Wines in the Press: Malbec, Muscadet and wines in the desert

Tuesday, 14 October 2008

This week Jane MacQuitty assesses the future of Oddbins, Victoria Moore goes back to her roots and Jonny Beardsall takes a trip to the Namib desert to meet a remarkable winemaker. Meanwhile Joanna Simon is surprised by the following on new website thewinegang.com.

Jane MacQuitty, The Times, Saturday 11 October 2008

Simon Baile, the new managing director at Oddbins, plans to focus more on provenance and buy from small, independent family run growers. Will his strategy work? It is impossible yet to tell says Jane MacQuitty, but as far as she's concerned getting rid of "some 700 previous lines that deserve to die" might be a good start. Baile has admitted that there is no place for arrogance in the present climate. "We hope to be welcoming to every Oddbins customer, whether they have come in to buy a bottle of cider or a grand cru classé claret."

A couple from the new Oddbins selection have made it into MacQuitty's top picks this week:

• Vin de Pays Côtes de Gascogne, France (£3.69, Sainsbury's)
• Vin de Pays d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon, France (£3.49, Sainsbury's)
• 2006 Cusumano Nero d'Avola, Sicily, Italy (£5.49, Oddbins)
• 2007 Conejo Costas Torrontés Cosecha, Argentina (£5.99, Oddbins)
• 2005 Teira Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California (£10.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)
• 2006 Auxey-Duresses Blanc, Cuvée Nocholas Marey, Domaine de Comte Armand, France (£19.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)

Jancis Robinson MW, The Financial Times, Saturday 11 October 2008

Robinson's attention turns to up and coming wine country Argentina this week to chart the rise in popularity of the Malbec grape. So disappointing elsewhere, in Argentina the Malbec has become "the acknowledged king of the wine scene" she says. So impressed is Robinson that she recently awarded 17 points or more out of 20 points ("for me a very high score indeed") to over 20 Malbec wines; the 2005 Nicolás Catena Zapata and the 2006 Poesia Luján de Cuyo being two particular eye (or rather nose) catchers. But it's not just red wines the country is becoming famed for, its "headily perfumed white wine grape Torrontés" is a firm favourite with Robinson too.

Jonny Beardsall, The Telegraph, Saturday 11 October 2008

On the edge of the Namib desert in Namibia, Jonny Beardsall went to meet wine maker Allan Walkden-Davis, who is achieving something rather remarkable. In a place where the rainfall can average less than an inch a year, Walkden-Davis is producing up to 3,500 bottles of Shiraz a year. He's attracted some high-profile interest; last year a curious Oz Clark ventured out there on a wine tasting under a pseudonym ("I didn't recognise him and only began to wonder when he kept asking very informed questions. I was so embarrassed, I have all his books", says Walkden-Davis.) Clark was particularly impressed by the "wonderfully chocolately-blackberry flavours" of the 2005 Shiraz." You'll have to make the trek if you want to sample some for yourself though, at the moment there isn't enough being produced to ship to Britain.

Beardsall's top picks (that are on UK shelves) this week are:

• 2006 McGuigan Gold Shiraz, Australia (£3.99 for two, Majestic)
• 2006 La Châsse du Pape Côtes-du-Rhône Réserve, France ($4.49, Co-op)
• Cono Sur Sparkling Brut, Chile (£9.99, Morrisons)

Victoria Moore, The Guardian, Saturday 11 October 2008

Victoria Moore goes back to her roots this week to revisit Muscadet, a varietal "about as fashionable as steak Diane", but one which holds something of a sentimental value for Moore since she devoted her first ever column for the Guardian on it. Moore is heavy on the use of metaphor to describe this "often overlooked and underrated grape", describing its qualities as being "like a faceful of sea-spray in winter, (with) vigour and no pretentions" (or, more flowery still) "like that of a winter sunset, spilling rays of pink and palest yellow across a field covered in snow." If you're still in any doubt as to whether she's a fan, Moore has devoted her recommendations this week to the grape:

• 2005 Melon sur Granit Les Amis Vignerons d'Anne-Claude, Pays Nantais, France (£62 for six bottles, armit.co.uk)
• 1995 L D'Or de Pierre Luneau Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie, France (£11.69, lescaves.co.uk)
• 2007 Le Fief Guérin Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu sur Lie, France (£5.49, Waitrose)
• 2004 Semper Excelsior Pierre Luneau 2004, France (£13.25, lescaves.co.uk)

Jamie Goode, The Sunday Express, Sunday 12 October 2008

The weather may be cooling, but Jamie Goode is turning up the heat with his selection as he focuses on wines to accompany fiery Oriental flavours. Oriental dishes "have a heat and intensity of flavour that all too often down a wine's subtleties," he points out, which means seeking out only wines with "plenty of personality". These are all perfect accompaniments for complex Asian flavours, he says:

• 2007 Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa (£6.19, Morrisons)
• 2002 De Bortoli All Rounder Semilion, Australia (£7.19, Tesco)
• 2006 Dr Loosen Riesling, Germany (£6.79, Sainsbury's)
• 2007 Casillero del Diablo Viognier, Chile (£6.99, Sainsbury's)
• 2006 Clay Station Viognier, Lodi, California (£7.99, Co-op)
• 2007 Oxford Landing Cabernet Rosé, Australia (£5.99, Booths, Nisa)
• 2005 Cline Syrah, California (£7.99, Co-op)

Joanna Simon, The Sunday Times, Sunday 12 October 2008

A shameless plug of new website thewinegang.com from Joanna Simon this week (and there you go, we've just plugged it again for her). Simon, along with fellow broadsheet wine writers Anthony Rose and Tim Atkin MW, plus Olly Smith of BBC1's 'Saturday Kitchen' and Tom Cannavan of wine-pages.com, launched the consumer website last month to "sniff out" the best, and worst, wines on offer in the UK. What Simon is surprised to have found so far is that there is an "almost indecent" following of the site's monthly shockers. Which don't include any of the following:

• 2007 Grenache Noir (£5.99, Marks & Spencer)
• 2005 Montsant Finca l'Argata, Joan d'Anguera (£12.95, Tanners)
• 2006 Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles, Olivier Leflaive (£11.79, Corney & Barrow)