‘Bring your own wine’; love those words, wish more places did it! We had a booking at ‘Rocky Bottoms’, a good lobster/crab place near Sherringham, which inexplicably has no alcohol licence. I often resent the mark up on a bottle of wine in pubs/restaurants, so was grateful of a chance to select a decent bottle…
Marques de Almeida, Godello 2015 – Sainsbury Taste the Difference
My wife brought this home. I might not have spent £9 on a mid-week bottle, but I’m glad she did. This wine was really good; it was intriguing to drink and was delicious – definitely try it! Tasting notes: Fresh & refreshing, very good summer drinking. Complex, slightly creamy, lime notes, floral notes. I really…
Puglia Rosso – Marks & Spencer
I fully expected this Pugliese red to be a Primitivo, however according to the label it’s a Negroamoro, although one newspaper reviewer said it was a blend of the two grapes… Who to believe? Well the review was in the Daily Mail… I like Puglia – with its witches hat trulli houses, olive groves and…
Picpoul de Pinet – Baron de Guers
This is the Sainsbury’s offering; is it better than Waitrose or Tesco? No – because it’s the identical wine as the other two from the same co-operative producer, (but with a different label) but can be bought for £5.60 at Tesco… Tasting notes: Fresh & refreshing, very good summer drinking. Green apples and lemon and…
Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits
An attractive bottle from a well respected producer, Bouchard Aine & Fils. Carrying the Tesco finest label, currently reduced to £9.60. Pinot Noir is my favourite red wine grape, so my hopes were high… This was good wine for the price but when it reverts to £12? I’m not sure… Tasting notes: Light, soft…
Oyster Bay Merlot
Merlot, like Sauvignon Blanc is not my favourite red wine grape, but after being pleasantly surprised by The Ned Sauvignon Blanc I decided to give this a go. At nearly £10 a bottle a wine needs to be good… And I liked this – again I was pleasantly surprised. I do feel however that I…
Sandbox Chenin Blanc
Sold by various pubs, especially All Bar One. Not fairly traded. Reasonably priced for pub drinking, but not the best Chenin Blanc. I suspect the margins on this are huge. Imported by the huge plb group, who merged with Bibendum a few years ago. Tasting notes: Reasonable summer drinking. Green apple notes. Region of…
Picpoul de Pinet – Tesco Finest
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…
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…
A Time for Wine 