Top Ten Red Wines of 2015 priced over £6 this week with recommended wines starting at £5.99 (yes I know, I know but can we forgive them a penny and let them in?) and going up to £20. The Co-op and Majestic are putting up a good show (yet again – as they did in last week’s Top Ten Whites of 2015 priced over £6) with other supermarkets and independents making up the rest of the Top Ten.
So what can you expect from a red wine in the above average price per bottle bracket? Lots of flavours that all complement each other (which you’ll notice in higher priced white wines too) so that no one flavour dominates, plus the ability to keep on drinking to the end of the bottle rather than getting bored half way down – which can be the case with some cheaper reds where only one or two flavours make up the wine.
This complexity often gets better if you decant the wine – just open the bottle and pour the wine into a jug or a decanter if you have one (I use a decanter emblazoned with ‘Stowells of Chelsea’ which I bought at a charity shop years ago) and let it sit there for half an hour or so while you rustle up the evening meal.
This action of pouring the wine and leaving it in a wide brimmed vessel allows for a tiny amount of aeration – just enough to get the molecules mingling in the wine and uncovering the juicy, enjoyable flavours that can stay hidden if the red is left in the bottle.
Well here they are in ascending order of price.
Top Ten Red Wines of 2015 Priced Over £6
Paarl Mountains South African Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
£5.99 Co-op (down from £6.99 until December 8)
A complex wine that tastes of blackcurrant, coffee and liquorice plus lighter flavours of strwaberry yoghurt and flowers. There’s a lot going on for £5.99.
Fairbank Wines Australian Pinot Noir 2014
£6 Sainsbury’s
Light and flavoursome: raspberry ripple, strawberry, cranberry and lemon.
Angove Australian Long Row Merlot 2013
£6 Sainsbury’s
A nice fruity wine that tastes of cherry, raspberry and plum.
Ricossa Antica Casa Italian Barbera d’Asti 2013
£7.49 Co-op
Rich and smooth with flavours of dark and light fruits – some strawberry and cranberry amongst the black cherry and blackcurrant.
Torres Spanish Sangre de Toro 2014
£7.99 Co-op
Tastes like a cherry and chocolate brownie with a smoky edge. An interesting red.
Bordière Nord French Syrah Grenache 2014
£7.49 Majestic
I have to agree with the label description – ‘spicy undertones’ it has plus rasberry and damson. Great value.
Berry Bros. & Rudd Chilean Merlot 2014
£8.98 Berry Bros. & Rudd
Let this wine out into a decanter to fully appreciate the flavours blackcurrant, raspberry and black pepper with hints of cinnamon and cloves. Nicely balanced.
Callia Bella Argentinean Malbec 2013
£8.99 Majestic
A chewy red where liquorice dominates initially – then cherry and violet sweets.
Bolney Estate English Pinot Noir 2014
£15.99 Waitrose Cellar
A sophisticated English red. Light bodied and flavourful – smoky blackberry and sloe.
Plaisir De Merle South African Grand Plaisir 2010
£20 M&S (the 2006 available from Fareham Wine Cellar £16.75 and the 2007 available from Sawinesonline £16.99)
Smooth and rich with flavours of chocolate mousse, almond and cherry.
Tweet me a wine question @huxelrebe
© Paula Goddard 2015 www.paulagoddard.com
