In the Loire valley is known as Gros Plant, in Spain (esp Catalonia) as Picapoll. This is good summer drinking. This is the new label for Tesco’s offering; is it better than Waitrose? Well yes… and no. No because it’s the identical wine from the same co-operative producer, but with a different label. And yes…
Month: July 2017
Ned Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is many people’s favourite white wine – but not mine… I have found it to be ‘pinched’ and ‘mean’. I have tasted Pouilly Fume in Pouilly sur Loire – and was hugely disappointed. Sancerre often seems expensive and overrated to me. Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs fare slightly better – although I have had one…
Premiere Bulle Limoux Rose Brut
The words ‘warm prosecco’ have been frequently used by politicians of late – to imply drunken chat and the drink to accompany it. A horrific thought. A notch above prosecco and cava are the cremants of France. I’ve tasted my way around the Loire and am a big fan of the fizz produced at Bouvet-Ladubay…
Pinot Blanc Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference
German wine is sadly overlooked; perhaps the memories of floral hock & liebfraumilch are too much for most. I like Riesling and Austrian wines and gave this a go. I wasn’t as bad as I feared, or as good as I hoped. Faint praise… Tasting notes: Pale straw colour. Dry. Pleasant. That is all. Wine…
Comuna Pinot Grigio – Sainsbury’s
Pinot Grigio is probably the world’s favourite wine. A lot of it is insipid plonk, good for glugging with Doritos and a movie. Italy sells more Pinot Grigio than it produces apparently. Apparently this is because it’s the world’s most faked wine. Why on earth would you fake a wine that retails at £5 a…
Campo Viejo White Rioja – Mutant!
I met with the winemaker, Elena Adell at a Decanter magazine tasting at Michelin starred Ametsa with Arzak Instruction at Como The Halkin Hotel in Belgravia. Their white rioja was up for tasting and I really liked it. The Tempranillo grape has been used in red rioja for ever. Seventeen years ago a man called…
Macon Villages Blanc, Tesco
It’s white, from burgundy and 100% chardonnay. All good? Not quite… It’s £6.75 a bottle, however with the Tesco ‘buy 6, get 25% off’ deal it comes down to £5.06 a bottle. It even tasted pretty good. So what’s not to like? I woke up at 4am with a pounding headache – my wife 3…
Pouilly Fuisse, Marc Dudet, Waitrose
Again not cheap and not everyday wine. Pouilly Fuisse is one of my favourites along with pretty much all white burgundies. At this price I have expectations and naturally hope the wine will be markedly better than the £8 wines I go for. It often isn’t and I have had so many disappointingly ‘meh’ Chablis…
Bellingham Chardonnay
In my quest for good, well priced, widely available wines I came across this Chardonnay which drew my eye… Most of us would probably associate South Africa primarily with Chenin Blanc. Tesco sells this Stellenbosch Chardonnay for £11; not cheap and at that price I have expectations… Tasting notes: Has a really good nose which…
A Time for Wine 