Top Ten Red Wines of 2011 this week including three at under a fiver, which should help things along this Christmas in these frugal times, and aromas that climb out of the glass and whack you one. And should you be able to splash out a bit more there are also more great value wines at around £8 and more at £12 and £13. So here they are in ascending price:
1. Aldi’s French Côtes du Rhône, £3.69 Aldi www.aldi.co.uk
Complex aromas of strawberry, raspberry, liquorice and maple syrup followed by light fruity flavours of cranberries, blackberries and cherry Tunes. A very good blend to match to the turkey this Christmas.
2. Aldi’s Spanish Ribereño Tempranillo 2009, £4.99 Aldi www.aldi.co.uk
Unfortunately this is no longer available as it was a ‘while stocks last’. But it was so good that it deserves a mention and it’ll also mean you can be prepared should it re-appear as an Aldi staple. Aromas of Marmite and violets, then flavours of chewy cherry liquorice – it tastes rather like a liquid purple fruit pastille.
3. Co-op Argentine Fairtrade Bonarda Shiraz, £4.99 Co-op www.co-operative.coop
Why does the Co-op sell anyone else’s wine when their own-label stuff is so good? Complex aromas of jammy dodgers or Bakewell tart (you take your pick), blackberry, strawberry and marzipan. Flavours of black cherry, blackberry, tobacco and marzipan. What a great slurp.
4. Montgravet Vin de France Cabernet Merlot 2010, £4.99 Waitrose www.waitrose.com
A decent wine at under five pounds in Waitrose, yes I was surprised too. But this little beauty really delivers – strawberry, cherry, blackcurrant, Bisto and black pepper flavours. A nice balance of the light to more oomphy.
5. Errazuriz Chilean Merlot Reserva 2010, £5.85 Sainsbury’s www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries (down from £8.79 until December 6th), £5.98 Asda groceries.asda.com
Errazuriz again, they were in the Top Ten Whites list and it’s no coincidence they are in the Top Ten Reds list too and cor blimey is the best way to describe the taste of this dual varietal red. And should you want more words how about ‘an aroma that climbs out of the glass and whacks you one’ with blackberry leaf, cassis, coffee and liquorice. Thumbs up to the taste of blackcurrant, damson jam, cocoa and mint.
6. Co-op Premium Argentinean Malbec 2010, £7.99 Co-op www.co-operative.coop
It’s the Co-op again but this time with their premium range Malbec – dark choc and smoky cherry aromas and flavours of Black Forest gateau. Another cor blimey.
7. The Black Stump Australian Durif Shiraz 2009, £7.99 Laithwaites www.laithwaites.co.uk
A blend of the grape varieties Shiraz and Durif – a variety bred by mixing Shiraz and the lesser-known French grape Peloursin – so really the wine is Shiraz and more Shiraz. And boy does it show – huge flavours of blackcurrant, cocoa, liquorice, raisin and cinnamon that just keep on going.
8. Isla Negra Chilean High Tide Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, £8.99 Tesco www.tesco.com
Beware this wine on first opening as the taste will take your teeth apart. But leave it 5 minutes and the flavours soften to raspberry, cherry, bubblegum along with the earlier notes of cocoa, fresh blackberry and blackcurrant.
9. Vidal New Zealand Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, £11.99 Waitrose www.waitrose.com
Getting a bit more expensive now but the wine still meets the value for money criteria with its sweet black cherry, black coffee and spice flavours that change to damson and tart plum with opening.
10. Villa Maria New Zealand Cellar Selection Syrah 2008, £12.99 Winerack www.winerack.co.uk
Another wine from New Zealand to end and this one has long, long lasting flavours: violets, cherry yoghurt, liquorice and a touch of gravy. Who said New Zealand could only do feeble Pinot Noir reds?
If you want to tell Paula about a bargain bottle spotted at the supermarket or off-licence then contact her via her website link below.
Campaigns & Issues
Lobby for libraries
The NPC officers have given their backing to a lobby being organised by UNISON, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), Voices for the Library, The Library Campaign, Campaign for the Book and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which will call on politicians to protect vital library services.
News
WRVS response to Health Committee report on social care
WRVS calls for a decisive leap towards joining up health and social care responding to the Health Select Committee inquiry report.
David McCullough, Chief Executive of WRVS said: “Delivering 21st-century health services will hinge on us switching considerable resources into keeping older people in their own homes and breaking the cycle of isolation that faces many people from their seventies onwards.
Competitions & Fun
Win a signed copy of Citizen James on DVD
CARRY ON’S inimitable Sid James is Citizen James in the hilarious 1960s BBC comedy, which finally comes to DVD for the first time. This long-lost classic comedy series makes its DVD debut, featuring the only known surviving episodes, the complete series one, and two episodes each from series two and three. They will be released as a two-disc set on 6 February 2012 courtesy of Acorn Media.
In series one written by Alan Simpson and Ray Galton (Hancock, Steptoe & Son), Sid (Sid James) is a hard-working layabout, gambler and con-artist, hanging out on the streets of Soho with his sidekick Bill (Bill Kerr), in Charlie’s Nosh Bar and occasionally paying a visit to his long-suffering fiancée Liz (Liz Fraser), to borrow money to pay off his gambling debts and cons gone wrong.
Advertorial
February is travel love month with Silver Travel Advisor
WIN £1,000 CRUISE VOUCHERS WITH VIKING RIVER CRUISES AND MANY OTHER PRIZES
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50). A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
February is Travel Love month at Silver Travel Advisor, and there is a whole range of prizes to be found including the star prize:
Viking River Cruises – win £1,000 cruise vouchers
Health & Wellbeing
Scrap the government's health bill, say BMJ readers
More than 90% of British Medical Journal readers responding to a poll published today think the government's health reforms should be scrapped.
The poll asked: "Should the Health and Social Care Bill for England now be withdrawn?"
Property & Finance
Did you miss the Self Assessment deadline?
If you have missed the deadline for submitting a Self Assessment (SA) tax return and you can show that you should not have been in the SA regime in the first place, then you may be able to avoid any penalties.
Lifestyle
Paula's Wines of the Week starting 6 February 2012
If you really like a certain wine, rather than buying it in single cork-stoppered bottles why not get larger four bottle-sized amounts available in boxes? But if stepping along to the supermarket seems like too much of a chilly effort then try the online winebox retailer InspiredWine.co.uk because they’re offering free delivery during February.
There are advantages to buying wine in a winebox. As the wine is dispensed through a plastic tap all the annoyance of the cork is removed: no more tainted 'corked' wine (this spoils at least one in ten traditionally bottled wines due to improperly sterilised corks) and no more chasing around bits of broken cork that always sink when the index finger sent in to oik them out gets anywhere near them.
Travel & Leisure
£15m boost for sustainable travel
Transport Minister Norman Baker today announced £15m of new funding for sustainable travel projects across the country that will promote economic growth and cut carbon.
The investment is in addition to the £560m Local Sustainable Transport Fund announced in January 2011. This additional funding, heavily geared towards cycling, will support jobs, enhance access to employment and encourage greater use of more environmentally friendly transport.
I have received a copy of you paper from our Community Centre for the last two years and really look foreword to reading it. Thank you!