Best wines from the High Street
2022 Terre di Faiano Nero di Troia
£8 – instead of £9.50 until 14 May – at Sainsbury’s
This is by a go-ahead Southern Italy winery using an impressive grape mainly associated with Puglia but seldom seen in the UK. Bold and organically produced, the result has smooth mulberry, bramble and prune flavours supported by firm tannin but well-balanced acidity and hints of vanilla, woodsmoke and walnut.
2022 Vinho do rosario
£6.99 at Lidl while stocks last
Here is a Lidl Wine Tour red from a Portuguese rising star (the Setubal Peninsula) where quality is improving fast but good value options still abound. dark with unmistakable wine aromas, this displays damson, strawberry and red currant flavours enlivened by acidic verve (but with firm tannin) yet containing traces of tobacco, liquorice and clove too. Alternatively, try the smooth, plum centred 2021 Medoc Cru Bourgeois Chateau Plagnac (£8.99).
2022 Paolo Leo Fiano del Salento
£7.99 – instead of £10.99 util 21 May – at Waitrose
Intense grapefruit, cooked pear and honeydew melon flavours all come together harmoniously in this stylish white from Italy’s Campania region. The current £3 discount is a great opportunity to give it a “taste drive” and experience how those elements integrate with the wine’s yeasty richness and bright lemon acidity.
ON-WINE SHOPPING 2022 Connoisseur Le Gardien de Cieux: from £10.35 at www.wickhamwine.co.uk
South West France usually makes its wines from local grape varieties but this is actually a cabernet sauvignon and merlot blend. However, its lightness will be a surprise to those used to classic versions from Bordeaux, not that far away. Medium-bodied with appealing floral aromas, it brings us aniseedimbued plum, eucalyptus and cherry liqueur flavours combined with invigorating acidity, mild tannin and suggestions of violet, cedar and cocoa.
★ Brian Elliott is a wine writer, judge and founder of www.midweekwine.co.uk. Promotions can change at short notice, so shoppers should enquire if prices differ.