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…
Tag: wine
Chenin Blanc Tesco
Good value Chenin Blanc, although I would prefer it if it were fairly traded. But at £4 a bottle – for goodness sake, you can’t go wrong. Wash down a takeaway with this. Tasting notes: Crisp, dry, melon notes. Region of Origin – Western Cape Wine Colour – White Price – £4 Where do I…
Verdicchio de Matelica Tesco
Verdicchio, in its distinctive bottle, may look rather naff, however as Decanter Italy expert Ian D’Agata (in his book ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’) asserts that ‘Verdicchio is arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety.’ It’s highly regarded there – but UK supermarkets rarely stock it, which is a shame as it’s good wine. This…
Fiano, Tesco
Fiano is particularly associated with Sicily. I’ve been there twice and loved it. The wines available on the island ranged up to over 500Euros, but we never see these here (except perhaps in a couple of stores in St James, London). Cantine Settesoli produce this wine for Tesco; they are a large but good producer….
Trivento Private Reserve Malbec
Trivento is the global market leader in Argentinian wines. We visited the winery in November 2016 and tried their entire range. The UK offerings are mostly retailed in Tesco, which sells the Parra Alta Malbec and the reserve Malbec. They have also recently introduced this ‘Private Reserve’ Malbec, which is grown at altitude in the…
Bourgogne Blanc Marc Dudet
The older the better? Nope. Some wines mature and acquire complexity and character with age, but at some point most will deteriorate. I think this wine may have reached it’s zenith a while ago; it was quite good – but at £11 a bottle you can do better – at M&S go for Vin Alta…
Terazas de los Andes Reserva Torrontes
I was converted to Torrontes at a closed-door wine tasting at Taninas Wine Tastings in Mendoza; the idea (popular in Argentina) is that you go to an apartment for food, rather than a restaurant. My first experience with Torrontes had not been a good one – I was persuaded that it could be delicious by…
Macon Villages Waitrose
This Waitrose Chardonnay weighs in at £8.69 a bottle. It’s from Cave de Lugny, a Burgundian co-operative producer. The same wine is on sale at Co-Op 70p cheaper (no big deal) but what makes the Co-Op wine marginally better in my opinion is the fact that theirs is from 2013, rather than 2015 like this…
Blason de Bougogne Saint Veran
What a time to be alive! Saint Veran at £8 a bottle – and if you buy any 6 wines in Tesco, it comes down to £6 a bottle! BUY! This is great wine for the money and coupled with the Trivento Chardonnay deal (Tesco), Santa Julia Chardonnay deal (Waitrose) and a great deal on…
Santa Julia Chardonnay
Trivento may be the global market leader in Argentinian wines but they have real competition in the £8-£10 bracket, especially from this Chardonnay. Santa Julia is from the Zuccardi brand. We first tasted Zuccardi in Argentina last year and immediately loved their Chardonnays. Waitrose have a ‘buy any 3 bottles get 25% off’ deal and…
Trivento Chardonnay
Trivento is the global market leader in Argentinian wines. We visited the winery in November 2016 and tried their entire range (pictures below). The UK offerings are mostly retailed in Tesco and no longer include the Parra Alta Chardonnay (£5.50) price-point, which is a shame as this was excellent value. Tesco still sell the Parra…
Zalze Chenin Blanc
This wine is widely available and at a range of price-points so it is worth shopping around for. It’s good Chenin Blanc, although I would prefer it if it were fairly traded. Tasting notes: Crisp, dry, note of melon. Region of Origin – Coastal Region Wine Colour – White Price – £4 Where do I…
A Time for Wine 