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.

10 good wine buys from Lidl

Lidl has released its latest limited edition batch of wines including 2 at under £5 - if you can still find them on the shelves. Here are the 10 I think represent best value.

Chemin des Cigales Grignan Les Adhémar 2017 £4.99

Don’t be discouraged by the obscure name - though goodness knows why they changed it from the much easier to pronounce Côteaux du Tricastin - this is basically a Cotes du Rhône-ish red - ideal for hearty pub-style meals like bangers and mash and at £4.99 ridiculously good value.

Bellanova Rosso, Salento 2016 £4.99

Another warming red though with a slight touch of porty sweetness that would make it a good match for a pasta bake or with blue cheese like Gorgonzola

Luna de Finca La Anita 2017 Mendoza, Argentina 13% £7.99

Romantic looking Argentinian cabernet sauvignon that would make a good Valentine’s day red - with a steak, I suggest

Viajero Cabernet Sauvignon Limited edition 2014, Rapel Valley Chile £7.99

Another good cab, this time from Chile. Still vibrant despite the fact it’s nearly 5 years old. Again a red meat wine but it could handle a touch of spice in a chilli con carne for example

Artan Reserve GSM 2018, South Australia £7.99

Typically generous, gutsy Aussie red to drink with barbecued ribs or a burger

Grecanico Terre Siciliane 2017 £5.99

Lush but not blowsy Sicilian white that would make a great aperitif or drink with a south-east Asian-style salmon or other fish dish

Corte Alle Mura Vernaccia di San Gimignano £6.99

Another good Italian white, this time from Tuscany. Drier than the Grecanico, nutty, deceptively neutral in that way that Italian whites are before they burst into life with food. Ideal for a spread of antipasti and most pasta sauces, especially a vongole

Domaine du Grand Selve Roussanne Pays d’Oc 2017 £5.99

Not a great deal of Roussanne character but then you wouldn’t expect it at this price. But it’s a pleasant fresh white with a bit more character than the average chardonnay. Would be good with fishcakes or a fish or chicken pie.

Ernest Wein Pinot Blanc 2017 £6.99

Alsace wines aren’t especially fashionable but this a brilliant pinot blanc for the price. Smooth, creamy and great with chicken pie or an onion tart.

Winemaker’s Selection Pinot Gris 2017, Gisborne, New Zealand £5.79

There’s a touch of gewürztraminer in here which gives it an extra aromatic lift. Perfect for Chinese New Year this week or a plate of spicy noodles.

Square Root Non-Alcoholic Gin and Tonic

If you’re embarking on dry January you may wonder how you’re going to do without your G & T without buying an expensive alt-gin, as they’re often referred to these days.

The answer could well be Square Root London’s Non-alcoholic Gin & Tonic which is made by a Hackney-based company which beer writer Pete Brown and I selected as our drinks producer of the year when we judged the BBC Food & Farming awards back in 2015.

You’ll see instantly from the light, lemony colour it’s not a classic G & T although it contains many of the gin botanicals juniper, cubeb pepper, cardamom, liquorice, angelica, coriander together with Persian dried limes which you can definitely pick up in the finished drink. This base is blended with their own tonic water and fresh Sicilian lemon peel. It’s a bit like a drier, fresher, more natural tasting bitter lemon but has definitely nailed that crisp G & T character. You can buy it for £1.80 from their online shop.

They also sent over a bottle of their Sbagliato, a pale pink 0.5% cocktail-like shandy as they describe it (also £1.80) which they’ve made in collaboration with Partizan Brewing. Although it contains a tiny amount of beer it also includes grape must, aronia (chokeberries) wormwood and quinine so has the bittersweet taste of a Italian aperitvo,

What I like about Square Root is that they use entirely natural ingredients and make everything themselves from scratch. Given that, their prices are really reasonable plus delivery for 15 bottles is a modest £5.

I was sent the Square Root Non-Alcoholic Gin and Tonic and Sbagliato as free samples

10 bottles under £10 to buy from Tesco

Tesco has a 25% off six bottles deal running until December 3rd that’s worth taking advantage of for your Christmas booze shopping. It applies to both still and sparkling wines though bear in mind not all bottles will be available in all branches and that the discount doesn’t apply in Scotland.

Here are 10 under £10 I think are worth buying - mostly from the Tesco finest* range. Annoyingly I can't get the wines to link to the specific page on their website, just to tesco.com. Sorry.

Tesco French Malbec Pays d’Oc 2017 £3.75 down from £5

If you want a wine for mulling, cooking, swigging while you’re cooking or a good all-round party wine you can’t beat this southern French malbec (although the gutsy Tesco Nero d’Avola at the same price wouldn't be a bad alternative)

Tesco Finest Minervois La Livinière 2016 on offer at £8 - £6 on this deal

Minervois tends to have a higher proportion of syrah than other Languedoc appellations which gives the wines a more elegant character. A generous ripe robust (14.5%) red at a great price. Good enough for the turkey

Tesco Finest Médoc 2016 on offer at £7 - £5.25 on this deal

A really decent basic Bordeaux - though one to drink with food (like a Sunday roast) rather than on its own

Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2014 £6.38 down from £8.50

Smooth elegant rioja from one of the most consistently reliable producers Baron de Ley. Ideal with lamb.

Masalto Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 £6 down from £8

Having just been to Chile I’ve been reminded just how attractive their cabernets are. This is impressively smooth and structured - perfect for a steak or for slightly spicier beef dishes. Like the jazzy label too.

Tesco Finest Cauquenes Carignan 2015 £7.50 down from £10

Better still - and interestingly from the same producer, Chilean giant Concho y Toro, is this rich, gutsy carignan from Chile’s Maule valley aged for 20 months in oak (but amazingly not over-oaky) A wine with a lot of character that needs a big beefy stew

Tesco Finest Gavi 2017 on offer at £7 - £5.25 on this deal

A versatile smooth, dry ‘take me anywhere’ white you’ll like if you’re a Chablis fan

Tesco Finest Viré-Clessé 2016 on offer at £9.50 - £7.13 on this deal

Smart white creamy burgundy from respected negociant Bouchard Ainé et Fils. Perfect for fish pie or scallops

Tesco Finest SR 2017 £6 down from £8

An unusual blend of sauvignon and riesling with a smattering of Marsanne and Roussanne from the endearingly eccentric D’Arenberg. Not totally dry but not sweet either. Perfect party drinking especially with Asian-style nibbles.

Tesco Finest Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut in magnum £14.25 down from £19 (also available in standard-sized bottles though I can’t find them currently online)

Wines from the Valdobbiadene DOCG are always better than basic prosecco - this is really quite elegant and not over-sweet.