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Top 10 wines in the UK press
Vin de Corse Vermentino 2014 Domaine Saparale, Corsica
“Most Vermentinos sold [in the UK] are unoaked, fresh, crisp and youthful – ideal for serving as summery aperitifs and as an alternative to staples such as Pinot Grigio”, said Rose Murray Brown writing in The Scotsman of this ancient Italian variety.
Recommending this example from Corsica she said: “This reminds me of lying in a wildflower meadow – such an enchanting floral aroma with a definite sage and spice note on the palate. It is fresh and pretty vibrant, so ideal to serve your unsuspecting friends as an unusual aperitif. In comparison to the supermarket vermentinos, this one, made by Philippe Farinielli’s family estate in south west Corsica, had a great deal of character. Corsica has 800 hectares, so it would be great to see more Corsican examples over here. Well done Yapp for tracking down this one.”
Price: £14.95, Yapp Bros, www.yapp.co.uk
Vermentino di Sardegna ‘Iocalis’ 2014 Melis, Sardinia
Murray Brown also highlighted this “vibrant, unoaked, herby, crisp, dry” Vermentino made by the Melis family in the Terralba commune in the southwest of Sardinia, however she did note her belief that it was “disappointingly bitter on the finish”.
She said: “Localis means jewel in the local dialect. Grapes are harvested early to ensure good acidity, then fermented in tank at cool temperatures to retain primary floral notes and freshness.”
Price: £8.25, The Wine Society
2014 Susana Sempre White, Vi de la Terra Mallorca, Spain
Matthew Jukes, writing for the Daily Mail, recommended this “racy” wine made from the local Mallorcan white grape Prensal Blanc and Chardonnay.
“The result is a beautifully haunting, pear blossom scented wine with a silky palate and a refreshing crisp finish. This is a very elegant creature indeed.”
Price: £10.95, reduced to £9.45 each if you buy six bottles, Tanners
2014 Gemtree, Moonstone Savagnin, McLaren Vale, South Australia
“Gemtree’s wine is so exquisite, with pineapple notes on the nose and a crisp grapefruit finish, that it made my 100 Best Australian Wines list for 2015/16”, said Jukes of this bottle.
It is also a very rare example of the Savagnin grape, which comes from Jura in France.
Price: £14.99, Vintage Roots
Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada, Setúbal, Portugal 2014
Moving on, David Williams of The Guardian picked three of Portugal’s “best whites”, including this Colheita from Setúbal south of Lisbon.
“Portugal does so many wine styles so well, from two of the world’s great fortified wines in Madeira and Port to the deep, dark reds of the Douro valley, Bairrada and Dão. It never used to be all that good at whites, but these days it’s rare that I go through a week of tasting wine without finding at least one idiosyncratic, slightly quirky, and superb value Portuguese white discovery. From a co-operative in Setúbal, south of Lisbon, this is the latest. It has a dollop of Chardonnay to go with a trio of local varieties, and a savoury seriousness to go with its ripe orchard fruit.”
Price: £6.75, The Wine Society
Almeida Garrett Mountain Chardonnay Beiras Interior 2012, Portugal
“Portugal’s winemakers seem to do a better job with their own grapes; they’re more adapted to the local soils and climates”, said Williams, however Almeida Garret’s Chardonnay proved to be an exception.
“Almeida Garrett’s Chardonnay vines have been planted in the Serra da Estrela mountains in central Portugal for 100 years. Enough time to make those vines honorary locals – and provide the kind of tension, balance and richness that would cost considerably more if it had a Burgundy village on the label.”
Price: £7.99, Averys of Bristol
Pizarras del Otero 2014 Bierzo, Spain
“Very few rosés are worth splashing out on”, said Suzy Atkins writing in The Telegraph. “The top labels of Provence, perhaps, but for a quaffing rosé, look to part with no more than £8, and probably a lot less. Most rosé is a simple pleasure – a young wine, short-lived and fairly one-dimensional – so there’s no reason why it should cost.”
Recommending this example from Spain, Atkins said: “A thoroughly modern, vivacious, fruity rosado with ripe red-berry flavour delivered by the trendy Mencía grape. One to pair with charcuterie.”
Price: Majestic, £9.99 or £6.66 when you buy two until 31 August
Chiaretto 2014 Monferrato, Italy
Another of Atkins’ top picks was this Italian rosé, which she described as “an elegant Italian rosato with tangy notes of raspberry and watermelon, succulent enough for aperitifs.”
Price: Marks & Spencer, £7.50 or two for £12 until 7 September
Torelli, Moscato d’Asti 2013, Piedmont, Italy
Tom Cannavan, writing in The Huffington Post, recommended this Moscato d’Asti, quickly dispelling any association to the “cheap and questionably cheerful Asti Spumante”.
“Though there’s the vaguest of family resemblances between them, the fine Moscatos of Asti in Piedmont, north-west Italy, are a world removed from cheap party plonk”, asserted Cannavan.
“This is a terrifically fresh, frothy and vibrant interpretation of gently sparkling Moscato from a quality organic estate. It has only 5% alcohol, the rest of the sugar in the Moscato grapes remaining behind after fermentation to give this wine beautifully sweet flavours and making it a perfect summer in the garden and picnic tipple. Most importantly, it has layers of flavour and a bracing balance of acidity, rippling through to the finish.”
Price: £10.50, Vintage Roots
Savoie Blanc ‘Coeur Terroir’ 2014, France
Finally Terry Kirby, writing in The Independent, picked a selection of wines for the week ahead including this “unusual” white from the Savoie region in eastern France made from the rare local Jacquère, Chasselas and Altesse grapes.
“As delicate as an Alpine flower and as fresh and flinty as a mountain stream, this is a perfect summer white. Pair with goat’s cheese, salads and shellfish.”
Price: £9, Marks & Spencer