Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

Wines in the press- June 22-26

Published:  26 June, 2012

The Guardian
When Fiona Beckett was in the States recently, she says the buzz was about Moscato.

Given its modest 5-7% abv, US sales rose 80% last year, and with brands such as Jacob's Creek, Yellowtail and Gallo jumping on the bandwagon, the same seems likely to happen here, she adds. Beckett thinks Moscato is great summer drinking; light, sweet and gently fizzy - a sneakily guilty pleasure. Plus producers love the stuff because the lower alcohol level attracts less tax, making it hugely profitable. She recommends drinking Mrs Wigley Pink Moscato (4.5% abv, £6.75 for 500ml Flagship Wines) while watching Wimbledon and dipping into a punnet of strawberries. Innocent Bystander, offers a similar Pink Moscato (5.5% abv, £6.49 West Mount Wine). If you're curious to know what authentic Moscato tastes like, Beckett recommends a Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont. She says Suri Sandrinet, Cerutti 2011 (5% abv, £11.95 Berry Bros & Rudd) tastes of liquid honeysuckle and makes you feel like you're wandering through meadows of freshly mown grass.

The Observer


David Williams recommends some midsummer delights for an outdoor meal that includes; Viñalba Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2011 (£5.49). He describes it as a youthful, supple and succulent red, with plenty of deep, dark, plummy fruit that would suit a barbecue. Tesco Finest Boranup Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2011 (£9.99, Tesco) is fromWestern Australian and from producer Howard Park, one of Tesco's best suppliers. It's one of Williams' two favourite whites in the giant retailer's range. The Boranup mixes blackcurrant leaf and tropical fruit flavours for a distinctive, pin-sharp alternative to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Lastly; Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Veneto, Italy 2010 (from £17.25, aduv.co.uk; oxfordwine.co.uk) has an amazing depth of svelte black-cherry flavour and a spicy finish, he says.

The Financial Times

Jancis Robinson MW recommends values wines for under £10. She begins with Plaimont, Tesco Finest, Saint Mont 2010, which is a "seriously distinctive" blend of historic local Gascon varieties Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac. It's dry but juicy and well structured. (£6.99 Tesco). She also opts for Luis Felipe Edwards, LFE Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2011 Casablanca Valley, (£8.74 Majestic) which she says is sweet in a vaguely butterscotch way but also fresh, thanks to the cool drift up this Chilean valley from the Pacific. For reds she goes for; Porta Velha, Valle Pradinhos 2009, Trás-os-Montes which according to Robinson is just one of many bargains currently available from Portugal. It's a "juicy, delicate" blend of Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Portugal's Touriga Nacional grapes, (£7.75 The Wine Society). Just under £10 is the Vidal Fleury 2010, Côtes du Rhône that she thinks is too dry to drink without food but it is proper artisan stuff from Guigal's sister company. £9.99 (two bottles at £6.99 each) Majestic.


The Daily Mail

Olly Smith is looking at what wines are best for "summer sipping" and drinking outdoors.
He suggests the key is to go for lightness in bright, fresh whites, a nimble, pale rosé, cool fizz or fragrant, supple, easy reds. He also recommends investing in a chiller jacket or ice bucket - wine is delicate - it can't wear suntan lotion and doesn't like to be left in direct sunlight. When it comes to whites, Smith is a fan of the "zip and zing" you get from a Spanish Albariño, French Picpoul de Pinet or Italian Soave.  His current favourite is crisp, dry Riesling from north Austria such as the Domaene Gobelsburg Riesling 2010 (The Wine Society £10.95). On the rosé front, he'd pick examples from France's Provence, which are pale, delicate and enthrallingly crisp. His red tip is from the Bierzo region in Spain, where the local Mencia grape is producing soft, silky vino that's ripe for the glugging. And yes, if a red is light enough and fruity enough, chilling it down for 20 minutes in an ice bucket is an absolute must, he says.