It’s World Malbec Day on the 17th April, held to celebrate the grape that’s become Argentina’s most famous vinous export. Now, I realise the one I’ve picked here is from South Africa but a) I’ll pick one from Argentina for this week’s ‘Thank Friday It’s Wine’ on my YouTube channel (subscribe here if you don’t …
The Languedoc region in the South of France is stuffed full of good reds, often great value too – like this one. It’s a blend of Syrah and Grenache grapes, creating a juicy, spicy, red berry mash up that was made to be quaffed with sausages. Pic Saint Loup is the name of the wine …
A fruity number from Puglia, the heel of Italy. It’s a heady mix of two different grape varieties, the spicy Primitivo (also known as Zinfandel) and the densely coloured, earthy-tasting Negroamaro. Together, they make a punchy pair: full bodied, ripe and just a ‘lil bit rustic. Like the wine above, it’s another Italian job well …
Gorgeous Pinot Noir from the Martinborough region in New Zealand, at the bottom of the North Island. The Marlborough region might be more famous thanks to all that zingy Sauvignon Blanc but Martinborough is doing its quietly brilliant thing, especially with the Pinot Noir grape. The chap who made this wine, Larry McKenna, takes Burgundy …
Argentina is huge in wine terms, both in how much it produces (answer: loads) and in the styles of wines it makes. And Malbec, its most famous wine export, is nothing if not a shouty wine. This one comes from the Salta region up in the north of the country and the vineyards are among …
Priorat, from the Catalunya region over on the eastern coast, is one of the smartest red wine producing areas in Spain. Along with Rioja, it’s one of only two so-called DOC regions in the country (in other words, highly rated). It’s brilliant – but subtle, it is not. Full on with heady black fruits and …
The thing about these supermarket finest/taste the difference/extra special ranges is that the wineries behind the wines are often really good. You might just have to squint to find their names on the label (and sometimes their name won’t be on there at all). This one’s made by an Argentinian producer called Catena, one of …
Packs a punch, this one. When stateside, this grape goes under the name of Zinfandel. But as ever, everything sounds better in Italian. From Puglia’s Salento region, this is earthy in a good way. Think baked plum and blackcurrant fruits with a liberal sprinkling of spice. Needs food – really good with tomato-y pasta.
I’ve not gone for subtle labels this week. This one’s got enormous letters on the front (DMZ, funnily enough) which I imagine they think is easier to remember than its full name, De Morgenzon. Given that I can’t remember what I went into the shop to buy in the first place more often than not, …
This is from northern Italy, the Veneto region. If you’re in the mood for red but don’t want a monster in your glass (or head the next day) then Bardolino is the answer. Really juicy and jammy, this one tastes like just-crushed black cherries laced with (not too much) alcohol. It’s made from the Corvina …
This bottle was one of the few survivors post-Christmas and so it was scooped up and taken to the in-laws for lunch on Sunday. After a 14 hour car journey back from France the day before (our first family skiing holiday – was amazing!), it was such a treat to be cooked for. And my …
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