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Slideshow
Top 10 wines in the UK press
2013 Ben Marco, Plata Malbec, Special Edition, Mendoza, Argentina
Matthew Jukes describes this impressive Malbec as a wine with blackcurrant and black cherry fruit forms the theme and subtle oak and latent power hover beneath the surface.A wine with a level of purity and focus rarely found in this grape, he thinks you’ll be on to a real winner if you pair with it with chorizo flatbreads and red peppers.
Majestic, £14.99
Ochota Barrels Fugazi 2014 Grenache
While out sampling the delights of award winning Birmingham wine store Loki Wine, The Guardian‘s Fiona Beckett cites this Australian red as one of the most exciting grenaches available on the market right now. Made in the Adelaide Hills, it comes from 64-year-old bush vines and tastes like freshly made strawberry jam. Available from Loki, but for those closer to the capital it is also available at Highbury Vinters for £28.
Le Bernet Graves Blanc, Bordeaux, France 2015
The Guardian‘s David Williams deemed sceptical at first, as Le Bernet mixes Sauvignon and Sémillon. However, its blackcurrant leaf and crackles of flintiness the latest vintage acts as its saving grace. The Sémillon adds more weight and balance, making for a subtly oily but fresh and grapefruit tangy Le Bernet.
Sainsbury’s, £7.50
La Violetta Up! Shiraz 2013
Hailed as the new destiny of the Australian Shiraz by the Daily Mail‘s Olly Smith. He describes the £25 bottle as peppery, fragrant, light and fabulously resonant. Available form The Knotted Vine, it’s expected to make a big splash over the course of the summer.
Stemmari Pinot Noir 2013
Delivers on all fronts with its raspberry and black cherry fruit, soft hint of chocolate and a very appealing price tag, says The Telegraph‘s Susy Atkins. Available from Waitrose for just £7.99, it continues in the trend of drinkable wines available on the high street for under £10. Atkins also notes that the Stemmari can be paired with rich red meats like steak or duck.
Waitrose, £7.99
Chateau St Jean Chardonnay 2013
Currently only available at Majestic in the UK, it’s important not to be fooled by its French name as it is a wine direct from California. It’s taste could fool you, too, as Daily Express writer Jamie Goode claims it’s Creamy and broad, yet still fresh, this has delicious pear and citrus fruit with some subtle toastiness. It’s not the caricature of a showy Californian chardonnay at all.
Majestic, £10.99
Viña Cobos, Felino Malbec 2012, Argentina
The Huffington Post‘s Tom Cannavan says: On the nose this is a gloriously pure expression of Malbec with violet, plum and cherry, and a layer of classy, creamy oak. On the palate this is so smooth, so svelte (the Barry White of red wines!) flooded with ripe and seductive berry fruit, but underpinned by silky tannic structure and well-balanced acidity that carries the 14.5% alcohol well.
Wine-searcher, £12.99
Charles Back Stonedance Darling Shiraz 2014
A full-bodied, straightforward wine, with robust plum and blackberry flavours, lots of peppery spice and a good, long finish. It earned a rave review from The Independent‘s Terry Kirby. The Stonedance is a fair trade wine from South Africa’s Western Cape region and is perfectly suitable for all manner of BBQ meats when British summertime does finally decide to grace us with its presence.
Marks & Spencer, £10
Morrisons Signature Grenache, Vin De Pays D’oc 2012
Angela Mount of The Bath Chronicle pays Morrisons own brand Grenache a high tribute by saying: Bright, bouncy and full of juicy fruit, this is a lively, vibrant, fun, juicy red, for those who like a softer style of red wine – from southern France, it’s a delicious mix of juicy, ripe strawberries, sweet spice, heady Mediterranean herbs, and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Morrisons, £6.99
Domaine Naturaliste ‘Sauvage’ Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Margaret River, Australia 2013
Another wine from David Williams in The Guardian, and another Sauvignon-Sémillon blend that’s caught his attention. They balance aromatic feistiness with a savoury complexity that is a match for anything made from chardonnay in Burgundy, he said.
Swig, £25