Drinks of the Month
Two Greek wines you really should try
There are so many interesting wines in Marks & Spencer’s new ‘Found’ range that it’s hard to single out the best, but as it’s Greek Easter this weekend I’m going for the two Greek ones.
My own favourite is a blend of two indigenous grape varieties Moschofilero and Roditis which have created a gorgeously fragrant white wine that M & S recommends you drink with ‘saganaki’ - a dish of prawns in a rich tomato and feta sauce. (I really love the imaginative wine pairings too!) It would also go brilliantly with Marianna Leivaditaki’s prawns with ouzo, orzo and courgette or simply with a selection of meze. It’s a very reasonable £8.50
The accompanying red, a blend of xinomavro and mandilaria is rich, dark and briary, better suited to roast lamb or kid which is what many Greeks would be eating this weekend, a moussaka or, as M & S suggests, a stifado (slow cooked beef stew) That’s a bit more expensive at £9.50 but really to find wines of this quality and interest for under £10 is remarkable. I remember someone from M & S once telling me that they make a smaller margin on more unfamiliar wines that they want people to try so take advantage!
Both these wines - and others in the range - have been widely written about in the wine press* so I would snap them up if you spot them. You can also buy a mixed case if you want to experiment
* I’ve recommended the pais and the cabernet franc myself in my Guardian column
Kaiken Terroir Series Torrontes 2014
This week I’ve managed to be in both Chile and Argentina so it was a toss-up which should provide the wine of the week . . .
As most of my time was spent in Chile and I need time to sort out my notes on the wines I’ve tasted there I’m going for this delicious Torrontes we tried from a winery called Kaiken over the border in Luyan de Cuyo.
In fact they source the grapes from old vines in Cafayate in Salta up in the north of the country which is considered the best area for this indigenous grape variety. (The vineyards go up to 1600 metres.) It has something of gewurztraminer about it but is softer and slightly less sweet - a great match for south-east Asian food or, locally in Chile, simply prepared shellfish like crab and prawns. (I’ll be posting a fuller list of Torrontes pairings soon).
The 2014 vintage doesn’t seem to have arrived in the UK yet but you can find the 2013 at £8.99 at Hawkshead wines and slurp.co.uk or £10.99 or £8.89 if you buy two bottles from Brook & Vine. It's also widely stocked in the US - see wine-searcher.com for details.
Audacia Godello 2012, Les Trois Amis, Valdeorras
I don’t often get the chance to taste wines from the northern supermarket chain Booth’s but fell hook, line and sinker for this gorgeous Spanish white they served at their pre-Christmas lunch this week.
It’s a Godello from the Valdeorros region of north-western Spain made by three winemaker friends* (hence Les Trois Amis) and is a glorious citrus-burst of wine though softer, richer and less aggressive than many sauvignon blancs.
It was a brilliant match with a ‘shrimp crumpet’ (a crumpet topped with buttery Morecombe Bay shrimps, a poached egg and hollandaise) but would be great with pretty well anything fishy, especially prawns.
The particularly good news is that although it’s normally £15.49** Booth’s has a 3 for the price of 2 offer on wines over £10 currently so you could get it for £10.33 plus another 5% off it you buy six bottles of wine in total. The offer applies in store only until October 7th so lucky you if you have a Booth’s near you!
* Dominique Roujou de Boubée, Laura Montero and Franck Massard
** Berry Brothers match this price if you buy a case of 12 but charge £17.19 for a single bottle.
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