Best buys in Waitrose's autumn 2018 wine range

Waitrose is currently running one of its 25% off six bottles deals - a good opportunity to stock up for Christmas. I've listed some under £10 bargains from their most recent tasting but also some more expensive wines you mightn't normally buy but which are worth snapping up at this price. (Don't read too much into the picture above by the way - it's simply the wines of which I managed to get a relatively decent shot rather than the ones I rate most highly!)

REDS

Waitrose & Partners Reserve Claret 2016 £4.87 down from £6.49

A classic ‘lunchtime’ claret - smooth, mellow, very easy to drink (with something like a shepherds pie I suggest)

Joseph Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune 2015 £13.12 down from £17.49

Ethereal, pretty red burgundy from an excellent vintage. Drink with duck or partridge. A bargain at the reduced price.

Cave de Tain Les Hauts de Pavières Crozes Hermitage 2017 £9.59 down from £12.79 Youthful, bright, juicy, peppery syrah - ideal for a steak frites

Heredad del Rey Monastrell/Syrah Yecla 2017 £5.99 down from £7.99
Bright, juicy Spanish red you could drink with pizza

LaFou el Sender Terra Alta 2016 £8.24 down from £10.99

Really lush exuberant modern Spanish red that would work well with hearty chorizo-based dishes

Araldica Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2016 £7.12 down from £9.49

Good ripe juicy northern Italan red that would go with almost anything Italian and meaty from roast lamb to a lasagne

Escarpment The Edge Pinot Noir 2017 £11.24 down from £14.99

Another delicate sweet ripe-fruited pinot, this time from the Martinborough district of New Zealand. Good with Chinese or other Asian-style duck dishes.

Rustenberg John X Merriman, Stellenbosch 2016 £11.24 down from £14.99

A South African Bordeaux blend that consistently delivers - perfect for a Sunday roast

WHITES

Moncaro Verdicchio dei Castelli de Jesi Classico £4.49 down from £5.99

Really decent Italian white which would make perfect midweek drinking with a plate of pasta or a risotto

Radacini Sauvignon Blanc 2017 £4.49 down from £5.99

Simple fresh, lemony Italian-looking white from Moldova. Good party option.

Earth Vine & Sun Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2018 £5.24 down from £6.99

If you find straight sauvignon a bit sharp try this luscious South African version with a touch of semillon. Again good for parties.

Fief Guerin Muscadet Sur Lie Cötes de Grandlieu 2017 £6.37 down from £8.49

Crisp, clean, saline white - perfect for oysters and other shellfish

Calmel & Joseph Villa Blanche Terret Blanc Pays d’Oc 2017 £6.37 down from £8.49

Intriguingly rich, spicy Languedoc white that would go well with many veggie mains (it’s suitable for both vegans and vegetarians)

Paul Mas Reserve Languedoc Blanc 2017 £7.04 down from £9.39

Another rich, spicy Rhone-ish blend of grenache blanc, marsanne and vermentino which would be great with pork.

Domaine Vincent Carëme Vouvray Sec 2017 £13.49 down from £17.99

Really lovely smooth, gently honeyed Vouvray that would be delicious with chicken or guineafowl in a creamy sauce. Will age well too.

Tenuta Regaleali Tasca d'Almerita Cattarrato Sicily 2017 £11.24 down from £14.99 (Limited distribution)

Absolutely luscious Sicilian white that would make a perfect aperitif or drink with simply cooked fish.

3 good white wine buys from Lidl

Yesterday saw Lidl release the latest tranche of the limited edition wines it adds to its range every couple of months.

I tasted my way through 11 of them and on the whole was quite disappointed. Either the quality was poor - thin, acidic, clunkily oaked - or the prices a fair bit more expensive than they used to be. £8.99 and £9.99 is by no means rare at Lidl these days.

Here are 3 that made the cut and which I’d strongly recommend

Tornai Juhfark 2017 12% £6.99

My best buy of the three - this unpronounceable Hungarian wine (which sounds a bit 'you f**k' according to this pronounciation guide) is dead classy - very clean, smooth, dry - not dissimilar from a good Soave. A wine you could happily drink with antipasti, seafood pasta dishes and risottos and simply grilled fish.

Incidentally I don't know on what basis wotwine whose ratings appear on the Lidl site says it's worth £8 but I'd actually be quite happy to pay £9 for it.

Riesling Scheurebe halbtrocken Pfalz 2017 11.5% £4.99

Although it says halbtrocken - i.e. medium dry - it really doesn’t come across as sweet at all thanks to a lovely fresh acidity. Scheurebe adds a lush note of grapefruit and passionfruit to the blend. Ridiculously good value at this price - it would be great with south-east Asian or Cantonese food.

Les Figuerettes Picpoul de Pinet 2017 £6.99 Cave de l’Ormarine 12.5%

A good example of the fact that Lidl is no cheaper than other supermarkets these days (Tesco’s pretty reliable own label finest* picpoul is only £33.60 a case - i.e £5.60 a bottle currently.) But it’s a decent example from a reliable co-operative so if you’re in Lidl anyway I’d pick it up. Bright, zesty and lemony. Again, good for seafood.

And, not exactly bargain basement, but if you’re looking for a decent red …

Outlook Bay Gimblett Gravels Reserve Syrah 2015 12.5% £9.99

The most appealing of the reds I tried, this comes from New Zealand’s best area for syrah in the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island. Bright, ripe and juicy but, given the vintage (it's now 3 years old), drink it sooner rather than later.

Wine of the week: Terre di Faiano Primitivo Salento 2015

Today, if you weren’t aware, is the first day of Organic September, a month-long celebration of organic food and drink. So maybe a good opportunity to explore organic wine.

That’s made considerably easier at Waitrose by the fact that they have 25% off any 3 bottles for the coming week (until September 5th and except in Scotland).

Take the opportunity to pick up this perfect Southern Italian red with its lovely juicy blackberry fruit for just £7.49. Generally I find primitivo, which is the same grape variety as zinfandel, a bit coarse and rustic but this one is just lovely. It would make a great partner for baked aubergine dishes like aubergine parmigiana, slow-roast tomato sauces and blue cheeses (think Gorgonzola and figs). Or with middle eastern lamb dishes.

If you want to load up with some other wines I published a pick of my best buys back in June. Prices and vintages will most probably have changed since then but they should still be drinking well. The Romy Ferbras Ventoux for example which was £6.79 back then is now £7.79 (quite a hefty increase, Waitrose!) and £5.84 on promotion but still a cracking deal.

Best Waitrose Wine Buys: June 2017

Colinas de Uruguay Albarino

If you’re a fan of albarino, Spain’s iconic white wine, here’s a chance to get a cracking bottle from an unlikely source - Uruguay!

It’s called Colinas de Uruguay and is selling at Sainsbury’s for £6 this week if you take advantage of their current promotion of 25% off six bottles. Like Spanish albarino it's crisp, clean and a perfect match for fresh seafood such as clams, crab, prawns and simply grilled fish.

Also worth snapping up while you’re in there:

Taste the Difference Crémant de Loire, a pleasantly light creamy sparkling wine that would do for summer parties (it would make a great base for cocktails). That’s reduced from £11 to £9 and £6.75 if you buy six

Sainsbury’s Blanc de Blancs Brut
Always a winner. Reduced to £18 then £13.50 if you take advantage of the buy 6 deal. There isn’t a better champagne deal.

Miraval Côtes de Provence rosé a posh rosé which was jointly owned by Brangelina when they were an item (and apparently still is). While I wouldn’t pay the full price of £18 for it or even the £16 it’s currently reduced to it’s a definite cut above your average rosé and a good buy at £12 on the buy 6 deal

DV Catena Malbec - Catena is one of the top names in Argentina and this elegant Malbec is a pretty good buy at its promotional price of £10 and an absolute steal, if you’re a Malbec fan, at the buy six price of £7.50

See also my last selection of best buys from Sainsbury’s though some of the vintages and original prices may have changed.

The promotion lasts until June 4th though not in Scotland.