Top Smooth Tasting Wines Under £12
Soft, silky, elegant and balanced are all wine words found on the label of a bottle of smooth-tasting wine. Low levels of mouth-drying tannin or sharp-tasting acidity are required if you’re looking for a wine that won’t make your mouth pucker.
White wines, like Sauvignon Blanc or French Champagne, often describe themselves as being zesty, or fresh with citrus flavours. There’s even a chance you’ll meet minerality. Avoid these.
Look for sweeter tasting whites made in warm climates where the grapes have a better chance of ripening fully and so taste rounder and medium-bodied. South African white wines made with the Chenin Blanc grape variety taste like this and you’ll find these wine words on the back label description. White wines made with the Chardonnay grape can also taste buttery due to being kept in an oak barrel – so look for French whites from the region of Burgundy.
Darker coloured rosé wines often taste sweeter and smoother and have a bottle label instruction to serve them well-chilled – so look for this and avoid the fashionable ultra pale rosés from the southern French region of Provence that have lemon acidity.
It’s the red wines that contain tannin and high levels feel unpleasant when you drink it – it will dry your mouth and gums. Red wines from the French region of Bordeaux can taste like this as well as wines made in Argentina. Their back label descriptions will use terms like robust, firm tannins, woody or flavours of hedgerow fruits. Avoid these.
Look for red wines that are chocolatey and velvety like those from the warmer grape growing areas of Languedoc in southern France, Australia or California.
If you want to know more then come along to the WineUncorked online wine tasting on Thursday 10th February at 7pm. You can find more information by following this link.
Wineuncorked.co.uk recommends
Homelands South African Chenin Blanc 2020
£9.99 Aldi
4*
Creamy pear and pineapple flavours.
Aldi Moscato Rosé 2020
£4.99 Aldi
5*
A lovely low alcohol sweet rosé with mandarin orange flavours.
SPAR The Letter Collection M Malbec 2019
£5.49 SPAR
3*
This French Malbec is an easy drinking and smooth red wine with cherry, cinnamon and dark chocolate flavours.
Carius Cairanne 2018 Cru des Cotes du Rhone Grandes Series
£10 Co-op
4*
There’s the expected flavours of toffee, toast and blackberry but it’s all quite light and smooth.
McManis Petite Sirah 2019
£11.95 The Wine Society
3*
This Californian red tastes of cherry and milk chocolate.
The wineuncorked.co.uk wine rating system uses a maximum of 5 stars:
5* outstanding – the top rating given by wineuncorked.co.uk
4* very good wine
3* good wine but over priced
2* a disappointing wine
1* little to offer
0* avoid – pour down the drain
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