Cheap white Rhone and Aussie fizz

Chateau Saint Nabor Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2010

This is another bargain from our raid on the wine shelves of a couple of Intermarché supermarkets on our recent holiday in France. It is actually made by a "vigneron independent", Gérard Castor - i.e. not your average co-operative stuff - and does a more than passable impression of a rather good white Cotes du Rhone, offering delightfully fresh, vibrant aromas of apple, peach, lime and honeysuckle, with some distinctly minerally/flinty/smoky notes adding plenty more interest. It is quite herby, too - oregano and basil spring to mind. The palate isn't too shabby either - extremely fresh and immediately appealing, full of fruit and herb flavours, with a touch of richness countered by intensely zesty, limey acidity and a hint of warming spice on the (really quite persistent) finish. This is about the fifth different bottle I have opened from our little collection of bargain basement wines from Intermarché, and yet another that acquits itself very admirably indeed. They obviously have a very astute buying team. I don't remember the exact price, but it was around the 3.5 Euro mark - and another real success in terms of quality/price ratio. If only supermarket wines were so reliable in the UK.

Orlando Trilogy Sparkling Rosé - South-East Australia

What am I doing drinking Aussie fizz, you may ask. Well, since it cost me the princely sum of £4.95 per bottle from a local bin-end supplier, it was worth a punt on half a dozen bottles. And what is more, wines like this, from suppliers like this, will almost certainly have a year or two of bottle age, which in my book is always a good thing with Champagne - oops, sorry "tradional" - method sparklers. This one has a nice, slightly evolved onion-skin colour, but still possesses a healthy mousse. It is a bit reticent to begin with, perhaps needing to warm up a little after being refrigerated, but soon develops some nice aromas of fruits of the forest, citrus and a slight herbiness. The palate shows a touch of underlying richness, but is essentially quite dry and crisp, with really good acidity and contrasting flavours of bitter cherry and sweet redcurrant and a really decent, grippy/fruity finish. It isn't complex, but it is far from superficial. And it goes nice with a piece of soft, salty cheese and some home-made bread. Very nice, on a balmy, slightly sticky English summer's evening.

   

     

   

A delicious 2007 Côtes du Rhône

Right, I’ve been a bit lazy over the last couple of evenings. Well, not just lazy – but busy with this and that. So I shall resume the Vinisud write-up tomorrow (I promise). For now, though, here's a quick detour into another of “my” wines that I am enjoying this evening, whilst preparing some of my wonderful (though I say so myself) home-made pizza.….

I read a comment by someone on a wine forum the other day that they don’t make Cotes du Rhone like they used to. Well here’s one that ticks all the boxes – La Ferme du Mont Premier Côte 2007 Côtes du Rhône. When I came back from Vinisud, I found that I’d had a bit of a run on orders of this wine, due to a recent recommendation on Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages forum. I was running low on stocks at my Nottingham store anyway, so I’d arranged to pick up a whole load of wines (including a couple of cases of this one) from the bonded warehouse I use in Rotherham, whilst on the way back from Manchester Airport last week. Unfortunately, those unexpected orders meant that I still don’t have enough local stock, so I need to go and get some more tomorrow. Best laid plans, and all that! Anyway, since I was racking my brains about what to open tonight, to accompany the pizza, I thought I’d open a bottle for us to enjoy with it. And it is really lovely.

The nose is a riot of wild strawberries, briary, redcurrants and cherries, with additional notes of smoky incense, undergrowth and polished wood. It also possesses what that person on the wine forum says he is missing, these days – garrigue herbs by the bucket-load. The combination of all those fruit, herb and woody/leathery aromas really does add up a to a most enticing nose. The palate is beautifully fresh and bright, with flavours of cherry, redcurrant and cranberry, along with savoury and spicy notes and a hint of bitter chocolate adding richness. Firm tannins are offset by a healthy level of alcohol (14.5%), which creates enough of a feeling of sweetness to balance them out, with ample acidity completing the package. The result is a deliciously fruity, tangy, soft, juicy wine, which is a delight to drink now. It isn’t a style that I want to drink all of the time (I crave elegance more and more, these days) but it is really hitting the spot on this cold, frosty, late winter’s evening.

If you like the sound of it, try some - I promise you will not be disappointed! Oh, and at just £8.50 a bottle, it is a steal(!)