It’s good to be back and, as usual, I shall start the new year in a gentle fashion with a Top Tip today and again on Monday week.
In between – next Thursday – comes a deeper delve into the world of wine.
Meanwhile, my thanks to the incredibly keen and knowledgeable band of MidWeekers who have kept the Comments section abuzz during the regular mid-winter break.
If you are one of those folk who give Comments sections the body swerve (and I admit that I am one on some websites), do think again.
Contributors here provide excellent suggestions, advice and background that supplements (and sometimes overshadows) the main posts themselves.
Its aim is 100% wine related, grown up in content and offering the opposite of the gratuitous abuse that debases so many websites.
Talking of background, today’s post has a little bonus.
It is one of those snippets about the quirky aspects of wine production that many of you seem to enjoy.
Adopting my traditional format, images and, where possible, hyperlinks accompany the assessments of the wines.
Bored with Basic Sauvignon?
2023 Best Côtes du Gascogne (£6 – instead of £7.50 until 19 January with a Morrisons loyalty card, and 11% abv):
Looking for an alternative to sauvignon blanc and the increasingly predictable features of entry point versions?
Then try this Southwest France white and its indigenous grapes that create freshness and liveliness but also combines them with the lower alcohol level that, now, keeps prices down.
The wine takes things well beyond simple sauvignon zing to deliver greengage and pear flavours with background suggestions of pineapple and green pepper.
That foundation is attractively turbo-charged with enticing citrus aromas and grapefruit acidity.
And a Great Malbec Option
2022 Picos Y Rios Malbec (£5.99 – instead of £8.99 until 21 January – at Waitrose and 13.5%):
Here is compelling evidence that Chile (not just Argentina) can produce excellent South American malbec.
Better still, its £3 discount for the next few days makes it incredibly good value.
Medium bodied with an edge of sweetness, the wine is centred around ripe raspberry, plum and cherry flavours.
These are accompanied by bright acidity, gentle tannin and touches of vanilla and cinnamon within a smoky, oaky depth.
The Promised Bonus Item
As we know, vine diseases are a major problem for growers but – the estimable Drinks Business tells us – man’s best friend may be able to help.
A pilot study in California is using detector dogs to seek out mealybugs and leafroll viruses in grapevines.
Training to hunt out specific diseases has been given to four of them – two spaniels, a labrador and a pointer ( all, of course, named after grape varieties!)
And early results are encouraging.
Cab and Zinny are reported to have detected leafroll 3 viruses in 93.4% of cases.
Not to be outdone, Malbec and Sauvi B from the Mealybugs Squad are claiming a 97.3% accuracy rate.
Assuming I am not being wound up by an elaborate spoof, the implications for cost-effective disease control are significant.
It is suggested that two dogs (and a handler) could screen a 40 acre vineyard in two days.
Perhaps the god of wine’s name should change from Bacchus to Bark-hus!
The next post (a week today) tries to find the best of the popular branded versions of merlot that occupy much supermarket shelf space these days.
13 responses
Good morning, and Happy New Year! I feel like the long, dark, post-Christmas winter is slowly ebbing away now that you are back after your well-deserved break.
I wanted to share a couple of hits from my wine cabinet that were the stars of my Christmas wine selections:
2021 Cederberg, Waitrose No 1 Syrah, Western Cape, South Africa (Waitrose): this was a superb wine, and turned out to be an excellent pairing for my pre-Christmas orange & five-spice glazed gammon. There is a note of smoked bacon on the nose and caramelised spices, with dark cherries and blackberries in the mouth, rounded out with a smooth hint of pepper. Delicious!
2023 Château Galochet, Bordeaux, France (M&S): Despite being a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon, this is mercifully not at all dominated by the Sauvignon Blanc; the wine is smooth and creamy as opposed to sharp, yet it is still crisp and cleansing in the mouth, with citrus, nectarine on the nose and palate. As soon as the stores opened up after Christmas I nabbed a few more bottles of it!
Looking forward to your posts in the coming year!
Thank you Richard and welcome aboard the Comments section. Sharing hot tips in the way you have is exactly what this section is all about. I was pleased to see you capturing so well how Bordeaux winemakers use semillon to deepen and polish their sauvignon blanc. Do keep us updated with wines that tickle your fancy – and here’s to quality drinking in 2025.
If I was a Bordeaux blender and an opera aficionado I would say 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon compares to “widely” popular Lucido Pavarotti and replacing 5% of the SB with Muscadelle compares to Plàcido Domingo, a bit more depth and interest.
But what do I know,as I am neither!
PS As Brian has opened the door for doggy stories,I will wait until all sensible posts have been made and will tell the “tail” of a Corgi called Whisky.
Great to have you back Brian. HNY and all that. My Monday and Thursday morning routines are restored. I am intrigued by the prospect of the Chilean Malbec and will definitely be giving it a go at such an amazingly low price.
I have long been a fan of Côtes de Gascogne whites and my family and friends are probably tired of me banging on about this keenly priced alternative to NZ SB. Back in November I took a closer look at the C de G whites in the major UK supermarkets and found they were all selling a decent crisp C de G for £8 or less. Asda Extra Special Côtes de Gascogne, Tesco Finest Côtes de Gascogne, Sainsburys Plaimont Côtes de Gascogne and Pujalet Côtes de Gascogne at Waitrose. For some reason I overlooked Morrisons so today’s recommendation completes my list.
Including the Morrisons bottle they are ALL supplied by the renowned ‘cooperative of cooperatives’ in the area – Producteurs Plaimont. And although all are made from traditional local grape varieties Colombard, Gros Manseng and Ugni Blanc the precise blend differs between them. For example, Tesco’s is a blend of Colombard and Gros Manseng, Asda’s is a blend of Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc and Gros Manseng, and at Waitrose the blend is Colombard and Ugni Blanc. Such detail is hardly going to matter to most drinkers but the characteristic they all have in common is, to quote Helen McGinn, they are “fresh as a daisy and full of lemony loveliness”.
Happy to provide a little normality to the Evans household. Good points you make about SW France and your illustration of why supermarket buyers are often called “winemakers” now – since they frequently play an active role in tailoring blends to what they know of their customers. Full marks, as well, to the Plaimont Co-operative who have worked so hard to get the region the place on the map its wines deserve.
Welcome back and a happy new one to you too Brian!
Not that I’ve been without your erudite offerings over the last few weeks as I regularly refer on a Saturday to your column in the Daily Record Weekend Supplement.
Must say that I am no fan of the proposition by some journalists jumping on the ”dry January” bandwagon in the MSM, just for something to write about for the masses who want to hear about alcohol abstention as if it absolves them from their indulgence the other 11 months of the year.
Surely we should want to take care of a thing like the responsible use of alcohol in the whole of our days not missing out for 31 in the new year only to hit the bottle again with a vengeance on the 1st of February?
Rant over and a pet annoyance as ever at the MSM set aside, the world of great wine drinking for very little money is there again to appreciate no less so than here at MWW.
I personally set limits for mid-week purchasing of wine (and consumption), so my household budget is not challenged. I’m a pensioner with not a lot more than the state provided income, as is my wife, but cannot complain about our lot. No mortgage, no dependents, can no longer holiday/travel so no extravagant spending there any more, and a few savings means we can enjoy wine and the cost of bottles within reason. All the usual high street outlets supply our needs very well and blogs like this one will inform our choices.
I make no secret of being a massive fan of The Wine Society for all it offers. None more-so than it holding prices steady for the time being on so much of what it offers, it tells us, and knowing it can be delivered free of carriage costs, their terrific Society’s Portuguese Red Peninsula de Setúbal at an astonishingly cheap £6.50 for such quality.
But seemingly a little indulgence on my part has at last turned up!
A few months ago I was offered a case of South African Vegelegen Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch 2021 being held in bond at around £12 a bottle. Out of bond it gets duty and vat added at a rate around £5 a bottle. Now it has arrived I’ve paid that too and will soon fix the drop off!
For those of us more than just being occasional wine drinkers, and with an enthusiasm for discovering all kinds of stuff about wine this is an exciting time and it hasn’t even been delivered yet! For me it is in that ”aspirational” category of stuff I can’t and don’t usually afford. But needs must in old age. We have to go there sometimes. Most importantly when it does come I won’t be waiting until February 1st before checking out its provenance.
And more power to the canine fraternity it would seem. A great story!!
Hi Eddie
I do like Vergelegen, not had the straight Cab yet but I had a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot (2020 vintage) a little while ago and I really rated it, it was a big wine and needed Decanting though, think Tesco do it for around £11 (got it when they did their 25% off deal brought the price down to just over £8, fabulous wine for that money)
I’m always hesitant when it comes to Bordeaux blends, there so much that disappoints out there, but not his one, good old Stellenbosch.
I’m a Wine Society member but I must admit I haven’t ordered from them for a while, so hearing Richard and your good self praising them I thought it’s about time I ordered again. So I did, a mixed case of Spanish wines (Surprise Surprise) has now arrive, looking forward to them.
Hello Dave
I saw from the Vergelegen website the Cab.Sauv./Merlot blend plus all else they produce. TWS offered a video of the owner promoting the in-bond 2021 Cabernet and it really caught my attention. I see they want 400SAR for it that converts to around 17GBP so TWS are in the right area with their price. It’s a limited sale by them. They did the in-bond offer but it’s not online in their listing but might come back.
I said a little while ago that I’d had some decent Bordeaux from TWS. Château Camarsan 2022 £7.95 and Château Pennautier Cabardés 2021 £9.50 are both very decent for their money.
Their Domaine Perdiguiere, Coteaux d’Densérune Cuvée D’en Auger 2022 from Languedoc that was also an in-bond purchase isn’t available right now but that’s as good a Cabernet/Merlot blend as we might find for the money. Keep your eyes peeled for it coming up again. I know you wouldn’t be disappointed. Smooth as silk …
I also got a bottle of the Society’s white Rioja keeping up some Spanish interest plus a case of the Society’s Cava as well. A lot of good press for that latter bottle, all malty biscuits, brioche and grapefruit!
Hi Brian, totally agree on the value of Côtes de Gascogne as an alternative to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I was first introduced to its charms when I trying a Les Chais de Saint Andre Colombard – Sauvignon bought in a Super U Supermarket in France for about €2. Have tried most of the supermarket versions but not this one yet, thanks for the thumbs up. Three I have tried that were a very reasonable price and perhaps most importantly very pleasant to consume are Elia Côtes de Gascogne from Sainsbury’s, Confidence de Gascogne Colombard Sauvignon from the Lidl wine tour and Vinum, Colombard- Gros Manseng from Majestic.
The Elia Côtes De Gascogne, also a Plaimont wine, is interesting because it is deliberately vinified to 9%. It’s one of an increasing number of mid strength wines on the market at the moment and seems to work quite well. No doubt we’ll be seeing more of these mid strength wines in future on account of their health and duty reducing benefits
As promised,
The Tale of a Corgi called Whisky
Many decades ago the Davies family had a corgi called Whisky.We had to have a corgi because it was not sufficient for my three jobs mum to keep up with the Joneses, we had to keep up with the Royals.
He was called Whisky as he was exactly the same colour as my dad’s drink of choice- the one with “Afore ye go” on the screwcap.
I am not sure about Whisky’s vine pest sniffing abilities, because he was largely untrainable, but he was adept at chasing cows.
On a cold winter’s night, I can still see his imploring eyes and wagging his bitten off tail, as I entered our outside toilet, which was also his kennel, to light the small paraffin lamp to stop the water pipes from freezing.He was grateful for the modicum of heat.
But back to the Royals.
Princess Margaret was well known for wanting Famous Grouse Whisky and Malvern water to be served to her, without the glass emptying, at any occasion and at any time, and would throw a hissy fit if this prior announced condition was not met.
Whisky and Princess Margaret had very different lives.
Primarily a place here at MWW for discussions and promotion of interests in wine I’m sure in our midst there are plenty of imbibers with a taste for other alcoholic pleasures that might include vodka, brandy, gin, cocktails of the same, cider, real ale and all else out there to enjoy socially or drink with our food.
My other interest other than wine is whisky. The Scotch version that is, spelled without an ”e”. Having worked in and out of Scotland for 45 years I have been lucky enough to be treated at the coal-face to lots of interesting and delightful drams and educated by those locals-in-the-know. I’ve enjoyed every minute of such convivial tippling.
Pleased to see therefore that Brian has supplied a preferred bottle in his wine column in the Daily Record Supplement today. And well he might bearing in mind the provenance of that particular publication, and as we approach January 25th when the Scots celebrate their bard Robbie Burns with a supper of haggis, neeps and tatties made all the more enjoyable by toasting said Chieften O’ Tha’ Pudding Race with a dram, or larger, of a decent whisky.
I’ve discussed with Brian before today his recommendation of the Lidl own-label, Ben Bracken Highland Single Malt at £18.20. For the money it’s way out in front of the field and a must for those of us who enjoy a dram but are not dyed-in-wool fanatics for the absolute very best, and likely very expensive of its type.
Lidl like Aldi have the bit between their teeth when it comes to these single malts from the three most prestigious regions of Highland, Speyside and Islay. The Aldi versions are called Glen Marnoch. Would it be they introduce a Lowland malt in the range too at some point, both interesting and delicious as some of those can be.
Aldi do have an extended range that gives variants as to their cask developed provenance including rum, bourbon and the excellent sherry one redolent of basic McCallan but well less than half the price of the latter. Typically most are not always available just as their other terrific offering 12 Year Single Malt green labled at around £20 isn’t!!
But I got lucky in Aldi with an end-off item, Highland Select Blended Malt Master’s Reserve from oak casks!! Not only was there one bottle left on an end-of-aisle shelf it was £14.99 reduced from £17.99. Never to be repeated you bet! It’s a malty, minty, citrus belter and worth twice its full price even though only designated 5 years old. I’m really enjoying it already.
With a just touch of still spring water to release the quality, that goes for all these mentioned, perfection in the glass to accompany the haggis is ensured. And there’s plenty of those savoury beasties available on supermarket shelves these days, at a store near you …
Slainte …
Thursday’s post will recommend exactly that Whisky but I agree with all that you say about the premium discounters and great value whisky.