Wildpress: apple juice reimagined

One of the crops that grows really well in this country is apples so it’s great to see a producer taking the whole experience of apple juice to a higher level.

Wildpress is a joint venture between Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany and Adam Grout that uses heritage apples from uncultivated orchards to make a deliciously distinctive (and beautifully packaged) range of juices.

Some are made from one variety and others blended

I particularly liked two of the juices that came from Waltham Palace in Berkshire, Monarch, which has a lovely soft, sweet apple flavour like an apple compote and Spartan which has more of the flavour of a russet apple and is sweeter, almost like a dessert wine - in fact I thought it might go with a crumble. (you can buy a mixed case of the Waltham Palace juices for £41.50)

I also tasted the Rebel Harvest - a full-flavoured deeply appley blend of James Grieve,May Queen and D’Arcy Spice which, as they say, sounds like members of an ageing rock band and Adam’s Pearmain, known as AP, which is drier, sharper and I thought would go well with fish. Both come from Shires Farm in Lincolnshire.

I’ve never been particularly drawn to apple juice as a partner for food - I generally find it too cloyingly sweet but these were wonderfully fresh and natural tasting. For the quality they’re amazingly reasonable and come in full-sized bottles that would look great on the table.

If you can access the Telegraph you can read Xanthe Clay’s piece about the Wildpress project here.

I received the juices as a press sample.

6 of the best English wine buys from Waitrose’s 25% off deal

I much prefer a 25% across the board discount to offers on individual wines as you can get a good reduction on the bottles you most enjoy. Waitrose does them two or three times a year and the current offer which applies off any six bottles over £5 lasts until next Tuesday, March 9th.*

Previously I've focussed on under £10 wines (see below) but I thought I’d concentrate on English wine this time as Waitrose, particularly Waitrose Cellar, has a really good selection (97 different lines, it turns out, many of which I haven’t heard of! I assume they’re stocked by local stores too.)

* Note: if shopping on Waitrose.com, the delivery date needs to be on or before the 9th March. If shopping on Waitrosecellar.com, the order needs to be placed before the offer expires on 9th March. The offer is not available in branches in Scotland, Wales or Jersey, motorway service stations, Welcome Break, petrol stations or via Deliveroo.

Lyme Bay Shoreline 2018, Devon. Waitrose Cellar only £11.24 down from £14.99

Classic light, summery, elderflowery English white that you’ll enjoy if you like sauvignon blanc. Lovely with smoked salmon.

Simpsons Estate Chardonnay 2018 Waitrose and Waitrose Cellar £11.24 down from 14.99

England is producing some impressive chardonnays these days but they don't normally come at a price as good as this. Drink with a fish pie or grilled plaice

Simpsons pinot noir rosé available at the same price but from Waitrose Cellar only is very pretty too.

Squerreys Vintage Reserve Brut 2016 Waitrose Cellar £24 down from £32

I know this is almost in champagne territory pricewise but it’s similar to champagne in quality too. A really terrific bottle of fizz

Digby Leander Pink £22.50 down from £30 Waitrose and Waitrose Cellar

I’m not sure I would pay 30 quid for this undeniably attractive sparkling rosé but it’s good value at £22. And would be perfect, unless your mum is averse to all things pink, for Mother’s Day.

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée in half bottles, Waitrose and Waitrose Cellar £14.99 down from £19.99

I confess I love a half bottle even though they come at a premium. Sometimes you don’t want more. One of the first English sparkling wines to hit the headlines and still stands up to the competition.

Bolney Estate Pinot Noir 2019 Waitrose Cellar £13.49 down from £17.99

I haven’t tried the 2019 vintage but I’ve always liked this suprisingly rich, full-bodied pinot from Bolney Estate which you could drink with duck or lamb.

Here are some other recommendations from the last Waitrose round-up I did back in November. The Corbières and the oloroso are no longer available.

I’d also buy the Crozes Hermitage from this selection which was being offered at £10 in the run-up to Christmas. It’s still good value at £11.99

4 Fairtrade reds to try

We’re now a week into Fairtrade Fortnight and if you haven’t yet bought a bottle of Fairtrade wine, now’s your chance.

As I pointed out in my Guardian column last weekend the quality of Fairtrade wine - which comes mainly from South Africa - has improved significantly but prices are still very reasonable.

Here are two that arrived after I wrote my piece - both from the Co-op which is the largest retailer of Fairtrade wines in the UK

The Scarlet Pimpernel Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec 2020 13% £7 Co-op

My best buy of the four - a really exuberant read and terrific value. A good all-rounder with food though I’m thinking particularly pizza

The Red Baron Shiraz Malbec 2020 13.5% £7 Co-op

Similarly bright, juicy and gulpable. They claim on the back label you can cellar until 2023 - I wouldn’t though!

Argentina is the other significant source of Fairtrade reds and on a recent tasting I liked

El Estego Don David Blend of Terroirs Malbec Malbec 2019 £9 Co-op

This benefited from double decanting (pouring it out of the bottle then back into the bottle again to aerate it) but it has some really nice dark plummy fruit. Classic malbec

Tilimuqui Organic Malbec 2020 13% £11.99 Waitrose

Annoyingly this has reverted to full price after being on promotion at £7.99 but it’s a well made, richly flavoured red and organic to boot.

What food to pair with malbec

Oh, and if you’re in the Co-op, a white I didn’t have room to squeeze into the Guardian piece is Bruce Jack’s bright zesty Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc, also at £7 which you should enjoy if you’re a New Zealand sauvignon blanc fan.

Nero Oro Grillo Appassimento

Appassimento - letting wine ferment on semi-dried grapes - is a technique normally used to give extra sweetness and richness to red wines but it has been used in this highly unusual Sicilian white called Nero Oro (which means black gold)

It’s made from the local grape grillo and is deliciously peachy, not totally dry but not as sweet as a dessert wine with a refreshing acidity that stops it being overly cloying. Not the sort of wine I’d drink with seafood or pasta but it would be great with anything that combines sweet and savoury flavours - especially the kind of hot and sweet dishes you find in Thai, Burmese and Sichuan cuisine. Think Thai fishcakes with sweet chilli sauce for example. I reckon it would also work with a lamb and apricot or quince tagine, a pastilla and middle-eastern dishes with a touch of sweetness too. Maybe a roast butternut squash salad or some roasted root veggies. It's 13.5% so can stand up to some big flavours.

You can buy it from Majestic for £8.99 on a mix six deal. Definitely one to try if you're in there.