CEDER’S alcohol-free ‘gin’

I’ve been a bit sceptical about the alcohol-free gin category - or alt-gin, as I gather we must now call it - but this couple of products from a South African and Swedish husband and wife team trading as CEDER’S (which apparently has to be written in capital letters) are really quite impressive

There are two versions: Ceder’s Classic (sorry, Ceder's I really can't do all these caps) which is similar in style to a London dry gin and Ceder’s Crisp - juniper combined with citrus, cucumber and camomile - which has a dominant cucumber note.

The botanicals for the drinks, which include Buchu and Rooibos, are sourced from the Cederberg mountains of South Africa, blended with Swedish water and bottled in Sweden. They’re a bit cheaper to try than market leader Seedlip though still comparatively expensive at £20 a 50cl bottle - in Sainsbury's only at the moment. (Seedlip charges around £25-28 for 70cl though you can find it for less.) Interestingly the product has been taken on and distributed by Pernod Ricard, a sign of how seriously the drinks multi-nationals are taking the alcohol-free category.

The only downside is that if you dilute them as recommended (which I did with Fevertree naturally light tonic water) you don’t get much flavour of the base ‘spirit’. I would personally go for 1:2 Ceder's to tonic rather than 1:3 which again bumps up the cost. They recommend serving the classic with lemon and rosemary and the Crisp with cucumber and mint.

Incidentally Sainsbury’s is reporting a significant increase in sales of alcohol-free drinks over the past year, with no-alcohol wine in particular seeing a +42% increase. From a pretty low base, I suspect but there's no doubt demand is growing.

Mas Querido white field blend

In these early days of September it’s good to drink a wine that reminds you it is still summer and I found it at the Majestic tasting this week in a Spanish white from La Mancha called Mas Querido.

It’s what is called a field blend - a wine made from vines that are all mixed up together in the same vineyard as opposed to being grown separately as is usual nowadays (although field blends used to be the norm way back). I’m not sure why - I’ve never managed to get a satisfactory explanation from a winemaker - but they seem to give the wine a special vibrancy.

In this case the grapes are apparently macabeo, airen, moscatel, chardonnay, pedro ximenez, merseguero, sauvignon blanc, verdejo and albillo - a real hotchpotch of varieties which results in a deliciously fragrant, almost gewürztraminer-like wine that would go really well with Asian-style (particularly Cantonese and Thai) food. Think light stir-fries and noodles.

It’s £7.99 a single bottle which isn’t a bad price but is on a mix six deal at £6.99 currently which makes it a bit of a bargain.

(If you don’t want to make up the six with the Mas Querido I suggest a couple of bottles of the cheerful, gluggable El Aviador tempranillo which appears to be only £4.66 on the mix six deal (good for end of season barbies), the very decent Vaison la Romaine Côtes du Rhone (£8.99) and - a more serious wine altogether - the 2010 Parcel Series Chilean Blend which is available as a limited parcel at £14.99 if you buy any six bottles and knocks spots off most Bordeaux at the price.

15 wine bargains from Waitrose’s current 25% off deal

Waitrose has one of their periodic 25% off discounts until next Tuesday on all wines over £5 - i.e. most of their range.

It’s a great opportunity to top up your stocks after the summer and buy wines you might not otherwise be able to afford.

Here are the ones that stand out for me.

Reds

Remy Febras Ventoux 2016 13.5% £5.99 down from £7.99

Easy drinking Côtes-du-Rhone-ish red - great for everyday drinking

Esprit de Trois Pierres 2016 Costières de Nîmes 13.5% £6.59 down from £8.79

Another good lesser-known Rhône appellation - a good, big generous gutsy red to drink with autumnal stews and casseroles

Santa Julia Malbec 2017 Valle de Uco 13% £7.04 down from £9.39

Not the biggest, boldest malbec out there but appealingly juicy and easy drinking. Perfect for late season barbecues

Vinalba Patagonia Malbec 2014 14.5% £10.49 down from £13.99

A classier, more elegant style of Malbec from a cooler region. Good Bordeaux substitute with a Sunday roast.

Cave de Saint-Desirat 2016 Saint-Joseph 13% £11.99 rather than £15.99

If you like the fresh peppery style of syrah from the Northern Rhône here’s a chance to snap it up at a good price. Ideal with the new season's game

Rosé

Le Rosé de Balthazar 2017 Pays d’Oc £5.24 down from £6.99

Need your rosé stocks topping up after the summer? You can’t do better than this baby pink Languedoc rosé made in the style of neighbouring Provence

Whites

Haut les Mains 2017 Pays d’Oc 13% £4.87 down from £6.49

Maybe the best bargain of the lot - a fragrant summery blend of viognier, chardonnay, vermentino, mauzac, muscat and roussanne - perfect for an Indian summer if we get one. In fact perfect for a (not too hot) Indian meal

Laurent Miquel Vendanges Nocturnes Viognier 2017 Pays d’Oc £6.99 down from £9.39

Always a winner - one of the best examples of sub-£10 viognier in the South of France. Drink with a korma

Maree d’Ione Organic Fiano 2017 12.5% £6.59 down from £8.79

Lush, rich southern Italian white that you’ll like if you’re a chardonnay fan. Would be great with grilled swordfish.

Fenaroli Pecorino 2017 Abbruzi and Molise 13% £7.49 down from £9.99

Clean, crisp delicious white - perfect for seafood including grilled squid

La Dilecta Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Touraine 13% £10.49 down from £13.99

A highly unusual Touraine sauvignon with a bit of bottle age and a lush tropical fruit character. A show-stopping aperitif wine

Kaapzicht Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2017 Stellenbosch £10.49 down from £13.99

Lush, creamy chenin blanc which could almost pass for a good white burgundy. Drink with a fish pie or sole fried in butter.

Chateau de Montfort 2017 Vouvray demi-sec 12% £8.99 down from £11.99

If you’re a fan of Vouvray you have to snap this up. Off-dry and honeyed with a lovely counterbalancing acidity. Again, an aperitif or partner for a creamy chicken dish.

Fizz

Obviously this discount is a great opportunity to buy your favourite champagne at a knock-down price (even Dom Perignon is reduced to £90 though I suspect there will only be a limited number of bottles at that price) but this I think is the best bargain.

Vilmart Grand Cellier Premier Cru Brut champagne 12.5% £27.74 down from £36.99

Spectacularly lush oak-aged champagne - perfect for a present or a big celebration.

Sherry

Waitrose Solera Jerezana Palo Cortado £8.47 down from £11.29

One of my own favourites from Waitrose's excellent own label sherry range but to be honest they're all good. Sherry fans, load up!

Terms of the offer

Until Tuesday 4th September 2018, Waitrose will be offering 25% off all wine and Champagne priced £5 and over, when purchasing six or more bottles (which can be mixed) The offer is available when shopping in branch, on waitrosecellar.com or online at waitrose.com with a grocery delivery (the usual £60 online grocery minimum spend applies). It doesn’t apply in Scotland.

This post is not sponsored

Cramele Recas Orange Wine

If you thought orange wine was the exclusive province of hipster natural wine bars, think again - one has just gone on sale in Aldi. And while most cost nearer £20 than £10 this one is on sale at a very affordable £5.99.

Just to make sure they tick every conceivable box and underline the message that this is bang on trend the label also points out that it’s a natural wine and vegan wine with no added sugar, yeasts or sulphur (more accurately, sulphites) and is ‘made naturally in 2017’ (There is however a pretty helpful description of what orange wine actually is on the back label.)

Will you like it? Should you buy it? Depends if you’ve ever tried an orange wine before.

If you haven’t - and I guess most won’t - it’s an fairly unscary introduction to the style - quite light, despite its 13% ABV - not overly fruity (the taste is of dried apricot rather than the orange you might expect), basically a medium-bodied, very dry white wine. (I’d suggest something simple with it like grilled aubergines and hummus rather than the recommended Thai green curry).

If you’re already an orange wine fan you may find it a bit underwhelming though you can’t quarrel with the price. M & S does a better job with their Georgian Tblvino Qvevris though this is now £10 a bottle. (Aldi’s comes from Romania)

Anyway at this price it’s certainly worth a punt if you can find it in your local store. Try it and let me know what you think.