Drinks of the Month

‘Meli Melo’ 2013 and 3 other good wine finds from Yapp

‘Meli Melo’ 2013 and 3 other good wine finds from Yapp

One of the problems of recommending a wine that most people can only buy online is that they generally have to buy a case - either of that wine or others they haven't a clue whether they’ll like or not.

So if you’ve been enticed by the two rosés I recommended from Yapp in this week’s column in the Guardian here are 4 other wines that might make up your dozen.

Top of my list at this time of year would be the 2013 Meli-Melo (£10.95) from Domaine Roquemale in the Hérault which is made from Alicante Bouschet - a grape that is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. It’s organic - as are many of the wines I’m attracted to - though vibrantly juicy rather than funky and at just 12%, perfectly suited to summer drinking. The perfect wine for a picnic.

I also love the 2014 L’Arpenty Chinon (also 12% £13.50) from the Loire which has all that typically scrunchy fruit of the Cabernet Franc grape - like a handful of freshly picked raspberries and mulberries, leaves and stalks as well as fruit. It’s a wine you could easily serve chilled with fish - seared tuna would be perfect,

The Loire was one of the two French regions on which Yapp built their reputation and so you can trust them with a wine I haven’t seen for a very long time, Gros Plant. At one time it was almost unbearably acidic but just like neighbouring Muscadet it has immeasurably improved in quality. The Domaine de la Mortaine 2013 (£9.75) they stock is whistle-clean, bright and sharp as a squeeze of lemon and would be perfect with oysters and other raw shellfish. If you like the Basque white wine Txacoli you’ll love it. If you're more of a chardonnay guy - or gal - you may not.

And finally an exuberant red from J.P.Boisson, 'Le Petit Caboche’ 2013 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (£9.50 13.5%), an exotically dark, spicy blend of Caladoc, Syrah, Marselan and Grenache Noir that would be great with a grill or a lamb tagine. I haven't tasted the new 2014 vintage but they have a 15 for the price of 14 case offer on it at £133 which would bring the price per bottle down to £8.87.)

Crozes-Hermitage, Les Galets Domaine des Hauts Chassis  2011

Crozes-Hermitage, Les Galets Domaine des Hauts Chassis 2011

I’ve a bit of a weakness for the Rhône but was really blown away by this amazing Crozes I tasted at the Berry Bros & Rudd tasting this week - part of their Rhône sale which lasts until November 10th.

It’s young syrah at its best - heady, fruity and peppery - full of life and character or as the tasting note rather eccentrically puts it “succulent, come-hither fruit basket flavours” I’m not sure I know what a fruit basket tastes like but you get the picture. I can’t find out much about the domaine but it seems to be run on traditional lines adopting lutte raisonée principles.

You could drink the wine with confit duck, with grilled or roast lamb, with a big juicy pork chop or a bavette steak and chips - it’s the kind of versatile red to have around whenever you feel like treating yourself to a good hearty red.

Admittedly the normal price of £19.95 doesn’t justify everyday drinking - in fact I think I'd baulk at paying quite that much for it - but if you buy a case in the sale, you get it for a much more reasonable £14 a bottle . If that still seems a bit steep find a Rhône-loving neighbour and split a case.

It’s imported in the US by Planet Wine of San Francisco.

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