Top 10 wines in the UK press

2015 Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc

We kick off this week’s round-up with a perfect “night in” bottle, as chosen by Anthony Rose in the Independent on Sunday. 

He describes it as “fragrant with elderflower and packed with zingy gooseberry”.

£7.49, down from £9.99, until 23 February, The Co-operative

2014 Marcelo Pelleriti Malbec, Uco Valley

The perfect dinner party pour, “this high-Andean Malbec is already approachable” despite its youth. “Juicy and balanced”, Rose writes.

£11.99, or £9.99 when you buy any 6 bottles, Majestic

2012 Boulevard Napoléon Cinsault, L’Abeuradou’, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault

And for those looking to splash out, Rose recommends this wine that displays “textured old vine freshness and herb”.

£21.33-£26, Exel, Wilde, Winebear, The Fine Wine Company

2015 Peter Yealands, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 

Next up, the Daily Mail‘s Matthew Jukes picks his wines of the week, beginning with this Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

“This label is always a winner, but the new, brilliant 2015 vintage, is truly unmissable,” he writes.

“The bright, fresh, lime and green herb nose alone is electrifying. The excitement rolls on to a grippingly refreshing palate and tense, nervy finish.”

£8.00, Sainsbury’s

2013 Paolo Leo, Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy 

“I cannot find a more impressive, big, rich, red wine anywhere on the shelves today under the £8 mark,” Jukes emphatically writes.

“With extraordinary concentration and lusty, bold blackberry notes, this is a triumphant bargain, so buy as much as you can.”

£10.99, reduced to £7.99 until 16 February, Waitrose

2014 Paul Mas, Vinus Grenache Noir, Languedoc, France

“This is another phenomenal wine given the tiddly price,” Jukes continues.

“Remember that half of this wine is tax and duty, so I am blown away by the velvety, briary, heart-warming flavours in the remaining three pounds-worth of joy!”

£8.00, reduced to £6.00 until 14 February, Morrisons

Zorah Karasi Areni Noir, Armenia 2013 

Next, David Williams at The Guardian asks an idle question: “what kind of wines were they making 5,000 years ago in the cave at the feet of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains known as Areni-1?”

Because it was here, in modern-day Armenia in 2011, that archaeologists discovered the world’s earliest winery, dating back to circa 3,000 to 3,500 BC, he reports.

“I may not have found an answer tasting the 2014 vintage (available in May) of Italian-Armenian Zorik Gharibian’s Karasi made from Armenia’s most planted grape variety (which, like the cave, takes its name from the village of Areni). But, as with the 2013, the sense of history brings an added frisson to a vibrant, highly polished red.”

From £21.95, Slurp; Corking Wines

Iago Bitarishvili Chinuri Qvevri 8, Kakheti, Georgia 2013 

Iago Bitarishvili’s “arrestingly chewy, honeyed white” is among “the best of these qvevri wines” made using traditional earthenware pots, Williams continues.

From £16.65, Bottle Apostle, Smiling Grape

Khareba Saperavi, Kakheti, Georgia 2013

“Made in stainless steel rather than clay, Khareba’s bold but supple Saperavi is not quite as complex” as some of its fellow qvervi-made wines, “but with its liquorice and juicy black berries, it also pairs beautifully with lamb,” Williams says.

£9.95, Tanners Wines

Truly Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir, 2015

And finally, Jamie Goode takes to his Daily Express  rave about this Pinot offering. “It’s rare to find Pinot Noir worth drinking at this price,” he writes.

“It’s a fickle grape, but when it’s good it’s a delight. This one offers supple, pure raspberry and redcurrant fruit.”

£7.99, The Co-operative