My top wines of the week from Booths, Sainsbury's, Co-op and Tesco
Christine Austin tells us the best wines to buy this week, as well as rounding up the news from across Yorkshire.
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Wines of the Week
Taste the Difference Discovery Elim Sauvignon Blanc 2024, South Africa, 13.5%, Sainsbury’s, down from £12.50 to £10.50 with a Nectar card until September 23: Made by Trizanne Bernard who is rapidly making a big name for herself, this is a lively, refreshing, lime-zesty style of Sauvignon.
Wynns Coonawarra Chardonnay 2023, South Australia, 13.5%, Booths down from £15.75 to £11.75 until September 23: A ripe, rounded, elegant Chardonnay with white peach and citrus notes. Delicious poured alongside roast chicken.
Fairtrade Carmenère 2023, Chile, 13%, Co-op down from £7 to £5.85 for Co-op members until September 23: Wine that tastes good as well as sending profits back to the workers. This wine has lush, plummy flavours that go well with pasta and pizza.
Querencia Garnacha 2023, Catalunya, Spain, 14.5%, Tesco down from £12 to £10.50 with Clubcard until October 6: Dry farmed grapes, grown at high altitude gives this wine cranberry, cherry and strawberry fruit, laced with herbs. Perfect alongside spiced sausages.
Traveller’s Guide - Napa
It is almost too early to start talking about ‘stocking fillers’ but there is a new range of traveller’s guides that really fit that niche and it is always good to get ahead for that busy end-of-year season.
Napa Valley by Maria Hunt is a pocket-sized guide to the famous wine region of California and if you are thinking about taking a trip to California then this is a terrific book to take with you.
There is a short historical introduction to the region, mentioning the gold rush and Prohibition, but the real turnaround for Napa came in the 1970’s and the Judgement of Paris when Steven Spurrier’s blind tasting of top French wines against Californian wines gave confidence to the region and the world’s consumers.
Napa is not a cheap wine region to visit, but it is smart, exciting and very accessible.
This book tells you where to go, where to stay and how not to spend a fortune while you are there. Published by Club Oenologique at £12.99.
Winner of California Book
Congratulations to Ian Taylor of Addingham who has won my spare copy of Wines of California by Elaine Chukan Brown.
He, and everyone else who entered the competition knew that Gallo is the largest winery in the world, and his was the first entry chosen at random from my electronic ice-bucket. Your prize is in the post.
Sunshine in South Africa
I don’t want to boast but I am currently in South Africa where I am judging this country’s most important wine competition, The Veritas Awards.
Apart from the pleasure of tasting and awarding scores to some of the world finest wines – blind of course – so I don’t know what they are, I am enjoying blue skies and warm sunshine as South Africa moves into spring.
The countryside is a riot of flowers, and the mountains, sea and vineyards are as beautiful as ever.
South Africa is a great country to visit, especially now the exchange rate works in our favour. If you are thinking about a winter sunshine break, make sure you put South Africa on your list.
I am happy to help with tips on where to go and which wine estates to visit.