Two good Portuguese wine buys from Lidl

Lidl’s latest ‘wine tour’ focuses on Spain and Portugal this month so I tried out a few wines from the selection. These two Portuguese wines struck me as the best buys, not least because they were slightly cheaper than the others. It’s ironic that as other retailers madly scramble to reduce their prices Lidl is steadily creeping up theirs.

Encostas de Caiz Vinho Verde Avesso 2019 12.5% £6.49

Vinho verde seems to get better and better with much more character than the cheap 11% examples that use to be standard. This is deliciously fresh and fruity (I picked up starfruit, kiwi, grapes and green apple) - almost springlike in its appeal so perfect for light fish dishes and salads.

Torre de Ferro Reserva Dao 2017 13.5% £7.49

A full-flavoured, mellow, oaky red that should appeal if you like rioja. Ideal for a Sunday roast or a steak. Great value.

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Agramont Old Vine Garnacha 2019, Navarra 14% £7.99

A more modern juicy, fruity style of Spanish red that would go with big, hearty pork and bean dishes or a chilli. Could definitely handle a bit of spice

But I’m less keen on

CEO Godello Monterrei 2019 £8.49

If you like a rich chardonnay you should enjoy this Godello with its touch of tropical fruit. It’s not especially cheap though. Doesn’t really rock my boat.

Salneval 2019 Val do Salnés Rias Baixas £7.99

I like albariño but it rarely delivers that lovely fresh saline hit at this price. This is just a bit dull. Buy the Vinho Verde instead!

Bruno Murciano L’Alegria Bobal

Some of the most interesting wines I come across currently are from Spain but with restaurants closed I don’t often come across them these days. So full marks to the enterprising London restaurant Arros QD for holding a Saturday night wine tasting to show off some of the wines that are normally on their list.

The wine I liked best was a biodynamic old vine Bobal called L’Alegria from from Utiel-Requena in the south of Spain which is made by former sommelier Bruno Murciano. I guess it would qualify as a natural wine though Bruno chooses to describe it as a ‘vino artesano’.

Like many modern Spanish reds it’s vibrant and brimming with ripe black cherry fruit - a joyous lipsmacking red

It went really well with the selection of Spanish meats and cheeses the restaurant sent over which included some deeply flavourful smoked beef (cecina) and chorizo from Leon but I’m thinking would also pair well with duck or even paella which is the speciality of that part of the world.

You can buy the wine from the restaurant or from Terra Wines who sell it for £13.75 (there’s a good description of the project on their website.)

I was sent this wine as a sample by Arros QD

Six of the best drinks to carry in a hipflask

Since we’re incarcerated for the forseeable future with only a daily walk as light relief it struck me we need to go back to the days when people carried a hipflask of something warm and sustaining, particularly given the current icy conditions.

If you haven’t already got one you might even find one in the sales or give yourself one as a post Christmas present. Aspinall has some very classy ones (apart from the Union Jack version) for £49 at the moment although I’m not sure why they’re labelled ‘Men’s Collection’. Women have hips too.

Farrar & Tanner also has a wide selection including a Barbour hipflask that’s on offer at the time of writing at £20

What to pour in it? Well it has to be strong, warming and even fiery. It’s just a quick nip, after all, not a long drink. Here are my top six candidates.

Six drinks to pour in your hipflask

The King’s Ginger £23.50 for 50cl bbr.com

Possibly the best ever drink for a hip flask not least because it was specifically created by Berry Bros for King Edward VII when he went out on his morning rides. It’s also been rather beautifully rebottled with more lemon than I remember. It IS very gingery though although that is rather the point.

Stone’s - or Crabbie’s - Ginger Wine

A cheaper and more widely available choice. I like the Stone’s Special Reserve £7.50 at Waitrose which at 18% is still strong enough to perk you up on the coldest of days. Or you could always go for the basic ‘original’ 13.5% version as a whisky mac - 50/50 or 60/40 whisky to ginger wine depending on your taste.

Mother Root Ginger Switchel £19 for 480ml (16 serves)

This alcohol-free mixture of ginger, apple cider vinegar and honey would be a good option if you don’t drink or are doing dry January. It’s designed to be diluted but would be fine with just a drop of water.

Sloe (or damson) gin

Sweet, warming and plummy - a great option if you’re not into ginger. Particularly delicious if it’s home made (a neighbour has been giving me some of hers) but almost every distiller who does a range of flavoured gins has one (try Warners or Sipsmith’s)

Sherry cask-aged whisky

I’m a fan of peaty whiskies myself but have to admit they’re better suited to a fireside than a flask. I’d go for a richer sherry cask-aged style for the extra warmth - The Macallan 12 year old if you’re feeling flush or have a lockdown birthday to celebrate, Lidl’s medal-winning Abrachan at just £17.49 if you’re not.

Spanish brandy

Actually any kind of brandy would do the job* but Spanish brandy is somehow warmer more generous and fruitier than cognac or armagnac. Cheaper too. There’s even one called Soberano which is a bit of a laugh. You can buy it for £15 from Asda and Morrisons. Stepping up a bit, the Torres 10 Gran Reserva - at £21.13 from Master of Malt - is worth a place in anyone's flask.

* Such as cider brandy or calvados for example which I should arguably have included but this list would become unhelpfully long if I incorporated everyone's favourite drink. Should you fancy the idea I'd go for the rather charming Somereset Cider Brandy 3 y.o.

See also 10 tips for cold weather drinking

Top photo by Vitezslav Malina at shutterstock.com

Should you buy these Asda wine ‘bargains’?

I was recently sent six festive bottles that Asda has on promotion at the moment - well known classics at substantial reductions with some medal-winners among them (though it’s not clear whether these awards apply to the current vintage).

They arrived after I wrote my column for the Guardian about how some wines are habitually overrated. You can’t complain about these prices but will they live up to your expectations?

Chateauneuf du Pape 2019 14.5% £9.97 instead of £18

Slightly dubious original pricing - I’d have said it was worth more like £15-16 - and young for a Chateauneuf but undeniably attractive with a big wallop of rich spicy fruit.

Verdict: a good bottle for the Christmas table at a very fair price. Buy

Borsari Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 15% £9.97 was £13

Big and rich, but slightly coarse and clumsily oaked. Would disappoint if you’re an amarone fan

Verdict: Pass

Chablis 2018 12.5% £6.97 was £12

Not the best supermarket Chablis I’ve tasted - a bit softer, fruitier and less mineral than Chablis at its best though at under £7 you really can't quibble. Hard to see how it won a gold medal though

Verdict: Worth buying at this price as a crisp fresh white to drink over Christmas

Louis Dailly Pouilly-Fumé 2019 14% £7.97 was £12

There are a couple of weird things about this wine. One is that it’s labelled Grand vin de Bourgogne and bottled at Saint-Jean-d’Ardières in the Rhône. The other is that despite being 14% - high for a sauvignon blanc especially from the Loire - it tastes quite thin. There’s a lot of sauvignon blanc about at this price - most Touraine sauvignons would have more flavour - so don’t rush to buy it just because the offer looks good.

Verdict: Not impressed.

Louis Bernard Vintage Brut Extra Special 2008 12% £22

Rich, toasty and complex as you’d expect from a champagne of this age but is that necessarily what you want? if you’re looking for an aperitif you’d probably enjoy a fresher non-vintage style more. It would be cheaper too.

Verdict: Not a bad buy but there’s plenty of champagne on offer at the moment. I’d go for Lidl’s Comte de Senneval at £12.99 rather than this.

Filippo Sansovino Valdobbiadene Prosecco 11.5% £9 was £10

Really not exceptional either in quality or price. Even with £1 reduction they’re making a good margin on this.

Verdict: Pass. There are better buys out there if you’re a prosecco fan. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco which is currently £8, for one.

Overall: If you generally shop in Asda I’d buy a bottle or two of the Chateauneuf and Chablis but not the others. And I wouldn’t make a special trip to go there for these wines.