Choosing a gift for next Sunday’s Mother’s Day is never that easy for sons and daughters, of whatever age. I’m sure you’ll not complain when you receive the usual bunch of flowers or box of chocs, but it would be nice to get something rather more personalised wouldn’t it? So why not help your children along by dropping subtle, or not, hints that a bottle or two of your favourite wine would be much appreciated.
Their urge to buy champagne will be strong – don’t try and divert this but direct it either towards something really, really expensive (after all you’re worth it aren’t you?), or a bottle of wine you know only you will enjoy.
You could direct your offspring towards wines priced at £6 and under (Lidl’s Nobre Colheita Vinho Verde at £5.99 not only looks the part but tastes good too) but as it’s your day why not move them along the wine aisle to the £10+ section. Here there are not only fancy prices and fancy labels but also, in some instances, fancy and enjoyable flavours.
French wines from specific chateau (vineyards with a castle) or domains (smaller sub-regions) always make great gifts as their undecipherable labels convey poshness. But they can be a bit of a risk for a purchaser as the bottle often gives no hint of the flavours found inside. So the best way to find out what the wine actually tastes like is to ask.
Obviously it helps if there’s someone around to ask and an off-licence or up-market wine shop is a better bet for this than a supermarket – plus they tend to hire staff with in-depth wine knowledge rather than the do-everything shelf stacker. So try Majestic (usually on the edge of town) or local specialists like Tanners in Shropshire or Averys in Bristol. Their staff should be able to direct you to mother-friendly wines.
There’s always the tried and tasted wines suggested below if you need more inspiration.
PG Wine Reviews
Nobre Colheita Portuguese Vinho Verde
£5.99 Lidl
Creamy lemon and apple with a floral background. A nice example of a Vinho Verde.
Freixenet Cordon Negro Spanish Cava, Sparkling
£7 Asda, Tesco
A simple appley fizz.
La Grande Olivette French Malbec 2015
£7.99 Majestic
Blackberry and apple crumble flavours. Bring on the custard!
Abbotts and Delaunay French Merlot 2015
£9.99 Majestic
The pretty label showing blackberries gives you an idea of what to expect from the wine as it tastes lightly of these hedgerow fruit too. Creamy and light.
Les Caillottes French Sancerre 2015
£14 Sainsbury’s
Creamy pear, pineapple and pastry flavours with some added zip with apple fruitiness. A really nice white wine.
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© Paula Goddard 2017 www.paulagoddard.com
