Top 10 wines in the UK press

Aldi The Exquisite Collection Gavi 2013

David Williams, writing in The Observer, recommended a selection of “unusual Italian wines” this week, including this “creditable cheapie” from supermarket Aldi.

He said: “I once enjoyed a similar dish to Claudia’s octopus salad in a restaurant in Genoa: the consolation for a missed train and a difficult day. The wine, inevitably for this part of the world, was from Gavi, 30 miles inland – a typically lemon-skin scented and lemon-juice tangy dry white made from the Cortese grape.

“Gavi can be fabulously flowing, textured and mineral (like La Guistiana Gavi di Gavi Montessora 2012; £22.30, hedonism.co.uk). Aldi’s creditable cheapie is rather less complex, but it’s richer than you’d expect and does a good job of providing a dry and citric condiment for octopus and other seafood.”

Price: £5.29, Aldi

Tesco Finest Teroldego, Trentino, Italy 2011

Williams also recommended this red from the Trentino region of Italy.

He said: “For similarly sentimental reasons, I have a soft-spot for the plum-and-cherry juiciness and uncomplicated drinkability of Dolcetto, the red wine that the Piemontese drink when they’re not meditating on life with a glass of the more serious Barbaresco or Barolo.

“My memory may be playing tricks, but I’m sure they used to be easier to come by: for now you have to go to independents for fragrant bottles from the likes of Manual Marinacci (bbr.com) or Sottimano (leaandsandeman.co.uk) to get a fix. Or, as a match for Claudia’s farro salad, you could try this tartly fresh equivalent from the northeast.”

Price: £7.99, Tesco

2013 Albariño de Fefiñanes, Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain

Matthew Jukes, writing in The Daily Mail, picked a number of wines for Easter entertaining this week, including this Albariño which he said was “incredible”.

He said: “I would be surprised if I taste a finer Albariño this year. There is an awful lot more to this wine than an epic label. The slightly austere, pineapple husk and green apple nose gives way to a laser-driven palate of wistful citrus fruit and a heroically long finish. There is a prickle of energy from start to finish which electrifies the senses – it’s incredible.”

Price: £15.99, Waitrose

2011 Mas de Montagnes, Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, France

Jukes also recommended this “bargain-priced” village wine from the Côtes du Roussillon which he said would match perfectly with your Easter lamb roast.

He said: “This wine has an authentic, rustic French farmhouse feel with accompanying hedgerow fruit and a touch of funk! If you want flavour which transports you immediately to the South of France then this is it. Delicious with the Easter lamb shank pie recipe, this is a fabulous, bargain-priced red wine.

Price: £8.99, reduced to £5.99 each if you buy two bottles, until 28 April, Majestic.

2012 Rabl Winery, Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria

Another top pick from Jukes was this “quirky” Grüner Veltliner from Austria.

He said: “Fresh, clean, quirky, crisp apple notes, often with a touch of white pepper, Grüner Veltliner is a terrific grape and it is Austria’s secret weapon. With a shape and feel on the palate not dissimilar to a Sauvignon Blanc, but a flavour which trumps this grape at this price, this is a crucial wine for entertaining and it is spot on with the Smoked salmon & cucumber jelly pots.”

Price: £7.99, Marks & Spencer. 

Toro Loco Rosé 2012, Utiel Requena, Spain

Jamie Goode, writing in The Express, also gave his pick of top wines with “fresh, springy” flavours to enjoy Al Fresco this Easter.

He said: “This dry, pink wine is absurdly underpriced, offering fresh, clean, bright cherry and berry fruits. It’s very drinkable and perfect for parties – though it would also go well with this week’s beetroot salad.”

Price: £3.69, Aldi

2012 Castelão Syrah, Tesouro da Bodega, Portugal

Hamish Anderson, writing in The Telegraph, also had Easter in mind when making his selections this week, picking a number of red wines to match an Easter lamb roast.

Od this Portugese Syrah he said: “You can frequently find this on offer, which then pushes it into the bargain category. A blend of Syrah and the southern Portuguese stalwart Castelão, it is full of juicy, brambly fruit. Its burly, rustic nature makes it ideally placed to take on a flavourful shoulder of lamb cooked with garlic and rosemary.”

Price: £7.49, Tesco

2012 Pinot Noir ‘Signature Series’, Robert Oatley, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Anderson also recommended this Australian Pinot Noir.

He said: “To my mind Mornington is making some of the world’s finest Pinot and Chardonnay outside Burgundy. This is all restraint and elegance with the fruit red (think strawberry) rather than dark. It is best shown off alongside the delicacy of a simply cooked rack.”

Price: £13.25, Oddbins

2013 Duo Des Mers Sauvignon Viognier, South-west France

Brian Elliott, writing in The Scotsman, recommended this French white blend, which he said would pair perfectly with fish.

He said: “Here winemaker Xavier Roger uses 70 per cent Sauvignon Blanc from Gascony’s Atlantic coast and 30% Viognier from Languedoc on the Mediterranean. The result combines hints of Viognier’s fresh pineapple with the Sauvignon’s gooseberry background, which together cry out to be drunk with fish.”

Price:£6.25 at The Wine Society

Weingut Göttelmann Dautenpflänzer Riesling Halbmond 2007

Another pick of perfect wines for an Easter lamb roast was put forward by Hamish Anderson, writing in The Independent, recommended this German Riesling, among several wines.

He said: “Stunning, complex, bone-dry German Riesling from a small estate in the Nahe area. Smoky, fruity aromas give way to crisp, acidic flavours of peaches, bananas and apricots, with a lingering refreshing finish. Pair with shellfish, but excellent with a halibut steak.”

Price: £11.95, fromvineyardsdirect.com