RAISE A GLASS
LAST night I had on more layers than a cake in a British Bake Off Showstopper Challenge. It was the first proper chilly night in our household this autumn and slippers, jim jams, two jumpers and a blanket didn’t quite take the edge off the cold. I was making notes about a glass of red wine (it’s how I rock and roll) and pondering what to write about this week. When it struck me.
I was snuggling up – I was holding a glass of red wine, it made me feel better – and so my friends, here’s three autumnfriendly reds to warm your toes.
My light switch moment red came with
(£11.99, Virgin Wines, 13.5% abv). It is created in Romania by producers Cramele Recas and is the inspiration of Aussie wine
Syrah Solevari Reserve
maker Hartley Smithers. It’s a deep red, verging on the colour purple yet is not quite full-bodied as I can slightly see my fingers through the glass. It oozes aromas of vanilla and liquorice, blackcurrants and black cherry. To taste, a good sprinkling of spice flashes in and out of dark fruit flavours and a veil of vanilla. There’s a decent acidity which freshens, the tannins are integrated and the lasting effect is one of spice.
Hold my hand as we zip off to McLaren Vale in Australia for
Wirra Wirra Church Block 2016
(RRP £13.49, Waitrose, Ocado, 14.5% abv) which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz. This wine is another compote of warming dark fruits, with confident shouts from plums and damsons. The wine has been aged in a mix of French and American oak, which together bring overtones of vanilla and chocolate; but there is still a lightness of touch with the wave of a woodland breeze.
For my final choice I’m going to take you to Spar.
I tasted (£4.99, 13% abv) at Spar’s seasonal tasting the other week, where many months of work by the Spar
Smooth Red
team to revamp its wine offering was seen to be finally bearing fruit. (Is that a pun? I’m not sure.) The red is part of its Taste Range, launched last year together with its Alphabet range (you see a simple “G” on a wine label, and the wine is garnacha etc.). Those ranges are now supported by an Exclusives line and the new Regionals Selection line. The latter has a set of labels designed to pull together the many wines from across the world – France, Chile, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Argentina – under a consistent umbrella.
Philippa Carr MW, Spar’s wine consultant, told me they’ve had to think carefully about what the modern consumer wants, especially in
Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.
stores where a wine buying decision could be made in seconds. The range is now complete, with “the consumer respected in the lifestyle choices they want to make”.
I’ll share more of the new wines as we inch towards Christmas, but for now, the very adequate and friendly autumn warmer Smooth Red is 100% merlot and produced in Spain. Raspberry jam. Strawberry jam. Jam, jam, jam. This wine is dotted with spice but if it’s a fruity autumn warming wine you want at a reasonable price, then there you go.
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