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.

From the cellar: Domaine d’Aupilhac Montpeyroux 1992, Coteaux du Languedoc

One of the pleasures of being at our house in the Languedoc is diving into the cellar and fishing out old, overlooked bottles.

We normally open at least three on the basis that only one is likely to have survived. Last night it was this amazing 23 year old bottle from Sylvain Fadat of Domaine d’Aupilhac which was better than it had any right to be for its modest price tag and the fact that it was only his third vintage. I can’t remember what we paid for it but it would certainly have been well under £10.

There’s no back label so I can’t tell you exactly what the grapes were either but the current 2013 vintage is a blend of mourvèdre, syrah, carignan and grenache - in that order. The ageability is almost certainly due to the mourvèdre according to Doug Wregg of Aupilhac’s current importers Les Caves de Pyrène, a view that gave my husband particular satisfaction as he said it tasted to him like old Bandol.

The colour as you can see was still extraordinarily vivid - it was hardly faded - nor was the gentle, sweet, mellow, plummy fruit. And, more surprisingly still, it was only 12.5% in those days. (The current ABV is more like 14%-14.5%). Considering the conditions in which we keep our wine - not even a proper cellar but a dark, former kitchen with a dirt floor on the ground floor of an old village house its survival in such good condition was nothing short of miraculous*.

The current 2012 vintage is available from les Caves at Pyrene at £12.35 plus VAT (£14.82) or, if you want to sample an older vintage, Terroir Languedoc has the 2000 vintage for £11.95 and the 2006 for £10. You can also buy it direct from the domaine for €14.70 (£10.84 at the current rate of exchange). They have old vintages too.

(What did we eat with it? I’m embarrassed to say nothing grander than a vegetarian pizza we had so little hope of any of the wines being drinkable but it wasn’t a bad match. In an ideal world some roast or grilled lamb would have been a better foil.)

*although the website does say it will age from 4-20 years.

Wine of the week: Virgile Joly Bourret Pays d’Oc 2014

Those of you who have followed me for a while will know I’m not a great fan of Naked Wines but occasionally they come up with a corker that almost tempts me to sign up as an ‘Angel'.

This characterful (and by that I mean full of flavour and texture, not weird) crisp, dry white from Languedoc producer Virgile Joly is a case in point. It’s a blend of Piquepoul and an indigenous local grape, Terret Bourret and has much more flavour and finesse than your average Picpoul de Pinet. It’s the kind of wine I’d happily carry on drinking through the rest of the summer, especially with seafood. £7.99 seems a more than fair price though the notional ‘normal’ price of £10.99, were you able to buy it, would be pushing it a bit.

If you’re ordering from Naked Wines two other wines I’d go for are the 2012 Bravado red from Chilean producer Garcia + Schwaderer, a big ripe supple blend of Carignan, Syrah and Grenache that would be great with a steak (£11.99 to Angels) and the juicy bright spicy Cordero Calabria Rosso 2013 which at £9.99 may be fractionally on the pricey side but it's a perfect wine for a pizza. The 'normal' price (which doesn't make sense if you can't buy it) is £13.99 which is definitely more than it’s worth.

This, by the way, is my issue with Naked. They make it sound as if Angels are getting an exceptional deal but their ‘normal’ price is meaningless. However I know that they have many fans and that they have made it possible for a number of winemakers to start up on their own or expand their business. And should you be accepted as an Angel (there is, believe it or not, a waiting list*) you can apparently stop your membership at any time. Up to you.

* Out of curiosity I’ve signed up to see how long it will take them to accept me. At the moment there are 8026 applications ahead of me and they say mine should be processed by August 31st. I'd be amazed if it wasn't before that. Let's see!

Domaine Marie 2013 Faugères - the perfect autumn red

I’ve a soft spot for the Faugères wine region which is just up the road from our house in the Languedoc. It’s a beautiful wild hilly area on the foothills of the coastal range which produces some lovely warm spicy reds.

This is a good example at an unsually keen price - normally £8.49 but on offer at Waitrose at £6.79 until October 28th. For those who like to know these things it’s a blend of Carignan (35%), Grenache (35%) Syrah (25%) and Mourvèdre but because it’s made from old vines it’s got real intensity and character despite the fact that it’s unoaked. (Often an advantage as it keeps the cost down)

It would be great with autumn food - everything from sausage and mash to a Sunday roast or - thinking ahead a couple of weeks - a bonfire night bash. A really good buy.