Everyday drinking wines

Despite the unpleasantness of social distancing and forced self-isolation, thankfully all is not lost and we do still have some pleasures to enjoy. Many people have commented that all of a sudden, with the lack of traffic noise and sheer volume of moving vehicles, we can all hear so much more birdsong. Isn’t that fantastic! Equally, the chance to spend simple time in the garden, enjoying it properly and to its fullest extent. These are all things that in our more usual busy lives, we just pass by with a fleeting interest and subconscious awareness. Weekends have now become the everyday and so it is too with wine. It is an opportunity to spread your vinous interests and try a few different wines and to actually sit on the patio and think about what’s in your glass and enjoy it.

Thankfully, it is not necessary to spend large amounts of money to find enjoyable wine and that may be acutely important to those who very sadly, fear for their jobs or may be furloughed on reduced pay. Alcohol should certainly not be a crutch to carry the woes of the world but, on the other hand, a glass of wine can lift the spirits and be a rare source of enjoyment in these most difficult of times.

I have looked at the ranges of wines available locally and the following should be available and are good examples at a reasonable price.

Wine Writer Leigh Johnson (with Oz Clarke)

Co-Operative Store

La Vielle Ferme Rouge, France - £7.75. (Also available in Tesco.) This is an excellent example of southern French red, similar in style to Cotes du Rhone. Incredibly good price for the quality. The wine is largely Grenache and Cinsault based, giving it a softer, rounded profile and chock full of red and black berry fruit. It would be very well matched to BBQ meats and pork pie.

Chateau Beau-Site, St Estephe, Bordeaux 2014 - £22.00 – This is text-book red Bordeaux, with a fine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, from a good year. Ripe damsons and cedar on the nose, quite pronounced. On the palate, the wine shows ripe black fruit, pencil shavings and the merest hint of mint. It’s full-bodied, rich and mineral. It has elegance and finesse and is very well balanced. This wine would be excellent with any red meat or hard cheese. Although it is a fairly expensive wine for many people, it is a serious wine of some repute and if it doesn’t stretch your budget too much, it is certainly worth trying.

Villa Maria Private Bin, Sauvignon Blanc - £9.50. (Also available in Tesco.) This is classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Lip-smackingly juicy, grassy, tropical fruits and great freshness. Lovely with fish or a tangy goat’s cheese salad.

Co-Op Irresistible Cava, Brut - £7.00. This is a sensational fine wine for the money. Made in the traditional champagne method, this Cava is made from the Macabeo grape variety which gives it a richness and complexity you won’t find in Prosecco. A terrific glass to enjoy on its own as an aperitif on the patio.

Tesco

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Chardonnay, Australia - £7.00. Surprisingly high quality for a wine made in such vast quantities. Bright and breezy citrus notes, white stone fruits and green apple. Rich and supple, a tiny note of oak but don’t let that put you off – it’s nothing like the overblown, blousy chardonnays of the 1980s and 90s; this wine retains its freshness and elegance and would be excellent with roast chicken or soft cheese.

Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva, Spain - £11.00. This is a very good quality reserva Rioja. The wine has been aged in the cask for one year and a further two years in the bottle, and the extended maturity tells. This wine shows very good fruit, a level of sweetness to balance the richness and secondary flavours beginning to emerge with notes of leather and earth. It would be an excellent wine with grilled sausages, BBQ meats and hearty bean stews.

Tesco Finest Provence Rose - £9.00. Made from a traditional Provence blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, this is an excellent rose, full of strawberry and redcurrant notes with a faint touch of pithy grapefruit on the finish to add complexity and interest. A really good wine with all seafoods and light salads, or just on its own!

These are just a few examples of the very wide range available from the Co-Op and Tesco and of course, there are many more good wines to choose from. These, however, have been recommended because they are genuinely good wines and sold at a competitive price and I am certain you will enjoy them. Cheers!