Wine of the week: Rafala Tinto Tempranillo

It may be so-called flaming June but the weather is anything but summery this weekend so I’m abandoning rosé for the time being and thinking about red.

This Rafala Tinto Tempranillo 2018, from Castila is perfect for this time of year being appetisingly juicy and not too heavy despite its 14% ABV. And it’s organic which is an unexpected plus at this price. At just £7 (from the Co-op) it’s an absolute steal.

It would go with a pizza, it would go with a curry and it would be be perfect with a barbecue, assuming the sun breaks through.

If you like an even fuller-bodied red you’ll like the Firebrand Old Vine Grenache 2019 (14.5%) from Australia’s Riverland that the Co-op is selling for £9.50. It has the hefty wallop of ripe fruit you expect from an Aussie wine but avoids being excessively jammy. There's a good back story abouit it on the Co-op website. Think beef - burgers, steaks and BBQ.

Wine of the week: Zarper malbec

I was going to recommend a rosé this week having got the misguided impression from the heatwave last weekend that summer was on its way. But today in my home town of Bristol it’s cold, windy and about to rain so I think malbec is more the order of the day.

This Zarper Malbec from Indomita is one I came across at the Morrisons tasting earlier in the week. It comes from Chile rather than Argentina - which is more common these days than it was a couple of years ago.

It shares the bold spicy character of its neighbour over the Andes with maybe a touch softer, riper fruit. It ain’t subtle but if you’re a fan of big reds it’s a handsome bottle at a decent price - £8 - that would be great with a barbecue or, given the weather, a chilli con carne.

What food to match with malbec

I’ve been assured the 2017 vintage, which is the one I tasted is in stock, so make sure that’s the one you buy.

The sauvignon blanc from the same producer at the same price is decent too.

Wine of the week: Black Star 2016

This is the second of two really good German reds I’ve come across this summer*. It may surprise you that Germany makes red wine at all but it now makes up a significant amount of what the country produces

Note however the attempt to make it look decidedly un-German - the contemporary label does little to suggest its origin apart from a discreet Pfalz (one of the main German wine regions) - or even the grapes it’s made from.

It’s on sale at £6.99 currently at Aldi as part of their summer wine festival which means that stock is limited so at that price I’d load up with a few. It has lovely dark vibrant fruit which is enhanced by being unfiltered and is altogether rather delicious. (They suggest you decant it but I quite like it as it is). I’d drink it with a barbecue, the first of the season’s game and/or autumn vegetables like roast squash.

* The other being a Dornfelder at Lidl which was selling for just £4.99 but which I imagine has disappeared by now. Grab some if you can though.