Top 10 wines in the UK press

Jane MacQuitty recommends a “great summer red” while Victoria Moore picks out an Australian wine, which she calls “absolutely superb stuff”.

Writing in The Times, MacQuitty’s recommendation comes from Marsannay, which she writes is “almost the first Burgundy village you come to south of Dijon”, adding that the village “is renowned for its fruit-forward, early-drinking reds and even a rosé.”

MacQuitty went on to write that “the new Burgundy era has brought with it some carefully crafted reds that have more staying power than their predecessors. Initially, I was not a big fan of the 2010 Burgundy vintage, but its wines have put on weight with time.”

In the Daily Telegraph, Moore writes that while Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay are talked about a lot, in her view “the Australians’ real gift to the world of wine is the Cab-Shiraz blend.”

She added: “I would like to hear a lot more shouting about this great and wonderful red. It’s a very unclassical idea, to mix the great red grape of the northern Rhône with that of Bordeaux (though admittedly you will find Syrah and Cabernet in the same bottle in the appellation of Cabardes in the Languedoc, where grapes from the Mediterranean meet those from the Atlantic). But in Australia it just works so gorgeously well.”

Click through the following pages to see what wines these and other writers have recommended in the UK press over the last week.

Vina Albali Rosada Tempranillo

Terry Kirby in The Independent recommended this as a “bargain basement” wine, he wrote: “A nicely chilled rosé is the perfect accompaniment to barbecues or just for a refreshing glass after a hard day.

“So stock up on the bargain offers currently available on this flavoursome Spanish bottle, which stays just the right side of dry to make it perfectly suitable to wash down tapas or pasta.”

2011 Tesco Finest Soave Classico

Kirby also recommends this wine, for a “night in”, writing that it is an “unusually good Soave for the price.”

He added: “An intense dry Italian white with ripe peachy scents and delicious apricoty fruit – gluggily juicy and moreishly dry.”

Tyrrells Old Winery Verdelho 2012

Fiona Beckett in The Guardian, looks at the calorific content of wine, writing that “if you’re watching your weight, I suggest you look for wines of 11%-12% abv.”

Beckett recommends this “light and limey” wine, she writes that it “would make a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc: both are 12% abv, both are £8.50, and both are ideal for spring salads and simple fish dishes.”

Jiménez-Landi Sotorrondero, Méntrida

In The Observer, David Williams recommends this Spanish wine. He wrote: “It’s hot and dusty in Toledo to the south of Madrid, which can make for parched vines and heavy wines.

“Working organically at altitude seems to give Jiménez-Landi’s wines more refinement, however, and while this Rhône-style Syrah-Garnacha red blend is no shrinking violet, its enveloping black fruit warmth is leavened with a freshening pulse of brightness.”

2012 Wolf Blass, Yellow Label, Chardonnay

Writing in the Daily Mail, Matthew Jukes described this wine as “a model Aussie Chardonnay with succulent citrus fruit underpinned by restraint and complexity.”

He added: “It is amazing that this calibre of creamy Chardy can be made in serious quantities at this level of class.”

2011 Old Vine Selection Tempranillo

This is one of the wines recommended by Jane MacQuitty in The Times.

She wrote: “Terrific, perfumed, spiced plum-packed red, from 35-year-old vines, that packs a pleasing 14.5% alcohol punch on the finish. Perfect with steak.”

2010 Marsannay, Domaine Huguenot

This is the wine that MacQuitty described as a “great summer red.”

She listed this wine as a “keeper”, writing: “Initially, I was not a big fan of the 2010 Burgundy vintage, but its wines have put on weight with time and this gorgeous, smoky, plum and raspberry-stashed Marsannay will make a great summer red, served lightly chilled. Otherwise, put it away for another three or four years at least, although five might be pushing it.”

2010 Barossa Valley Petit Verdot

Brian Elliot, in The Scotsman, recommended this Australian wine, writing: “Because it ripens late in the northern hemisphere, Petit Verdot is often used to give a blend structure and substance.

“Here, all on its own, it provides dense plum, blackcurrant and beetroot flavours with flowery aromas, a spicy, vanilla finish and delightfully rounded tannins.”

Yalumba The Scribbler 2009/10

This is the wine recommended by Victoria Moore in the Daily Telegraph, and she picks both the 2009 and 2010.

She wrote: “The Scribbler is the baby sibling of Yalumba’s The Signature (the clues are all in the name) and it is absolutely superb stuff (I speak for both vintages here – you’ll find both around, although precisely which, where and when will depend on stores and timing). The 2010 is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, the balance consisting of Shiraz. Think mulberries and liquorice, juice with structure. Delightful.

Dancing Bull Zinfandel 2010

And finally, this wine is recommended by Susy Atkins in the Sunday Telegraph, who wrote that “no one should tell you to ‘trade up’ in wine without very good cause. But when it comes to California, I’m going to do just that.” She added: “At the top end, California is deeply inspiring.”

In regards to this wine Atkins wrote: “Ripe, juicy blackberries, raspberries and cherries leap about in this exuberantly fruity red which goes well with chargrilled steak, duck and mildly spiced lamb.”