3 Best wines from the High Street
2018 Tesco Finest Argentinian Malbec £6 instead of £8 until July 29 at Tesco Tesco has several malbecs on offer at the moment but this was the one that really caught my eye. It is from Mendoza, Argentina’s malbec capital, and delivers smooth raspberry and damson fruit with modest tannin, savoury depth, good acidity and touches of cinnamon, black pepper and dark chocolate.
2019 Namaqua Fairtrade Reserve Selection Chenin Chardonnay
£5.50 instead of £6.50 until July 16 at the Co-op Reports suggest South Africa’s 2019 harvest will be high in quality. This outrider for the vintage supports those forecasts with a blend that combines the country’s flagship white (chenin blanc) with chardonnay. The result is creamy, textured, ripe red apple and pear fruit, nippy acidity and touches of tropical fruit and nuttiness.Some stores are still on the previous vintage, however.
2018 Macon Villages
Aristocratic white burgundy is complex, textured, elegant – and expensive! Outer areas like Macon, however, can provide inexpensive glimpses of why the style is so appealing. This one has apple, melon and white peach fruit, toffee-influenced toastiness and grapefruit acidity but, understandably, less depth than those illustrious neighbours.
ON-WINE SHOPPING:
2018 Pietas Carignan £9.25 at www. woodwinters.com Carignan was once the workhorse grape of southern France, producing litres of (decidedly ordinary) red wine. However, by combining old vines (and their inevitably reduced yield but increased concentration) with skilled winemaking, levels of excellence can be attained as has happened here. Note, especially, the depth of its clove, chocolate and aniseed background and subtle hint of sweetness that underpins the wine’s lively cherry and loganberry fruit.