Wines in the Press: Sweet sherry and brilliant Bordeaux

Tuesday, 04 November 2008

Sherry is popular this week, with both Anthony Rose and Tim Atkin singing its praises. Meanwhile Victoria Moore reveals why an "experts' choice" in the supermarket might not always be what it seems and Jancis Robinson develops a passion for Bordeaux's 2005 vintage.

Jancis Robinson MW, Financial Times, Saturday 01 November 2008

"Easy on the pocket, great in a glass". This is how Jancis Robinson sums up some of the 2005 Bordeaux's currently on offer. Having recently tasted a comprehensive range, from the "very best" to the "less glamourous" Bordeaux reds, Robinson concludes that the vintage is "truly outstanding" at both ends of the spectrum. Not only are the top-end wines "gorgeously expressive - no shortage of anything - colour, acid, tannin, fruit, richness", but even amongst the lesser-priced varieties Robinson hardly finds a dud. "This is certainly the time to buy the lesser red Bordeaux, or even the less glamourous classed growths," she concludes.

Robinson's Bordeaux bargains include:

• 2005 Seigneurs d'Aiguilhe, Côtes de Castillon (£6.74, Waitrose Wine Direct)
• 2005 Ch Lamothe-Cissac Haut-Médoc (£11.03, Vintage Cellars)
• 2005 Ch Magnol, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Medoc (£11.99, Co-op)

Anthony Rose, The Independent, Saturday 01 November 2008

In a time when flared trousers and mutton was popular, so too was German wine. Now, says Anthony Rose, the three are all sharing a common resurgence - the latter not least because the "new, light-bodied, off-dry kabinett styles are a breath of fresh air." And its not just German Rieslings that find favour with Rose this week; sherry, that "tough nut to crack" might not have impressed some of the young sommeliers who turned their noses up at it at a recent tasting, but, says Rose, there are some fine examples to be savoured, such as Tesco's Finest Manzanilla Pasada.

Rose's other picks this week are:

• 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages Saint Maurice (£4.99, Marks & Spencer)
• 2006 Douro Reserva, Quinta de la Rosa (£9.99, Waitrose)
• 2006 Ch St Ferréol, Vin de Pays d'Oc (£11.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)

Victoria Moore, The Guardian, Saturday 01 November 2008

Tesco might think it's doing customers a favour by suggesting "experts' favourites" amongst its wine selection, but nobody pulls the wool over Victoria Moore's eyes. "Have (the experts) been hauled over from the detergent-buying department?" she asks. The Heidsieck Monopole Champagne Brut NV, on the list, is about "as flimsy as cheap cava, and about as exciting as a five-mile tailback on the M1." Troubled enough to call Tesco wine buyer Pierpaolo Petrassi, Moore has discovered that actually, the reason certain wines make the list might have more to do with the size of producers wallets than it does taste. Producers pay for the printing costs to have their wines featured. Sainsbury's seems to play a similar game; as one buyer puts it to Moore, the wines on its top ten list "do have to be wines the producers are happy to support with a discount."

Moore's pick of the week is:

• 2007 Maycas del Limari Syrah Reserva, Chile, £8.99

Joanna Simon, The Times, Saturday 01 November 2008

Could cape reds face a rocky road ahead? Joanna Simon thinks so. There is a flavour in South African wines that she cannot stand, "like burnt rubber or tar". Researchers at Stellenbosch University are undertaking research to try and get to the bottom of what, says Simon, is a universally acknowledged problem (although, puzzlingly, British wine writers appear to be more sensitive to it that commentators elsewhere.) Could faulty winemaking, or a wine virus be to blame? We await the results...

Three cape reds Simon does recommend are:

• 2005 Rustenberg John X Merriman (£9.99 for two, Majestic)
• 2005 Ken Forrester Three Halves (£10.99, Waitrose)
• 2004 The Foundry Syrah (£11.99, The Vineking)

Tim Atkin MW, The Observer, Sunday 02 November 2008

Anthony Rose isn't the only one singing the praises of sherry this week, Tim Atkin also notes its rising popularity amongst chefs. Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck recently talked of sherry's "unique qualities", and Ferran Adriá, head chef of Spain's most celebrated restaurant, El Bulli, has been busy partnering dishes from his 30 course dégustation menu with the stuff. It might still generally be perceived as a drink for "old people, vicars and tweedy academics" but, points out Atkin, the Ryanair effect (cheap flights to Spanish cities) is starting to bring sherry to a younger audience.

Atkin recommends trying:

• Taste the Difference 12-Year-Old Cloroso, E Lustau (£6.99 per 50cl, Sainsburys)
• Hidalgo Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana (£8.49 each for two bottles, Majestic)