Wine of the week: Planeta Mamertino 2015

One of the most captivating wine books I’ve read is Nina Caplan’s The Wandering Vine which explores the footprint the Romans left on the wine growing areas of Europe. Part wine guide, part travelogue, part personal journey and exploration of her Jewish roots, Caplan traces the interest in wine she derived from her late father.

The result is a very individual and highly readable book and a refreshingly different take on the wine world.

It’s left me with a desire to try the wines that have that Roman connection and this is one made by the redoubtable Planeta family who Nina and I both visited in Sicily 18 months ago when she was researching the book.

The wine, which is a blend of nero d’avola and nocera, is named after the Mamertini who were producing it, according to this feature in wine-searcher.com in the 1st century BC. It was described by Pliny and admired by Julius Caesar though I wonder how similar it tasted to the current version which is wonderfully fresh and delicate (13%), almost rose-scented though with some firm tannins underlying it.

I’d drink it with simply grilled lamb with spring veg if you can get hold of some but it’s really delicious on its own.

Planeta says “The small winery is only a few steps from the sea and surrounded by the splendid vines we planted at Cape Milazzo [on the north-east coast of Sicily] The Lucifero Foundation which own the property devotes a portion of the proceeds for Gigliopoli, social, cultural and recreational activities for children in the Milazzo area.”

You can buy it for £19.95 at Great Western Wine or £122.77 for a case of six at The Fine Wine Co

Leopard’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2017

Tomorrow the annual Fairtrade Fortnight starts in the UK. I wish I could get more enthusiastic about Fairtrade wine but so many of them are underwhelming. Happily this wine which is made in South Africa is an exception: not mindblowing - you wouldn’t expect that for £5 - but a more than decent bottle for the price.

It’s made at a winery called Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek which I visited a couple of years ago which belongs to the Rupert Family who also own nearby La Motte and has an impressive workers’ village and school called Dennegeur

It’s obviously imported in bulk (how can you tell? the small print on the back label says W1743 at CH2 4LF UK which turns out, when you Google it, to be a bottling plant near Chester called Encirc). That’s not necessarily a bad thing - it certainly reduces the cost and the carbon footprint of the wine - glass is heavy and bulky to transport.

It’s on offer at the Co-op for £5.49 and is the sort of simple fruity red you could knock back with a plate of pasta, a pizza or a burger. It’s also suitable for both vegetarians and vegans and would make a good party wine. Sainsbury’s is selling a similar bottle for £5 but I don’t know if it’s the same vintage or certified Fairtrade. And I like to shop at the Co-op who do more to support Fairtrade than most other retailers.

Little Pomona Old Man & The Bee: an exciting new cider

With the rise and rise of craft beer quality cider has been somewhat eclipsed of late but this beautifully made - and packaged - cider deserves a place on everyone’s dinner table.

It’s made by James and Susanna Forbes of Little Pomona, a new orchard and cidery in Thornbury in Herefordshire and named after the farmer who planted their orchard, Mark Murray (and the bees that pollinate the trees)

James and Susanna (a drinks writer who has been an occasional contributor to this site) produce their ciders in very small quantities (there are just over 1250 bottles of this - probably less by now). It’s a blend of Dabinett, Ellis Bitter, Harry Masters Jersey and Foxwhelp (part of which was barrel aged) from the 2015 harvest and is fermented with wild yeasts.

It has an incredibly deep rich apple flavour and costs around £5 for 50cl which is expensive for cider but cheap for a comparable wine. It’s not ‘cidery’ in the conventional taste - more like a strong, vinous apple drink, made to go with food. (Roast pork immediately comes to mind).

The Forbes take fantastic care over its production. To quote from their website:

"We hand pick and hand select each apple. We age our fruit in small crates until the balance of acid, sugars, tannins and fruit is just right before milling and then pressing. We ferment with natural yeast, and wait until the cider says it’s ready before release. That’s it. No water or sugar additions. No pasteurisation, filtration or artificial carbonation."

You can taste it at Birch in Bristol which has a spectacular cider list and buy it from specialist beer and cider retailers such as Hop Burns & Black and some wine merchants such as Borough Wines in London (see a full list of stockists on the Little Pomona website)

It's simply one of the most distinctive and exciting ciders I’ve tasted.

Domaine Joel Delaunay L’Esprit des Dames Touraine Chenonceaux 2014

This was recommended by the manager at my local Oddbins in Bristol and I really love it.

It’s a blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Franc from the Loire - more robust than many Loire reds (although still only 13%) with lovely dark ripe cherry fruit. It tastes quite like a natural (though not scarily so) wine.

It’s one of a number of offers that Oddbins has got on its range right now and is reduced from an admittedly slightly toppy £16 down to £13.60 which is a very fair price to pay for an artisanal wine.

I’d happily drink it with duck or simply grilled red meat like steak or lamb but it would also be great with pulses like braised lentils or with a bean dish like cassoulet.

Don’t bother with the Cattin Alsace pinot though despite the good reduction - down from £14.25 to £9.98. Pinot noir can take a while to come round but it's still a bit wimpy.

If I find any other good bargains in the sale I’ll let you know.

See also Should you buy wine in the sales?