Sainsbury's Wines - something for everyone

I consider myself very lucky that, as a wine blogger, I'm given the opportunity to taste all kinds of wines - from the high volume, mass produced and inexpensive to the single vineyard, carefully nurtured, hand crafted and very expensive. Much of the high volume production is what is readily available in the supermarkets but the skills used to taste these are the same as the more expensive except I'm thinking much more of the context within which I am tasting. Specifically I think about who would buy and enjoy the wine;

• Is this a wine the average consumer would be happy to pick up as part of their weekly shop without giving it much thought?
• Would it meet their expectations of something a bit more special if they decided to spend a pound or two more than their normal £5 or £6 purchase? 
• If they're were going out to friends for dinner or buying a gift would they be pleased with their purchase if they bought in the £10 to £15 price range? 
• If they wanted to spend a bit more and try something different to broaden their horizons would they buy it again based on what they tasted?

At Sainsbury's recent press tasting I found wines for all types of customers.

For something midweek to quaff with lots of enjoyment (and the benefit of 9% low alcohol thus avoiding any midweek headaches) there was the Winemakers Selection Vinho Verde NV.  At £4.59, which is 60p more than last year, it is ridiculously good value and it would be great to drink in the garden on a sunny weekend afternoon.

Something different to appeal to the more adventurous without breaking the bank is the TTD Languedoc White 2012 at £8.99 a blend of four different grape varieties that have created a fruity, textured, spicy and interesting wine. In the red category it is the TTD Anglianco del Vulture at £9.99 from their newly revamped Italian range that caught my eye. This vintage is a bit older than most of the other inexpensive reds and is an appealingly mellow medium bodied wine.

For the bottle to take to a friends house - something a bit special at £9.99 - there is the Taste The Difference Riverblock Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2012. This is quite an elegant Kiwi sauvignon with none of that "in your face" intensity that so often comes with Kiwi savvy. The gooseberry, green pepper and cut grass characters are all very well balanced.

For a celebration or gift then look no further that Sainsbury's TTD Vintage Champagne from 2006, a real bargain at £25.99 for a champagne that over delivers on flavour, texture and enjoyment.

And of course, no supermarket shelves would be complete without a range of rosés and in Sainsbury's case look no further than the Winemakers' Selection Cotes du Rhone 2012 a lovely light, fruity and easy drinking rosé at £5.99.

There appears to be something for everyone in their range.

Rhone wines from Liberty Wines

Mention the name Perrin in association with wine and Chateau de Beaucastel from Chateauneuf-du-Pape springs to mind. They have now teamed up with Nicolas Jaboulet formerly of Tain and formed a business called Maison Nicolas Perrin. Their aim is to produce top quality Northern Rhone wines. Nicolas is able to source the best fruit and wines from growers and producers that he has formed a long standing relationship with, whilst the Perrin family bring expertise in winemaking and blending.

Their wines were on show at a Liberty Wines tasting. It was a privilege to chat to Nicolas Jaboulet as he poured his wines. He explained there were a number of key drivers for the new business;

• Firstly he talked about the firm's desire to make a full range of wines starting at a lower price point so there is a Viognier at £10.99 which has lovely appealing aromatics. 
• They also wish to make their wines in the typical style for the region so the reds for example were to be less spicy than those found in the South.
• How they wished to grow and acquire more vines not just buy in grapes and wine.
• Finally how they described themselves as a modern French business embracing social media with all bottles for example having QR codes on them.

In addition to the extensive range from Maison Nicolas Perrin there were a number of smaller producers on show. 

The standout white for me was from Chateau de Vaudieu in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Whilst not cheap at £49.99 retail the Clos du Belvedere Blanc was perfumed, silky and spicy with lots of minerality. Gorgeous!

There were entry level wines from Camille Cayran from the Southern Rhone. At £8.99/£9.99 these are amazingly good value and great quality for the price from the Cotes du Rhone and Villages appellations.

Domaine Richaud is also worth a mention for the consistently high quality and sheer drinkability of all the wines in its range. The Terre de Galets at £19.99 had rich ripe fruit and a wonderful savoury finish. A well rounded and satisfying wine.

Liberty Wines full Rhone portfolio can be found here.

The wines of the Dourthe family

A selection of the Dourthe
wines on display

Until last week I associated the name Dourthe with keenly priced Bordeaux often "on offer" in the supermarkets at under £10. After attending a tasting I now realise that the name Dourthe covers a number of estates in Bordeaux representing a range of wines from the inexpensive to much higher priced and higher quality wines.

I found it hard to get my mind around all the estates in the Dourthe portfolio, where they were and where they fit in the portfolio and I guess that could be confusing for the consumer. However it was the estates of Chateau Rahoul and Chateau La Garde that got specifically got my attention.

Chateau Rahoul located in Graves was good across the range with the 2011 white a blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon nicely honeyed and aromatic. Both the 2008 and 2007 reds were lovely with the 2007 having an absorbing nose of green pepper, black fruit and undergrowth.

The 2010 and 2007 Chateau La Garde in Pessac-Leognan were both pretty special for the price. Very drinkable with lots of interest.

A vertical of the Essence
of Dourthe

It was very easy to get seduced by the higher priced wines on show - the big names such as Chateau Rauzan Segla in Margaux or Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste from Pauillac. These are under the CVBG umbrella which is another part of Groupe Thienot. Whilst recognising and appreciating their quality I preferred to seek out the more accessible wines and both the Rahoul and La Garde estates fall into that category.

A special mention however goes to a young St Emillion Grand Cru, the 2010 Chateau Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac which was my standout wine. Quite a meaty style on the nose and palate but with lots of ripe blackberries underpinned by the acidity. My tasting note summed it up with the one word - "beautiful".

Dourthe is part of Groupe Thienot which also includes the champagnes of Canard-Duchene and Thienot. I didn't have the time to taste through the range of champagnes but I was given a glass of the Canard-Duchene Charles VII Blanc de Blancs as I left the event. What an amazing glass of quality champagne that is - rounded, creamy and with lots of finesse. A nice way to finish an interesting event.

Tesco's wines - from Prosecco to Teroldego

Tesco's Italian range

Tesco sells one in every four wine bottles in the UK. That's an awful lot of wine. I suspect that much of it is the usual Italian Pinot Grigio or Aussie Shiraz but at their recent Spring Press tasting I was surprised at the breadth of the range illustrating they appeal to the wine drinker who simply wants something cheap through to enthusiasts like me seeking an unusual bottle.

What especially caught my eye was a wine made from Teroldego, a relatively little known Italian red grape variety beginning to grow in popularity. Their Finest Teroldego IGT Vigneti Delle Dolomiti 2010 at £7.99 is well worth experimenting with - a very drinkable wine.

Additionally I don't associate mainstream supermarket customers with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at £15 per bottle but if you want quality look no further than the "Wine by the Case" offering of Villa Maria's Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc 2012 which is sheer quality and class at the price of £90 for a case of 6.

For inexpensive bubbles their Jamie's Prosecco NV at £9.99 has lots of appeal. Whilst it may be a touch too sweet for my palate, I can see it appealing to those who want to celebrate without spending the money that champagne commands. If its ever on offer at £6.99 or £7.99 this will fly out the door.

A lovely Falanghina

Their Finest Picpoul de Pinet 2012 at £7.49 is a very good example of another grape variety that is growing in popularity and the quality of this shows what Tesco can achieve at a low price point when they work with a local wine co-operative.

Two more examples of wines that surprised me by their presence was the Piccini Memoro Bianco NV an unusual blend of four white grape varieties, at £9.29 just the kind of wine to be picked up off the shelves if you are looking for something different.

At the other end of the price scale is the Crystallum Clay Shales 2011 Chardonnay at £138 for a case of 6. This was nutty, savoury and honeyed - absolutely gorgeous and made by third generation wine producers in South Africa.

Given the sheer volume of consumers that come through Tesco's doors they have to make sure they have wines at all price points with a range of styles to appeal to as many palates and wallets as possible. They seem to be doing a pretty good job at this.

How does The Wine Society do it?

How is is that The Wine Society can produce so many good wines at less than £10 per bottle? 

At their recent press tasting I was amazed at how many of the wines were not only good but a number that were exceptional considering the selling price. Anyone can make a wine at £10 or £15 or £20 and, as a consumer, you would expect it to deliver something really special at that price. However it's much more of a challenge to produce exceptional wine at less than £10 a bottle when you consider how much tax has to be paid for each bottle. 

The Society has always prided itself on value for money and is proud to have kept its prices level after the recent UK Budget increase. And even in the latest mailing of the Society's list it says "the buying team has worked hard to keep increases to an absolute minimum".

Here's a small selection of my favourites from the tasting;

The 2012 Zarcillo Gewuztraminer from Chile (£6.25) is a great value introduction to this heady grape variety. Although it has a bone dry palate it is not too intense like some other producer's examples of this variety.

The 2012 Garzon Vineyard Marselan (£7.95) was one of three wines from Uruguay. Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache producing a rich, ripe, fragrant and peppery glass of wine.

Another wine with Grenache in the blend was the 2011 Blind Spot GSM from Rutherglen in Australia (£7.50). Quite pale in the glass this had a lovely peppery finish to the soft black fruit.

I'd suggest buying the 2011 Pitti (£8.50) an Austrian blend of Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch as it's a lovely easy going fragrant and fresh wine. Think of it as an alternative to Beaujolais and a lovely light wine to sip on a summer's day.

The 2010 Rufo do Vale D Maria from the Douro (£8.50) encapsulates all that is good about the Wine Society's buying prowess. Good reds from the Douro in Portugal are not cheap and yet the buyer here has sourced a wonderful easy drinking fresh and ripe wine.

I've been a member of the Society for a number of years and have generally bought their wines in the £10 to £15 range as they do so much interesting and high quality wine at these price points. The next case I order will consist exclusively of wines at less than £10.

So how does The Wine Society manage to list so much very good wine at less than £10 when others only manage often to produce ordinary stuff? Is it their negotiating skills? Is it the relationships they have built up over the years with small selected producers? Or is it the buying teams skill and know-how in seeking out producers who offer exceptional value for money? 

I suspect it's all these but in a way, for the consumer, it doesn't really matter how they do it. We can all reap the rewards.

Adrian Vanderspuy - a man on a mission

Adrian Vanderspuy is a man on a mission. The mission is to produce high quality wines on his family estate in Stellenbosch - and he's getting there judging by the quality of the wines already in his portfolio after such a short space of time.

With a lovely story to tell about buying the Oldenburg estate his grandmother lived on, a place that has played a central role in his life, he has set about restoring the neglected vineyards with a vigour and a passion that comes from a strong family connection with the area. Despite years of neglect in the vineyard and with problems such as leaf roll virus in the vines, Adrian recognised the potential the site had for producing wines of outstanding quality. As he beleives that great wines only come from the highest quality grapes, he has set about implementing a vineyard replacement strategy.

Out went the Sauvignon vines as he considered there was already enough Sauvignon around in the world and in went Chardonnay. His Chenin Blanc grapes are of sufficiently high quality to be bought by the master of Chenin, Ken Forrester and his red grapes are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

I tasted through the range at a dinner in London at High Timber, London's flagship South African restaurant.

The 2012 Chenin Blanc had a lovely texture and weight and was fresh and ripe - all you would want from a Chenin. The 2011 and 2012 Chardonnays were contrasting in style, the 2012 having much more obvious oak influence whereas the 2011 was fresh and spicy.

I enjoyed both the Cabernets, the Franc and the Sauvignon with the 2009 Cabernet Franc being my wine of the evening. Adrian rounded off the tasting by showing his not-yet-available Rhodium blend named after the metal 95% of which comes from South Africa.

South Africa and its wine scene continues its transformation after years outside the meteoric rise of other New World wine producing countries. The wines I tasted showed that Oldenburg Vineyards under the stewardship of Adrian can produce premium wines that should be able to easily compete on the world's stage.

There's more to Spanish wines than Rioja

There's more to Spanish wines than Rioja.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the wines of Rioja. In fact I'll be visiting the region later this year for the EWBC. But Rioja wines get a lot of press, and shelf space, in the UK often to the exclusion of other styles and varietals.

However three things happened in short succession to prompt this post.

Firstly was the launch of an office in the UK of a promotional body for sherries. About time too. Sherry is under appreciated and is great value. Try the Leonor a Palo Cortado from Gonzalez Byass and you'll see what I mean. Maybe I'll write a blog post just about Sherry one day.

Secondly was an email from Winedirect with an offer on a Spanish Stunning Whites case. This caught my eye so I bought it and have been bowled over by the quality of the Godellos and the complexity of the Albarinos.

Thirdly was the Wines from Spain trade event which had a feature table devoted solely to whites. In their words "Spanish whites are a particularly exciting area of development"

So I dutifully worked my way down the 60 or so whites at the trade event and have these observations.

The Albarinos were uniformly good. I love the zingy peachiness which tends to characterise the entry level wines but there are also a number that exhibit a minerality and sophistication. A good example was the Zarate El Balado from the Winedirect case illustrating that Albarinos can be serious also. 

I found the Treixaduras pretty uninteresting and was surprised there weren't more Godellos on show, a grape that is really underappreciated. The most unusual Verdejo I tasted was the Parcela 52 2011 from Finca Constancia, the oak influence giving it quite a perfume. Speaking of unusual wines there was also a white Merlot. By the time I got to it, the bottle it was finished. I would have tasted it out of curiosity but with so many other decent white wine producing varieties why bother with making a white from Merlot?

TheViuras that had been blended with the addition of other grapes such as Verdejo were lifted beyond the ordinary. The 3 Vinas White Reserva 2008 from Baron de Ley being a prime example with its blend of 85% Viura, 10% Malvasia and 5% Garnacha Blanc.

The table of whites gave a very good overview of the varieties, styles and trends in white winemaking in Spain and confirmed why we should all sometimes look beyond Rioja when considering wines from Spain.