Palo Alto Reserva 2010 Chile

Ok, you are still at the barbeque and there isn't any sign of it ending soon.  This is going to be one of those days that turns into one of those nights, sat round the dying embers, putting the world to rights on religion, sport, relationships and the correct way to spend the EuroMillions.

Only one problem, there isn't enough wine and you need to run to the shop, stockpile a crate or two and return before the sausages burn.  You don't have time to read labels and compare prices.  This bottle is a crowd pleaser and won't let you down.

This is a mixture of young Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Syrah grapes, although the bottle didn't allude to the quantity of each.  The nose gave very subtle hints of pepper, blackberry and burnt oak.  The taste was immediatley smooth and strong but noticably easy to drink.  The presence of high tannins is well disguised and a whole range of flavours vie to be the primary taste, making it tricky to pin down.  Ripe plum and blackberry do linger around the fringes but the winner seems to be oak however, this again gives way to red fruits as the taste fades.

As a blend, the wine pulls it's characteristic from the grape varieties used.  In this case, I believe the Cabernet Sauvignon gives the full body, the Carmenere (Chile's signature grape and my personal fave) provides the fruit and the Syrah lends a hand with spicy notes.  Each grape is full bodied, high in tannins and acidity but the taste is one of unexpected charm.  

Bought at Sainsbury's, this will keep your friends going into the early hours and at a mere 5 of your earth pounds, is great value. This has found a place on my 'cheap and cheerful' list.  Best get it on yours too!

La Patrie 2010 Malbec Cahors, France

The clocks go forward and the weather turns mild.  Shops hastily sweep their winter promotions off the end of the aisles and pack it with disposable barbeques, charcoal briquettes and firelighters.  Ah yes, summer is on it's way....Or maybe it is already here...maybe this is all we are going to get?  Who knows.

The offers of house parties and barbeques will be shortly on their way.  Are you going to turn up with a bottle of cheap Pinot Grigio that you put on the table and then disown, or that nice expensive bottle that will impress your friends but you get territorial over if anyone tries to pour a little for themselves?

The answer to both of those questions is no.  What you need is a bottle that doesn't melt plastic, either in price or by taste.  This little beauty steps up perfectly.

At £6 in Sainsbuy's, this French Malbec is superb quality.  The smell, once allowed to breathe for 20 or so minutes, is of christmas cake, not too overpowering but enough to invite you in for the night.  The taste is well rounded and there is no sharp tannic kick although these textures are ever present.  Oak and liquorice finish off the main taste although these are definitely secondary to the warming, smooth, fruity mouthful that first greets you.  A very easy wine to drink by itself and perfect to take to a social gathering.  Even the label (without authentic dribble) provides the impression of a well thought purchase and is definitely going to be the first empty bottle on the table.  The cheap Pinot Grigio won't even get a look in!

Malbec is native to France with Cahors associated as the location that produces the goods.  This grape variety has also been embraced by the Argentinians who produce phenominal tasting Malbec, particularly from Mendoza or Rio Negro.  Theirs is generally thought to be less tannic than Cahors, but retain a full bodied taste.   Buy a bottle of this and a bottle of Argentinian and see what you think.

Luis Felipe 2011 Chardonnay Chile

Luis Felipe is a name that you are likely to have already come across.  These chaps are from Chile and their lower priced bottles can be very competitive with their more expensive counterparts from say New Zealand or Australia.  In my opinion, a stalwart brand that could quite easily have a Hardy's/Jacob's Creek sort of presence in the near future.  I bought this at good old Majestics but I have seen it in other stores.  This bottle works out about £5.

Being a very young wine, it isn't aged in oak casks and so the flavours are punchy and upfront.  The back of the bottle states, "fresh and fruity with flavours of melon and tropical fruit".  Giving it a good sniff, I could detect faint hints of green fruits with gooseberry and melon springing to mind first.    These smells aren't obvious and I had to persevere until I had something to write about rather than enjoy.  

The taste was clear, dry and very crisp.  The acidity of this young wine comes across in the dryness of the taste, which is consistent until it fades.   I found it difficult to detect any real fruity presence in the taste but that isn't necessarily unexpected.  Unoaked chardonnay of good quality is synonymous with being bone dry with the acidity working in it's favour to make it a very refreshing drink.  This bottle certainly displays the right characteristics and I could imagine appreciating a glass of this on a warm day to cool myself down.

Corbieres 2011 Viura/Macabeu

Much to the dismay of the manager at Majestic, I had the specific goal of purchasing the cheapest wine I could bring myself to try for this week's reviews.  This was one of the wines I bought, all around the £5 mark.

I must admit that I did not hold out much hope for this particular bottle.  I expected astringent and acidic but what came forth was more angelic.

The grape is Macabeu (French) or Macabeo (Spanish) or Viura.  Being native to Spain, it is used in white Rioja. 

Concentrating really hard at getting something on the nose, I drew great lung fulls but could not get anything more than a very faint tang of fruit, lemon perhaps, and cream.  After several concerted attempts, I gave up trying. 

The first mouthful brought more sensation than flavour.  It is light and smooth and once again, the creamy texture and fruity undertones only making polite gestures to be noticed. No one thing fights to get your attention or tries to take your taste buds on a roller-coaster ride.  The sharp and acidic bite doesn't come and it goes down with a quickly fading aftertaste, simply leaving you with a desire to take another sip.

This is light, dry and incredibly easy to drink whatever the occasion.  Don't get me wrong, it isn't an earth mover but if you're looking for quality in quantity, this won't disappoint.  This is the perfect sort of Tuesday night drink, when the realisation you aren't even halfway through the week sinks in and you want something to drink that you won't regret the following day.

As for me, I didn't get past Monday.

Don Pedro, Spain, Tempranillo

Bought during a recent Friday jaunt to Majestic Wines.  Price tag was around £7.50 at time of purchase.

This strong and beautiful red comes from Valencia and has the demarcation of 'Gran Reserva'.  This means that it has to be at least 5 years old and aged for 2 of those years in oak casks.  This makes the flavours of a well made wine become more complex and deeper and while this has happened here, it has not let go of it's fruity and vibrant origins.

Tempranillo is a very important grape variety to the Spanish and is the heart of the more familiar, Rioja.

I usually give red wines a bit of time to adapt and get themselves ready for drinking before diving in but work had been particularly hard and I couldn't be bothered to wait.  Admittedly, this meant that I didn't get much out of the smell other than the hint of cork.  The taste was everything I was hoping to get though, firstly a slight kick of spices (pepper perhaps?) before giving way to a deep, silky, oaky taste which blended well with dark, mature, red fruits such as plums, cherries and blackberries.  The ageing had given the fruit an evolved taste, similar to alcohol soaked raisins.  The finish continued to be smooth as well as comfortably dry and lingering.  I considered that it would be good to have with a steak, especially one with peppercorn sauce to compliment the spice in the wine but I ended up having it with pizza and oven chips and it did just fine.

I got two bottles of this, the last was demolished on Sunday by me and Julie and it was every bit as impressive the second time round.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again but I would have a meal in mind, rather than drink it on it's own.

Cape Crest, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Now THIS is a beautiful bottle of white wine!

Bought from Majestic Wine, the price tag is in the £20 region but it was my birthday so wanted to treat myself.  I picked a stonker!

Sticking my nose into the glass, I got a very sweet aroma, similar to mango and it gave the impression that the taste would be a little on the sweet side.  Taking a sip proved that wrong though.  The first mouthful bombards you with lemon, orange and grapefruit hints while at the same time, an unmistakable flavour of stone or flint.  Not that I go round sucking on pebbles.

After the flavours settle down, you are still left with the suggestion that it could be a 'medium' wine however, it turns dry and leaves you with a crisp, clear finish.  A beautiful balance that doesn't take the dry sensation too far.

It sounds a lot for one mouthful but it really did give up all those flavours, and many more.  Even as I drained the bottle, each mouthful was as fresh and full of flavour as the first. 

Wines from New Zealand are usually a good bet but this goes beyond what I normally expect.  I associated good Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region but I will be adding Hawkes Bay to my list.  In my opinion, this is a fine example of how to do Sauvignon Blanc.  

If someone turned up at my house with this in their hands, I wouldn't turn them away!

Wine Lovers of the World...... Welcome

You approach the wine aisle in the supermarket.  The bottles are neatly lined up and arranged into red/white and country of origin.  You spend a few minutes reading the backs of labels, pretending to know what you are looking for.  After placing the bottle back, you look down the long row of wine in front of you and take a deep breath.  You want a great bottle of wine but you can't be sure why the £10.49 bottle on the top shelf is better than the £3.99 bottle two shelves below.  Cheap means crap and expensive means good, right?
In the end, you spy the Jacob's Creek/Hardy's/Castillo de Diablo/Lindemans and opt for a wine you know, safe in the knowledge that it will be fine to drink, yet somewhere in the back of your mind you know you have passed over potentially amazing bottles of wine for the security of a guaranteed glugger!  I know this is what you do because this is what I did too.

In the past few years I had an epiphany.  I don't just drink wine, I adore it!  I relish in the look of the label and the shape of the bottle.  I love savouring the smell and taste of the first sip.  I am interested in what grape the wine comes from, why it tastes different from one region over another and why a wine evolves and changes the older it gets.  Not only that, I have started to read about wine, I discuss it with Julie my wife and I badger the manager of my local Majestic wine and really look forward to our Friday natters when she tells me what I should be buying for that weekend.  I realise there is a lot of confusion in wine that does not need to be there and the overwhelming luxury of choice can also be off putting to the wine lover who simply wants a great tasting wine without all the pomp and ceremony.

This is where my blogs come in.  Despite what I have learned about wines, I am by no means an expert.  I am a novice, an amateur, an 'Everyman' if you will.  My blogs will be reviews of wines and everything wine related, put into terms that the vast majority of you fellow wine lovers understand and appreciate.  Coupled with a bit of know-how which will hopefully allow you to take a chance on a new bottle of plonk and provide you with an understanding of what it is you like about wine.  I would also love to get your feedback, be it positive or negative.  Afterall, the only thing I am really giving you is my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, the Jacob's Creek/Hardy's/Stowells/Lindemans(and many others) are fine to drink and do taste good.  As for me I'm getting stuck in to the others, one bottle at a time.  Fancy coming?

EMW.