DMZ Sauvignon Blanc 2011
I have been a little quiet of late, in terms of posting anyway. What has brought on this uncharacteristic silence? It could only be an unanticipated retreat from the world of wine. My desire for, my enjoyment of wine has evaporated or has been perhaps replaced by the incredible and equally unanticipated euphoria of sport...
Renishaw Hall Madeleine Angevine
Renishaw Hall Madeleine Angevine (n.v.) I mentioned on another article page that I had been the very fortunate recipient of a bottle of wine from Renishaw Hall. Renishaw Hall is the beautiful Derbyshire estate that serves as home to the Sitwell family and to a very Northerly vineyard, which in the grand scheme of things...
Bethany Semillon 2006
Bethany Semillon (2006) I have to declare my love of Semillon from the start. This feels uncomfortable because loving Semillon is deeply unfashionable these days. But like Riesling, and Rick Astley, maybe it is time for this 80s throwback to be appreciated for a second time, because like Riesling (now drier, developed, a million miles...
Casa Mia Fiano (2008)
I posted a little while ago about another Fiano and mentioned the widely available Settesoli Fiano that graces various UK supermarket shelves under a range of guises. There’s a good number of articles about the Casa Mia version online – normally a google search pulls up wine traders, special offers and a few reviews rather...
Moramari Fiano 2010
The UK marketplace for Fiano from Sicily is dominated by Settesoli, either directly or through the wines they provide for Asda Extra Special and Tesco Finest. Moramari has, however, managed to get itself onto the shelves of a number of different retailers, and I picked up my bottle from the Co-operative for £5.40. Moramari reaches...
Ananuca Chardonnay 2010
I’ve come away, briefly and unexpectedly, from the Italy-Spain wine exploration mission, and Tesco is entirely to blame. In a previous post, I made reference to the cunning ruse employed by supermarkets to put wines out at an inflated price and then draw in the unwitting punters to an alleged half-price bargain. There are so...
Liñar de Vides Albariño
First things first – repeat after me: “ree-as by-shuss” Got it? Now pair it with every encounter in print with the words Rias Baixas and feel confident next time you want to order a pleasing Albariño but don’t want to look foolish. Either that, or wait until a certain amount of alcohol has been imbibed,...
Monte Nobile Riserva 2005
Getting an interesting Italian grape does not mean one has to deliberately eschew the supermarket. Sometimes convenience has to win out over adventure and interest, and in fairness to these behemoths of the high street, recent years have seen plenty of change on the wine aisles, as supermarket wine buyers have tried to balance demands...
Pecorino – the wine not the cheese!
Recently I have been re-acquainting myself with Italy and Spain. I have been increasingly slipping into the supermarket-induced belief that there are only seven grape varieties available for anyone with less than twelve pounds to spend on a bottle of wine. In an effort to address this, I have turned to two countries who know...
