Wine of the Week: Asda Extra Special Fiano

Finding drinkable wines under a fiver these days is a tough call but Asda’s Extra Special Fiano is worth anyone’s money

Fiano is a grape you find in Southern Italy and, in this case, Sicily and has a smooth peachy chardonnay-like character although with a refreshing citrussy edge. They recommend drinking it with caesar salad and fresh seafood but it would rub along pretty well with anything with a creamy sauce or dressing. It’s normally £6 but on their current buy 3 bottles save 20% deal you can get it for £4.80.

While you’re in Asda you might also want to pick up the Extra Special Pinot Noir, Valle de Leyda 2020 13.5% £6.50 a soft, fruity style of pinot brimming with ripe red berry flavours and again good value at £6.50 a bottle or £5.20 on the 3 bottle deal. That would be great with duck. Or there’s the 2020 Extra Special Barossa Valley Shiraz (14%) which would appeal if you like a big, boisterous Aussie red. That’s on offer at £7 or £5.60 on this deal and would go with a steak, a chilli or a meat curry.

I also really like the aromatic, almost gewurztraminer-like Feteasca Regala (£5 or £4 on this deal) which I discovered last year went really well with a chicken katsu curry

It might be worth buying one of each to get the discount and see which you like best. The offer ends on February 14th.

Two massively drinkable natural wines for under £10

I’ve long been a fan of natural wine but can’t argue with the fact that it’s expensive. For good reason - it’s often made on a very small scale by artisan producers but that generally takes it out of the realm of everyday drinking.

So hats off to natural wine pioneers Les Caves de Pyrène who have collaborated with winemaker Luca Hodgkinson to make two delicious wines you’d be as pleased to drink on a midweek night in as to find in a wine bar.

The red, La Cueva, a blend of pais, carignan and cabernet sauvignon from the Maule valley, is a light juicy vin de soif I’d be inclined to chill and which would be great gulped down with a selection of mezze or antipasti.

But it’s the white, La Patagua a hazy blend of semillon and moscatel from the Colchagua valley with a lovely taste of fresh pineapple which really excites me. It would be great with all sorts of seafood and salads but at 14.5% it’s more alcoholic than it tastes so watch it!

Both the wines come from the 2021 vintage, are made from organically grown (but uncertified) old vines and vinified with natural yeasts. You can buy them for £9.05 from Les Caves or online from Lola in Leamington Spa for £9

The best of the new Blind Spot wines from The Wine Society

The Wine Society has had a range of exclusive Australian wines called Blind Spot which are made for them by winemaker Mac Forbes for a while.

The idea originally was to offer a range that sat somewhere between the cheap and cheerful wines you found in a supermarket and the country’s more expensive top end wines. They were perfectly decent but not wildly exciting.

The current Australia buyer Freddy Bulmer has introduced four new wines however that are really interesting, although one, the Garganega which is made from the same variety that goes into Soave, seems a bit pricey at £11.95. I’d be happy to pay that for the cheerful brambly Dolcetto, the only 2020 of the line-up, which comes from the Adelaide HIlls and which I think would make the perfect wine for a Friday night pizza but it’s the other two wines that really rock my boat.

The Blind Spot syrah which is very much a syrah rather than a shiraz comes from vineyards in the Grampians that are owned by the Chapoutier family and is just deliciously spicy and peppery. Bulmer believes it’s got ageing potential but I doubt you could hold onto it long enough to verify that.

And my top choice is the simply sensational Pinot Meunier, a grape that is generally used to make champagne but here makes a deeply aromatic wine which it’s hard to decide whether it’s a light red or a rosé. It would be good as an aperitif, as Freddy suggests, but I love the thought of drinking it with mezze or right through a middle eastern meal. A rosé for winter drinking basically and all the more welcome for that.

Both the syrah and the pinot meunier are £12.95 and I suspect will sell fast.

The best value champagne buys Christmas 2021

With bad news all around us the last thing you may feel like is popping a cork but you may just think to yourself 'to hell with it' and resolve to have as good a time as possible.

For most of us that means champagne but the danger always is paying over the odds especially this year when there's a bit of a shortage among the so-called grandes marques (big brands) and so very few discounts.

If you're not too fussed about the name you'll do best if you buy a supermarket own label which are much better value especially if you can get them on a discount. Unfortunately all the 25% off six bottles deals are over for the time being (make a note for the future that's that the time to stock up!)

I'll be updating the post up until the New Year as promotions finish and I spot other offers. (If you want something a bit more special I strongly suggest you drop into an independent wine merchant. There are a couple of recommendations in my recent Guardian column)

Under £15

Veuve Monsigny £13.99 Aldi and Comte de Senneval £13.99 Lidl
Surely it can’t be coincidence that both Aldi and Lidl have a champagne at £13.99? I marginally prefer the Comte de Senneval but they’re both decent. If you want champagne for a party this is where to look

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut on offer at £14.67 at Asda
Pleasantly light, fresh, party fizz. (Also some stylish tulip-shaped glasses if you anticipate breakages)

Under £20

Bredon brut on offer at £17.99 Waitrose
Waitrose generally has a special offer on this toasty fizz which should appeal if you're a lover of the richer style

Bollinger £19.99 a half bottle from Waitrose - if you're lucky. No longer available online
Yes, it's only a half bottle but maye that's all you're looking for? And it is Bolly!

Les Pionniers £19
The Co-op has of the most reliable - and awarded - own label champagnes - impressively still under £20

Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs £19. Also comes in half bottles at £12.50 which would be a bit of a treat for anyone living on their own or having to isolate.

Tesco finest* premier cru £19 if you’re a Clubcard member, otherwise £21.Out of stock online.
Another consistently reliable own label fizz

Under £30

Adnams champagne brut £24.99

Don't overlook the indies - they have good bargains too, even though this has gone up a pound since I last wrote about it. A slightly fuller flavoured toastier fizz that would work with food (especially fish and chips!).

Drappier Premier Cru £24.99 on a mix six deal from Majestic

Drappier makes some really interesting champagnes but their basic non-vintage made in a rich toasty style is particularly good value

Taittinger brut reserve £28 Waitrose (out of stock online)

One of the few big names to be on a discount and with a gift box to boot. Taittinger is generally made in a lighter, fresher style that's ideal for an aperitif

Under £40

Pol Roger Réserve £35.99 on a mix six deal from Majestic

OK £36 isn't exactly cheap - you could almost get 3 bottles of Aldi or Lidl champagne for that but Pol (as it's known in the trade) is one of the nicest non-vintage champagnes and can cost at least a tenner more elsewhere.

Photo by asife at shutterstock.com