Motoring & LeisurePaula's Wines of the WeekPaula's Wines of the Week (15th - 22nd September 2008) Paula's Wines of the Week (15th - 22nd September 2008)
By Paula Goddard - 15/09/2008
Term has already started for the children, and next week it'll be the adults’ turn. Evening classes usually begin at the end of September and many local education authorities offer wine appreciation courses.
During each two-hour class you'll start with an introduction to that night’s subject – usually a major grape variety or wine region - before being handed a map and some notes. You’ll then pour the first of up to six wines to be sniffed and tasted. Your tutor will encourage everyone to describe the wines for themselves.
There can be a lot of waffle spoken during wine tastings, but the only thing that matters is - do you actually like the wine? If the answer is no, you'll know not to buy certain grape varieties or wines from specific regions. That’s what you’ve enrolled on a wine course to find out.
If you want to get some tasting in beforehand then practise sniffing and slurping the following supermarket wines.
£3.99 and under
There are still some good bottles to be found that cost the same as a couple of National Lottery tickets.
Isla Negra Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and Isla Negra Reserve Merlot 2007, £3.74 Somerfield www.somerfield.co.uk (down from £7.49 until October 7th). Start your home wine education course with these single varietal wines. Expect classic Sauvignon Blanc flavours of gooseberry, while the Merlot tastes of blackberry and plum. Just as the wine tasting text books tell us.
If you want to continue this Chilean single varietal tasting then pop along to Tesco www.tesco.com where the lemony Isla Negra Chardonnay and the blackberry tasting Isla Negra Cabernet Sauvignon are also on special offer at £3.74 until October 7th.
£5.99 and under
There are a few fruity, slurpable wines among the forgettable masses.
Las Moras Argentinian Bonarda 2007, £4.99 Co-op www.co-operative.coop/food/.
Argentina has pretty much cornered the market in the Bonarda grape variety - a cheaper alternative to French Bordeaux made with the similar tasting Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Bonarda's soft blackberry and cherry flavours are often beefed up with the addition of some Malbec which adds robust tannins.
Terra Viva Merlot del Veneto 2007, £5.79 Waitrose www.waitrosedeliver.com. This organic Italian Merlot tastes rather like a good, soggy Black Forest Gateaux. See if you agree. Try comparing it to the Nobilo Merlot.
Costs a bit more, but tastes great
Sometimes a bottle of wine tastes so fab it's still a bargain whatever it costs.
Nobilo Regional Collection Hawkes Bay Merlot 2006, £6.66 Threshers www.threshergroup.com (when bought as 3 bottles, normal price £8.99 a bottle).
New Zealand is better known for its gooseberry tasting Sauvignon Blancs. But it is now producing some pretty good red. A more complex version of the Terra Viva Merlot – tobacco and violet aromas complement the usual Black Forest Gateaux flavours. Yum.
Villa Maria Private Bin Gewürztraminer 2007, £8.99 Majestic www.majestic.co.uk, Waitrose www.waitrosedeliver.com
This 'spicy' Traminer from New Zealand has many unusual aromas and flavours. It reminds me of that bright pink bubblegum we used to chew with abandon as children with a bit of sophisticated freshly squeezed lime thrown in. Do let me know if you agree, or not.
If you want to tell Paula about a bargain bottle spotted at the supermarket or off-licence then contact her via jayne.warren@maturetimes.co.uk or directly through her website link below.