Forgive the bad pun. When he started out in the late 1990s, Mas set out to make wines to export: “Selling wines to the French is like trying to sell hamburgers to the Americans.” Consequently, he exports, to 58 countries, 97 per cent of the 20 million bottles he produces annually. I think the problem…
Tag: Chardonnay
Trivento Reserve Chardonnay 2017 – UPDATE
Trivento is the global market leader in Argentinian wines. We visited the winery in November 2016 and tried their entire range. The UK offerings were mostly retailed in Tesco but they no longer stock this or the Parra Alta Chardonnay – which is a shame as these were excellent value. Tesco still sell their Malbecs,…
Yalumba Organic Chardonnay 2018
Enjoyable wine and proudly organic – not always easy to achieve with viticulture due to the risks involved – but bonus points from me. At £10 a bottle this is good wine. Tasting notes: Medium intensity, pale lemon colour. Primary apple and citrus notes. No secondary or tertiary notes. Balanced acidity; dry. Medium finish. Flavours…
Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay 2019 – update
Concha y Toro are one of the world’s biggest and most recognisable wine brands. Connoisseurs may turn up their noses at this – but they produce a great range of good quality, good value wines. The story behind Casillero del Diablo began over 120 years ago. The founder of Concha y Toro, Don Melchor stored batches…
Coorong Sounds Chardonnay 2018 – Virgin Wines
This is another of Virgin’s generic range of cheaper wines. I’ve rated it as ‘acceptable’; this may seem like I’m damning with faint praise, however it is perfectly good everyday drinking. It doesn’t have the ‘wow’ factor by any stretch of the imagination but at its price point it is fair value for money and…
Astro Costera Chardonnay 2018 – Virgin Wines
Astro Costera Chardonnay is from Chile’s Central Valley. I suspect that it, like many other Virgin Wines, comes in large containers and is bottled in the UK, to give them a greater margin. Put on a suitable label with a vaguely Andean motif, name your price and see what happens… Tasting notes: Pale lemon colour. Green…
Botham Wines Chardonnay 2018 'The All Rounder'
Botham wines call this ‘The All Rounder’ because Ian Botham was and this wine is. It’s decent wine and would be suitable for most occasions and would go with a lot of food. It’s also from all around Australia – from the South East to the Margaret River in Western Australia – the opposite side…
Chablis Vielles Vignes, Closerie des Alisieres
Chablis Vielles Vignes, Closerie des Alisieres is good wine from a respected producer. Good value for money, Auchan have a magnum of this at €17.99 – which is a bit of a steal, and almost makes a trip to France worth it. Tasting notes: Crisp Chablis with flavours of citrus, white peach and some minerality. Wine…
Villa Maria Chardonnay
New Zealand is associated (in my mind at least) chiefly with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. This chardonnay is from the warmer North Island. At £9 a bottle I’m beginning to have expectations of a wine – and one of my aims is to factor in an element of ‘value for money’ to a wine’s…
The Wild Peacock, Chardonnay
An unoaked Chardonnay from the warmth of South Africa; this wine would be better if it carried some kind of endorsement of Fairtrade – for which I’m afraid I must deduct points. In the news this week, ‘land grabs’ are beginning to occur in South Africa – I hope that the companies which engage &…
Most Wanted Chardonnay
Clem Yates is a Master of Wine (MW) – one of only about 300 or so, and is also a graduate chemist – so she is well qualified to be a winemaker! She used to work for Sainsbury’s wine before leaving to branch out. She is Australian too, so this wine is in good hands!…
Languedoc, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference
I have been looking at how Tesco’s updated ‘Finest’ range (which teams up with good producers and releases own-label wines that are interesting and reasonably priced) compares with Sainsbury’s ‘Premium’, Taste the Difference range. As a punter, it pays to seek out the maker’s name. Few winemakers are more consistent than Paul Mas. My…
