Wine with Andy Cronshaw
SOME last minute still wine recommendations before more sparkling wine suggestions for Champagne and prosecco next week.
CHâTEAU PUYANCHé 2018, FRANCS CôTES DE BORDEAUX ( Top, £13.99 Avery’s Wine Merchants)
White Bordeaux covers a range from crisp and floral Sauvignondominated wines to oak treated wines like this with Semillon adding complexity. This is a perfect Christmas dinner table white with toasted hazelnuts and elderflower in the mix and a waxy feel uplifted by lemon acidity. A superb wine from a very environmentally conscious producer who uses zero pesticides.
DOMAINE DE LA CROIX BELLE CUVéE NO.7, IGP CôTES DE THONGUE, 2017 (£25.90, Friarwood Wine Merchants) This boutique wine from the Languedoc is a stunning bottle for the Christmas table if you are looking to push the boat out. A multitude of grapes including Viognier, Chardonnay, and Grenache Blanc are blended to produce a wine that has gingerbread and lime on the nose with a hint of marzipan. The tropical palate is supple, juicy, and spiked with plenty of apple acidity.
RéSERVE DES TUGUETS MADIRAN 2017 (£7, Tesco) Although a budget choice to match roast beef or cheeses this wine is nevertheless an easy-going expression of a wine that can be a tannic bruiser in its youth. Here though, the tannic edge of the Tannat grape is softened by Cabernet Franc and produces a lithe wine that will match duck and game as well as roast beef.
PACO BY PACO & LOLA GARNACHA TEMPRANILLO D.O NAVARRA, SPAIN ( Bottom, Down to £10 from £12 Tesco) Another wine that straddles the space between the lithe and the luscious. Fresh peppery nose with plenty of bright berry fruit and a vibrant, intense palate. This is versatile with food and delicious.
BOLNEY ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2018 (£19.99, bolneywinestate.com) With the UK set to crash out of the EU without a deal and inevitable tariffs ensuing, it might be worth checking out what this country has to offer. Unfortunately yields for grapes grown here do not make for budget busting wine.
However there are some gems and unexpected pleasures such as this Pinot from the South Downs. Chill it to cellar temperature and give it a little time to open up and you will be rewarded with a remarkable cool climate wine. There’s a herbal edge to the cherry on the nose and the palate is refreshing while bringing some spice and complexity.
Perfect with turkey or duck.
VILLA MARIA PRIVATE BIN PINOT NOIR 2019 (£13.99, Co-op, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda)
If you’re stuck for a red wine to match turkey or partridge, this widely available Pinot is a shoe-in. Much darker and fuller than its English counterpart it’s nevertheless as elegant and silky as Pinot should be.
TORRES CELESTE CRIANZA 2017 (£12.99, Waitrose) For those who find Pinot lacking in the kind of weight they like in a red, this wine from Familia Torres could be the perfect compromise. Oak here adds toastiness but the freshness from Tempranillo grapes grown at high altitude comes through. Again it should be chilled slightly to let the fragrance shine. This is a versatile wine that will match turkey, partridge or beef Wellington. The label depicting the night sky as seen from the winery during the September harvest has a magical, festive feel to it.