Pinot Grigio is the World’s favourite white wine grape. Is this offering from Virgin Wine any good and in any way different from the vast array available on the UK market? Well, yes. I’ve tasted Pinot Grigios from Argentina and California (good) and from Hungary and Bulgaria (not great) and done comparative tastings with Pinot…
Tag: Virgin Wines
Elisa Gavi 2018 – Virgin Wines
The white wine Gavi (if you look at the bottom of this page you will see links to reviews of several other Gavis) is made from the Cortese grape and comes from the foothills of the Alps in Northern Italy. When it’s good, it’s very good. But when it’s bad – it is awful. Virgin’s…
Atalayo do Mar Godello – Virgin Wines
Godello, like Albariño has seen growing interest and sales as bored adventurous buyers seek out the next big thing. I’ve tried a few of each and usually visit Spain for a week every year. But not this year… At its current price point it is good value for money and will remind you of visits…
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…
Les Arbousiers Albariño 2018 – Virgin Wines
I was recently asked to navigate a posh Cotswolds pub wine-list and to recommend a white and a red for a private party. Their Albariño was the white I chose; it’s currently rather fashionable, particularly those from Rias Baixas in Galicia. Albariño is also found in Portugal and is now produced in several Californian regions…
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…
Santa Macarena Sauvignon Blanc 2017 – Virgin Wines
This Sauvignon Blanc is from the most coastal site in all of Chile; the Aconcagua Valley is just 5km from the ocean. Morning mist, sea breezes and lower temperatures provide ideal conditions for Sauvignon Blanc. Tasting notes: Pale straw colour. Stone fruits and some vegetal notes. Short, crisp finish. Balanced, medium/high acidity. Not especially complex or…
Florel Torrontés 2019 – Virgin Wines
Torrontés is an aromatic white wine, similar to a reisling and indigenous to Argentina. Like reisling it goes well with Asian cuisine. In Argentina they refer to Torrontés as ‘The Liar’ because the aromas are misleading. The best Torrontés wines come from the high elevation vineyards around Salta, Argentina – such as this one: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/atimeforwine.blog/1767…
Bruce Jack Chenin Blanc – Virgin Wines
This is decent Chenin Blanc and good value at only £7.99. Yet again I must express my wish that it had ‘Fairly Traded’ credentials… Tasting notes: Primary notes of stone fruits. Tertiary notes of vanilla. Balance acidity. Medium finish, a little complexity, Crisp, dry wine. White stone fruit notes. Hints of vanilla from oak. Wine…
Bendico Vermentino 2018 – Virgin Wines
Vermentino is primarily associated with Sardinia. Virgin wines have a few wines which don’t come from the area with which they are traditionally associated (Hungarian Pinot Grigio, Romanian Sauvignon Blanc) as do Waitrose. Is it a crafty trick, or an attempt to intrigue the consumer? Who knows…? I tasted Vermentino widely during a three week…
Virgin Wines – any good?
I signed up to Virgin Wines and paid into their ‘Wine Bank’ each month. I purchased a wide variety of wines from £7-£25 a bottle which I will be reviewing over the coming weeks in a series of articles, before moving on to review Laithwaite’s wines. So, are Virgin wines any good? With the Wine…
A Time for Wine 