Wines worth talking about

OUR EXPERT TIM ATKIN MW FINDS WINES WITH INTERESTING STORIES

Wine bores are some of the most tedious people in the world. Believe me, when you do what I do for a living, geeks are always very keen to tell you about their verticals of this and their horizontals of that. I love wine, but when it becomes a form of vinous stamp-collecting, I lose interest in the subject. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT WINE ISN’T WORTH DISCUSSING. IN FACT, ONE OF THE PLEASURES OF OPENING A BOTTLE (APART FROM DRINKING IT, OF COURSE) IS CHATTING ABOUT IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS. SOME WINES ARE SO BAD THAT THEY’RE CONVERSATION STOPPERS, BUT PLENTY MORE HAVE INTERESTING STORIES TO REVEAL.

I’VE SELECTED SIX WINES TO GET YOU TALKING AS WELL AS SIPPING. EACH HAS A DIFFERENT POINT OF INTEREST, WHETHER IT’S A LITERARY CONNECTION, A BIT OF HISTORY OR A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. BUT THAT’S ONLY HALF OF THE POINT OF RECOMMENDING THEM.

THEY ARE ALSO EXCELLENT VALUE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.

ONCE YOU’VE STARTED TO COLLECT INTERESTING SNIPPETS ABOUT WHAT YOU DRINK, YOU’LL FIND IT HARD TO STOP. YOU MIGHT EVEN CONSIDER FORMING A WINE CLUB. AND REMEMBER TO KEEP IT FUN. AFTER ALL, NO ONE WANTS TO BE ACCUSED OF BEING A WINE BORE.

ON THE GO

It’s often said that wine doesn’t travel, but I reckon that has more to do with our changed state of mind back home than the quality of the liquid. Things are trickier with travel restrictions these days, but most bottles will survive a flight intact. Trains and cars are less complicated – and the wine is easier to keep chilled.

WE’LL DRINK TO THAT!

Couples who drink together stay together and are more contented, according to a study in the American-based Journals of Gerontology. The researchers focused on nearly 3,000 married couples and found that sharing a bottle of wine is part of the secret of a happy relationship.

2013 Domaine de Rosette Chinon (£9, 13%, Marks & Spencer) Cabernet Franc is less well known than its relation, Cabernet Sauvignon, yet it’s actually a much older grape. The best standalone examples are grown in the Loire Valley, where this elegant,...

2015 Pecorino Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo (£7.99, 13%, Waitrose) You might be tempted to serve this with cheese, but don’t: Pecorino is the name of the grape, an Italian variety that’s becoming popular as a richer alternative to Pinot Grigio. This has...

2014 Taste the Difference Douro (£8, 14%, Sainsbury’s) When people talk about the Douro Valley, they tend to focus on Port. And yet the red wines are improving with every vintage. This unoaked, violet-scented blend from Quinta do Crasto is deliciously...

2015 Gentilini Robola, Cephalonia (£14, 13%, Oddbins) Cephalonia is famous as the setting of Louis de Bernières’ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin rather than its wines, but this tangy, herbal, palate-cleansing white, made from the Robola grape, will delight...

2014 Casillero del Diablo Carmenere, Central Valley (£8, 13.5%, The Co-operative) It took the Chileans a century to realise that most of what they thought was Merlot was actually rarer Carménère instead. This has the grape’s typical green pepper and...

2014 Royal Tokaji Late Harvest (£9.99 per 50cl, 12%, Majestic) Back in the 19th century, Tokaj made some of the world’s most sought after sweet wines. A post-Soviet renaissance is seeing the region return to former glories. Honeyed and peachy with...