Sainsburys Christmas '06 Wine Selection

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Sainsburys Christmas '06 Wine Selection

From: Mark
Category: Wine
Date: 12/11/2006
Time: 12:40:49

Comments

Christmas is drawing near and I expect all the supermarkets will be awash with 'deals' on wines that either claim big discounts but are in fact more often fiction. A £4.99 'on special' from £8.99 will often only taste like a £4.99 wine and should never have been priced (if in reality it ever was) at £8.99 in the first place. What it persuades us is that all 'expensive' wine tastes like cheap wine therefore dissuading us from 'trading' up to try more interesting and often more expensive wines. But more of that in later postings.

I have trawled the supermarkets and popular merchants to see what is being offered and if you are thinking about buying a case of wine for Christmas you could do a lot worse than printing this off and picking up a few bottles. I have tasted all of these wines (if not the vintage then the wine) and can pretty confidently state that, for the money, they are some of the best examples you can buy. So stock up for Christmas and give these a go. They simply represent the very best value and quality wines at full (or discounted) prices.

Below, you will find my recommendations to suit most tastes (for those with the capacity to taste anyway). I have tried to avoid most of the usual suspects (cheap Aussie chardonnay) unless they are truly outstanding and have shown a slight bias towards the more interesting or unusual - however what counts is the quality and interest at a fair price. If I were judging these wines in a professional wine tasting (of which I have done plenty) none of them would score lower than a 'bronze' medal. Most of the wines cost between £6-9 per bottle (a bit more of the sparkling and fortifieds). So take the guesswork out of the jolly-season and select the ones below. I've done the 'hard work' for you already. All you need to do is drink them!

First up its Sainsburys

White (still)

Leasingham Clare Valley Magnus Riesling 2004, Australia £7.70
Cool climate, dry, classy Riesling full of lime and touches of kerosene. Quite reserved in many ways but has concentration and will age very, very well. (If you don't want to quite push to this then a cheaper but still very good Wolf Blass Riesling (£5.49) is on a nearby shelf - giving you oodles of limey and sherbert fruit - lovely)

Huber Grüner Veltliner Obere Steigen 2005, Austria £7.00 (Taste the Difference)
A gru-vee wine from the land of anti-freeze (sorry!). A fantastic alternative to Chardonnay. Dry, fruit salad, white pepper, honeyed, limey, peachy, pear, apple, pineapple even some herby basil style notes! There is good reason that wine critics around the world are raving about this grape variety. I love Austria!

Château Bonnet Blanc 2005, Bordeaux £6.00
A classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon, Semillon and Muscadelle. We used to go weak at the knees with New World flavours, now the Old Guard are fighting back. Classic with a twist. Lemon zest, yellow stoned plum (or greengage), tropical passionfruit, stern minerality. Once again, very reserved and very adult. You will either dig it or you will say 'so what'. From the ripe 2005 vintage.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2005, New Zealand £8.60
Okay, so we have quaffed oodles of Kiwi Sauvignon...and we still want more! In the 90s it was Cloudy Bay, last year it was Jackson Estate. This year we recognise the stoic success of one of NZs larger producers, Villa Maria with an absolute classic. This has more gooseberry, more grapefruit, more tropical fruit more of everything that makes Kiwi's great. Villa Maria has moved this wine from just good to truly excellent.

Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, New Zealand £8.99
The world (well Kiwi Sauvignon) has come along way since the appearance of Cloudy Bay. Many of the leading winemakers have done their best to catch up with the cult winery. Jackson Estate, I believe, is one of them. Consistently fine, elegant, mineral and typical. Knocks Sancerre into a cocked-hat.

Sainsbury's Albarino, Taste The Difference 2005, Spain £5.99
Spain's 'great white hope'. Like France's Viognier, Austria's Gruner Veltliner the Albarino grape has been 're-discovered'. Super high quality and capable of Chardonnay-knocking flavours. At this price it should be the 'one to help you cook Christmas lunch'. Dry, crisp with excellent depth and concentration. The palate is rich spicy, lemons 'n peaches.

Red (still)

La Baume Merlot 2005, S.France £5.00
If you are looking for a 'back-stop' wine just in case people drop around for a drink or nibble but want a quality quaffer then look to this Southern French cracker. Deep, smooth, soft and deceptively easy to drink. Simple but fine.

Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir California Vintner's Reserve 2004 £9.00
It is a big operation in the US of A (and worldwide) but where can you get a fairly top-notch (albeit typically Californian) Pinot at under £9? Rich, medium-bodied, spiced blackberry and apple pie. Multi-layered and satin finish.

Taste the Difference Douro 2004, Portugal £7.00
Made at the former Port estate, Quinta do Crasto. They have now moved more into table wines and this is a truly fine example of what knock-out wines the Douro (and the whole of Portugal) are now producing. After Italy, Portugal is fast coming the country to watch. This example is a rich, massively ripe with cherry, raspberry accessible style. Fresh and young. Drink now.

Barolo Fontanafredda Lazzarito 2001, Piedmont, Italy £10.00
My general advice is to steer clear of Barolo less that £20. Certainly from Barolo less than a tenner. This may possibly be the exception. This is chunky, big, leathery tannins, tough, foursquare fruit but with a background fleshiness that alludes to tea, rose hip and tar. Needs more time to bring out the quintessence of Barolo, the king of Italian wines. Not for the faint-hearted as it is stern, tough stuff but with glimpses of promise.

Diemersfontein Pinotage 2005, South Africa £9.80
I am not always a huge fan of Pinotage (a crossing between Cinsault and Pinot Noir) because of the way oak can bring out that oily 'bacon' or frazzles quality in the wine. However as knowledge of this essential South African grape increases they are playing to its strengths. This example, from a top-notch estate in Wellington (about 45 mins from Cape Town) proves just how good it can be. Deep ruby red, crammed full of mocha, coffee, chocolate, roasted nuts, caramelised vanilla and blackcurrant.

Zonte's Footstep Shiraz Viognier 2005, Australia £7.99
Drongoland is now getting more sophisticated with its treatment of wine. Blending is something they have always been OK at but it has been single varietal wines that has been their main strength. Whilst good examples of Semillon-Chardonnay and Shiraz-Cabernet have been around for years they have now picked up on the old European habit of blending a little aromatic white wine in with a red wine (like they have been doing with Cote-Rotie in the Northern Rhone for decades). These new Shiraz-Viognier wines are scooping up the major Shiraz trophies in competitions all across the Outback and this is no exception. The Viognier (a peachy, candy floss flavour wine) gives the Shiraz an aromatic boost and balance, matching the juicy, spicy character of this grape.

Yering Station Shiraz Viognier 2004, Australia £9.99
A step up from the Zonte's with more structure and slightly less sweet fruit. This comes from Victoria's oldest winery operation. One of my favourite companies. I find most of their wines classy and compelling.

Valpantena Connubio 2004 Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, Italy £6.98
A kind of turbo-charged Valpolicella using a technique of fermenting wine on the lees (fermentation residue) of Amarone wine. It makes for a unusual and interesting wine - full of bitter-cherry flavours.

Sparkling

Marca Oro Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC 2005 £6.00
Why waste money pouring cheap Champagne down the necks of unappreciative visitors (I would not appreciate it anyway!)? This is not Champagne and does not even attempt to be but it is a lovely, simple, apple and lime fizz. Elegant and balanced. No more, no less. Drink it by the gallon. Everyone will thank you!

Montana Lindauer Brut NV £8.00
Once again, ditch the expensive 'cheap' Champagne for 'volume' guests and opt for a back-on-form Lindauer Brut. Pass by the more expensive 'Select' and plug for the standard 'house'. Honey, toasty nose with lemon 'pips'. Nice, weighty palate with good length.

Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz NV £8.00
Okay, so you don't like Champagne or White wine? Try this unusual red-fizzy-shiraz. Bit of a cult style over in Drongoland. Fun, plumescent, vibrant shiraz fruit in a full-bodied semi-sweet style. Sounds horrible but great with Christmas Pud!

Piper Heidsieck Brut NV £22
If you want to drink best NV Champagne that Sainsburys has to offer? Then make a bee-line for the earthy, creamy, nutty, toasty Pinot-dominated wine from Piper H. The one with the red label. Classy stuff and now truly back on form.

Fortified

Taylor's Tawny Port, 10 yr Old £16.99 or Warres Otima Port 50cl £10.99
I am begging you to put to one side Vintage or Late Bottle Vintage (or Reserve, Ruby etc) Ports this year and aim for Tawny Ports. Sadly under-valued in this country where we like the deep-red, fresh fruity styles over and above the pale-golden-red, nutty, dried fruit tawny styles. Lucky for the Portuguese as they love this style and have been drinking the stuff for years and have been happy to send over the other styles to us! These ports are paler because they have been aged for longer and the colour tends to drop out of wine over time. Hence the word 'tawny'. Delicious. Both these wines are 10 years old (the entry level age for most quality Tawnies).