The CWB Franco-Spanish Production-Method-Off

Four production-method wines from France and Spain, via Co-op and M&S

A friend recently asked me for some advice on arranging a wine-tasting; beyond the usual basics, I suggested it might be interesting to have a theme, such as a grape, region or other feature of the wine.

I have done themed tastings around aged Bordeaux, Iberia and the Americas as well as production method wines (i.e. wines whose character derives more from the they they are produced than from grape varieties).

For this line-up, I pulled out one of my own purchases to compare fizzes from France and Spain as well as two different types of sherry.

With a few exceptions, production method wines tend to be from either very cool climates (Champagne or England) or very hot climates (Andalusia, Douro, Madeira).

When asked about my favourite wines, my standard answer is: mature wines, production method wines and cool-climate wines. Essentially, I really like older, cool-climate wines that taste of something more than mere primary fruits.

All of the wines in this line-up are defined by their production method - for the fizz, it is secondary fermentation in bottle on the lees, which provides a food-friendly leesy complexity (as well as the bubbles).

For the sherries, it is the blending across years and growth of flor in the barrel which imparts a tangy dryness; in the case of Manzanilla, the flor character is more evident due to the cooler conditions where it is produced. For Amontillado, the flor is allowed to die away and the wine ages oxidatively acquiring complex roasted flavours of nuts and spices.

We started with the sherries as pretty much the perfect aperitif, matched to simple, tapas-style starters of chorizo, roasted almonds, manchego, olives and bread with home-made mayonnaise.

The fizzes were opened with a continent-hopping main course of chicken Thai green curry.

The sherries

Barbadillo Solear Manzanilla (£10.99, Waitrose, £9.50 Ocado - also in half-bottles, see footnote)

Made in Sanlucar de Barrameda, using both cooling ocean breezes and cool air current from a bend in the Guadalquivir river to grow the flor to optimum thickness and impart more flavour to the wine, Barbadillo is a family company and one of the great names of sherry.

pungent with pastry shop, camomile, almonds and hazelnuts; fresh and savoury with oatmealy leesiness, saline minerality, white fruits and white pepper; elegant and adept with very good underpinnings.

Good.

A versatile food wine, match with Andalusian tapas or any salty foods such as salamis, olives and hard cheese.

Very Rare Amontillado Sherry (£9, marked down to £1,79, 37.5cl, Marks & Spencer)

deep brown, with nuts, coffee, nutmeg, old leather roasted almonds and dried apple, apricot and prunes; charred cedarwood, toasted hazelnuts and exotic citrus peel with fresh acidity. Complex and adept. 

Good.

Match with roasted almonds or roasted / char-grilled beef.

Fizz

Champagne is the benchmark style of sparkling wine and it commands a hefty premium for the name; Spain's cava, by contrast, is working hard to match its pricing to the improved quality and cost of production.

Cava Sumarroca Gran Reserva 2017

Good cava is one of the wine world's great bargains; this one is made using the Traditional Method with three years' lees ageing for complexity by a family-owned house .

lemon peel, roasted hazelnuts, white flowers and leesiness; fresh, citrussy and poised with lemons and limes, creamy-nutty leesiness and saline minerality. Harmonious and long, very adept and elegant.

Good.

A versatile wines. serve as an aperitif, match with mixed starters or mains such as fish and chips or green Thai curry.

Les Pionniers Vintage Champagne 2013 (£27, The Co-op)

Made only in the best years, Vintage Champagne should be left at least 10 years before opening. On that basis, this one is a little young, but is showing well now and has plenty of life ahead of it.

golden sandy yellow with complex orchard fruits, bruised apple, citrus fruits, melonskin and toasted brioche; dense, concentrated and fresh with a fine mousse, citrussy lemon curd and lime marmalade, orchard fruits with red berries and savoury-leesy oatmeal, creamy brazil nut and saline minerality. Complex and long.

Very Good.

Match with lighter game or seafood-and-pastry such as prawn vol-au-vents or salmon-en-croute.

***

Half-bottle of the Barbadillo Manzanilla:

- Wine Society £5.95

- Loki Wine Merchants £7.99,

- Banstead Vintners £6.99

- Latitude Wine Merchants £7.50,

- Rannoch Scott £6.19

- Sandham Wines £6.20

- Vintage Cellars £6.50

- Gusto Wines £6.60

- The Whisky Exchange £6.76

- Mumbles Fine Wines £6.95

- Oxford Wine Co £7.25 

plus many other good independents.

Four Late-Summer Wines

Four late-summer wines from France

Four wines for a later-summer garden party, barbecue or just an expansive meal with friends.

All of these wines are easy-drinking yet sophisticated and will match with a range of foods.

On arrival

La Maison du Crémant Prestige Brut, (£14, Sainsbury’s)

Made by respected Burgundian producer François Martenot, this Crémant de Bourgogne, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Aligoté, was featured in Decanter’s Top 25 Crémants with 91/100 points.

aromatic and floral, with white flowers, orange blossom and fresh; fresh citrus, crisp apples-and-pears, white stone fruit and leesy brazil-nut creaminess; elegant and complex

Good.

Serve as an aperitif or match with canapés; the freshness will also stand up to roast chicken or fish and chips.

Amuse bouche

Ormarine Conchylia Picpoul de Pinet 2020, (£9, Marks & Spencer)

Ormarine, in partnership with Maison Jeanjean, is the leading producer of Picpoul de Pinet which is the perfect match with oysters, and it happens to be the start of the wild native oyster season on 1 September so a great time to enjoy a dozen with a glass of this Picpoul: 

aromatic with white flowers and sherbetty citrus; lemon-lime, stone fruits and passion fruit with a supple, saline zing; harmonious and adept with good underpinnings.

Good.

Match with seafood, especially oysters, white fish or white meat, such as pork.

Also reviewed by Tom Cannavan: Ormarine, Conchylia Picpoul de Pinet 2020 - wine-pages

To start

La Belle Angèle Sauvignon Blanc 2020, (£9.99/bottle or £8.99 mix six, Majestic)

La Belle Angele was the muse of many Impressionist painters in the Belle Epoque. This Vin de France from Badet Clément is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged on the lees for about a month.

expressive with fresh gooseberry and grapefruit; ripe tropical fruits, florality, zippy lime and gooseberry, leesy minerality and expressive aromatics. Rounded with good underpinnings.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Match with pork and herb terrine or carbonara with generous parsley and ground pepper.

It will shortly be the first ever bag in box white win available at Majestic as part of their new BIB range £24.99/2.5litres and £19.99 mix six.

Mains

Les Jamelles Syrah 2019 (£7.25, Co-op)

Another wine from Badet Clément and their best selling brand, this Pays d’Oc wine is made from 100% Syrah grapes grown on 20 year old vines.

wild berries, dark fruits and spices; fresh dark berry fruits, spice and grilled flavours; inky, supple and juicy with rounded tannins and a touch of cool mint.

Good.

Match with roasted red meats, char-grilled steak or barbeque foods

The CWB Chianti-Off

Two Chiantis  from Cecchi at different price points

Chianti is a region of central Tuscany in Italy; the wine region was first defined in 1716 and over the years, changes have been made to blending requirements and area limits initially to increase production to meet demand and then later to improve quality.

In 1932 the Chianti area was divided in seven sub-areas: Classico, the largest, plus six others.

Classico includes the original Chianti heartland and only "Classico" wines may display the black rooster (gallo nero) seal on the neck of the bottle, indicating that the producer is a member of the Chianti Classico Consortium.

Like many classic Italian reds, Chianti is high in acidity and as a result very much a food wine.

Both these wines are made by Cecchi, a family-owned company based in Tuscany dating back to the late 1800s. 

The M&S Chianti is a well-priced Sangiovese-based Chianti with some Colorino and Cabernet Sauvignon for colour, structure and aromatics; it is very gently oaked.

The Villa Cerna is a much more ambitious and accomplished (if more expensive) wine; the Cecchi family purchased the Villa during the early 1960s and then proceeded with its restoration and the construction of the wine cellar.

2017 M&S Classics Chianti Riserva, Chianti, Tuscany (£8) focused black fruits, black and sour cherries with spice, dried herbs and a food-friendly rasp; fresh and savoury with fine, gentle and well-integrated tannins. Very good winemaking.

Thoroughly enjoyable and Good Value.

Match with beef ragù or pizza margherita.

Tim Atkin describes it as bright, aromatic and savoury - his full review is here.

It also gets a nod from Decanter.

2016 Villa Cerna Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG (Noble Grape, £22.99) floral and leathery-spicy with ripe vibrant morello cherries, bramble fruits and dark berries; cassis, dried herbs,  mocha and complex oaking. Elegant, velvety, rich and saline palate with a supple structure.

Good.

Match with rare roast beef or other red meats.

Lustau Sweet Sherries at Marks & Spencer

A brace of reduced-price Lustau sweet sherries from Marks & Spencer

I feel conflicted about this in many ways; sherry is one of the world's great wines, yet for all the talk of a revival, it is still ridiculously undervalued. The darker and sweeter the style, the more undervalued it seems to be.

These Lustau sweet sherries are selling at what must be below-cost prices, which is a shame not just for the producers now but also for the future of sherry generally; that said, they represent a great short-term bargain for the consumer, so it would be churlish not to buy them. I bought a rucksack full of bottles and then went back for more.

At their full prices, these sherries are good value; at these levels, they are basically being given away.

Yes, I know sweet dark sherries are for vicars and maiden aunts. but really, these are absolutely lovely wines; sweet and expressive with an aged complexity.

M&S Rare Cream Sherry (£5 for 75cl, reduced) fragrant blend of oloroso and PX with mixed fruit, roasted nuts and spices, caramel and toffee with complex savouriness and delicious sweetness cut through with a linear freshness; very harmonious.

Good.

Match with sticky toffee pudding, chocolate truffles, blue cheese or just sip slightly chilled at the end of a meal.

Recommended by Tom Cannavan here.

M&S Rare Pedro Ximenez (£4 for 37.5 cl, reduced) made from sun-dried grapes, intensely sweet and stickily viscous-unctuous; raisiny, figgy, candied-peel, Christmas-pudding roasted sweet spices and long, complex, saline savouriness with just enough freshness to keep it all in check.

Good.

Sip as a pudding-in-a-glass; match with clotted cream ice cream or Christmas pudding (depending on the season).

Recommended by Olly Smith here.

Three Bordeaux Wines

Three Bordeaux from 2015's good vintage - available nationally from Waitrose, M&S and Laithwaites

After some difficult vintages, Bordeaux has been on a roll recently with good years in 2014, 15 and 16; some chateaux say that each year has been better than the one before.

These three wines from 2015 - all at different price points - are generally well made and very pleasant.

The freshness of the first two makes them rather more typically Burgundian than Bordelais; you might almost think they had come from a cooler year. The last delivers more substance, but trades this for the deftness and elegance of the others.

Les Chartrons, 2014, Bordeaux (£7.99 Waitrose) Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc; light, fresh and well-made with  a good backbone of acidity and gentle, fine tannins. Elegant with delicate red and blueberry fruit with some peppery spice. Improves with air as the fruit emerges.

Light enough to match with salmon, fresh enough for hard cheese or keep it traditional with roast meat.

Grand Plessis Grand Réserve, 2015, Médoc (£10.00, M&S) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenère; expressively toasty-oaky nose with juicy red and black fruits, liquorice, a firm grip and plenty of spice. Good backbone of acidity and fine tannins.

Match with butcher's sausages or roast red meat.

Vieux Château Guibeau, 2015, Puisseguin Saint Émilion (Laithwaites £14.99) Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon; typical Bordeaux cassis and pencil shaving aromas with tobacco leaf and tar; substantial and supple with cooked bramble fruit, violets, mint and spicy vanilla. Grippy and slightly alcoholic.

Match the ripe fruit and firm tannins with garlic-and-rosemary roast lamb.

Not Quite Burgundy - Marks & Spencer

Two wines with a Burgundian elegance and influence, if not quite from Burgundy - from M&S

These two wines from M&S are well-made with a Burgundian elegance; one actually is from Burgundy, albeit convention requires Beaujolais be classed separately from "Burgundy proper".

While Sauvignon remains New Zealand's most widely-planted, signature variety, as well as the UK's favourite white grape, the country remains expert at other varieties as well and none is more noble than Chardonnay.

Koha Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2015 (£13) nectarines and stone fruit, some toasty oak; clean, fresh and adept. Burgundian Chardonnay with Old World elegance and New Zealand crystalline purity.

Good.

A versatile food wine - match with white fish, white meat, most vegetable dishes and creamy pasta.

Beaujolais 2014 (£8.50) floral, black and red cherry fruits and some spice; fresh, juicy and adept.

Light enough for a quaffer, with picnic food or roast fowl.

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Italia Regina: Food From Emilia-Romagna

Food from Emilia-Romagna via Italia Regina

Italy's Emilia-Romagna is home to tortellini, Grana Padano, prosciutto and and balsamico di Modena; I recreated the gastronomic experience at home in Cambridge with some local food, provided by Italia Regina.

- Strolghino di Culatello; dense pork salami, best served thinly sliced with bread and oil for dipping

- Delverde Penne Zita Rigate with Barilla Ragu alla Bolognese; classic penne, served al dente with bolognese sauce

- Parmigiano Reggiano; strong, salty aged cheese, best grated over a bowl of pasta

For a quick midweek supper, or a weekend lunch, serve the salami as a starter and the pasta and sauce, with grated Parmigiano as a main.

To make it into more of an occasion, match with some local wines:

Poderi dal Nespoli - Laithwaites

Pagadebit (£9.99) Expressive nose of melon and citrus peel, ripe lemony tropical fruits, sweet spice and grapefruit with minerality. Clean, pure and adept.

Il Nespoli (£14.99) Fresh ripe dark fruit with sweet oaky vanilla spice and leathery truffleyness; supple, firm texture.

Lambrusco - Marks & Spencer

Lambrusco Secco Reggiano NV (£9.00) sappy and vibrant with black cherry and blueberry fruit; fresh, dry finish. A fruited palate-cleanser.

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Lambrusco Secco Reggiano - Marks & Spencer

A Lambrusco from Marks & Spencer

Lambrusco is both the grape variety and the name of the wine - a fizzy, frothy red primarily from Emilia-Romagna; Reggiano specifies the sub-region.

Light and frizzante, Lambrusco is a none-too-serious Italian red to be drunk young.

Lambrusco Secco Reggiano NV (£9.00) sappy and vibrant with black cherry and blueberry fruit; fresh, dry finish.

A fruited palate-cleanser to match with local produce - Parma ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or bread dipped in Modena balsamic.

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Two Rhône Wines

Two Rhône wines from Asda and M&S

An enjoyable spicy entry-level red, plus an unusual oaked white.

Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhône Villages 2014 (ASDA, £6.00) dark fruit and warming oaky spice, juicy and food friendly. Thoroughly enjoyable entry-level Rhône. Good value.

Match with roast red meat.

Reserve du Boulas, Laudun, Côtes du Rhône Villages 2014 (Marks and Spencer, £9.00) unusual white Rhône;  ripe orchard fruits and sweet spice with some toasty oak with a warm-climate smile. Rounded, balanced and adept. Good.

Match with meaty white fish, chicken, pork and pasta with cream and mushrooms.

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Unkle at Meltdown 2014 with Côtes du Rhône Wines

Big Fortified Tasting

Three fortified wines from Marks & Spencer and Waitrose

Defined by their production methods, these fortified wines have flavours that are not of fruit, but something more nutty, roasted and tangy.


Dry Old Amontillado Sherry (£7.49, 35cl M&S) fragrant, tangy and savoury with roasted nuts, spices and freshness. Good and excellent value.

Fresh enough to drink as an aperitif with roasted almonds, or match with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Blandy's Sercial 10-Year-Old Madeira (£19.49, 50cl, Waitrose) the driest of the four Madeira styles, amber mahogany, fragrant with roasted nuts, spices and fruitcake. Sweet-savoury and fresh. Good.

Drink as an aperitif with olives and roasted almonds.

5 Year Old Finest Medium Rich Madeira (£13, 50cl M&S) Rich deep treacly brown; figs, roasted nuts and butterscotch-caramel with an intense freshness. Pleasing entry level sweet Madeira.

Drink as an after dinner dessert or match with Christmas pudding.

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Leftfield Wines From Marks & Spencers

Two unfamiliar whites from Marks & Spencer, recommended by Elizabeth Kelly

The nation's favourite underwear provider may seem an odd choice for leftfield wines - M&S is a bastion of all things safe and sensible, surely?

But sometimes it's good to spice things up a bit and try something different - this applies as much in the wine aisle as anywhere else you might care to think of.

Leftfield wines are not so much out-of-fashion-classics or alternatives-to-the-classic, as wines you perhaps didn't even know existed.

These two are both light, fresh and under a tenner, thereby demonstrating that a walk on the wild side need not involve any undue discomfort - for either your palate or your wallet.

Mesta Organic Old Vine Airén+ (£8) one of the world’s most planted (and blandest) white grapes, Spain’s Airén may seem an odd candidate for a leftfield wine but is rarely seen over here. This wine is given a bit of a boost with some gentle oaking and old-vine grapes; fresh pleasant and lemony, it is a perfect aperitif or picnic wine and develops some more complexity with aeration.

Savoie Blanc “Coeur Terroir” 2014 (£9) a blend of Jaquere, Chasselas and Altesse from Savoie, all you need to know is that it’s a pretty yet surprisingly substantial, Alpine floral white with sweet spice and fresh white stone fruit.

Elegant, delicate and focused, it is a lovely sipper or can match with creamy pasta or Alpine cheeses.

While the Airén needs its old-vine/gentle-oaking support, the Savoie is a natural beauty.

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Centre Loire Wines with EASCA

A tasting of Centre Loire wines with EASCA at Cambridge Wine Merchants

Of the Centre Loire areas, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are pretty much household names; less obvious are Reuilly, Quincy and Menetou Salon whilst Coteaux du Giennois barely registers in any of my wine books.

Northerly and cool-climate, Loire wines are fresh and elegant - the whites are flinty, mineral Sauvignons; the red and rosé, both Pinots, show fresh red fruits.

Centre Loire suggested these wine would match with Chinese food, but their light freshness suggests something more local and European.

2013 Pouilly-Fumé Champalouettes 2013 (£13, Sainsbury) fresh, crisp and aromatic in a modern way, but otherwise lacking much of interest and a little harsh.

Match with shell fish or goat's cheese.

Domaine de Villargeau, Coteau de Giennois (£9.99, M&S) complex and substantial, with ripe orchard fruit, melon and sweet spice - further improves with extended aeration. Good.

Match with mackerel pate or salade nicoise.

Reuilly Cuvée Nathalie 2014 Nathalie Lafond (£11.99, Majestic) Crisp, fresh, precise Sauvignon with gooseberries and lime; good aromatics and minerality.

Match with seafood or goat's cheese.

Etienne de Loury, Sancerre rose 2012 (£17, Oddbins) smoky-spicy with red fruits; fresh and balanced with a leesy-creamy texture. Impressive, but you pay for the Sancerre name and low- yielding, cool-climate vines.

Match with salmon or cold cuts of ham with double Gloucester.

2013 Sancerre Rouge au Bois de l’Épine, Maison Foucher Lebrun (£15, M&S) an attractive Loire Pinot with ripe red fruits and freshness. Elegant and pretty.

Match with duck, wild salmon or tuna sushi.

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Matching Loire Wines and Food‏ - with Fiona Beckett
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A Greek Odyssey in the Supermarket; Chapter 1 - M&S

Two Greek wines from Marks and Spencer, recommended by Elizabeth Kelly

Greek wines are not mainstream - they are both ancient and modern. But they need not be especially difficult to find; these two classy and distinctive Greek wines are from Marks & Spencer.

atlantis 2013, Cyclades

A classic Assyrtiko from the Argyros estate on the volcanic island of Santorini; hermetically sealed under screwcap, it benefits from extensive aeration.

 

Sandy yellow, aromatic, slightly pungent lime blossom, citrus and notes of spice; refreshingly zesty, tangy and mineral with old-vine concentration.

 

Pure and precise, very long. Good.

 

A versatile food wine, match with strongly-flavoured starters, such as garlic prawns, griddled vegetables or bread and oil with cured meats.

Thymiopoulos Xinomavro, Naoussa, 2012

 

Prone to being challenging in its youth, this Xinomavro is ripe, fresh and firm. Pale ruby red, with ripe, red-berry fruit, red plums, mushrooms and a hint of spice; firm but supple tannins.

It benefits from some aeration to show its best - plump, intense and elegant. Good.

Match with Burgundian food - ham terrine, pheasant or duck.

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Three Bergerac Wines

Three wines from Bergerac

 

Bergerac sits as an eastern rump-end beyond Bordeaux; further inland, with a more continental climate but mostly the same Bordelais grape varieties, it makes wines with a bit more gutsy effusiveness than its more-aristocratic neighbour.

 

Mayne de Beauregard, Bergerac 2013 (£7.99, Marks & Spencer) Pale in the glass and light at just 12.5% - more fresh and Loire-esque than southern. A blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc, the Cab Franc seems to dominate, with cherries, red plums and classic pine needle aromas.

 

Juicy and refreshing - a classy, well-balanced and enjoyable quaffer.

 

Bergerac Rouge, Château Tour des Gendres 2013 (£7.95, The Wine Society) A darker, bigger, more-substantial beast from an unusual blend of Merlot and Malbec.

 

Complex nose of dark fruit, spice and undergrowth; more ripe dark fruit, spiciness, concentration and grip on the palate with a persistence and firmness on the finish.

 

More plumpness, presence and complexity than the Beauregard. Good.

 

Matches well with toad-in-the-hole.

 

Château Les Sablines Monbazillac 2012 (£9.99 / reduced to £7.99 until 30/12/14, Waitrose) Golden Sandy yellow, with aromas of orange blossom, musky roasted peaches and beeswax. Sweet ripe peaches, barley sugar, candied lemons and tropical fruits with good freshness.

 

A less expensive, if less-complex, alternative to Sauternes.

 

Match with creme brulee or lemon torte and Chantilly cream.

 

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Four Ports from Marks & Spencer

A gift-pack of four ports from Marks & Spencer

Four miniatures hastily converted into a basic gift set - not the most lavish of presents, and not especially generous portions either.

But it's only £10 and the wines themselves are not bad at all, so at least the money's gone on the right stuff:

Tawny Reserve Port by far the most interesting wine here; translucent brick red with red fruits, spice, pepper and aromatic eucalyptus. Mellow, complex palate - precise and powerful yet deft and fresh, a real class act.

2009 Late Bottled Vintage Port dark purple, with a powerful and complex nose; lots of sweet red and dark berry fruit, pepperiness, freshness and spice. Ripe and assertive yet assured.

Finest Reserve Port ripe fruits, eucalyptus and pepper; sweet yet fresh - classic port profile.

Fine Ruby Port theoretically the most basic style here, but this is balanced, adept and quite sophisticated. Nothing basic here at all.

£10 from Marks & Spencer; provided for review.

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Wine of The Month: Three Christmas Languedoc Wines

Three Languedoc wines for Christmas

 

Languedoc wines make excellent Christmas drinking - big, spicy, food-friendly reds that match well with a roast dinner and all the trimmings.

 

Christmas is not a time to be taking risks; with so many people around the table, you need some serious crowd-pleasers that will keep everyone happy.

 

Domaine de Fontsèque 2012, Corbières (£11, M&S) a southern GSM+C blend of southern varieties, ripe dark fruits, freshness and a lick of toasty oak. Warming, hearty and spicy.

Château de Pennautier 2013 Cabardès (£7.95 The Wine Society, also at Majestic and Berry's) Another blend of generally southern French varieties, this wine is full of cassis, dark fruits, Christmas spice and even a touch of spruce pine.

It is substantial and warming, cut through with freshness and a slightly earthy character that certainly needs food.

Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois, Vin Doux Naturel (£6.30, half-bottle, Tanners) roasted peaches and apricots, smothered in heather honey and dusted with sweet spice; rich and deliciously sweet, but also fresh and precise.

Match the reds with roast turkey with all the trimmings and sauces, whilst the sticky will work with crème brulee, lemon torte with Chantilly cream, or a chicken liver pate starter.

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Italian Wines from Marks and Spencer

Five classic Italian wines from Marks and Spencer

 

Italy challenges France for quality, diversity and volume of wines produced in any year; a long, thin, mountainous country with an extensive coastline, there is very little of its surface that is not suited to growing vines.

 

What Italy, lacks, however, is a clear, rigorous classification system; Italians, it seems, are as idiosyncratic and undisciplined in their wine labelling as they are in most other walks of life.

 

These five wines from M&S are all Italian classics; they are in roughly ascending order of quality. The best is the Barolo, the best value the Valpolicella.

 

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2013  (£7.99) lots of pure black and red cherry and blueberry fruit with a shake of black pepper. Vibrant and juicy; good entry-level example.

 

Match with a juicy steak, spicy sausages or salami.

 

Dolcetto d'Asti, 2013 (£7.00) vibrant purple; intense, juicy blueberry and cherry fruit with some savoury roasted spices. Fresh, poised, clean and focused.

 

A good food wine, match with pasta and meaty sauces.

 

Chianti Classico Riserva Castello della Paneretta 2011 (£14.00) translucent ruby, cherry fruit and pepperiness; sweet, ripe, cooked red fruits, red and black cherries, dried herbs and a lick of oak; long and savoury with fine tannins.

 

With 14.5% alcohol, it is a touch alcoholic on the finish.

 

Match with hearty casseroles or roast red meat, such as lamb with rosemary and garlic.

 

Valpolicella Ripasso, 2012 (£9.50) translucent ruby garnet, earthy, plummy, eucalyptus nose; sweet, ripe, baked plum, cassis and morello cherry with some spice, liquorice and port-like herbaceous notes from partially-dried grapes.

 

Fresh, long and savoury; harmonious, balanced finish.

 

Good.

 

Match with duck breast in cherry sauce.

 

Barolo Peironte 2009 (£18) pale translucent ruby with some brick red hints; plum, tobacco, cool mint, sweet vanilla and savoury spice with very fine, persistent tannins.

 

Dense, concentrated, long and harmonious. Very Good.

 

Match with slow-roasted red meats or a beef ragu.

 

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Marks & Spencer Spring Tasting: Italian Reds‏

Fleurie 2013 - Marks & Spencer

A juicy, floral Beaujolais Cru from Marks & Spencer

Fleurie is one of the ten Beaujolais cru villages whose wines epitomize what Beaujolais is all about; silky, fruity and, yes, rather floral wines.

Vibrant black cherry, mulberry and raspberry fruit, with perfumey violets and a hint of gingery spice.

Fresh, lively and supple palate with lots of juicy fruits. Full of lively, youthful exuberance, a light and easy drinker.

Match with duck or picnic food; also, sip slightly chilled on a summer's day.

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Links
Marks & Spencer - website, twitter

Marks & Spencer New Americas Tasting

A review of Marks and Spencer's New Americas range

Marks and Spencer, which recently celebrated 40 years of wine retailing, has been expanding its oenological range beyond the obvious and expected; this was a chance to try a range of wines from established South American countries Chile and Argentina, plus some wines from Brazil about which I know very little.

M&S's buyer, Emma Dawson, is an MW student and the white wines especially reflected this; technically precise, varietally typically and utterly fault free. If there was little here to make the heart beat faster, there was also nothing to be worried about.

The reds I found a little more varied: the Pinots were excellent with a very clear price-quality correlation, but others I found over-extracted and tannic (I was told they work well with food) and the more ambitious reds (over £30) seemed to have aged prematurely on the nose without the body of the wine following suit - they smelt around 20 years old, but tasted around the five that they were.

This latter point, Emma explained, is to do with the levels of pyrazene in the wine which is caused by exposure to ultra-violet light and occurs in Chile and Argentina (due to altitude) and New Zealand (due to the thinner ozone layer); geek-fact.

Coconova Brut NV, Brazil £8.99 light, easy fizz

Carnival Sparkling Moscato NV, Brazil, £9.99 dead-ringer for a pleasing Italian Moscato, light, fresh, frothy

Fragoso Chardonnay 2013, Argentina, £6.99 ripe, tropical and unoaked, good persistence

Caleidoscope Pinot Grigio Fiano Albarino 2013, Mendoza, £7.99 tropical, floral, aromatic and zesty with a dry clean finish

Dominio del Plata Torrontes 2012, Argentina, £8.99 aromatic and slightly pungent nose, floral and apricotty palate; fresh, weighty and persistent

Araucaria Riesling Pinot Grigio 2013, Brazil, £8.99 ripe, zippy citrus, clean and mineral with no rough edges

Mestizo Marsanne Viognier 2013, Chile, £9.99 ripe, apricotty and clean with an underlying minerality; a touch flabby

Secano Estate Sauvignon Gris 2012, Chile, £8.99 bizarre pink meat / red chili aromas, ripe tropical fruit, clean with reasonable underpinnings

Tierra Y Hombre Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Chile, £8.49 textbook New World Sauvignon, aromatic gooseberries, cut grass and blackcurrant leaf; ripe, fresh and zippy with mineral persistence

Secano Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Chile, £8.99 another textbook fresh and zippy, aromatic New World Sauvignon

Fragoso Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2013, Argentina, £6.99 smokey with ripe soft red berry fruits, fresh linear acidity and minerality

Fragoso Merlot 2013, Argentina, £6.99 textbook Merlot - plummy coffee nose, ripe cherry fruit, soft texture and some firmness on the finish

Tierra Y Hombre Pinot Noir 2013, Chile, £8.49 ripe cherry fruit and vegetal decay, harmonious and cut through with fresh acidity. Lovely, affordable, no-tears Pinot.

Nieto Senetiner Bonarda 2013, Mendoza, £8.99 pure, clean and precise cherry and red berry fruit to cut through rare red meats, Italian-style.

Caleidoscopio Sangiovese Touriga Nacional Caladoc, Argentina, £7.99 perfumey violets and red fruits; cherry, liquorice and spice; soft texture and firm finish. Another Italian-style food red.

Vinalta Malbec 2013, Argentina, £7.99 dark fruits with vanilla and oaky spice, cut through with freshness. Long with a soft texture.

Intenso Teroldego, Brazil, £9.99 dark, whiff of sulphuriness, lots of dark fruits, cool mint and sweet vanilla; fresh acidity, soft tannins and supple texture.

Monteflores Malbec, Argentina, £9.99 red chili and redcurrant aromas, sweet ripe fruit, soft, supple texture, sweet vanilla and spice, good freshness - let down by drying tannins on the finish.

Dominio del Plata Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Argentina, £9.99 pink meat, red chili, vanilla and cool mint, ripe sweet cassis fruit, almost Ribena-esque, spice and liquorice. But those drying tannins on the finish again.

Pintao Reserva Carmenere, Chile, £9.99 textbook Carmenere soy and leather, red and bramble fruits with a hint of white pepper and some cool mint. Freshness and savouriness; well-balanced with firmness on the finish. Very enjoyable.

Los Molles Syrah 2011, Chile, £9.99 red chili, rosehips and red bell pepper, black olives; sweet ripe fruit, spice, good freshness, concentration and firm grip. Drying tannic finish.

Secano Maiten Vineyard Block 1 Pinot Noir, Chile, £12.99 soft, ripe red fruits and decay, supple texture, pleasing and long with good persistence. No rough edges and very enjoyable.

Tobiano Pinot Noir 2011, Chile, £19 intense and concentrated nose of cherry fruit and farmyard, ripe cherry fruit and cool mint, balanced freshness, soft supple texture with a pleasing firmness. Elegant yet assertive and very easy to enjoy. Good.

Lucero Syrah 2011, Chile, £15.99 ripe dark fruits, spiciness and cool mint; freshness and soft supple texture. Concentration and complexity with a pleasing firnmess on the finish. Good.

Santa Rita, Casa Real Reserva Especial 2009, Chile, £34 complex aged dried red chili, red bell pepper and old leather on the nose suggest a much older wine; sweet ripe bramble fruits, sweet vanilla, cool mint with spice and liquorice. Lovely, soft harmonious texture, just slightly drying on the finish. Very Good.

Trapiche Terroir Series Malbec Single Vineyard, Jorge Miralles, 2009, Argentina, £32 ripe sweet cassis, bramble and vanilla, hints of decay; supple texture, freshness and length. Balanced, well-structured and assertive with a pleasing firmness on the finish. Still young and will benefit from further aging. Very Good.

Other related articles
40 Years of Wine at Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer Spring Tasting: Italian Reds‏
Two Eastern Mediterranean Wines from Marks and Spencer
Grand Enclos du Chateau de Cerons, Graves, 2006‏ - Marks & Spencer

Links
Marks and Spencer - website, twitter
Emma Dawson - twitter

Marks & Spencer - Beaujolais nouveau re-booted‏

A review of Marks & Spencer's Beaujolais Nouveau 2013

I think I need a re-booty
Freeek!, George Michael

If you are old enough to remember when Beaujolais nouveau was the height of middle-class dinner party fashion, then you probably still have some deeley-boppers and a pair of day-glo socks lurking in a drawer somewhere next to a copy of Smash Hits.

So-out-it's-in, Beaujolais nouveau is now "doing a sherry" - making a comeback with a revived image for a new generation, just as George Michael turned his back on the teenage pop of Wham! to re-cast himself as a solo white funkster-cum-balladeer.

This M&S Beaujolais nouveau, released in accordance with tradition on November 21st, is packaged in a lightweight, recyclable PET bottle and is shipped by rail to the UK for a lower environmental footprint.

So far, so eco-friendly and new-millenium.

The wine itself is lovely textbook Beaujolais nouveau - gluggable pure ripe cherry fruit, just a hint of vegetal funk and a lovely poise and balance; really classy and enjoyable.

With a sharp, food-friendly acidity, it will match well with autumnal game dishes.

£7.49 from Marks & Spencer; provided for review.

Other related articles
Bojo-Le
Beaujolais and Beyond
Jamie Goode's review

Links
Marks and Spencer - website, twitter

Main image credit: http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/news-in-pics/2002/02/28//george.jpg