Wine of the Week: Tesco Finest Soave Classico Superiore

Soave is one of the most underrated Italian wines - and one of the most keenly priced.

This gold-medal winning example comes from the 2019 vintage so has already gained some richness and complexity - certainly far more than you have any right to expect from a wine that costs £7.50.

You could drink it with a mushroom or seafood risotto, with any kind of pasta with a buttery or creamy sauce (like a carbonara) or with simply pan-fried or grilled fish - or a fish pie.

In a similar vein Tesco also has a really classy chardonnay from negociant Bouchard AIne et Fils called Grand Conseiller which although it only comes from the 2020 vintage is drinking better than many white burgundies I’ve tasted that would cost a good deal more. (This is only £9 or £7.50 until next Monday if you’re a Clubcard member)

It would also go with the same type of food as a white burgundy - see a longer list here.

Specially Selected Roussanne Pays d’Oc (and 2 other Aldi bargains)

Roussanne may not be on your radar but it should be. It’s one of the white wine varieties you find in the Rhône and Languedoc - often in a blend - and has a gorgeous peachy character that makes it particularly delicious with roast chicken.

This amazingly well-priced example comes from Aldi where it’s selling for just £6.99 which must be one of the wine bargains of the year. It’s fresh, peachy and delicious with just a touch of citrus - just mouthwateringly good.

There are two other new French wines from Aldi you might want to snap up - also made by the hugely clever Jean-Claude Mas a winemaker who consistently manages to deliver interesting wines at an affordable price.

A Limoux chardonnay which you’ll love if you’re into big rich chardonnays - the oak isn’t overdone though - and a full-bodied red called Marselan which is a cross between cabernet sauvignon and grenache. It’s rich, dark and plummy and should appeal if you’re into malbec. Think hearty casseroles and pies - and pheasant when it comes into season.

Both are also £6.99 so load up for autumn.

Here are some other great pairings for roast chicken

I was sent these wines to try as press samples.

Wine of the week: Ataraxia Chardonnay 2013

Every so often (sadly not THAT often) you come across a wine on a wine list that’s so well priced you can’t quite believe it. Which is what happened to us last night at the St Vincent in Clifton.

It’s a world class South African chardonnay from the Hemel-en-aarde region -beautifully smooth and creamy with just a hint of that struck match character that makes Burgundy so beguiling.

At £12.50 for a 50cl carafe (nice to see it carafed by the way) goodness knows why it wasn’t selling. The South-African owners of the restaurant had apparently bought a large consignment which they were struggling to shift so were flogging if off by the glass. We had the last bottle so I’m afraid it’s all gone now. (Cue for unseemly gloating.)

We should by rights have drunk it with the grilled lobster they have on the menu but were were checking out their fixed price early evening menu (£12.75 for two courses: good for the money but there’s better food in Bristol to be honest.)

If you want to acquire some Ataraxia for yourself Butlers Wine Cellar of Brighton appears to have the best price at £18.99 a bottle, it's £19.50 at Stone, Vine & Sun and £23.50 at Bottle Apostle. You can see why I leapt on it.

Berry Bros & Rudd Reserve Red

Only a merchant with a pedigree like Berry Bros & Rudd could consider an £8.45 bottle a ‘house wine’ but if your usual fare is classed growth claret I guess it is.

And they’ve managed to come up with three very appealing wines in their new ‘Reserve’ range. The wines come from their existing supplier, Jean-Luc Terrier who is based in the Limoux area of the Languedoc.

I particularly like the deliciously warm, juicy Rhone-ish red which is based on Merlot with a dash of Syrah and Grenache (the Syrah particularly comes through). It’s hard to think of a type of food with which it wouldn’t appeal but it would be especially good with roasts, grills, pies, sausages and robust pasta dishes.

The Reserve White, a blessed relief from pure Sauvignon, is based on the excellent chardonnay of the Limoux region given an intriguingly musky spin with some Sauvignon Blanc, Mauzac and Vermentino. I immediately thought 'fish pie' when I tasted it.

And the pale, salmon pink Reserve Rosé, mainly Cinsault and Syrah with a smattering of Grenache and Mourvèdre is refreshingly dry with far more 'bite' than the typical Provencal rosé. The ideal wine to drink with seared salmon or tuna.

I also approve of the 13% ABV of all the wines - enough to give them character without being over-alcoholic.

These are reliable, crowd-pleasing but far from bland wines that really show off what the Languedoc has to offer. Given that BBR has the royal warrant I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Queen didn’t have some in her cellar.

* Although all the wines, as I’ve mentioned, are £8.45 you pay only £7.60 if you buy an unsplit case of 12. Which is a bit of no-brainer.