Top 10 wines in the UK press

The Master Montepulciano, Tscharke, 2012

The Guardian‘s Fiona Beckett is praising the foresight of a new company named 21st Century Vino, which is promoting producers that make wine using Italian grape varieties.

While her top picks haven’t yet been imported, particularly Chalmers wines from Heathcote, Victoria, in the meantime she recommends that people “dip a toe in the water with Tscharke’s (pronounced Sharky) sexy, Barossa-made The Master Montepulciano 2012.”

“And yes, before you point it out, wines in this style would be cheaper if they were made in Italy, but that’s not the point,” she argues. “They wouldn’t taste the same, and it’s never less than fascinating to explore the effect of terroir.”

Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino Macharnudo 54 

Giving a masterclass on the world of Sherry, Damian Barr at the Sunday Times tells his readers that “Sherries range from pale, bone-dry Fino to the tarry, molasses-like pedro Ximenez, with about eight gradations. Beginners beware both extremes.”

His picks “cover the most accessible: slightly salty Amontillado, balanced Oloroso and the uncommon, but uncommonly delicious, Palo Cortado.”

But La Bota de Fino 54 “takes it to another level, managing to be somehow both quenching and thirst-making. Approaching beurre noisette – unusually dark for a fino. Freshly baked sourdough gives way to creamy salted almonds. Arid, but also alive.”

Sainsbury’s 12-Year-Old Amontillado Sherry

However, when it comes to affordable Sherries, none can trump the Sainsbury’s own-label 12-Year-Old Amontillado, retailing at £8 per 500ml.

“Sainsbury’s 12-Year-Old Amontillado introduces the classic Dundee cake spice. Approachable and affordable, this is softer and darker than Fino, with warm hazelnut tones and the merest hint of sweetness.”

Château de Fauzan Minervois 2013

The Daily Express‘s wine writer Jamie Goode set himself the task of finding seven of the best-value French reds on sale in the UK, and chose to hone in on the south of the country, which he describes as “a happy hunting ground for those who like ripe, value-for-money reds.”

An example of which can be seen with this wine, on sale at £8.99 from Tesco. “Blending together Syrah with a bit of Grenache, this is a bright, dense, vivid red showing peppery raspberry fruit with a bit of tarriness and some mineral notes,” Goode writes. “It’s impressive on its own or with food.” 

The Wine Atlas Corbières Château de Fornas 2013

The second highlight from Goode’s seven choices is this Languedoc wine that is for sale as part of Asda’s Wine Atlas range at just £5.97.

“This red is supple and rounded with sweet cherry and berry fruit. It has nice texture and balance as well as real drinkability,” Goode writes.

Yalumba, Y Series Shiraz / Viognier 2013 

Next up, Matthew Jukes devotes his column in the Daily Mail to wines that best suit the recipe’s of Savoy head chef Kim Woodward. (£9.99, reduced to £7.00 until 27 October, Tesco).

“My regular followers will know that I love this wine and when the price is slashed [£9.99 reduced to £7.00 until 27 October, Tesco] I always flag it up.

“Drink this lusty, plum and mulberry-drenched stunner with Kim’s Herb-crusted lamb cutlets with roasted aubergine and wild mushrooms recipe,” he writes.

Tesco finest Argentinean Malbec 2014

Another cut-price bargain (£7.99, reduced to £6.00, until 27 October, Tesco), Jukes says: “you don’t have to be Nostradamus to predict that I would match a Malbec with the Grilled Hereford sirloin steak with classic Béarnaise sauce recipe.

“This cheapie, from the magnificent Catena winery, is a must-have, hearty red for all carnivorous feasts,” Jukes writes.

Truly Irresistible Leyda Valley Sauvignon Blanc

David Williams has been singing the praises of UK retailer The Co-operative in his Guardian  this week. “It doesn’t go in for the kind of showy window-dressing favoured by some of its supermarket rivals, where the distracting presence of a handful of fine wines in a handful of stores is meant to mask the increasing blandness of the rest of the range,” he argues.

“This Sauvignon Blanc, for example, is made by the justly admired Viña Leyda from the eponymous coastal Chilean region, and is a gloriously zippy, verdant, citrusy bargain.”

Trapiche Pure Malbec

Next, he uses the store’s range of “well-priced, well-made Chileans, of which this Trapiche offering is the best. However, there are others in the “Co-op’s presumptuously named but occasionally sumptuous own-label range.”

“At £7.99, the Truly Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir 2015 offers the supple texture and sweet forest floor and red-fruit flavours pinot-lovers crave but rarely find for under a tenner. And the Truly Irresistible Bío Bío Valley Malbec 2013 (£6.99) mixes dark fruit and spice with floral freshness and trademark Chilean mintiness,” he writes. 

Chateau Reynon Sauvignon Blanc 2013

And finally, Tom Cannavan’s section of the Huffington Post UK was lit up this week by this Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc.

“This comes from the family estate of ace white wine ‘flying winemaker’ Denis Dubourdieu. It is made in big old wooden barrels, so oaky aroma and flavour is minimal, though there’s a soft sheen of cashew or oatmeal to the pristine grapefruity aromas, just a touch of nectarine beneath”, he descriptively writes.

“On the palate it marries slicing acid alertness with a creamy, weighty texture and that perfectly clear-toned and elegant fruit.”