery’ collection is made by the admirable Laurent Miquel who also makes some of the best viognier in the region. It’s a robust 14% but wears it lightly with a lovely spicy freshness that would work with all kinds of all sorts of wintry food, especially roasts and casseroles. Just what we need now the clocks have gone back.
Unfortunately, along with the other wines in the range, it’s already been repriced since the tasting a couple of weeks ago but on the current 25% off six bottles deal which lasts until Tuesday November 2nd it’s a very affordable £8.25 rather than £11 so I’d definitely snap some up if I were you. (Note the Ts & Cs below* - it's not available in Scotland.)
I’m not as smitten by the other wines in the Discovery range which aims to showcase less familiar wines though the Alsace riesling at the same price is a great buy if you’re a riesling fan and the Verdicchio Classico Superiore is interesting though at 14.5% uncharacteristically rich and peachy for that grape - more likely to appeal if you like chardonnay or viognier than Italian whites. And that’s been repriced at £13 or £9.75 on this offer.
The Chateau Thebaud Muscadet too, which comes from the 2016 vintage, won’t be to everyone’s taste, being nutty rather than the crisp wine that you might expect but if you're a fan of mature muscadet it should appeal, especially at £11.25 on this discount (the full price is £15). It would go with richer fish dishes rather than raw shellfish.
Of the other two reds the Côtes de Beaune Villages 2019 is OK at £15 though I wouldn't pay £20 for it as it’s a bit too young to drink now and I didn’t like the oddly tarry Vino Nobile de Montepulciano (now £12 rather than £10) at all.
It does show that there is a price to be paid for these across the board discounts though it’s always possible there will be an offer on the range in the next promotional period. But prices are heading inexorably upwards.
*Offer ends 02/11/21 Offer not available in Scotland. Excludes bottles under £5 in England or £7 in Wales. Minimum unit pricing applies in Wales. Excludes bottles 200ml and under, Sainsbury’s House wine, fortified wine, boxed wine & gift sets. Max 36 bottles. Available in selected stores. Offer available on orders delivered on or before 02/11/21
Le Malbec d’Hervé, Pays d’Oc 2019
The Languedoc probably isn’t the first place you think to look for malbec and if you’re in love with the seductively, lush Argentinian style you may even be a touch disappointed but as someone who sometimes finds new world malbec a bit too full on this Malbec d'Hervé is right up my street.
It’s a totally smashable bright, breezy red made from 30 year old vines in the Vallée de l’Orb, the kind you instinctively want to reach for on a wet weekend like this - or, come to think of it, with a barbecue on a much more summery day. And it’s currently under £10 (£9.99 to be exact) if you buy any 12 bottles from Averys or Laithwaites.
They say it would be ‘a fine choice' with marinaded pork chops, roast chicken or veggie kebabs. It would but frankly it would go with practically anything. (Well, not EVERYTHING, but you know what I mean. More than just steak.)
Mas des Chimères Oeillade 2014
You don’t expect to find a wine like this on a supermarket shelf, even in their upmarket in-store cave but that’s exactly where I discovered this delicious organic red in my friends’ local Hyper U.
It comes from the Coteaux du Salagou an appellation to the north-east of Clermont l’Hérault, is made from cinsault (currently one of my favourite grapes for everyday drinking) and at just 12% is one of those incredibly quaffable vins de soif you come across in France these days. I can’t remember the exact price but think it was around €8.
Mas des Chimères, which was set up in 1993 is run by the handsomely moustachioed Guilhem Dardé, his wife Palma and his daughter Maguelone. They recommend the Oeillade with ‘grillades’ - in other words simply grilled meat.
Frustratingly it doesn’t appear to be available in the UK (maybe someone would like to remedy that?) but you can buy it online in France from 1907.fr which sells it for €7.50 - or from the cellar door. Louis Dressner imports it in the US.
Off the shelf: Les Crouzes Old Vines Carignan 2014
If you’re looking for a cheap all-purpose red after Christmas this old favourite from the Co-op should fit the bill.
It’s only 12% too which makes it quite light if you’re used to drinking wines that are around 14% but that also brings it under 100 calories per 125ml glass* which can make you feel smugly virtuous. And it’s on offer at £5.49 a bottle which won’t break the bank (with an extra 15% off today (Jan 3rd) if you buy 4 bottles)
It’s made from old Carignan vines which are indigenous to the Languedoc and is a good simple quaffing red to drink with stews, sausages or pulses. And it’s a good wine for mulling if you’re minded to keep that going through January.
*About 95 calories in fact.
Off the shelf: Domaine Grangette La Saignée de Rose Piquepoul Noir 2012
As I mentioned in my Guardian column this week I’m slightly disenchanted with the Languedoc’s signature grape variety Picpoul which isn’t nearly the good value it once was but Grangette’s is one I rather like.
Even better is their more unusual Piquepoul Noir which the manager of La Taverne du Port, a wine shop and restaurant in Marseillan, urged us to try. It manages to pull off what Sauvignon rosés rarely achieve - being crisp, fruity and dry. It tastes like a Picpoul but has the structure of a dry rosé. It was terrifically good with a scratch picnic-style lunch of charcuterie and tomato salad yesterday.
I haven’t got my copy of Jancis Robinson et al’s excellent Wine Grapes to hand but according to her website Piquepoul Noir is a rare variant of the better known Piquepoul Blanc which can also be found in small quantities in Spain where it goes under the name Picapoll Negre.
Needless to say, thanks to the Chancellor, it costs a good deal more back home than the 6€ we paid for it at La Taverne du Port* - you’ll pay £10.25 a bottle for it at the only UK stockist I could find, Carte du Vin, but that’s still not a bad price for an interesting rosé.
* a shop I can strongly recommend if you’re looking for interesting wines in the area. In addition to local wines they also have a good selection from Burgundy and the Rhone - and an informal restaurant/wine bar with an interesting and well-priced selection of wines by the glass.
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