Drinks of the Month

Off the Shelf: Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2013

Off the Shelf: Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2013

This weekend is the last in the current promotion at Waitrose which they’re trumpeting dramatically as a ‘last chance to save’ on their collection of spring wines.

Of course it isn’t. There will be a new raft of deals as soon as this one has finished but it’s your last chance to snap up this particular one which is on offer until Tuesday 12th and which I pulled off the shelf in my local small branch in Bristol.

It’s a big juicy red from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa - a classic Rhône blend of Shiraz Mourvèdre and Viognier though mainly shiraz. It’s all gorgeous dark cherries and forest fruits but not overly jammy and would be perfect with a barbecue. If you feel it could benefit from bit of air to make it smoother double decant it (i.e. pour it into a jug then back into the bottle. A funnel makes this job easier if you don’t have a steady hand.)

I paid £6.25 for it which I thought was fair enough given that the usual price is £8.29 but Waitrose has told me that the deal is £5.99 and that’s the price on the website. I don’t know if that was an error on the part of the branch or if they bump up the prices in smaller shops* but you might as well save yourself the extra 26p if you can, especially if you're buying more than one bottle.

By the way, if you like ripe, full-bodied reds you might also enjoy the handsomely bottled Tinto da Anfora 2013 from Portugal’s Alentejo region which is on offer at £7.99. But note the vintage on the website is 2011 not 2013 which is the one I'm recommending. Hopefully that's the one you'll find in store.

* I will look into this!

Off the Shelf: Desconocido 2013

Off the Shelf: Desconocido 2013

The first of my random wine finds in this new series* is a young Spanish red called Desconocido #1 Tinto Joven 2013 from Alicante which is made from bush-vine Monastrell (or Mourvèdre as they call it in France).

It’s made by one of Spain’s most talented winemakers, Telmo Rodriguez, and is a rich, spicy, but at 13.5% not overly alcoholic red - at least not for that part of the world. The idea behind the range, which is called ‘unknown’ is to feature wines from less well-known wine regions, grape varieties or blends. The word 'desconocido' means 'stranger'.

As the blurb on the back label puts it it’s “an artisanal red that would be difficult not to enjoy with a variety of red wine foods”. It was perfect with the pot roast of pork with orange, fennel and olives that has been my recipe of the week this week but I think would go with other robust pork dishes too and costs a modest £7.99 from the Co-op.

* where I pick a bottle that appeals to me randomly from a wine store. See my blog post for the thinking behind this.

Macedonio Finca del Regajo Monastrell Joven 2012

Macedonio Finca del Regajo Monastrell Joven 2012

Those of you who read the Guardian will have spotted that I’ve devoted this week’s column to independent wine merchants but here’s a slightly different business model from a firm called Dashing Wines which bills itself as offering ‘estate wines at everyday prices’.

Instead of holding regular stocks they select a range of wines every two months which get shipped direct from the producer which obviously keeps costs down

The current offer which ends on March 30th (with wines shipped during the week beginning April 20th) includes selections from Bordeaux and south-west France and Spain. I tried some of the Spanish ones and picked out this absolute bargain monastrell (mourvèdre) from Castilla which is selling off the site for £47.70 a case of six or £7.95 a bottle + £4.95 delivery if you order fewer than 12 bottles*. With its smart contemporary label it looks a lot more expensive than that.

Interestingly I discovered that the winemaker had spent time in Chile, Argentina and New Zealand - and it does have that new world generosity of fruit and polish but without being at all jammy. The vines are grown at 700m which lends a real freshness to the wine. The vineyards are in organic conversion.

Unusually for Spain the oak isn’t overdone - the wine was aged on its lees in French and Hungarian oak for 4 months which adds richness rather than tannin.

A generous full-bodied (14.5%) red to take you through these last nippy days of spring and into the barbecue season. I’m not a big one for the term 'lipsmacking' but this wine certainly is.

Domaine Marie 2013 Faugères - the perfect autumn red

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.

Manor House Fairtrade Shiraz Mourvedre 2011

Manor House Fairtrade Shiraz Mourvedre 2011

Before you get too excited about this week's wine of the week you’re unlikely to be able to buy it unless you live in South Africa or Sweden but I want to flag it up because it’s the best Fairtrade wine I've tasted.

It’s a blend of Shiraz and Mourvèdre (mainly shiraz) which is made from dry-farmed grapes grown on the Papkuilsfontein wine farm in Darling, which is run by a partnership of Distell, the Black Economic Empowerment Company and a community trust and made by the Nederburg winemaking team.

It’s a beautifully structured full-bodied red with lovely ripe fruit and smoothly integrated tannins, impressively presented in an expensive (but not ludicrously heavy) bottle - a serious, proper, grown-up wine. Decanter awarded the 2010 vintage 5 stars in its 2012 wine awards - you wouldn’t hesitate to pour it for your pickiest of friends.

It sells for 115SAR in South Africa which is not cheap for the local market though at £6.39 at the current rate of exchange ludicrously good value by our standards and for 120 krone or £11.18 in Sweden which, given how expensive their market is, isn't overpriced either.

The message Nederburg is apparently getting from the UK market is that we’re not interested in paying this much for Fairtrade wine. I think that’s a crying shame. Won’t some retailer try and disprove that theory?

In the meantime if you’re in South Africa and visiting the winery I strongly suggest you buy a bottle or two to bring home.

There’s a more detailed analysis of the wine here.

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