A couple of weeks back, MidWeeker Gerwyn emailed me with a suggestion.
He floated the idea of a post saying, in essence, “If I had just £50 and wanted 6 wines from one retailer … what should I buy?”.
I asked a few regular subscribers about the thought – and received a very positive thumbs up.
Subscribers are such a valuable source of accumulated wisdom in steering what should happen.
… And then I thought “let’s take that wisdom a stage further and ask them to make the actual selections”.
Today’s post is the result – six wines with an aggregate list price around £50 chosen by six regular contributors to this site’s Comments section.
I think you will find most of them have tastes in wine very much like yours.
For the retailer, I opted for the biggest wine merchant in the world – Tesco, (now there’s a quiz question for you).
The exercise will be particularly useful when the next “Buy 6” promotion surfaces – bringing the total spend down to the middle thirties.
Indeed, you can buy one bottle of something that appeals now, ready to spring into action when the next one of those deal begins
If you like the idea behind this post, I shall try repeating the process for other retailers.
Meanwhile, though, standby for the Tesco-based MidWeek Wines Community’s Choice which, for this exercie, ignore any special offers.
Today’s post also ventures onto a different topic – coffee – but more about that later.
Once again, pictures and hyperlinks are included where possible to make it easier to track down the wine in question.
Starting with the whites
2021 Remastered Fiano White Wine (£8 and 13% abv):
This is the choice of MidWeeker Paul who was given the brief of a white wine from Germany, Italy or any point east.
I also rate this wine and will shortly be including, as a Top Tip, its sister red – made from Sangiovese.
Why Paul says he chose it – Can’t go wrong with a good Fiano. This one, from Sicily, has lemon, pear and orange flavours and is slightly off dry with a hefty mid palate..
NB:- A clubcard reduction may apply to this wine but this exercise was based on list prices alone.
Moving next to Spain.
2023 Marques de los Zancos Rioja Blanco (£6 and 12%):
This white Rioja is a blend of viura and 15% white tempranillo and has been chosen by MidWeeker Dave – who is probably our community’s comments section’s expert on Spanish wines.
Why Dave chose it – Unoaked white Rioja, green on the nose, pears and apple, honeydew melon, camomile, soft minerality, with enough acidity for freshness. Cracking value!
Finally, for a white, off to South Africa
2023 Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc. Chardonnay. Sauvignon Blanc (£8 and 13%):
MidWeeker Richard from Suffolk (there are several Richards in the comments section) was given the task of finding a new world white.
He has gravitated towards an excellent – and well established – South African producer with a winery just outside Stellenbosch
Why Richard chose it – Good weight, food white, the grape blend works well. Citrus, melon, peach. Can you pick out each grape’s characteristics? A touch different, but very likeable. And Fairtrade!.
Moving to the reds.
2022 Tesco Finest Primitivo Terre Di Chieti (£8 and 14%):
It was MidWeeker Keith’s task to find us a red from anywhere east of France but, like Paul, he has opted for Italy.
That’s no surprise given the volume and quality available there with lots of new or re-discovered varieties – although Keith opts for the well know primitivo (called zinfandel in the US, of course)
Why Keith chose it – Tesco do a keenly priced Montepulciano d’Abruzzo but trade up to this easy drinking Primitivo from the same region. Smooth and rounded with dark fruit flavours, little tannin yet a lingering savouriness.
Enter our only French nominee.
Eglise Saint-Jaques French Rouge. Bergerac (£7.50 and 13%):
It was MidWeeker Eddie that suggested this non-vintage red, and he has good reason for doing so.
Eddie was the guy that “discovered” this wine on the bottom shelf in Tesco, pointed it out as a MidWeek Wines option and these days it is lauded by Decanter, Matthew Jukes and others.
Scant reward for his pains – Eddie now has to pay £7.50 (instead of its initial £5) to buy it!
Why Eddie chose it – Evocative, keenly-priced, rare-here, authentic representation of rustic France. Merlot-cabernet cuvée, juicy black fruit, low tannin easy drinker with character enough to challenge many Bordeaux AOCs at twice the price.
Finally, to a new world red.
2023 Porcupine Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon (£8.50 and 14%):
MidWeeker Lisa was given the tricky task of finding an enjoyable new world red that sat inside this tight price constraint.
Unsurprisingly, the answer lay in South Africa – to me, the current southern hemisphere hot spot for good value wines.
Why Lisa chose it – Made by South Africa’s excellent Boekenhoutskloof operation, it has trademark Cabernet Sauvignon notes of pencil shavings and blackcurrant with dark chocolate and spice hints and fruit that is ripe, but not jammy. Pleasant if not setting the world on fire!
NB:- Stocks may be low on this online
An especially big thank you, then, to Paul, Dave, Richard, Keith, Eddie and Lisa.
You all met the challenge well with a varied range of wines that truly represent great value for money.
Now for Something Completely Different
Back in the day when we were renovating a dilapidated house, we converted part of it into a shop – opening mornings and evenings.
The focus was on what I called then “the good things of life” – wine (of course), cheese and coffee.
Those experiences came in handy when MidWeeker Rob. emailed me.
He was about to start an online quality coffee business with his son and wanted tasting notes.
Shrewdly, they were anxious to differentiate their operation from others in the same field.
Tasting Notes in the format more usually associated with wine would, they felt, help do that.
So how did that turn out
It was quite a different experience for me and my co-tastees, but an enjoyable one – and the coffee was indeed quality fare.
Also, there were clearly discernible differences between the components of the range.
That is not always immediately apparent when you drink coffees sequentially over a period of time.
Now Dyrob Coffee has been launched – in an elegantly crafted website – and those of you keen on high level coffee might care to shoot across to it.
For my part, I wish them well – and applaud the inventiveness of transferring something like tasting notes usually associated with one beverage onto another (unexpected) one.
Meanwhile, back at the MidWeek Wines day job, we continue the search for budget priced (but great value) wines in Monday’s Top Tip selections.
12 responses
The Porcupine Ridge tasting made me smile ‘Made by South Africa’s excellent Boekenhoutskloof operation, it has trademark Cabernet Sauvignon notes of pencil shavings’. I’ve never seen a tasting note with reference to ‘pencil shavings’ and yet I could immediately identify with it. Interesting that.
Lisa’s use of it nails that well. It is that combination of graphite (from the pencil lead) and cedar (from the rest of the pencil) released simultaneously by a blade.
That’s exactly it Brian and very happy to have made Keith smile!
It is great when a wine description resonates.
I use pencils extensively at home, and I get the pencil shaving smell whenever I use the sharpener. And I also find it relates to many Cab Sauv wines.
At a “Monday Mini” Australian zoom tasting last week, the formidable Diana Thompson picked up “mint” on the nose of one of the wines. As soon as she said that I thought – Yes, that exactly describes what I was also getting. So another descriptor in my wine vocabulary!
Similar with taste. Sometimes you puzzle over a particular flavour you are tasting strongly but cannot define. Someone else picks it up immediately. Fennel on savoury white wine is one that often catches me, as do garrigue-like elements on a red.
Very interesting your comments on coffee tasting.The same exercise can be profitably applied to tea,where arguably there are a greater range of tastes.
Andrew Jefford in his excellent wine book “Drinking with the Valkyries” devotes a whole chapter to the fascinating history of tea and how to taste tea and comment like a wine tasting.
Unusually for a wine professional,he says that if forced to make a choice between tea and wine- tea would be the winner.
Ah! I didn’t know about the Jefford guidance, Paul. Might have saved myself trouble. Most of my approaches are self-taught. Although I am fond of teas, I would not expect them to supplant wine for me
What a brilliant selection! I’ll be sure to try them all. I’m glad the idea was well received and will hope that there are other retailers featured in the future.
Morning Brian
Hope this finds you well and that you will agree that I managed to secure a rather good deal for myself and a few friends at the weekend. Although all the same, most on here know my thoughts on this and some share, I managed to grab a “few” cases of Mucho Mas for £36 each and that was including the VAT. Had to stock up as I know that will be up in price this coming Monday thanks to the increase coming in MUP.
Best
Chris
PS – Your “super 6” do all sound very appealing nonetheless
Hi Chris.
Yes you did well with the Mucho Mas Tinto at £6 a bottle! It has like others found a place in the ‘popular’ end of the market and accordingly the price has become hiked on the basis of that popularity. See also my Eglise Saint Jaques recommendation here today similarly affected! But then when things are widely well-liked it tells a tale about how highly regarded these bottles become over a relatively short period of time even though as with all things wine they don’t necessarily satisfy all palates. But certainly not my wife’s in this case; it’s her go-to, house red. Interesting how widely available it is now.
I think it appeared in Morrisons originally, then Tesco, Sainsbury’s and very interestingly of late, Lidl. Basic shelf prices differ in all stores between £7.50 and £8.50 but I’ve had it on double-dip deals for between £5 and £6. You likely know all this and dive in accordingly for yourself and friends.
Hope not to appear too sycophantic about this there must be plenty of other media wine commentators who are envious of what you have here with MWW Brian!
Apart from your own well informed input there’s something particularly égalitarian about letting the punters have a go, some of whom like me don’t have our own blogs but nevertheless get ‘our say’ piggy-backing on the facility you offer. Thank you!
It gives a chance to those who want to express input based on their experiences. It follows that everyday being a schoolday we can all learn so much about what is out there wine-wise from a broad base of opinion and long may that continue.
My Bergerac red choice was easy to arrive at for reasons mentioned. I could have gone for the Castelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that Keith mentioned in passing ; he had a handle on that one early doors and I think for the money it’s probably as good a shout for easy-drinking, mid-week fare to go with pasta and pizza as Tesco sells. But his Primitivo is very nice for only a little more money.
I already have a bottle of Richard’s SA Kleine Zalze cuvée on my shelf. It’s right on the money too. But Dave’s expertise with anything Iberian will always be worth a punt and getting a pointer towards a white Rioja sounds up my street for a wine I’d have possibly passed on here, when self catering in Spain always had me always testing their indigenous stuff.
I hadn’t known that Tesco was such a massive operation world-wide! More good factual learning again … While I could give lots of consideration to Asda and Sainsbury’s too I’d be struggling more with Morrisons (except for their Calvet Carcassonne!) and wouldn’t even try to pretend I knew about most anything at Waitrose. Aldi and Lidl of course easily approached but again not M&S and only perfunctory at the Co-op in truth when there is a smallish store only 300 yards from where I live, though rarely shop at! We makes our choices and enjoy what we find.
Likesay, I think the wine trade may look here and be quite envious and hopefully admiring of what’s been done. Thank you as ever for our platform here. Thank you all contributors …
PS Will look forward as well to Paul’s Remastered Fiano, and your take on it soon, as well as Lisa’s evocative pencil-shavings SA-Cabernet! (when next I go to Tesco for my wife’s Mucho Mas on a 25% off buy-6 deal!). Tesco themselves should be well chuffed with this promotion being offered her at MWW.
Great fun Brian, thanks for asking us punters to take part!
The Fiano sounds like one I’d really enjoy. I found it really tough to find a decent Southern Hemisphere red for £8. Barefoot definitely wouldn’t have for the bill! I shall watch out for all the tasting notes with pencil shavings now 😃