Il Passo Segreto Appassimento Sangiovese

Confession time. Off-dry reds like this 2017 Il Passo Segreto Appassimento Sangiovese are not really my thing but it’s hard to think of a more romantic looking bottle and if you’ve got a sweeter tooth than I have (not hard) you’ll love it.

It’s also got a sexy Italian name though appassimento doesn’t actually mean passionate but refers to the process of making a wine from dried grapes which concentrates the flavour and sweetness. Think of it like a mini-Amarone or a slightly drier port.

You could have it with steak or lamb but personally I’d enjoy it with a selection of cheese, particularly hard and blue cheeses, grapes, figs and cherries - and maybe the odd chocolate. Which is perfect for V Day cos you don’t really want to cook, do you? And at £8.50 (from Tesco) it’s a really good price

If that doesn’t appeal and you want a drier but still voluptuous red I’d go for a pinot noir - probably one from New Zealand as that’s where I’ve just come back from. It could be from Central Otago, or Martinborough but I was impressed by the pinots from Nelson and Marlborough too this time, especially from the family owned Neudorf. If you can run to it buy the Moutere* though the 2016 Tom’s Block (available from James Nicholson in Crossgar, Northern Ireland for £22.50 and Waitrose Cellar for £25.99 if you’re in no rush, is a gorgeous pinot for the money and would be great with duck - and cherries as you'll see from this week's Match of the Week. Neudorf’s chardonnays are lush too.

* Also available for £42.50 from Berry Bros & Rudd if you need to get your hands on a bottle in London

Wine of the week: Bohoek Semillon 2017

One of the grape varieties that has impressed me most over the last few days in South Africa has been semillon and here’s a chance to try it at a really good price.

It’s the 2017 Bohoek Semillon which has been made for Marks & Spencer by Boekenhoutskloof and is on offer in store only at £8 (down from £12) as part of their Spring Wine Festival until the end of March

It’s a lush white with a lick of oak made in the style of white Bordeaux - i.e. smooth with a touch of fresh pineapple and other tropical fruit. It’s very drinkable now (with salmon, chicken satay or Asian-style salads I suggest) but will drink well for another couple of years at least. Not as good as the the winery's own superb semillon in which I may also indulge in at some point but then that’s over three times as much (£26.99 at James Nicholson)

While you’re in M & S you might also fancy the Caruso e Minini Perricone - a bright juicy Sicilian red which is selling for £6 instead of £9 and the 2017 Underwood Oregon pinot noir (down to £9.33) though the latter could do with another few months in the bottle, I reckon.

I’d serve both lightly chilled with seared tuna or, in the case of the perricone with a pizza.

Wine of the week: Tesco finest McLaren Vale GSM 2015

If you’re mystified by the initials GSM they stand for grenache, syrah and mourvèdre, three Rhône grape varieties which are often blended together in Australia to make generous hearty reds.

As an added bonus this one is made by one of South Australia’s most talented and idiosyncratic winemakers Chester Osborn of D’Arenberg which makes even the full price of £8 a bargain and the current discounted price (25% off until 18/9 if you’re buying groceries from tesco.com), an absolute steal - much better value than the Barossa Shiraz and Coonawarra Cabernet from the same range)

What would you drink it with? Same sort of things as shiraz - a nicely-charred steak, a late summer barbecue, a good homemade burger and a Sunday roast would all work well. I’d even put away some for the Christmas turkey …

Another wine I’d pick up while you’re at is is the 2016 Hans Baer Pinot Noir - yet another cracking German red* which is on offer at £6 (so £4.50 on this promotion) Perfect (lightly chilled) if you like lighter reds, with seared salmon or tuna for instance.

*remember the Black Star a couple of weeks ago?

Sixteen Ridges Pinot Noir Early 2014

This full-flavoured pinot noir from Worcestershire took me totally by surprise this week. I would never have guessed it was from the UK.

It was on the list at Native in Covent Garden, a charming small modern British restaurant which is also a bit of a find. I was going to make it my match of the week given how well it matched a slightly smoky dish of rare venison with salt-baked turnip and smoked potato but it’s such an intriguing wine it deserves the spotlight on its own.

It’s made by Simon Day who also makes cider at Sixteen Ridges sister company Once Upon a Tree and costs £15.49 from their website. Other stockists include Hawkins Bros who have it for £16 and Hay Wines (£16.49) (Restaurants and hotels can buy it from Jascots*)

Pinot noir early - otherwise known as pinot noir précoce is, as the name suggests, an early ripening variant of pinot noir that is doing particularly well in this part of the world. Think less the pure fruit flavours of the best burgundy or New Zealand pinot noir and more earthy, hedgerow fruits. They also suggest pairing it with crispy roast duck, slow roasted lamb or a rich mushroom dish

It won a silver medal in this year’s IWSC awards and a Bronze in the Decanter World Wine Awards.

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