Today’s selections provide a couple of reminders about things that may have slipped from minds.
The first is that, because it uses the traditional method of sparkling wine production (as Champagne does), well-made cava still has a lot to offer.
For sure, its freshness and, often, slightly sweeter style does give prosecco a boost but secondary fermentation in bottle has its benefits too.
A nicely configured cava illustrates the point compellingly today.
Secondly, a year or two back we started to appreciate the pleasures of pinot noir from, for instance, Romania.
No one suggests that they scale the heights Burgundy or Central Otago can attain but, then, neither do their prices.
They still give clear impressions of why sound pinot noir is such a lauded grape variety.
What we sometimes miss is that, increasingly, Chile is treading a similar path with excellent results like the chosen red wine here.
As is normal here, pictures and hyperlinks are provided where possible to guide you straight to the right wine on shelf or web page.
Starting with Budget Chilean Pinot
2022 Fairtrade Irresistible Casablanca Pinot Noir (£7.50 for Co-op Members instead of £8 until 1 April and 14% abv):
Perhaps more texture would be welcome in this Chilean red but its delightful fruitiness is a more than adequate counterbalance.
As a style, it is carving a niche for kindly priced Chilean pinot noir that shrewdly takes full advantage of ocean-cooled areas like Casablanca.
Dark with aromas of soft fruit, this exhibits vibrant raspberry, cherry and blueberry flavours but, as I suggest, limited viscosity.
Compensatory support – if indeed any was needed – comes in the shape of lively acidity and attractive suggestions of aniseed, orange peel, cola and minerality.
…And that Cava
Waitrose Blueprint Brut Cava: (£6.39 – instead of £7.99 until 2 April at Waitrose and 11 % abv):
The prosecco craze has obscured just how good well-made cava – and bottle induced yeasty components – can be.
Yes, I accept that some versions seemed to lose their way but straightforward, uncomplicated offerings like this remain well worth seeking out.
Despite somewhat lazy initial bubbles, this example really does provides those (much missed) yeasty, nutty and biscuit hints.
Here, they add attractive depth to the wine’s zippy quince and green apple flavours.
We continue our examination of top value but budget sensitive wines when we meet again on Thursday, with a look at what is stealing the show in Lidl’s latest Wine Tour.
8 responses
For those who value a heads-up on knowing where and when multi purchase deals exist the last MWW posting on Thursday gave me facility to mention a short notice deal at Tesco that will finish as early as tonight Monday March 24th.
I took advantage of this with a reduction in one instance of Mucho Mas Tinto already down by £1.50 on Tesco Clubcard drop, then an extra 25% off on buy 6! The MMT came in at £5.63 down from £9. My wife said ”thank you” for that treat!
Then a limited offer Asda deal got mentioned, not across their whole range, a bit like the one Sainsbury’s often do, their 3 bottles of TTD, that isn’t like 25% off buy any 6 can be. Whether these deals, however they might work, will suit everybody in the nature of ”stocking up” all in one go, is purely personal taste.
But here’s a couple of things, information … of any kind, often comes too late to any and all to be able to act on it and secondly watch out! Because conditions sometimes apply that can cause disappointment when we can’t have what we would prefer.
I mention this because my usual source of information that is an email from a site called WinesDirect.com is usually fairly prompt in mentioning deals etc. Now it shows a new one at Morrisons I wasn’t aware of but here’s the thing. So many details apply at Morrisons it really looks a bit like buyer-beware if folks don’t check the small print.
For instance, the in-store purchase is a maximum of 36 bottles but I suspect that particular limitation wouldn’t worry the majority of wine enthusiasts. Even I have never bought 36 bottles in one go anywhere!
But should you make an on-line order there’s a 6 bottle maximum applied to get the 25% off offer. And of course there’s a bottom price limit so any bottle under £6 original price isn’t included and most importantly it will not work at all unless you use their More card loyalty app. And again, it doesn’t apply in Scotland at all and in Wales not to anything less than £7 a bottle! Them’s the rules so we make our choices. Finishes 30th of March.
Of course if the criteria works for us there’s some savings to be made including a recent bottle talked about here, Cabernet Franc, Best Chinon, £9.25, that of its type is excellent. Plus I’ve drunk their excellent Best Vinho Verde, Loureiro, £8.25 and a Rosé too, £8, and a cracking Best Grüner Veltliner, £10. Not difficult to pick out half a dozen mixed bottles for the deal. Wouldn’t have said the base prices are ”cheap” but the 25% of means we are into ”drink better for less”. Finishes 30th March.
Haven’t opened the Majestic cheaper, white label AG that Brian recommended last week but did get the black label, Alain Grignon, AG Reserve! Amazing for single Carignan grape offering. I wouldn’t have known. It was sumptuous and very classy though with one caveat that those who prefer their reds to have some tannic grip. This is all sweeter black fruit that for a French wine would historically be a bit out of character although we know lots of producers in the French south west are attaching this singular style as part of their new provenance. It came to me at £9.99 that again is amazing for such quality. The white label was £7.99.
Will certainly follow up on that black label carignan.
Two very nice bottles Brian,
The Blueprint Cava is in my opinion one of the better inexpensive fizz’s out there, and it does appeal with its max 12 grams per litre (sugar dosage), my preferred style is something a little drier Extra Brut (6 g/l) , some swear by the ‘Brut Nature’ but that is very dry (0-3 g/l) and not for everyone, good with salty food though.
The Co-op Pinot I bought many times and always hits the spot, not the most complex, but still good value even at £8 (slightly chilled of course!)
Yes I realise I was recommending that pinot in 2022.
Thanks for couple of great recommendations here Brian. Cava, which has always been good value for bottle fermented sparkling wine, fell out of favour from canny marketing by Prosecco producers but at £6.39 with current duty and tax Waitrose is almost giving it away.
But my attention this past few days has been taken by various write-ups of the new wines in Aldi’s spring / summer 2025 collection. Fiona Beckett, David Williams in the Observer 23/3/25 and Olly Smith (Saturday Kitchen, 15/3/25) have all been raving about Aldi’s Unearthed Gemischter Satz Niederösterreich 2024 (£8.99) which I understand is a ‘field blend’ of numerous unspecified grapes producing a floral, tropical wine decribed by Aldi’s Sam Caporn as “like a more exotic take on Albariño”. I have yet to get to my local Aldi so, in the meantime, can anyone confirm whether it’s as good as they suggest?
I’ve been getting into Austrian wines lately and have enjoyed various Grüner Veltliners and Zweigelts. There is a GV (£9.00) in Waitrose Blueprint range but for the same money for the next few weeks I’m recommending their single estate ‘No.1 Gruner Veltliner’, usually £12.00 but with £3 off until 15 April. Their red Lentsch Zweigelt is good for £9.00 too. But, unless I’m mistaken, there seems to be a new Austrian Zweigelt at Aldi for pretty much the same price (£8.99) – a Specially Selected Austrian Zweigelt, Niederösterreich 2024. Perhaps my Austrian wine buying needs to shift to Aldi a.s.a.p. “while stocks last”?
Focus on Thursday week is on some of those Aldi wines so stand by for thoughts on that collection, Keith.
I just opened the Austrian “field blend”.! Should be some good banter surrounding that one Brian .. and others … when we get your verdict!
It’s down for tasting tomorrow, Eddie.