Own label adventure

Such an accusation cuts deep in the smart tasting room at Morrisons head office, so Arabella and her team have been busy sourcing a new range of wines which now fit into three categories – Everyday, Occasion and Best. Each one is identified by a different colour band at the bottom of the label – a creamy colour for everyday, black for occasions and gold for best.

Some of these wines are just relabelled versions of existing wines, now brought into the Morrisons' family, but a great many are new additions to the range, selected and specially bottled to fit into the right price band.

But no matter how good the labels look, if the liquid inside the bottle is not up to standard, it is all a waste of time. So which ones are worth trying?

Among the everyday grade, I was more impressed by the reds than the whites. At 4.49 Morrisons Italian Merlot 2009 shines with ripe red berry fruit and soft, supple tannins. It is the perfect wine to go with a Monday to Wednesday supper of pasta or pizza and is soft enough to glug while you are waiting for the microwave to ping.

Also good is Morrisons Beaujolais 2009 (4.49) bursting with lively, sunny, ripe raspberry fruit. This is good enough to stray into Thursday and Friday nights, to be enjoyed alongside grilled chicken or a spicy pork casserole.

The black label range is more weekend fare and includes a rather good Morrisons Claret at 6.49 which has all the clear black and redcurrant fruit you should expect from good Bordeaux. While it has enough structure to go with a wide array of foods, it manages to avoid that green-edged tannic bite that puts so many people off this classic region.

I also liked Morrisons Petit Chablis 2009 at 7.49 which offers more than many proper Chablis wines. Petit Chablis comes from a wider area around the heart of the region and is usually thought of as a lower grade wine, but this one musters terrific floral and citrus flavours, backed up with a touch of minerality.

Among the gold label wines, astonishingly I rather liked the Pinot Grigio. As a supermarket offering it has become rather insipid and boring but the Morrsions Best Pinot Grigio 2009 (5.99) actually manages to pack some soft smoky complexity among the citrus and honeysuckle fruit.

Also good is the Best Rioja Reserva 2005 (8.99) for its delicious forest fruit flavours and gentle oak. The Italian reds are also worth a look with a chunky, plummy Montepulciano 2009 (6.49), a supple red-berried Chianti Classico 2008 (6.79) and a terrific dark cherry and truffly Valpolicella Ripasso 2008 at 6.99.

Morrisons still has a good selection of wines outside its own label. I was impressed to see a pair of wines from Vasse Felix in Western Australia. The Sauvignon Semillon 2010 (10.99) sings with lemon and lime zestiness backed by a light touch of creamy spice while the Cabernet Merlot 2008 (also 10.99) reflects the cool climate of Margaret River, with crunchy red fruits wrapped up in velvety suppleness. These are dinner party wines.

Majestic recently opened 150 of its wines for me to swirl around my tastebuds and since their new set of offers has just started, it is worthwhile flagging up the ones worth stocking up with. This time the focus is on the still wines of Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Rhone with 20 per cent off when you buy more than one bottle, described as multibuy below. The company has now switched its policy and their minimum purchase is six bottles instead of 12. All their branches have a car-park in Beverley, Harrogate Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield and York.

For value you can't beat Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (4.99 multibuy) from Marlborough which is fresh, green and zesty and refreshes the tastebuds like a cold shower. If you can stretch to spending another 1 you will get another layer of complexity and flavour in the Ned Waihopai River Sauvignon Blanc 2010.

New in store is a range of wines from Brent Marris who was the driving force behind Wither Hills a few years ago. Now he is making his own wines with gothic-looking labels and strange names. The King's Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is just how you remember good Kiwi Sauvignon was before they started to shave the quality to keep prices down. The King's Favour Sauvignon is normally 12.99 but comes down to 9.99 when you put two New Zealand wines in your box. So do that and don't be in a hurry to open it. Another six months might just help it settle down and fill out.

If you are hunting for a New Zealand red, check out Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2008, down to 14.99 (multibuy). I was impressed by its savoury plum fruit with terrific depth of flavour and soft, silky tannins.

It was a real pleasure to see McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005 (9.99 multibuy) from the Hunter Valley in Australia. This is an Australian classic with nutty, toasty, honeysuckle and lime notes. It is a wonderful wine to pair with food, especially fish cooked with herbs and ginger or roast chicken. This is a wine that will keep for decades, so buy a few bottles and tuck them away.

For real value from Chile, pack a few bottles of Santa Rita's 120 Carmenre 2009 (4.99 multibuy). With soft, lush mulberry fruit and a supple open texture it will go with anything meaty or mushroomy you want to eat.

YP MAG 6/11/10